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Skin Anarchy
Liis Fragrance Founders Share How Scent Can Become Your Second Skin
00:21:57
Fragrance Friday
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Transcript56 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hey, guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. This is Fragrance Friday, and I have such an amazing brand to share with you. I have recently fallen in love with lease fragrances. They are such a unique brand. It's niche luxury perfumery. They have such an interesting collection of fragrances because I feel like it's very, very difficult these days to find a scent that really lingers for a long time and also just smells like a second skin. Something you can really live in and fall in love with. So without me ranting too much, I want to introduce you guys to Elisa and Leslie. Welcome, guys. So excited to chat.
- [00:32]
B
H. Thank you so much for having us.
- [00:34]
A
No, it's a pleasure. I absolutely adore what you've done and the. The whole feel of it. You know, it's just really, for me personally, it's right. Right up my alley. And I can see how much thought you've put into the brand itself. And I'd love to actually dive into, like, the more nitty gritty later. But first learn about you guys. Like, how did you meet and decide to start a fragrance brand and where did it start?
- [00:53]
C
Yeah, so actually, Leslie and I, we've both been interested in. In perfumes since we were kids, and we both grew up in Marin county, which is just north of San Francisco. Met, we discovered that we were both obsessed with fragrance since childhood. And this was back in, you know, 2009. So it was really rare to meet someone that had the same passion as you before, like, you know, social media and all that. So it was such a special connection. Like, we're both from the same area and we have this shared passion. And, you know, at the time, I was actually living in Europe. I had finished my master's at which is the world renowned famous perfume school in Versailles, and Leslie was about to move to Europe to pursue a master's at Central St. Martin. So it was really, you know, such a special connection. And when she moved, we actually lived in, like, the same neighborhood. So we quickly became, like, best friends and, you know, really bonding over our love for. For scent art and design. Yeah, it's wonderful.
- [01:54]
A
Yeah, I love that. I love that you guys were, you know, in the same place. And I'm curious, like, did you ever have moments where you were like, you know, maybe there was like a local shop or something that you both smelled that you both loved and had that moment of creativity? Like, I mean, I can imagine. That must be nice, right? Living in the same place and trying to gain inspiration.
- [02:12]
C
Yeah. And. Well, actually, at the time, I was working for Penhaligon's and Latisan Parfumale, which are like, heritage niche perfume brands. So I think that also kind of helped us in, like, really kind of having a deeper understanding of niche. And we had this idea back then, like, wouldn't it be so great if we could have our own line someday? And, Leslie, I don't know if you wanted to add. Add to that.
- [02:36]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think we just kind of realized that we were maybe the yin and yang of skill sets. And for me, having already been into fragrance and then meeting somebody who worked for a fragrance house, it kind of demystified things for me a little bit, like, oh, this is something that people can actually do, you know? And I know that Elisa has also said that me being a creative person, the kind of light bulb went off that, you know, could be something that we could do together. Also, you know, the creativity in niche brands was something like, they're very expressive. It's not the same as, like, a designer fragrance world. You can tell many stories and very personal stories with niche. So that was also something that really attracted us.
- [03:21]
A
I really like what you said and that whole personalized thing, because when I look back on all of the fragrances I've ever fallen in love with, it's always this beautiful. Almost like serendipity. Right. And you have this, like, very deep story behind why that fragrance was created. Now we live in the world of just information everywhere, so you can find out, you know, where people came up with ideas for things. And for me, it's always been this, like, you know, there was a very real reason why someone created this fragrance. And whether that's from the artistic side or from the functionality side or whatever it was, there's a cool way that this came to be.
- [03:54]
B
Yeah, it's interesting, too, because when we were kind of coming up with this idea back then, we were coming off of the tail of the reign of designer fragrances. And so this idea of creating fragrance as art was something that was really exciting for us. From my perspective as a creative person, fragrance is a medium for storytelling. Just like, you know, writing or painting or photography. The scent itself is the medium, but then you get to create the whole world around it. So then there is the photography that goes with the campaign and the written storytelling and the naming and all that stuff is really fun to pull together to create a world around whatever the ideas are that you're trying to communicate. So for me, creatively, that's the fun part. And, Elisa, you can chime in, too, about the science of it.
- [04:41]
C
Yeah. I mean, scent is so interesting from so many different perspectives, like how it's transformative and tied to our identities and our emotions. And on the. On the science side, like how certain materials can. Can affect our moods, we created scents that we wanted to wear ourselves. And. And the different scents are based around notes that we love, so they are very personal to us. Yeah.
- [05:05]
B
And also just going back to what you were saying about how scent is so transformative.
- [05:10]
A
Yeah.
- [05:10]
B
In general, I think. I think that goes back to just human biology too. Right. Because when we're out in the wild, different scents might indicate, like, danger or like a new environment or somebody familiar. And so I think that what's really fun about fragrance and the way that it can be transform is that it's like tapping into our intuition and our instincts as we've evolved. Like, it's fun to play around with that. And so, you know, for me, and like with studied, the note that we centered studied around was really the ambrette note, which is kind of a fruity, musky note that is very unique. And it's just a note that I personally loved. And I think that for me, it was like that familiarity. And it's also, to me, it just smelled good, you know, so when you're around something that smells good, it can also lift your mood too, I think.
- [06:01]
A
Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. No, I like what you said about the biology part. I think. I think that's so, so valid. And I think one thing I want to talk about, because I know that you guys are a clean brand, you know, you don't have the synthetic additives. And I would love to learn about how that was formulating without preservatives and phthalates and all these ingredients that we hear about. You know, how is that process?
- [06:22]
C
Yeah, for sure. So coming from Marin county, it was really important for us to like, for our sense to have integrity. We wanted them to be high quality. We wanted them to be formulated clean. We've always been supporters of, like, sustainability and making sustainable choices in both our fragrances as well as our packaging. So, yeah, sourcing can definitely be a challenge. And oftentimes more sustainable and high quality materials are more expensive. So that's also, you know, could be a little bit more challenging.
- [06:50]
B
The packaging too, is, you know, we use FSC materials. We it's compostable and recyclable. And when we were first developing the packaging, it was difficult to find suppliers and vendors who weren't trying to make us use a foam tray. I feel like the industry hasn't really caught up with, or I guess I should say the supply chain hasn't really caught up with, like, the needs of sustainability or sustainable brands.
- [07:19]
A
Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting though. Like, it's almost like this is the norm and you kind of have, like, both options are not ideal. So I want to know when you guys first launched, what were the key fragrances that you introduced and how did you come to the decision to launch them first?
- [07:36]
C
Yeah, well, when we, you know, initially were developing the line, we developed eight different scents. But we actually launched with three Bow, Studied and Rosetruck, because, you know, we're self funded. And so we only had the means to really launch with three. And we felt like these really had the widest range and they were the most differentiated from one another and they really resonated with the. With both of us.
- [07:59]
B
We had to really edit it down. But we've since launched, you know, many of the other fragrances that we developed first.
- [08:06]
A
Yeah, no, absolutely. I would love to talk to you guys about Lucien, actually, because this is my favorite fragrance that I've tried in the lineup and I absolutely love it. And like I said, it really does evoke, like, memories for me, you know, from like, when I was first discovering perfumery. So I'd love to learn about this one, like, what went behind creating this. And maybe if you could walk us through the notes and kind of tells the story behind it.
- [08:28]
B
Yeah, well, so Lucienne is inspired by light. It's about seeing things in different ways. The notes are pomelo, lemon zest, dragon fruit, magnolia, water lily, and marine accord. So it adds that, like, saltiness to it. And, you know, it's. It's bright, it's very shimmery, and it's hard to encapsulate an idea like that in fragrance. It's also very personal because, you know, as Elisa mentioned, she loves the magnolia note. It's a beautiful. I don't know if it's considered a white floral, but it's, you know, it is a white bloom and it's very crisp and fresh, but it also kind of has like a citrus quality to it. So it's, you know, it's a really unique note. And the name Lucien comes from the Latin word for light. And it's also Elisa's mother's middle name. And it's my son. His. His middle name is Lucio. So when we discovered that we had this connection, we realized that we, like, immediately had to name the fragrance after it. And it really illustrates the idea of Seeing things in different ways because it stems from the same root word.
- [09:30]
A
That's beautiful.
- [09:31]
B
I love that fragrance. Oh, thank you.
- [09:34]
A
Yeah. No, this is a really, really special scent to me because I feel like. And this is kind of across the board with your. With your brand. I've noticed this, is that all of your perfumes and all of the scents are very layerable, and they're very easy to work with, especially with somebody's out there. If you guys like layering with certain lotions or oils or, you know, I know fragrance oils are a big thing right now, but these are really great, you know, for layering. And even if you wear them, like, stand alone, it's not overpowering to where. That's like when I think one of my biggest pet peeves in life is when someone's perfume is just, like, taking over my life. You know what I mean? Like, when they walk past me. So I love that about your brand that, you know, it's very personal.
- [10:10]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [10:13]
C
For them to be, like, more sheer and layerable and almost like, melting into the skin. And we. We love seeing how people interpret, you know, what their interpretations are and how they layer the different scents together. It's been fun seeing what different scents people layer.
- [10:27]
A
Yeah, no, it's really, really rare to see that. And it is like, second skin. Like, it does. That's why I love. Because the scents linger very beautifully. It's not overpowering, but it's still like, even if you were to kind of, you know, top up during the day, you're not going to feel like, oh, my gosh, like, I've just had this fragrance is overpowering. You know what I mean? Like, wherever I go and whatever I'm doing, it's all I'm smelling. So that's. I feel like you guys really kind of hit the nail on the head there. It's very rare to find, you know, I think brands that can do that in such a beautiful way. I really enjoy that.
- [10:56]
C
Yeah. And we wanted them to be, like, super wearable. And you wear the scent, the scent doesn't wear you. So if somebody, like, comes in for a hug, they'll smell it, but they won't, like, smell you before you enter a room.
- [11:08]
A
Right. Right now, one thing I do, and you know, Elisa, maybe you can address this, because I've heard this before, is that when it comes to scents that are, like, more like, they lean more citrusy or even, like, I think, you know, you guys were mentioning, like, you know, white, floral, those notes evaporate more quickly. How Was that I. In terms of, like, kind of understanding, like, the longevity of a fragrance. Can you kind of clarify that a little bit? I mean, is that true?
- [11:34]
C
Yeah. The citrus notes are typically top notes, which will be, like, your first impression of the fragrance. So that's what you. You smell first over the first few minutes, and then the heart notes come out in the first few hours, and those would be, like, the florals, and the base notes are what kind of linger. So the woody notes, the sweeter notes, the amber notes, the resins. That's kind of like what will last throughout the day and. Or multiple days. So typically, like, fragrances that are more, like, citrus focused won't really. You know, you might have the impression that they don't last as long because they're. They're mostly like, top notes or top note heavy versus, like a. Like a woody scent, you know, would kind of last longer. Or you could smell it throughout the day because it's more base note heavy, if that makes sense.
- [12:25]
A
Yeah, no, it does. It absolutely makes sense. And the reason I also asked is because I feel like the fragrances I've tried, they're very, very light, like I said, and they linger. They do feel like second skin, but they don't evaporate, I guess, as quickly as some of the other fragrances I've tried. That's what I think shocked me a lot when I tried the line was that, oh, my gosh, the wearability on this is amazing, you know, And I didn't feel like, oh, my gosh, I spruce it, like, 30 minutes ago, and now I'm like, where's my perfume? Like, it didn't feel like that. So that's why I asked you, is like, you know, the longevity side of it, how does that work? Especially because you guys are clean. You know, when you were thinking about this, are there certain, I guess, ingredients that are used to help with the longevity of a fragrance if it is on the lighter side?
- [13:08]
C
Yeah, I mean, we wanted to make sure our fragrance were balanced. So we incorporate, you know, top notes, middle notes, and base notes. So the base notes will ensure the longevity of the. The fragrance. We also. Our fragrances are eau de parfum, so the amount of oil that we use is higher than, like, an eau de toilette. So that also will help with the longevity of the SC Sense.
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A
Yeah. Yeah, makes sense. So I want to ask, like, what are some interpretations you've kind of gotten feedback about?
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B
Yeah, it's always fun to see the way the fragrances are interpreted. And you Know, we like to say that lease is fragrance that you can create your world with, so anything's up for grabs. And I love seeing all of the interpretations on TikTok and Instagram or, you know, reading on Reddit, what people are associating the different fragrances with. And it's always so personal to them as well. And it really runs the gamut, too. Like, we've seen, you know, recently a TikToker. She matched, like, each scent to a sorority girl.
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A
Oh, cool.
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B
I know. And then other times, it's like, you'll see people responding to the fragrances, and, you know, they're saying that it's, like, very Northern California and it's like the opposite of a sorority girl. And so it's just really fun to see the gamut of interpretations, and that's really what's fun about it.
- [14:25]
A
That's so cool. I love the sorority sister thing. That's really cool.
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B
Yeah. Yeah. I think it's just really from wherever the. The person is in their life, you know, then they. It goes through that lens of wherever that person is, and so that's what's fun about it for me.
- [14:41]
C
Yeah, I agree. And I was gonna say, I think, you know, certain editors have, like, commented about what movie character they think might have worn what scent. And one that stood out to me was Laura Regensdorf, who wrote a piece for Vanity Fair. She was saying, like, oh, Winona Ryder's character in Mermaids, like, wearing bow. And I thought that was really, you know, wow, you know, from the Bay Area as well. And I've always been a huge fan, so that was, like, extra special. And I loved correlating that. That character with, like, one of our scents.
- [15:14]
A
I love that. No, I think, you know, I. I really like what you. What you just said about, like, it does matter where you are in your life when you're interpreting a scent. Like, and also, like, the fact that you guys have aquatic notes. Like, I. For me, I know I've always tried to live. Live by the water. You know, at some point in my life, I. I strive for that. And I feel like maybe that's also why I fell in love, you know, when I first smelled your collection. Because it does bring you. It brings you back to a place that feels more aquatic and not in the way of, like, oh, yeah, this is just another aquatic fragrance, but the memory of that, you know what I mean? Going to the beaches or, like, sitting by the beach. I used to. I remember I was in medical school. I used to sit and study by the ocean. Every day I would go, go onto the beach, sit there, and there's so many memories for me. Right. When I can smell something, it evokes that. That's very powerful. It's not just about like, oh, this has aquatic notes, or this has fresh notes. It's more about there's a balance here that was created. And I feel like you really achieved that, you know, in your line, you've done that. And so really hats off to both of you for accomplishing that.
- [16:13]
B
Oh, thank you.
- [16:14]
A
Yeah.
- [16:14]
B
Yeah. I think Elisa mentioned earlier, you know, about the sheerness of the fragrances and how, you know, they don't wear you. That you wear the fragrance. I think that that was something like Lisa said, it was very much intentional on our end. But I have to think, too, that it's, you know, a bit of the. Our, you know, California upbringing and that sensibility and living on the coast, because every locale that we've been to, people do wear fragrances differently, too. So for us, creating lease, it was about creating fragrances that we would wear and that are inspired by our personal experiences in our backyard, as opposed to a place that maybe we had never been before. And so I think that we're really trying to encapsulate just like, our innate point of view. And so that's really fun that you are experiencing that through Lise as well, that you're, you know, getting that kind of coastal feel to it.
- [17:09]
A
Right. No, I. And I love that you. I love that you said that. That it is about, like, you know, crafting something from the experience of where you've lived. And I feel like that is such a. That's such a huge point, actually, that you've made here, because there are a lot of fragrances out there that are claiming, like, you're going to feel like you're in such and such city or such and such time or whatever. Right. But it's very difficult to do that. And I. I've always wondered that as a consumer myself about perfumery is that, you know, when you are crafting a scent, it must be something personal for you, for you to then bring that to somebody else's life and make it personal for them. Them. You know what I mean? Like, it's. Yeah. Like, I feel like that's really integral to good perfumery. And, you know, and so I love hearing that from you because it. It shows, like, the. In the products, like, it shows that you really were speaking about something and. And you're doing something that is familiar to you and so you. You're transferring that familiarity and that. That feeling to your consumers, you know, in that way. So it's beautiful.
- [18:11]
B
Yeah, that's totally true. Oh, thank you. Yes, that's totally true. I love that you said that, because I think that when we were first starting out, the idea of being inspired by our everyday lives, I think a lot of times the things that are in your everyday life, you start to take for granted, and you think, oh, nobody's going to be interested in hearing about that, you know, but we realized that that was such a rich place for us to draw inspiration from, and we realized that people. Not everybody lives where we live, and not everyone's had the same experiences that we've had, and so they might be interested in it. And we do constantly have to remind ourselves that, too, you know, But I think that's part of, you know, the authenticity and. And how we've been able to connect with so many people that we weren't even, you know, that wasn't, like, the goal, like, oh, how can we connect with people? It was really just like, how can we tell our stories?
- [19:01]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [19:02]
B
And just I think that the authenticity kind of, like, comes through because we were looking in our. At our own experiences for inspiration.
- [19:12]
A
Absolutely. Absolutely. No, I can definitely see that. And I love that you did that. That' truly, like, it's genuine, and it's from a place that's real. And I feel like in the beauty world, I mean, I say this a lot about, like, beauty brands, but I think it applies to everything. Right. That we consume. You want to find that little piece of, like, home in everything that you're buying. At least that's how I feel, you know, and when I'm purchasing anything, it's like, whether it's a lipstick, whether it's whatever. Like, I want to feel like the brand or whoever created this, like, kind of gets a little bit of what I'm looking for, you know, and that's what you're buying, really, at the end of the day. That's the thing. So I think for consumers, if you can create that connection, it's beautiful. But that connection can't be created if you're just pretending to know something and you don't. I mean, if someone's selling me a perfume and they're saying, well, you're gonna feel like you're sitting in ancient Rome or something when you smell this. I'm gonna be like, what are you talking about? You know, like, you are not an ancient Rome. You don't know. You know, so it's like, that's where I feel like a lot of times, especially like, I, you know, I'm a millennial, and growing up, I remember there were a lot of perfumes that were market like that, right. Where it was like, oh, you're gonna have this intense experience and it's gonna be like. And it just doesn't land because that's not. That's not it, you know, for the everyday person, like.
- [20:26]
B
Yeah, I know. Yeah. And it could have also been too that, like I said earlier, we were coming off of that, like, designer fragrances trend, you know.
- [20:34]
A
Yeah.
- [20:35]
B
And that is exactly what was dominating the market at that time. And so I think for us, like, telling these personal stories or the idea of telling personal stories felt almost like revolution us. And you know, as far as fragrance goes at that time, I know that it's, you know, becoming more prevalent now, but it. And it's fun to see the way the trends are changing.
- [20:56]
A
Speaking of that, what's next? Are you. Do you guys have anything in the lab that you're working on?
- [21:00]
B
Yeah, we're really excited. We're working on Body Care. So, yeah, that'll be launched in the fall. So we've got Liquid Soap and, you know, some other fun stuff that we're really excited about. About.
- [21:12]
A
Yeah, that's really exciting. Well, I'm. I'm looking forward to that. And, you know, I. I can't say it enough. I really genuinely look from my heart. I love your brand and I love its simplicity and complexity, you know, all in one. Like, it's very beautiful and it resonated with me. Like I said, the minute I tried it, it immediately kind of stuck to me, you know, so that's very rare. And I just want to really say thank you for creating that. You know, I think that's rare to see as a consumer where you. You find products like that. And for everyone listening, if you are looking to disc niche brand that really does speak to you, this is such a beautiful option and I promise you guys are going to fall in love with it. So check it out. But thank you both so much. This was so fun chatting with you and. And learning from you.
- [21:54]
B
Oh, thank you so much for having us.
- [21:56]
A
Yeah, my pleasure. Hey, guys. So I hope you love that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms, so wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe. You'll be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host. And that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of. Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium, so if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast. And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more. We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets. So check us out, leave us a comment, leave us a review, and we'll be back next time with another episode. Thank you.