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- [00:00]
Host
Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Skin Anarchy. I am so excited about the brand we're hosting today because it is all about finding beautiful niche options in luxury fragrance. I know so many of us are huge enthusiasts when it comes to finding fragrance and really falling in love with it over and over again. Whether that's through pairing it with something else or just wearing it solo. It's all about that experience, that storytelling that draws you to something that you would utilize every single day and incorporate every day in your routine. So without me ranting too much, I would love to introduce you guys to the brand O ver founded by Tanya Gonzalez and Faye Harris. So welcome Tanya and Faye. I'm so excited to host you both and to learn about your beautiful collection.
- [00:40]
Tanya Gonzalez
Thank you for having us.
- [00:41]
Faye Harris
Yeah, thank you for having us.
- [00:43]
Host
Yeah, it's lovely to host you both. I can't wait to dive into the brand. I'm a huge fan of it and you know, I, I can't wait to learn about all the wonderful things that went behind creating the signature scents and all that. But I'd love to learn about both of you. I know you both have such a unique background in the beauty industry and especially business. If you would kind of walk us down memory lane about how you guys linked up and decided to create a brand.
- [01:05]
Faye Harris
Yeah, so I originally, I mean, I've been in the beauty industry for a really long time. I specifically went to college for beauty marketing. I always knew that I wanted to work within beauty corporate and I started out in beauty working for a company called Juice Beauty, which is an organic skincare brand, which is kind of where I learned a lot about certifications, formulation etc and obviously cruelty free beauty as well. And then I went on to work for Too Faced Cosmetics, which is a cruelty free color cosmetics brand under the Estee Daughter Companies Group, who did recently been acquired by Estee Lauder when I joined. And that's actually where I met Tanya back in 2018. Working, working there. So I was working specifically within influence marketing. So that's kind of where I originally built the network that we have, you know, today for, for the brand. And obviously I lived in the US at the time, so I was there for about 12 years and then moved back to the UK sort of mid pandemic I would say. And so yeah, Tanya and I like, you know, we would, as beauty enthusiasts do, always be talking back and forth about different products, different brands, what we enjoyed, what we thought and felt was missing. And yeah, we talked so often about what we felt specifically within within fragrance that there was a bit of a gap there with luxury product that could meet, you know, the other, the brands that we liked on shelves that also, you know, carried this clean, clean product. And yeah, we talked about in know, I guess having the opportunity to speak with creators in that space as well and hearing what they were missing out on. And they would say often, you know, there's not enough, I guess, cruelty free fragrance brands out there. And that kind of started the conversation. But we talked often about how we could kind of reimagine what fragrance would be through this kind of contemporary lens while maintaining this artisanal quality and also be clean. And we knew we wanted to build a brand from day one that was also gender inclusive as well. That was something that Tanya and I talked a lot about was like when we were younger, we'd always wear men's fragrance because we didn't particularly like anything that was like floral too sweet or how we were market too. So that was really important to us as well was creating something that was gender inclusive both in the formulation and product design, something that could fit into anyone's home. And you know, that kind of evolved for us in the end where clean, cruelty free practices and of course a commitment to sustainability sort of become table stakes and an added part of, of the DNA of the brand. So I think since the launch, which was in September of 2022, that we launched Isobear, we've now leaned much more into what we felt was a bigger opportunity there to dive into more of this cultural storytelling through a fine fragrance lens and generate kind of a true human connection that we felt was, was missing from the luxury fragrance space as well, which is now, you know, really the essence of our brand and connecting that to modern lifestyles and values and sparking conversation as well within the industry.
- [04:18]
Host
I love that, I love that. I love that you both come from this. I want to give Tanya a chance for you to chime in if you have anything to add.
- [04:26]
Tanya Gonzalez
Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think one thing that people don't realize either. So while Faye, you know, while we met in the US Faye is, you know, still in the UK and I'm based in San Francisco. So a lot of people don't realize that we're building the brand from two completely different parts of, of the world and have been from the very beginning. But similar to Faye, you know, my background is an unconventional journey through beauty, I would say. I actually thought I was going to work in the music industry in Los Angeles, made a move to San Francisco where I would end up working at Sephora Corporate. And that's really kind of where I got my foot in the door.
- [04:59]
Host
And.
- [04:59]
Tanya Gonzalez
And I think what is consistent across mine and FA's backgrounds is that, you know, we were both separately before we knew each other. We were both kind of observing this transition of a heightened awareness of consumers. I mean, I think a lot of people were really interested in what they were putting in their food or what was in their food. And that kind of made its way into skincare, which, you know, I. When I was working at Sephora, I represented several different brands. Brands on behalf of Sephora itself would then eventually move to Kendo Brands, which own brands like Fenty Beauty at the time, Bite Beauty, Marc Jacobs Beauty. So I was seeing kind of this shift of just wanting more transparency in ingredients, not just in your food, not just in skincare, but then makeup. And of course, fragrance was kind of a category that was slow to follow, but we knew eventually would make its way there. So my background had always been in more brand and marketing, and beauty was really, I think, a place where I found myself really interested in the ever changing landscape. And so when Fay and I met, it was really a collection of all of our different life experiences up until this point, and us looking at each other and saying, okay, everyone's asking questions about, you know, what's in fragrance. People are frustrated with the fact that this term fragrance is kind of a catch all for several different ingredients that may, you know, not necessarily suit a certain person or, you know, people want to know whether their fragrances are testing on animals and how do you develop a fragrance brand that is not just claiming it, but actually walking the walk and has the proper certifications in place. So I think our meeting was really kind of this culmination of all of our different life experiences and all of the feedback we were hearing, not just from in market, but the consumers and also creators we were working with who felt that there could be more. So.
- [06:58]
Host
Yeah, yeah, no, that's really. I. I love that you guys have this, like, the start of it is like this because I feel like for a long time fragrance was something that, you know, a lot of these really large brands and there's nothing wrong with them. I'm just saying, like, for me as a consumer, it seemed like large brands or these big labels would create products, right? Or create scents and then just kind of throw them out there and be like, here and you will love this, you know, and it was like, a lot of times for me as a consumer, it was like, I Don't love it. You know, I really. I don't love it because it doesn't feel unique, and it doesn't feel. There are a lot of things, you know, a lot of aspects, you know, as a consumer that I looked at. A lot of them were what you were mentioning, you know, Tanya, where it was like, I don't know what's inside this, you know, and I have very sensitive skin. So for me, it's. It's more important, I think, maybe than the average consumer, that a product is really clean, you know, because I will have that reaction, you know, that rash or that. That breakout or something will happen. And. And so a lot of times, it felt as if fragrances were kind of forced upon us in a way of like, oh, my God, look at all this beautiful stuff around this. And if you don't love it, you must be crazy, you know, and that's how it felt in the industry for a long time. So I love that you guys have this cool beginning, and you have this, like, really connected. You're a very strong connection, you know, in the sense of, like, you want to bring something different out here and do something different. That's very cool.
- [08:21]
Tanya Gonzalez
Yeah, absolutely.
- [08:23]
Host
Yeah. So I want to ask, with that being said, with a lot of the niche fragrance brands that I've had the opportunity to speak to, you know, building it can be really kind of rough. You know, it's. It's a big industry, and I know finding the best perfumer. And, like, how was that for you guys? Like, you know, when you decided on doing this, did you have to go pretty far to find the perfect fit for you, as far as who's going to actually create the perfume and. And go about it, especially since it was a clean brand that you're creating.
- [08:50]
Tanya Gonzalez
Yeah, I think I'll. I'll kick off, and then I'll point to fake. She actually is one of the reasons why we ended up with the fragrance house that we ended up with. But what's interesting about our journey is we initially set out to create this clean fragrance brand. And as we continue in this conversation, you'll learn that we kind of ended up in a very different place. We do still formulate clean fragrances, and that's really at the core and at the center of what we do. But we like to say that we have complex fragrances that happen to be clean, because for us, it really is table stakes. But when we were initially searching for the right partner, I think for us, we really were thinking about how can we align ourselves with A perfumer and also with an organizing body that is doing the due diligence that we, as two individuals who have no connection in the fragrance space. Like, we had been working in beauty but never had worked in fragrance before. So for us, it was really important to partner with someone that could develop the fragrances in the way that we wanted to develop them. So at the time, it was credo Clean IFRA to EU standards and Sephora Clean as well. Like, really checking the boxes and making sure that we were aligning ourselves with, you know, these brands and organizations that were doing the hard work of creating these standards, because there is. There's still no standard in. In fragrance or. Or clean fragrance, I should say. So you really have to outline what that looks like for you. So for us, that really was kind of the basis and foundation for how it was that we were going to look for a particular partner. And we vetted several different fragrance houses. Actually, the original house that we thought we were going to work with ended up turning us down because we were too small. We didn't have a deal with someone, say, like Sephora. And so kind of where that led us. Faye, do you want to share kind of how it came to be that we ended up partnering with Iffy?
- [10:48]
Faye Harris
Yeah, I mean, so we were kind of at the right place at the right time with. With iff, somebody from a different fragrance house that had actually turned us down, but really enjoyed the brand. And the brief that we had shared had recommended, you know, why don't you reach out to iff? I had heard that they are, you know, launching a new. A niche department within. Within IFF and perhaps like, it would be a good fit. And so I, of course, followed up on that. And that took a few reach outs for us to do that and to get a call on. On the calendar. But we eventually met with Pascal Gueran, who's a. Our perfumer, who we worked with on our first collection from iff. And yeah, he of course, was heading up a new niche department within that and felt really connected to both our brand and our debut collection brief. And so, yeah, that's kind of what kicked off the call and what ended up being a five fragrance collection that we worked with him, which was our first collection, which is all about escapism and the people, places and things that connect us. And so in particular, we, Tanya and I had talked about a particular mood and feeling that we wanted to create within one of the scents from that collection. And he recommended Vanilla as a fragrance profile that we should look at. And that's something that we originally kind of turned our noses up at because it's not something that neither of us liked. You know, we typically stayed away from, from sweet fragrances and gourmands that we felt were difficult for us to like. And he said to us, this is a great challenge for us all and that he really wanted to work with us on and knew that he could change our minds about, which he, of course, did. So, you know, I think when you put so much of yourself and your vision into building a scent, you have to have a personal connection with the perfumer. And so we were, we were really happy to, to work with Pascal on that. Yeah, that's really cool.
- [12:48]
Host
Yeah, I mean, that's really cool, though, that you, it was kind of like, you know, the right place, the right time, because I think that I've heard that as well, that you have to have, like, gigantic budgets, you know, to work with some of these fragrance houses. And I'm just like, well, that doesn't leave very much room for those people that want to really innovate, you know? Yeah.
- [13:05]
Tanya Gonzalez
And distribution, which was another, I think it was like a really big learning for us. I certainly learned in that moment, like, when Faye reached out, even though we had heard no from someone else, she still made effort to find a way to make it happen. So you really don't know, like, if you don't ask, the answer is always going to be no. So that was like our first lesson. And then secondarily to that, I mean, Pascal wound up being such a wonderful partner for us. I mean, he is someone who is very much aware of how to develop extremely well balanced and complex scents with a limited palette. Right. I mean, you're just working with a limited palette. If it is going to be vegan, cruelty free, EU certified. Right. Like, there's going to be these different elements that have to take into play, and he is some, you know, I, I, it's one of those situations where I feel like things worked out the way that they needed to. So it was really great that we wound up being paired with someone who understood the space that we wanted to be in and developed something really beautiful and again, really well layered for the category as is.
- [14:07]
Host
I love that. F. You mentioned something about the vanilla scent. Right. I mean, I'd love to learn more about that. How, how that was for you guys especially, saying, like, you're, you don't really lean towards gourmand fragrances. I mean, I feel like right now, vanilla is just the thing, you know, it has been, I think, 2024. It was just absolutely everywhere. Everybody had a vanilla scent or a body mist or something was going on, you know, and for me, vanilla, I'm the same way. I'm not a huge vanilla person, but I feel like there's just. Sometimes you just come across that one fragrance, so you're like, okay, this is my vanilla fragrance. You know. So how did you guys approach it? You know, not being very much leaning towards the gourmand fragrances. How was that?
- [14:46]
Faye Harris
You know, we always say. We say that this Vanilla Embers fragrance is an almost gourmand because it's not a true command. It's not quite as. As edible and sweet as you might think. I think for us, it was kind of, how do we give vanilla its moment? But kind of shed that sweet familiarity with it, but, you know, have its. Have its comforting aspect still very present in the fragrance. And, you know, when we worked with Pascal on this, he, you know, he's added certain ingredients and notes, like Aqua Flora, which makes the fragrance feel very fluid and very light and very airy. We have orange blossom within the fragrance, which adds, obviously, a floral aspect, and. And it makes it very light and also suitable for the summer months, too. So it's not like a typical vanilla where you're thinking about getting cozy for the winter. And it has a cardamom on the top, too, so it has a bit of a spot spice to it. So it's quite unique. On its take on a vanilla fragrance, I would say.
- [15:48]
Host
Yeah, that's really cool. I like that. I mean, I feel like it can be very difficult to have, like. I mean, I've tried vanilla. The sense where it's just like I. I spray it on, and I'm like, that's it. You know, like, I cannot layer anything with this. I can't go anywhere with this. This is it. But that's really cool that you have such a. Such a diverse, you know, way of approaching this. That's cool. So was that the first sent, then, that you guys created? What was the first. Very first one?
- [16:11]
Tanya Gonzalez
No.
- [16:11]
Faye Harris
Oh, go ahead, Tanya.
- [16:12]
Tanya Gonzalez
Oh, I was just going to say Vanilla Embers is one of our bestsellers. And so I think a lot of people think that that's kind of like the. The blueprint for the brand, but actually the driving force behind the brand itself is a fragrance called Purple Noon. And so Purple Noon was actually the fragrance that Faye and I intended to go out with when we decided to build the brand. Just in general. I mean, we thought we were Only going to launch with a single fragrance, and it was going to be Purple Noon. We were really huge fans at the time of these solar aquatic scents. I remember Faye and I, one of the first fragrances at the time that we were, like, always talking about, we loved so much was the Tom Ford Soleil Blanc. And the one thing, again, that kind of comes back to what we had talked about earlier was us not really knowing, like, what was in the fragrance. Like, I love this Tom Ford fragrance, but have no idea, like, what's in it. And I have very sensitive skin. Like, what does this look like for us? So Purple Noon is kind of like our. It's. It was the brainchild behind the brand and one that I think, again, had been a culmination of, like, all of our fragrance likes up until point, but bottled in a single bottle. It's bae. Do you want to share more on, like, the inspiration and kind of the scent profiles as well?
- [17:30]
Faye Harris
Yeah. So, I mean, obviously not that anyone likes to mention, like, the pandemic anymore, but, I mean, this is kind of. At the time when we were creating this and I just moved the UK and in the us things were opening back up and I was, like, very much unable to leave my house also. And, you know, we were both create craving a scent that mimicked this feeling of warm skin basking under the sunshine, celebrating the art of doing nothing, like, you know, what we wanted to feel. And. And also, on a personal level, I was really, really missing California too, which was very much, you know, my home for such a long time. And that scent kind of became a reflection of this blend of life, too, between us both now being in Europe and in California. And so that was very much, you know, the inspiration behind it, too. And then also based on a 1960s French movie Planet, which translates to full sun. And not so much the story behind it, but the esthetic, which is very much, you know, the sun shining on. On water. And. And, yeah, that was kind of the. The idea originally for this, for this fragrance, but we wanted to do it in a way that was a little bit unexpected of a solar floral. So with Purple Noon, it has this hint of fresh ginger at the top, which gives it a bit of a kick in the opening, which is quite unique for. For a solar scent. So it's not like this. It's not like a creamy sun, creamy type of solar, but much more fluid than that. So we ended up using coconut water instead of coconut milk, for example, which makes it much more lighter, more airy and smooth, and truly a Unisex fragrance. You know, my. My husband actually wears this as his, like, signature fragrance. So I feel like I can't even wear this anymore because it's fragrance.
- [19:21]
Host
Yeah, no, this is really cool. I'm looking, you know, when you look at the notes in this fragrance, it's very. I mean, it looks like a very complex fragrance. I mean, you have the fresh ginger, like you said, but you have, you know, the Tunisian neroli and the Italian bergamot. I mean, it's. It's beautiful the way that you've crafted this. And I'm a huge fan of all these, like, pinpointed things because I think that, you know, when someone likes more fresh scents, I mean, I guess you could say that or something that's just more floral. You kind of don't have a variety in the industry. Every time I've tried, like, a floral scent, it always falls in this realm of, like a white floral that's super. You can tell, like, it's just very, very intense or, you know, it just never works out the way that I hope it would, you know, when I'm trying them. So this is really cool that you brought so many different aspects together to create a floral scent. You know, I think there needs to be a lot more variety in this industry, in this category specifically, but it's very exciting to see that. Yeah. So I wanted to ask you guys this because you do have marketing backgrounds, and I'm very curious. You know, when I see marketing for fragrance, I always get a little confused because it's kind of like this used to be the commercials, you know, and it used to be like these big, like, I don't know, over the top kind of visuals. And now it's kind of shifted to the social media scene. I mean, where did do you guys see yourselves as a more niche brand with your marketing efforts? Like, how does that work, especially? Because right now I feel like the industry is very, very crowded. You know, it must be difficult to carve that path for yourself and. And to carve that space, you know, where you can just stand uniquely.
- [20:57]
Tanya Gonzalez
I think this in particular as well has been an extremely humbling experience because we both have marketing backgrounds, but we've both represented brands that have million dollar budgets. Right. And then you go on the other side, you're two people. I mean, two years in, we're still. This is the team. It's Faye and I. So you go into something where you are really challenged in a way to make something work with very little and very few resources. So for us, I Think there's a couple of things that are at play here. One is like, I think people really value the authenticity of the brand and the overall like what the brand represents, which has been something that's been extremely, I would say, gratifying for us because you always hope that that would be the case, that people resonate with your brand because of the storytelling and the fragrances themselves. But you never know if that's how it's going to play out. And so I think for us, storytelling has been at the core and at the center of what we do. And how we've been able to do that with like really low hanging fruit is through our social channels. And actually when we launched, when we launched the brand itself, we thought about what is a way that we can activate people on a really like, on a larger scale with a very limited budget. So what we did was in preparation for the launch of the brand itself, we worked with our design firm and asked if we could develop essentially a coffee table book where we would ask different creators, founders, editors to share with us their favorite scent memory and we would put it in this coffee table book and launch it at the time of the releasing. Oh, Sovereign. So what happened was we released this coffee table book and people were sharing because people were really excited to have their words published in a book. So it was a very, at the time, low hanging fruit way of achieving something on a grander scale without having to have this huge budget. So people were talking about our brand and saying, check out oh Sovereign. And here I am published in this coffee table book. Here you can read about my favorite scent memory. And so again, rather than having to pay individuals thousands of dollars to do a public post, people were doing it organically and authentically because they felt connected to the launch of the brand. So that's like one example of something we've done for launch, but for actual consistent marketing I can hand off to fake. She's really been at the forefront of kind of handling how it is that we market the brand as it is today as well.
- [23:32]
Faye Harris
Yeah, I think having also built a network for a long time within the beauty industry and you know, being so closely connected with different creators, like that's been a huge part of our brand also is being like social and digital first. And you know, we haven't done to this day any like paid advertising. We're fully bootstrapped brand. Like as Tanya mentioned, we definitely don't have the dollars to be spending on that. But I think, you know, we spend a lot of time speaking directly with our community on social, which has been a really great way to make a real, genuine connection and really listen and learn what people want and what they're into and, and how they're finding our fragrances, how they're discovering, how they're speaking to them. And you know, the scent stories that we put out there are so different sometimes to the. The stories that people create on their own of what it reminds them of. And that's been so interesting and amazing to hear. And, you know, Tanya and I truly are the ones behind our social commenting and speaking with folks. We don't have somebody helping us do that. And so we of course do gifting as well to our community. So sampling our fragrances and getting folks to review those in depth has been amazing. And we're excited about dipping into different categories of content as well and working with creators on Get Ready With Me fragrance as outfits or art music, and the connection to that and even things like architecture and travel scent, which is something that Tanya and I, we include that within our fragrance briefs as well as direction for each fragrance. So. Yeah. And then obviously, of course, like, being able to dip into any trends that pop up, as long as they kind of fit within our style and esthetic, you know, it's not something that we want to do for every single trend. That's not really what we're about. But if it fits the, you know, the style and aesthetic of our brand, we. We do.
- [25:31]
Host
That makes sense. On the topic of trends, I would love to get both of your takes on this because I feel like right now the way I see the way that fragrances are selling is very, like, hype driven. Very, you know, like, especially with something like TikTok, where there's like five influencers that started off and then it just like snowballs and everyone's on TikTok shop and they're just like buying the. And I look at that and I'm like, that's not even. Like, I never thought fragrance would end up like that. You know what I mean? Like, that's my opinion is that, you know, I never thought like this specifically this part of the industry would. Would be there because fragrance is such a personal thing and it's so it's so important to actually, like, resonate with some of the things that I think, you know, Faye, you mentioned this, like, in the storytelling aspect, like, there needs to be this connection that you have with what you're wearing. At least I would imagine so. And so when I see this happening, I'm just like, what is going on, you know, and then you buy these fragrances. Like, I've actually, for my own market research, I've purchased some of the ones that people are really hyping up. And I'm like, I just don't. I. There's nothing here. You know what I mean? There's nothing here. And these are, these are just like fluff. And people are just. I don't know. And I feel like a part of that, you know, it's. It's confusing, right, because you look at it and you're like, are people just really hungry for something new and fresh or is it. Because it's just hype, you know? So what are your thoughts around that, that kind of marketing and all that stuff that's going on?
- [26:58]
Tanya Gonzalez
This part I think has been interesting because again, we come from skincare and makeup, where in makeup you can see the payoff of something. You can see there's a new shade being released. But to your point, that's not necessarily the case for fragrance. Fragrance is something so, I mean, you really have to experience it to believe it. There's nothing that you can really be marketed to initially feel that, okay, this is like a saf safe, blind buy, right? But people, people are doing it. So I think there's. It's interesting to see the shift in the launch cadence that we're seeing, the increase in launch cadence. It used to be that brands, you know, someone like Chanel would release a new fragrance every couple of years, and now it's like brands are releasing a new fragrance every month. Right. So that side of the industry that exists. And I think for Faye and I, it's definitely one of those things where you never want to compare because we just. Even if we could be at that scale of releasing a new fragrance every month, I truthfully don't feel that it would be fulfilling in a way that would align with what our intention is for the brand. So I think we live in a very different camp where, yes, these, there's a group of fragrance brands or a number of fragrance brands that are releasing new fragrances pretty consistently and very often. But there's also this other side where people are doing it much more thoughtfully, standing for certain ingredients, people are highlighting certain lived in experiences, whether it be through different cultural experiences. So, you know, we have a fragrance collection that we launched called Edencia, which translates to heritage and celebrates my Latin heritage. And I've seen other fragrance brands. There's a Vietnamese fragrance brand that is creating Vietnamese coffee fragrances. Like these type of really unique, lived in Experiences that I think consumers are also interested in and also interested in going after versus just constantly being on this launch train. Right. Where. Where it's an evolving door of new fragrances that don't necessarily stand for or mean much of anything outside of just a new iteration of something that exists. So, yeah, I think while that exists, we're. We're very much in. In our own world. And I would say it can be an uncomfortable place to be because you feel like you want to, you know, keep up with the Joneses. But I think it's also a very humbling experience and in just making sure that we are fully aligned and fully aware of what our intention is and ensuring that we're consistent with that, because I think at the end of the day, that's really what we care about and it shows through in the brand as well, which is why we've been able to resonate with so many people without having to release and launch so many fragrances back to back. How do you feel about it, Faye?
- [29:52]
Faye Harris
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, consumers are obviously seeking brands with like, transparent practices and genuine stories and narrative a marketing tactics that don't feel forced. And, you know, they are getting a lot more savvy about fragrance composition, which is kind of what has sparked what you were talking about on TikTok. Right. This kind of frag her community on social and folks going to detail, not only reviewing scents and ingredient makeup, but sharing like the best way to wear them, what scents they're collecting. And truly folks are becoming true collectors of fragrance and kind of using that to be a lot more experimental with scent. You know, newcomers to fragrance and trying scent profiles. They thought they might not like creating their own signature fragrance through fragrance layering combination. And, you know, lucky for us, there's this growing desire to explore niche fragrance brands specifically to find something different that reflects their individuality and expression through unique fragrance choices. Is. It's exciting for, for a brand like ours and, you know, creating personal fragrance wardrobes that can. Can tell your own story.
- [31:02]
Host
Absolutely. I think that's. It's very valid, you know, what you guys said, because I look at it and I'm just like, there's no feeling of like, almost like exclusivity that you feel or. I mean, for me, I can only speak for myself. So for me, I know whenever I buy a fragrance or I really invest myself into a fragrance, I spend time with it, you know, in the sense of like, you're wearing it every day or you're experiencing it regularly in your routine. And so you start to have this personal conn. And I feel like, you know, Tanya, you were talking about this, like, when you're constantly on this train of like, like, okay, this one today and this one tomorrow, like, it doesn't let you actually experience the benefits of fragrance, which there are many, you know, there are many actual, very deeply rooted in science, you know, benefits of wearing a fragrance you truly love. You know, there's the neurocognitive studies that have been published about what fragrance does for us when it comes to certain neurotransmitters. And you know, just feel how we feel on a day to day basis. Whether that's happy or, you know, content or whatever it might be. There's actual research around this. So I feel like a part of that is discovering that fragrance. I mean, you had mentioned the Vietnamese inspired coffee fragrances, right? I mean, that's very special, like, as well, because you're bringing someone to a place, you know, and you're letting them experience a moment in another culture, you know, and so, like, it's also cultural. It's also, it's timeless. And so that's where I feel like fragrance is just the. It's a place that's very sacred and it needs to remain that way, you know, and, and that's how I feel as a consumer because I mean, growing up, I grew up in, in America, but I was born in India. But I to this day have, have memories, you know, of very specific Indian oils and like, you know, like incense, for example, like very specific scents that just will always be with me my whole life. And I know a lot of us feel that way, you know, whether that's like the smell of your home or the smell of your grandmother or like, you know, just something like it's such a deeply rooted part of our own cognitive understanding of the world around us that when I see this happening on TikTok and, or any social media platform where it's really like, you know, it's not even about. Faye, you were mentioning, like collections, right? Like, they're collectors now of fragrances and that's beautiful. But I don't even see this as like collection, you know, I just see it as if, like, people aren't able to find the things that they're looking for. Because I mean, when you really do find a fragrance that you love and you fall in love with it, you're not looking for like 15 other ones that smell like it. You know, it's like, this is it. This is the really nice one. And Then, yeah, you might expand your collection into other things. So I just, I don't know, it confuses me actually, you know, from the, the standpoint of like, what people really want, you know, and consumerism when it comes to the fragrance industry now versus, like 20 years ago.
- [33:55]
Tanya Gonzalez
Yeah. I mean, listen, I think we're also on the end where we're creating something that we want to be special to other people. Are we a business at the end of the day? Yes. Do we want to make a livable wage off of our art? Yes. But do we want to be in the business of developing something as a money grab? No, I don't think that that's, that's not something that you should ever expect from us, most certainly. And I, and I do see, you know, fragrance is a massive category and it continues to, to grow year over year. And I think, you know, businesses see that, investors see that. And so this launch cadence is reflective of a money opportunity. Right. So not to make it about that, but it's also, you know, these dopamine hits of like something new, something fresh. And to your point, I think there's something really special about being able to unravel a story of a fragrance, of what it means to you personally or what the brand intended. There's so many different things. Like, we have a fragrance called those Milan, which translates to 2000 years, and it's an homage to one of the oldest trees in Mexico, in Oaxaca, and you know, what it means to its indigenous Zapotec people and, and actually uses aguete, which is a cypress tree. And we've had so many people message us and say, I'm from Oaxaca, and thank you so much for showcasing this particular tree or this particular region within luxury perfumery. Like that is something I never thought that I would see when I was younger. Like, I really appreciate you putting this on a platform and, and that to us, I mean, again, what an incredible experience to be able to connect with someone over these cultural, lived in experiences that don't always get the opportunity to be amplified in a space that has been predominantly Eurocentric. So I think for us, again, there's so many different things that are at play as to why we create and we do see what's happening on the other end and, you know, to each his own. But we're, I think we're really happy in the space that we're playing in and it feels right and good for us to be where we are.
- [36:01]
Host
Absolutely. No, I mean, I think you've created a phenomenal line and I I can't wait to see, you know, how you expand. I mean, what are your. Your plans for expansion? Is there a new fragrance on the horizon or anything new coming up?
- [36:13]
Faye Harris
Yeah, we are definitely exploring a couple of new scents for. I mean, as Tanya mentioned, we're not on the level where we're going to be launching a new fragrance every month by any means, but we are looking to add to our collection, and we are exploring, as much as we might dislike them, the gourmand category and potentially a rose as well. But, you know, looking to add to the Arancia collection, working with a fragrance that would be a Mexican rose or something a little bit different to what might have been out there. I think we're focused this year also on expanding our distribution, so definitely more opportunities to try our scents in real life. I think as much as people are blind buying, being able to try our fragrances in. In real life is really important as well. And then, you know, naturally, a dream of mine being in the UK is to sell within the uk as we. We currently only sell within the US So hoping to. To expand within the UK and the EU as well is a dream.
- [37:13]
Host
That's really cool. It's very exciting. And congratulations on the new steps that are coming. I mean, I really love what you guys are doing, and I think that, you know, to me, like I said, as a consumer, luxury fragrance is really about finding what you resonate with. And I feel like you've created a brand that allows people to do that. So truly hats off to both of you for kind of sticking to that, you know, and really kind of bringing us quality. Right? I mean, that's the bottom line. I feel like in any industry is quality, and. And I would love to see more people kind of follow in those footsteps because, yeah, the train and the. You know what I mean, like, hopping on bandwagons, I just. I wish it would stop. I'm just. Just. I don't know, maybe as a consumer, maybe I'm different, but I just. I'm not the person that buys a new fragrance every day. You know what I mean? So, like, it's very, very different when you do get attached, you know, and. And so I love it. I love the brand and I love chatting with both of you. Thank you so much for your insights.
- [38:09]
Faye Harris
Yeah, thank you so much for having us.
- [38:11]
Host
Thank you. 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 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 you 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.