Photograph by Tony Valainis
BILATERAL BREAST CANCER conqueror Cari Hahn had no family history of the disease. So when she was diagnosed eight years ago, she took a good look at the personal care products she had been using. “I wanted to make sure everything I put on my body was as clean as it could be.” That goal led her, with the help of husband Matt , to start making perfumes, body oils, and soaps. “Playing with fragrance was my healing outlet,” she recalls. “I used perfume to comfort myself during treatment.”
Cari sold her first Clutch and Kindle products at farmers markets, but they now appear in 25 Indianapolis-area retailers. Hand-poured in small batches, her cruelty-free and vegan products are free of a long list of nasties: phthalates, preservatives, parabens, known hormone disruptors, and toxic chemicals. In short, “they’re made with the cleanest ingredients sourced in the United States that I can find,” says Cari.
Newest perfume Adorn, a lightly sweet amber musk, was a huge seller almost immediately. Others that fly off the shelves are Boho, with pistachio, vanilla, and salted caramel notes, and Broke and Bougie, a woody scent with a hint of jasmine.
“Cancer is a huge part of my story,” says Cari. To that end, the Hahns donate 5 percent of profits to local breast cancer charities. Cari also gives back to mental health organizations that serve first responders to honor Matt , a 25-year veteran of the Indianapolis Fire Department. “I’m proud to share that he’s been in recovery and alcohol-free for six years,” says Cari.
When Clutch and Kindle is likened to another local perfumer, the wildly popular Ambre Blends, Cari demurs. “I am definitely a fan! The only similarity is maybe that we both use clean ingredients. I tend toward many more floral and gourmand notes. But I’m honored that people think we could become a well-known fine fragrance brand.”
