“Which shampoo smells the nicest?” That a question we often get from pet parents. While to me, function is much more important than scent, I can see why it matters. A nice scent can lift our spirit, calm our nerves, and boost confidence. A bad scent? A total downer. smith&burton aims to bring the best of both worlds – products that not only work but smell amazing too.
I was charmed by how luxuriously complex smith&burton’s signature scents are. If you want a grooming product that is safe and effective while carrying a luxe fragrance, this is the brand to check out.
Latte using smith&burton Hydrating Cologne
A fragrance experience that’s kind to sensitive noses
When I received the media kit, I picked out the hydrating cologne and pointed it at Latte. Surprisingly, she didn’t mind it! She usually hates the smell of grooming products, especially those containing lavender essential oil. While some essential oils can be beneficial, they can be quite strong, even at less than 1%.
Certified 100% Natural fragrances designed by Yves Dombrowsky
smith&burton uses Certified 100% Natural fragrances specially designed by Yves Dombrowsky, Parfumeur Créateur. He has over 30 years of experience, having learnt the art of olfaction and designing scents in France from a perfumer who worked for Chanel.
Yves led the design using his unique computing design tool. It provides the ability to deeply analyse a customer’s product and product story, thereby allowing the scent design to achieve a fragrance that resonates strongly with the customers’ expectations.
This unique approach is reinforced with a state of the art supply chain and technical assistance from a leading team of perfumery experts in Grasse France. This is how he achieves a fragrance of Eau de Toilette quality that is also safe for sensitive dog noses.
What makes smith&burton fragrance safe and unique:
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Formulated with raw plant-derived materials and processes certified to the most recognised natural standard in the world
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The fragrance formulation minimises ingredients that may pose a risk to dogs
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Only clean and Certified 100% Natural methods are used for the extraction of aromatics. The process is clean of non-natural residues, which are often present in the manufacturing of absolute and fragrance oils
You can expect a luxurious fragrance experience that does not compromise on your dog’s wellbeing.
Ingredients transparency
Besides how the products smell, what we like about smith&burton is that they are transparent about the ingredients they use. At their website, you will find an extensive ingredients glossary, stating every ingredient they use and its purpose. Several of the ingredients are native to New Zealand, where smith&burton is made.
You will also find product recommendations for different skin and coat type and problem areas. It just shows the amount of thought and care that went into the product design.
smith&burton products
Product ranges to suit individual dogs
smith&burton uses quality plant-based ingredients like hemp, manuka honey, chamomile, and ginseng to craft their product ranges. Certainly, my dog leads a better life than me!
There are five product ranges:
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Hydrating – everyday range for all coat types
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Nourishing – for long, combination, curly, fluffy coat types
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Soothing – gentle and calming range for sensitive skin
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Dermal relief – for ultra-sensitive, itchy, allergy-prone skin and coats
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Puppy – for younger, most delicate skin and coats
Whether it’s hotspots, dandruff, allergies, or matting, there’s a solution for you.
5 Questions with Sonya Berrigan, Founder of smith&burton
1. Tell us about yourself and your dogs!
I have grown up with dogs and horses since I was four years old and they have always been a huge part of my life and who I am. Over the years, my experience has spanned the care and presentation of show ponies, thoroughbred race-horses, and dogs. I also had a successful corporate career in product development, marketing, branding, and design.
Smith and Burton are the love of my life and they are like my children. Smith is a 10-year-old large creamy-white Goldendoodle who loves to get dirty as often as possible. Burton is a very active 9-year-old black Standard Poodle. He would suffer from outbreaks of red, irritated skin. The three of us do everything together. They are the inspiration behind the brand and my passionate pursuit to create something better.
2. You’ve tried more than 150 grooming products over the past decade and found that none met the mark. That was how smith& burton came about. But with more natural products available today, what would you say sets your brand apart?
Our range is naturally effective – not just natural for natural sake. We want it to perform to a very high standard. Therefore, we have many of New Zealand’s elite and internationally awarded groomers who use our range.
We balance the best of nature and science to bring a luxurious range that is comparable to the top natural human product equivalents. Unlike other brands that only use a few natural extracts and oils, we pack our formulations with unique, powerful, and proven New Zealand native ingredients found nowhere else in the world, combined with the best natural ingredients earth has to offer. You would not find many of our ingredients in other dog grooming products on the market today.
We are one of, if not the only, dog grooming brands to use Certified 100% Natural fragrances, specifically formulated for dog noses that are around 40 times more sensitive than ours. They are light, delicate, layered scents that linger for days.
Also, what we leave out is just as important as what we put in. We have the most extensive list of no nasties and full transparency and honesty around our products.
3. What criteria must a fragrance meet to be Certified “100% Natural”?
For a fragrance to be Certified 100% Natural, we can only use raw plant-derived materials. Additionally, the processes must meet globally recognised COSMOS-standard and be approved by the certifying body of Ecocert and British Natural Product Association.
Essentially, we have to extract fragrance components using the cleanest and purest ways. We cannot extract from non-natural solvents, which are potentially harmful.
4. How did you come up with the different product ranges and how did you decide what ingredients to use?
I spent over two years fully developing the range to ensure that we are catering to every dog, regardless of the skin and coat type or issue. We work with elite chemists, perfumers, and leading industry professionals, including New Zealand’s leading and most trusted skincare, haircare, and cosmetic contract manufacturer.
Depending on the results we want the product to achieve, we hand-select the very best known natural ingredients with qualities that are proven effective. We don’t compromise on using anything but the best natural ingredients available.
Our range is centred on one of New Zealand’s most powerful natural ingredients – Manuka Honey, which I have used for numerous years on horses and dogs. It is world-renowned as a superfood healer and highly moisturising.
We have used over 64 different ingredients throughout our range. Many have multi-purpose qualities that bring various benefits to the overall wellbeing of a dog’s skin and coat.
5. Which is your favourite product/range and why?
I love and use all our products. Each is unique with special qualities and serves different purposes. It is very difficult to pick just one. However, given this journey started over 10 years ago when Smith came into my life, and I use this range on him (it also carries Scent No.2, which I adore), my favourite would have to be the nourishing range. It really makes Smith’s coat so white, soft, fluffy and shiny, and he smells divine for days.
