In July 2006, Maffably President Manami Takehara and director Yuki Hori established a relaxation salon at a shopping center in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture. The concept was to create natural, chemical-free aroma oils by using local ingredients from Wakayama Prefecture for use in aroma therapy.

“In 2012, we received funding through an agricultural-commercial-industrial partnership. We have worked to develop products in cooperation with the local forestry cooperative,” says Hori. The company decided to use Kumano cedar to rejuvenate local industry, but after actually going into the forest, they realized that there were numerous different kinds of cedar referred to by the same name.

“Upon trying to extract aromas from various Kumano cedars, we found that while the leaves smelled great on their own, they had a raw, grassy smell when processed into oil. We encountered many unexpected disappointments,” says president Takehara. After much trial and error, they discovered a unique citrus aroma, developing a product by extracting the fragrance of leaves from Kumano Shibahara cedar trees. What resulted was an aroma oil packed with the bright and friendly essence of Wakayama.

Maffably specializes in creating bold, straightforward scents that bring out the essence of each tree. Using a chainsaw would dilute the aroma with machine oil, so they cut down each tree by hand using a saw. The leaves are also stringently selected by hand. “During my research at university, I learned that Kumano cedar, cypress, and the kuromoji tree contain various active ingredients that give them their distinct smell,” says Takehara. “In providing The Scent of KUMANO Essential Oil to our customers, we hope to support a healthy and rich lifestyle from mind to body.”