Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of our trip to Barcelona was meeting the wonderful people who hosted us and spent time with us! After corresponding with Jordi Cabezas of JC Apotecari for several months, I was really looking forward to meeting him in person.
Our intrepid group of Sniffapalooza travelers trekked to the charming and cozy district of Sarria, where we were greeted at the threshold of JC Apotecari by Jordi, founder, co-owner and master pharmacist; his wife and business partner, Angels Pijuan; Sara Carner of Carner Barcelona Perfumes; Paola Gugliotti of Sepai Skincare Technology; and the warm and enthusiastic staff of JCA. We were whisked off for a short tour of the neighborhood, which included the local school (loved the red-headed boy with the teal glasses!), the town hall, the butcher, the bakery, and an astounding array of markets and specialty food purveyors. Equally amazing were the chic leathery-pleathery leggings and skyscraper shoes that both Sara and Paola glided in. Unbelievably elegant!
Upon arriving back at the sleek and modern JC Apotecari, replete with cosmetic flight bar and express skin stations – we assembled into three groups to attend a series of master class workshops presided over by our sponsors for the evening. Sara Carner gave us an overview of Carner Barcelona and we learned about her creative vision with her three fragrances – two of which came home with me, D600 and Cuirs. I have been enamoured with Cuirs since Sara showed it to me at Elements Showcase back in August in NYC! Karen A fell for Tardes.
Paola Gugliotta gave an impressive presentation about Sepai, which uses active ingredients to address specific skincare concerns and problems. It is fascinating that you can purchase the ingredients in syringe form to inject into other beauty products! Ever the serum-lover, I couldn’t resist buying the Restart Facial Extract, and I swear I saw results right away!
Hierbas de Ibiza is exactly the kind of company we adore at Sniffapalooza – classic in composition and design, and pure in ingredients. This is a beautiful portrayal of an elegant eau de cologne, with crisp citrus melding with clean and spicy notes. We were gifted with full-size bottles by the founder, Antonio Torres, and we all became so addicted to those delectable, triple-milled soaps that everyone bought some and I think we depleted their stock!
We sipped bubbly and nibbled on delicate chocolate lace cookies, and were then shown the working pharmacy and lab where Jordi creates new creams and beauty products, and the treatment rooms for consultations and procedures. Now we were ready to play with all the wonderful products that JC Apotecari stocks!
JCA is known for their beautifully-curated, eclectic selection of niche fragrances, skincare, color cosmetics, and hair care. 
Other brands we got to experience were Absolution, Marvis, Aesop, Rahua, Malin + Goetz, Philip B, Patyka, Invisible Zinc, Green & Spring, Dr. Sebagh, Rodial, John Masters Organics, Bumble and Bumble, Baxter of California, Escentric Molecules, Diptyque, Six Scents, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Miller Harris, Eau D’Italie, REN, The Laundress, Zelens, SJal Skincare, Immupure, Deborah Lippmann, and Ellis Faas.
After indulging ourselves thoroughly at JC Apotecari,
our evening was not over… our generous hosts treated us to an incredible tapas dinner at El Canalla, a local favorite restaurant right up the street that has been around for over a century. The wine flowed, the air was fragrant with a mélange of scent, and the conversation spanned subjects from architecture to captive molecules. Sitting with our new friends, over a leisurely meal that seemed to have no end, we were completely happy and content and excited about the colors, smells, and tastes of Barcelona – a city of art, emotions, and true friendship. An evening that is forever engraved on my heart and memory!
