David Tomlinson, whose background was in international sales, established Absolute Aromas in 1994. When studying aromatherapy in London, David found he was not able to source consistently high-quality products, professionally and thoughtfully packaged. He set out to establish a business supplying aromatherapy products of extremely good quality, paying attention to detail when it came to their presentation. For example, Absolute Aromas' essential oils have a small round sticker on their lid so they can be identified in a storage box or case - a novel idea at the time.
As the business grew, David's wife, Kay - a chartered accountant - joined as Financial Controller. In 1997 business had developed to such an extent that they could no longer fit into their small London premises and Absolute Aromas moved to a light industrial unit in the market town of Alton, Hampshire. The focus of the business remained to source, package and supply the best possible quality aromatherapy products to their expanding customer base - health food stores, spas, clinics, salons, aromatherapists and training schools and colleges, as well as home-users - around the world.
With a workforce of 25 full and part-time staff and a specialist factory carrying out the bottling and packaging of the products, Absolute Aromas is now one of the leading forces in aromatherapy in the UK. In 1995, Absolute Aromas began exporting to the Middle East and Far East and its products are now retailed in 30 countries around the world.