Have you ever smelt a certain scent and been immediately transported to a memory from long ago? Perhaps the smell of sunscreen reminds you of lazy days on the beach in summer. Or maybe the smell of freshly cut wood reminds you of cosy nights by the fire. Whatever the scent may be, these can trigger wildly different emotional responses in each person.

The fact that smell and memory are so closely intertwined is something that completely fascinates Best Monday founder, Madeleine Patel. She understands the mood boost a fragrance can give you; that extra bit of confidence to walk into a work meeting or a first date with your head held high. Spurred on by this interest in sensory experiences, Madeleine has dedicated the last few years to formulating a range of solid perfumes to fit different personality and mood types.

Starting at the kitchen bench

With her background in advertising and communications, becoming the Chief Fragrance Formulator wasn’t the easiest of switches. It’s a mixture of science and art and, as Madeleine puts it, real test of patience. With more than 700 different oils and scents to work with it was hard to know where to start. But, to Madeleine, the kitchen seemed like a pretty good place!

From all those hours spent tinkering in the kitchen, Madeleine came up with a range of fragrances that she hopes will help to democratise the fragrance industry. You see, the Best Monday perfumes are not just fit for purpose (or rather, person), but they’re also accessible. They’re easy to travel with, delivered to your door, and relatively inexpensive. That’s because Madeleine believes that every woman should be able to walk into a room feeling good about herself. Age, income or status should be no barrier to self-worth.

From start-up to Soda Seed Grant finalist

Having that confidence is important to Madeleine. It’s something she has leaned on to drive this business forward and to charge through moments of uncertainty. In October last year, she took the big leap of faith to jump into this venture full-time, after being accepted into a start-up accelerator programme. From there, she has jumped from strength to strength and was recently announced as a finalist in the Soda Seed Grant competition.

With the business still in its early stages, Madeleine says she values the opportunity to make new connections and get her product in front of a wider audience. That’s exactly why she applied for the Seed Grant competition and accelerator programme. The knowledge, insight and support from others is what keeps things moving forward.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the news on Best Monday, you can contact Madeleine at madeleine@bestmonday.co.nz. Keep posted for their launch in September 2021!