In the Studio with Nelly from Wild Earth Perfume

There's a particular kind of fragrance that doesn't announce itself so much as it arrives — like morning light on a hillside, or the quiet certainty of a scent that feels like you. Nelly of Wild Earth Perfume has been crafting botanical eau de parfum with that kind of care: slowly, intentionally, and always with nature close at hand.

We sat down with Nelly — between blends, scent strips, and the dream of a country studio with 360-degree views — to talk Gisborne childhoods, Winter Solstice mornings, and building a perfume house that wears its ingredients openly.

To start, what's feeling most exciting in your life right now?

Oh there is so much to be excited about. We are currently building our dream home in the country, on top of a hill with 360 degree views of farmland, vineyards and agriculture. Each sunrise and sunset is a source of inspiration. The new build also means expanding my perfume studio into a space that I can share with others, giving a full experience of scent in its raw form.

Tell us a little about yourself, where you're from, and what your childhood was like.

I have spent the majority of my life growing up in Gisborne, a small sunny east coast town with beautiful beaches and kind, laid-back people. I have grown up around creative people, especially my mother, who showed me you can build a life around creativity, art, music and photography. In a way I guess that gave me permission to pursue that part of myself and build something from it.

Can you share with our audience how Wild Earth came to be?

In 2016, after the birth of my first son, I became very aware of what I was putting on my skin, and having him close on my skin made me wonder how much of what I was using was also affecting him. I have always loved scent and wore perfume every day. I started tinkering with essential oil blends and eventually friends wanted me to make blends for them. The essential oil blends were beautiful but just didn't compare in longevity to the perfume I was used to. I scoured books, blogs and forums, and eventually this led me to creating my first Eau de Parfum. The new botanical ingredients I was discovering were very exciting. I had to go against the grain in the perfume world in a way, most of the forums really didn't like natural perfumers, and while it can be very limiting ingredient wise, that is where my creative side can really shine.

Has the shift towards natural fragrance opened up paths you couldn't have imagined five or ten years ago?

Absolutely. Natural fragrance has opened doors I couldn't have imagined. There's a growing curiosity around where ingredients come from, how they're made, and how scent can connect us to nature in a more meaningful way. It's also allowed me to build something that feels much more personal, not just creating perfume, but exploring botanicals, storytelling, education and the emotional experience of scent. What started as an interest in natural perfumery has evolved into a whole creative world I never expected.

What does your creative process look like?

It almost always begins with a song, lyric, quote or poem. There is so much inspiration to be drawn from a word. Sometimes it's a feeling that I want to express. Winter Solstice, for example, was born from a little moment during the middle of winter. Those cool mornings where the sun is warming you up as you sit in your cosiest knit, cradling a warm maple sweetened coffee in your favourite ceramic mug. Winter Solstice invoked misty mountains: Cedarwood, Oakmoss. The cosy knit and coffee cup: Coffee, Vanilla, Caramel, Musk.

Each scent takes many iterations, trials and tweaks. It can take anywhere from six months to two years to know that a scent is ready to share. The creative process is slow and intentional, which for someone with a busy mind like mine can feel challenging but also grounding. There is something beautiful about being forced to slow down and let a fragrance reveal itself rather than rushing it into existence. Sometimes the hardest part is knowing when to stop changing it and trust that it's finally finished.

When you meet someone, do you find you can sense what scent might suit them, or which one they'll be drawn to?
I often get a sense of the kind of scent they might be drawn to, not necessarily from what they tell me they like, but from their personality, energy, how they carry themselves. Sometimes I'll have a scent in mind before they've smelled anything, and it's surprisingly often the one they gravitate towards. I think scent is deeply intuitive. We're not always consciously choosing what we like. Sometimes a fragrance simply feels like us.

What's something about your brand that you feel especially proud of?
I think I'm most proud of the fact that Wild Earth has stayed true to its original heart. It was born from a desire to create fragrance in a way that feels connected to nature, and that connection still guides everything I do. I'm proud that the perfumes are made slowly and thoughtfully, using beautiful natural materials, and that they're not trying to smell like anything else. They each have their own character and story. I am also so proud to share my ingredient lists. How do we truly know what we are putting on our skin if the ingredient list is being hidden behind a proprietary formula?

But perhaps what makes me proudest is hearing from someone who says a scent has brought back a memory, changed their mood, or simply made them feel more like themselves. That's the reason I keep creating.

What are your own personal rituals and routines?

My rituals are pretty simple and usually revolve around slowing down, checking in with myself. I love starting the day with a coffee (in a patch of sunshine if possible) and a little quiet time before everything gets busy. Scent is naturally part of my everyday rituals too. I'll often put on a perfume simply because of how I want to feel that day, rather than saving fragrance for a special occasion. Sometimes it's grounding, sometimes uplifting, sometimes something deeper and more sensual.

I also love being outside, especially walking and spending time in nature. There's something about noticing the seasons, the plants, the earth and the changing air that constantly feeds back into my creative work. Music is a huge part of my day, and I always have it on in the background. For me, the little rituals are really about creating moments of presence in an otherwise very busy life.

When you're crafting a fragrance, what matters most to you?

I think the initial thing that matters most to me is invoking a feeling. Before I even think about the technical side of a perfume, I think about how it will make someone feel. I'm interested in the emotion, the atmosphere and the story behind a scent. I want it to transport you somewhere. Of course, the materials and the way they work together matter, but ultimately, I'm always chasing that emotional response. When a fragrance makes someone pause, breathe a little deeper and feel something, that's when I know I've got it.

Secondly, longevity on the skin or clothing really matters to me. I'm always thinking about how I can formulate the scent to have that long-lasting staying power. For me, this comes down to creating a strong, beautiful base that people can still catch on their skin or clothing hours later. I love the idea that a fragrance can linger with you throughout the day, even when you're no longer consciously thinking about wearing it.

What has been one of your biggest challenges and lessons either in life or business to date?

One of my biggest challenges has been learning to trust myself and the value of what I create. When you're building a small business around something so personal and creative, it can be easy to compare yourself to bigger brands or question whether what you're doing is enough. I've learnt that I don't need to follow everyone else's path. Wild Earth has grown slowly and organically. I've had to become comfortable with that. There have been plenty of moments where I've had to adapt, start again, learn things I never expected to need to know, and keep going even when I wasn't sure what the next step looked like.

Is there a scent you always come back to, just for yourself?

Leather + Lace is definitely the scent I always come back to. I had such a clear vision for it when I created it. I could almost see the person wearing it, the mood, the atmosphere and the contrast I wanted to capture. I wanted it to feel both sensual and grounded, with that beautiful tension between something soft and feminine and something darker, richer and a little bit wild. It's one of those scents where the vision in my head translated into the perfume almost exactly as I imagined it, which doesn't always happen.

Nelly, welcome to Tea & Tonic and the MONNI family, where we celebrate sustainable, woman-founded and led businesses from across New Zealand and Australia.

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