Why We Named Ourselves After the Bay Laurel

The bay laurel has stood in Mediterranean courtyards for centuries. Romans crowned poets with its leaves. Cooks still tuck them into stews. In Turkish, we call it defne.

When we began making soap and paste in a small kitchen, we needed a name that felt rooted — not invented in a boardroom. Defne was already growing outside the window. It felt like the only honest answer.

Every product we make still carries a little of that tree: laurel oil in our signature soap, laurel leaves in our infused oil, and the quiet conviction that good things take time to cure, dry, and steep.

Welcome to Defne Botanicals. May your kitchen and garden feel a little more alive.