Quinn: The Beauty of Building Something with Soul
Photography by Evelina Kvartunaite
Sometimes the most meaningful ideas don't arrive with a grand plan. Sometimes they begin with running out of perfume. "I used to live in a tiny remote town in the Central Australian Desert where perfume options were basically whatever the local chemist happened to stock," Kate tells me. "The nearest department store was 1,400 kilometres away."
A friend had given her a bottle of lavender oil to help her sleep. When her perfume ran out, she simply started wearing the lavender instead. "I wasn't really thinking much of it."
Only later, after moving back to Amsterdam, did something click. “I read you can make perfume from essential oils and carrier oils, and I thought - why isn't this being positioned in a way that feels more fashion-forward?" It wasn't that natural perfumes didn't exist. They did. But Kate kept seeing the same story being told.
"There were plenty of beautiful natural perfume brands, but they all leaned into the same earthy, green, eco aesthetic. I felt there was a gap for women who love fashion and trends but still want something simple, natural and intimate."
That thought refused to leave her. Two years later, it became Quinn.
Listening to Kate speak, it becomes clear that Quinn isn't the result of a single profession or passion. It is the meeting point of many different versions of herself. She worked in fashion as both a publicist and in sales. Later, she moved into healthcare, where she learned about compliance, auditing and safety. Corporate life taught her how to think in timelines, budgets and long-term planning. "Quinn is the weird culmination of all these random professional experiences I've had," she laughs. "All these past experiences came together perfectly to create Quinn." It is an unlikely combination, yet somehow it makes complete sense.
Today, every product is handmade in her private laboratory in Amsterdam. Because of her healthcare background, quality isn't simply part of the brand - it is woven into its foundation. Kate has even completed an ISO 22716 Lead Auditor accreditation, qualifying her to audit cosmetic manufacturing facilities. Yet despite this impressive expertise, she never speaks about Quinn in a way that feels distant or exclusive. Quite the opposite. "I deliberately keep Quinn as accessible as possible," she explains. "Everything is handmade and proudly made in Amsterdam, because I wanted to do it for the girlies." She smiles as she tells me about a friend who has worn nothing but patchouli oil for years after reading that it was the fragrance of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
"I love that," she says. "Some of the chicest women in the world are doing something incredibly simple, yet it still feels inaccessible to most people." That is exactly where Quinn lives. Not somewhere between luxury and affordability. Somewhere between simplicity and intention. Kate hopes people recognise that every bottle carries "a lot of heart behind it" while remaining something people can actually reach for every day - not a fragrance that waits on a shelf for special occasions. When I ask what keeps her building Quinn, her answer comes without hesitation. "It's fun and it's creative. And I like building something that I am proud of and that I believe in." That quiet belief seems to be one of the values guiding almost every decision she makes. "I think believing in yourself and your product should never be underestimated," she says. "I think this translates as authenticity." Authenticity is a word we hear often, but in Kate's case it doesn't feel like branding language. It feels like practice. Interestingly, the most difficult part of building Quinn hasn't been making the perfumes. It's been talking about herself. "I really like talking about the creative side of things," she admits. "But talking about myself and 'selling' myself as part of the business is quite difficult."
As someone who had the privilege of photographing Kate for Quinn, I smile when she says this. It is something I recognised behind the camera too. There is a quietness to her confidence. She would much rather let the work speak first. Perhaps that is why Quinn feels so coherent. Its story isn't manufactured. It simply reflects the person behind it. When things become overwhelming, Kate returns to one simple habit. "I slow down and think about the next three steps." Not the entire journey. Just the next three. "And maybe," she adds, "I ask the universe for a small win to keep me going." It feels surprisingly comforting.
So much of entrepreneurship is presented as relentless momentum, yet Kate reminds us that sometimes progress looks like slowing down enough to see the next step clearly. As our conversation comes to an end, I ask her one final question. What does beauty mean to her? "For me right now," she says, "it means raw authenticity." It feels like the perfect way to describe Quinn. Not because it is trying to redefine beauty. But because it gently reminds us that beauty has never really been about perfection. Sometimes it is simply about creating something with care, believing in it wholeheartedly, and having the courage to share it with the world.
Learn more and try Quinn here.
