As you may have read in my recent Danièle’s diary, Geoffrey Davies, communications expert from the University of Westminster, kindly introduced me at the banquet held in Beijing to honour my role as co-founder of Sanatio Naturalis.
As requested, I am posting Geoffrey Davies’ speech here for those interested in further information on my work:
It is a real pleasure to be here tonight to introduce to you someone who really needs no introduction.
Danièle Ryman is a celebrity in the world of aromatherapy and an aromatherapist in the world of celebrity. Not only does she have her own following through her numerous books and personal appearances but she is called upon to advise not only royalty amongst the famous – but indeed royalty itself.
Brought up in the Perigord region in South West France, Danièle attended the Institute des Beaux Arts in Paris and was the protégée of the pioneer of aromatherapy, Marguerite Maury.
Since the 1960’s Danièle has been promoting the health and beauty benefits of aromatherapy and one only has to meet her to see how young she is. In France she is mistaken for the film actress Catherine Deneuve and in England for Joanna Lumley. Indeed when we met for dinner last night, one would not have known she had just arrived on that long flight from London, such is the impact of her treatment to eradicate jet lag. She was the first person to formulate natural products to combat jet lag and both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic – and others – have commissioned her to create for their passengers.
And it is the quality of these treatments and the care in selecting the oils and ingredients that mark out the range that Danièle produces. In a world of chemical perfumes and synthetic smells, it is good to know that someone is still searching after quality and genuine fragrance, to create products that make you not only look good but at the same time do you good.
It would take too long to list all of Danièle’s clients but if I mentioned only some of the companies who have consulted her, you will understand the reputation she has in Europe. She has worked with top London stores Harrods and Liberty, produced ranges of products for Claridges and the Ritz Hotels, the internationally-known Champneys Spa Group and global hotel chains such as Sheraton, Crowne Plaza and Hilton. A more popular side to her work is shown by what she has done for Boots, a longstanding retail pharmacy, and that icon of the British high street, Marks & Spencer.
Danièle will be here in few moments to tell you herself how excited she is about working in China. And I should mention that she is supported in the company Sanatio Naturalis by her son Nick, who, as well as experience of working in this region of the world, has his own company, as a wine importer, a business that depends on “a good nose”, no less than aromatherapy.
Danièle Ryman is well know in the UK for the range of books she has written and moving with the times, now even has an eBook. But as well as the mass market, Danièle has been a pioneer in the world of aromacology, the study of how individuals react to the impact of particular oils and fragrances and how these differ between individuals. Certain smells and reactions are of course common and natural – the new born baby seeking the mother’s milk – but others are more specific, as are the reactions we have to them. I have been asking Danièle for something to inhale to break down the effects of the smog here in Beijing !
And it is this individuality that Danièle brings to her work. The careful selection of what makes the formulation and the individuality of the treatment she gives clients.
Now of course she is far too discrete to tell you about her private clients, but let us just say that many of them are names that you would know. I could mention former American President Bill Clinton, Britain’s only woman Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and the woman who is the real Queen of England, our longest serving monarch, Elizabeth the Second.
But now it gives me great pleasure to bring to stage the Queen of Aromatherapy – Danièle Ryman and her business partner, Valerie.
Read more about Danièle’s trip to Beijing and her role as co-founder of Sanatio Naturalis in Danièle’s diary.
[…] As a footnote, Geoffrey Davies of the University of Westminster – a communications expert – introduced me at the banquet and you can read his speech here. […]