Mark Harvey: Your brand has real momentum in a category of large, well-established players. What is your unique proposition?
Brendan Murdock: At anatomē, we work hard to embody and communicate the idea of the apothecary, a trusted store that dispenses wellbeing formulations. Our products support emotional and physical wellbeing, are enhanced by my experience in fragrance and scent. Once you discover that anatomē's blends really work, you won't want to return to the more traditional aromatherapy products. We will shortly be launching a collection of six wellbeing parfums to anchor, calm, and energise – an exciting development in our sleep-oriented range.
What have you learned from the largest companies in your space – and what do you do differently to them?
We have learned to focus on the quality of our scents and the timelessness of the collection as a whole. We have an intellectual approach to scent which separates us from the mainstream.
How does your company benefit the wider community?
This spring, we began a partnership with the World Land Trust, which supports communities to restore lands and to safeguard biodiversity. This is an important partnership for anatomē as we source our ingredients from around the world. We therefore want to ensure environments are protected so that they can future generations can enjoy the fantastic benefits of such ingredients.
What is your approach to sustainability?
We focus on reusing the original packaging of our formulations and we are introducing a refill service for our collections to reduce waste and excessive consumption. Some of our bottles are packaging-free and where we do use packaging, it is made from uncoated papers, and organic and CMO-certified ingredients.
Luxury brands tend to think in generations, not years. What is your long-term vision for the company – and what plans are you setting in place now to make that happen?
I want anatomē to be the world's leading global apothecary. It would be a wonderful achievement for people to see anatomē as a global authority on scent and scent-science, and as a place people can visit either digitally or in-person to discover our beautiful formulations.
What’s been your proudest achievement with your company so far?
As a brand, we say we 'help London sleep'. Through our formulations, we have helped so many stressed and anxious sleepers benefit from a better night's sleep.
Can you tell us one major hurdle you encountered with your company, and how you overcame it?
Our supply chain has been our greatest source of challenges. Our response was to move all of our manufacturing to the UK, which allowed us to be more exacting with our products, ensuring each represented our ambitions and values. The move has also reduced stock outages and transit costs.
What is your key piece of advice you’d have for an entrepreneur of an emerging British luxury brand?
Have a clear visualisation of the brand you want to create in your mind. Use this image as your guide, but allow space to adjust, to grow and evolve as you listen to your customer.
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