Ruth Ruane — Entrepreneur, Perfumer, Administrator

Ruth Ruane is a creative entrepreneur, digital strategist, and natural perfumer based in the west of Ireland. She’s the co-founder of the Natural Perfume Academy and the creator of the Essential Crash Course in Branding and Marketing for Natural Perfumers—a course designed not from theory, but from the ground up.

Her story didn’t begin in a studio or a lab—it began at home, raising seven children with intention, integrity, and zero shortcuts. “Every one of my seven children was breastfed and raised with reusable cloth nappies—no bottles and only disposable nappies when travelling.”
That same ethic of care runs through everything Ruth creates, from ethical skincare to handcrafted scent to scalable business systems.

Ruth is the founder of White Witch® Skincare (2005–2023), one of Ireland’s first plastic-free beauty brands. It gained national attention—including an appearance on Dragon’s Den, where one of the dragons offered half the investment if another would join in.
Behind that success was almost two decades of steady, hands-on work: handcrafting products, running her own web shop, designing packaging, and handling every bit of the tech.

She built her first website in 2005, entirely self-taught. Before that, she’d already spent years immersed in technology and computers, working side-by-side with her then-husband’s business. From there, Ruth became fluent in the full creative-technical pipeline: branding, marketing, e-commerce, digital design, course creation—you name it.
Today, she leads the full branding and tech strategy for Dr. Clare Apothecary, managing everything from packaging to web development to online course systems.

Along the way, she apprenticed herself—informally but thoroughly—under some of the best in the business. A traditional graphic designer who worked by hand taught her composition, proportion, and design thinking the old way. A branding strategist with a formal master’s degree showed her the architecture behind brand presence and visual storytelling. Ruth absorbed it all through proximity, practice, and relentless curiosity.

At the Natural Perfume Academy, Ruth is the one who helps creatives connect the dots—between scent and story, between vision and visibility. Her course isn’t about pretending to be a big brand; it’s about building something real, grounded, and unique to you. She teaches creatives how to position themselves, find their audience, and present their work in a way that feels aligned and effective.

Ruth’s work is a rare fusion of art and logic, aesthetics and systems. She sees patterns, builds tools, and brings a kind of technical clarity to creative chaos. Whether you’re launching your first perfume or refining an existing brand, she brings insight and structure to the process—without ever losing sight of the heart of the work.

Perfumer’s Journey

Ruth’s path into natural perfumery began in April 2007, when she studied under legendary perfumer Mandy Aftel—a moment that sparked a lifelong fascination with scent composition.
At that time, there were virtually no natural perfumers working in Ireland, so Ruth immersed herself in international online communities, sourcing rare botanicals and raw materials from the United States and beyond.

Her first perfume, created for Mandy Aftel’s course, was followed by “Róisín,” an elegant solid perfume that became one of her early signature creations and later featured as part of the White Witch product range sold internationally.

As founder and in-house perfumer for White Witch, Ruth developed the brand’s distinctive aromatic style—formulating all product fragrances using pure essential oils and natural extracts. She has since created custom perfumes, solid perfumes, and aromatic blends for clients and collaborators, bringing a perfumer’s precision to every creation.

Over nearly two decades, she has built an extensive knowledge of botanical materials, solid perfume formulation, and natural fragrance integration across multiple media—skincare, soap, candles, and aromatherapeutic blends.
Due to Ireland’s strict regulations on natural un-denatured alcohol, Ruth’s expertise focuses primarily on solid and oil-based perfumery, while she collaborates closely with Head Tutor Ane Walsh on alcohol-based techniques within the Academy’s diploma program.

Today, Ruth serves as Supporting Teacher of Natural Perfumery at the Natural Perfume Academy, contributing her technical, creative, and business expertise to help students develop both their artistry and professional confidence.

Want to learn with Ruth?

Her course, the Essential Crash Course in Branding and Marketing for Natural Perfumers, is made for makers, thinkers, and artists who are ready to grow—without selling out.