Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend — “Scents and Sensibility”

Air Date: January 1, 2026
Host: Conan O'Brien
Co-hosts: Sona Movsesian, Matt Gourley
Guest: Sandra (Perfume shop owner and TikTok entrepreneur)

Episode Overview

In this lively and characteristically playful episode, Conan, Sona, and Matt chat with Sandra, who left her engineering career to open a perfume shop and become a TikTok scent entrepreneur. The conversation explores Sandra’s unique journey, the business and psychology of TikTok selling, hypothetical custom scents for each host, and a barrage of classic Conan humor riffing on everything from marketing tactics to Star Wars memorabilia. The episode oscillates between irreverent banter and genuine insights about building a business by following one’s dreams—even if that means learning how to sell perfumes from a car for “the algorithm.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sandra’s Career Shift: From Engineering to Perfume Shop Owner

• Location & Origins: Sandra is based in California, running a Huntington Beach perfume shop.
• COVID Epiphany: During the pandemic, Sandra left engineering to pursue her lifelong love for fragrances and personal care.

“I was one of those people during COVID who, like, life slowed down, and I pursued what I really wanted to do.”
— Sandra (02:22)

2. Unpacking the Perfume Business & TikTok Shop

• Not a Perfume Maker: Initially, the group assumes Sandra concocts custom scents in a lab. She clarifies she’s mainly a retailer who curates and recommends products, not a chemist blending oils and ambergris late at night.
• TikTok Shop Pioneer: Sandra was among the first to leverage TikTok Shop, making multiple scent recommendation videos daily.
  • Surprising tip: Filming in her car boosts TikTok algorithm engagement.

“The TikTok algorithm likes it if you’re in your car. Is that true?”
— Conan (05:34)
“That’s correct… with the car background, it just gets more views.”
— Sandra (05:42)

• The ‘Hook’ in Social Media: Sandra stresses that grabbing attention in the first two seconds is “80% of the work.” Urgency and intrigue are key, even if exaggerated.

“If you buy this perfume, you’re gonna regret it because it’s going to make all the guys cheat on their wives.”
— Sandra (06:56)

• Call to Action: The group jokes about the intensity of TikTok calls-to-action, likening video endings to crashing a car for effect.

“Well, they all end in a car crash.”
— Matt Gourley (08:30)

3. Custom Scents for the Hosts — A Playful Exploration

Sandra suggests personalized fragrances for each host, sparking banter and genuine interest.

Matt Gourley:

• Suggested scent: “A City on Fire” by Imaginary Authors — smoky, dark, “burnt matches,” reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s writing.
• Matt reminisces about high school colognes (“Drakkar to Fahrenheit”), prompting Conan’s locker room jibes.

“It’s very… Cormac McCarthy. Like, it’s very dark and moody.”
— Sandra (14:58)

Sona Movsesian:

• Suggested scent: “Namat Amber” (a perfume oil). Clean, luxurious, not too “floral and girly.”
• Sona shares that she’s already an “oil person” and applies roll-on scents to her “hot spots.”

“I do. I’m an oil person. I don’t… go fuss-fuss. I do a roll and then I put it on my spot.”
— Sona (16:46)

Conan O’Brien:

• Suggested scent: “Yellowstone Ridge” by True Western — cowboy-inspired, with sage, tobacco and whiskey.
• Sandra explains it suits Conan’s “cowboy chic” vibe, which flatters him.
• Scent application tips: focus on “hot spots”—crook of the arm, behind the knee, sides of neck. Never rub alcohol perfumes, as “the perfume community will come after you.”

“You got your leather jackets, the Bombers, the plaid. I’m thinking something cowboy, Western. You’re representing the US when you travel.”
— Sandra (18:16)

• Classic Conan:
  Conan jokes about Sandra using the podcast as a marketing ploy, then good-naturedly “recognizes game.”

“You played me like a cello. And you know what? Game recognizes game. And I applaud you, because what you did was beautiful.”
— Conan (20:31)

4. Banter, Sarcasm & Memorable Moments

• The Algorithm as an Alibi:
  Conan and Sona laugh over “the algorithm” as the modern answer to everything.

“In the modern era, all you have to answer to any question is: ‘the algorithm.’”
— Conan (05:23)

• Meta-promotion:
  As Sandra drops her website, Conan parodies influencer tactics.

“Is one of the rules that you learned... also dupe popular podcast into talking about your site?”
— Conan (19:38)

• Sandra’s True Motive Revealed:
  She giddily admits she hoped to see producer Jordan Schlansky (famed for his Star Wars obsession), not Conan—a revelation the hosts milk for comedic effect.

“That’s the biggest insult. You tricked me into promoting your site... and now you say I’m only here because of Jordan Schlansky and his Darth Vader helmet case.”
— Conan (23:04)

• Scent Application Tips (with classic Conan mischief):
  • Never rub perfume — ruins the “notes.”
  • Apply to “hot spots.”
    Conan jokes about “my bottom gets very warm,” a prank he claims to have pulled in the 1980s.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Sandra’s intro and shop background: 01:16–03:03
• TikTok “car” algorithm & hooks: 04:50–07:29
• Creating urgency and calls to action: 07:30–09:55
• Personalized scent suggestions & banter: 13:51–18:46
• Sandra’s promotional reveal & site info: 19:38–20:58
• Star Wars/Jordan Schlansky moment: 21:17–23:04
• Application tips & perfume “hot spots”: 23:34–25:11
• Conan’s closing thoughts on careers and happiness: 25:11–25:43

Notable Quotes

• Conan O’Brien (on TikTok urgency):

  • “From now on, on the podcast, it’s the three of us in an F1. Every podcast doesn’t start with, ‘Hi, I’m blank, and I want to be Conan O’Brien’s friend.’ We’re not doing that shit anymore. It’s: ‘Your house is on fire. But I can stop it!’” (07:31)

• Sona Movsesian (on perfume oils):

  • “I don’t put a lot on where you look at me and you’re like, ‘Look at that oily bitch.’” (17:29)

• Sandra (on following dreams):

  • “I appreciate it, guys… that’s the whole trick in life, is find something you love doing and then somehow turn that into a job. I really believe that.” (25:40)

Tone and Style

The episode glides through mockery and sincerity, balancing Conan’s signature wit with Sandra’s earnestness. The hosts’ quick banter and mutual teasing are highlights, yet they seamlessly shift to supportive encouragement when touching on themes of reinvention and self-fulfillment.

Summary Takeaway

“Scents and Sensibility” is equal parts master class in comedic improvisation and accidental business seminar. It’s a celebration of internet-era entrepreneurship—a demonstration of how good humor, a creative spirit, and knowing “the algorithm” can turn a passion project into an enterprise. For fans, it’s also another playful peek behind the curtain at the friends and oddballs who make up Conan’s extended universe.