Lake & Skye is a new line of 100 percent pure essential oil products, fragrances and floral waters that are hand-blended in New York City and Los Angeles. Ingredients like sandalwood, bergamot, neroli and grapefruit are selected from conscious, experienced sources and carefully chosen based on their healing properties and synergy with other oils. The brand was founded by Courtney Somer, whose background is in yoga instruction, aromatherapy and nutrition, and who is married to restaurateur/entrepreneur Taavo Somer (of Freemans—and now, Le Turtle—fame), with whom she lives with their two daughters on the Upper West Side.
The nine-product line ranges from scents like tea rose, night-blooming jasmine and patchouli blend Echo Lake to wild floral Wildflower and essential oil blends like the heart-opening Epic Love and the uplifting Illumination. Lake & Skye’s floral waters (Frankincense, Rose and Jasmine) are artisan-produced by a master distiller and are made with water from a Hawaiian waterfall.
Here, we sat down with Somer to chat about her new line.
Courtney Somer, founder of Lake & Skye
How did you get the idea for Lake and Skye?
I’ve been on a wellness journey for the past 15 years. It started as a health crisis in my early twenties that could not be solved by doctors and standard medical advice. I went to a healer on a whim and he diagnosed me within 15 minutes of meeting me. From then on I was hooked and interested to know about alternative healing and went on to study meditation, nutrition, kundalini and pre-natal yoga and eventually aromatherapy. I’m a Gemini, so I like to acquire knowledge, which may be obvious.
What did you feel was missing in the fragrance market?
I wanted to be able to use aromatherapy oils and get their benefits immediately. They need to be diluted prior to putting on and I wanted them already blended in great smelling formulas for a specific purpose. From there I expanded to fragrance and floral waters.
Where do you get your ingredients?
All the ingredients used are sourced from experienced, conscious farms and use only the purest, therapeutic grade oils and come from areas where they harvested for years. For example, the rose is sourced from the valley of the roses in Bulgaria.
How do you wear them?
I have a rotation that happens based on seasons and what’s going on around me. Right now I’m using the Frankincense, which is an essential for living in NYC. It is the Middle Eastern equivalent of sage so I use it often in my home and office to clear out any stale energy and bring in the new. For fragrance, I use the Wildflower to brighten up the winter. The oils are lighter so I use them throughout the day and layer then with fragrance or floral waters depending on the day.
