Fumerie Favorites 2025

At the end of each year those of us who work here choose to recap what has really captivated us in the calendar year. Our approach isn’t quite the same as your typical “wrapped” as it’s really not about what we’ve worn the most, but what has occupied our thoughts or most deeply resonated with us more than anything else. Please enjoy our recap of our most beloved fragrances of 2025!

Tracy’s Picks

Ponte Etereo • Fumerie Parfumerie

What a dream come true to wear a creation that embodies so much of what I adore about the artistry and emotional impact of fragrance. I will forever hold fondly the experience of working directly with Meo in envisioning and bringing to life Ponte Etereo. Immersing myself in this scent brings me immense joy.

Borneo 1834 • Serge Lutens

Earlier this year I made my first trip to Paris to attend Paris Perfume Week. My primary excursion upon arriving was a pilgrimage to the flagship boutique of Serge Lutens. Visiting this shop has been on my bucket list for many years and I was trembling with anticipation upon entering the threshold. I was not disappointed. I made my way directly towards the iconic bell jars and proceeded to purchase a few bottles on the spot. One of these was my all-time favorite fragrance “Bornéo 1834.” I have acquired a few iterations of this fragrance over the years and I’m deeply grateful to have this in my collection.

L'Homme aux Gants • MDCI

Among the stunning fragrances of MDCI, this fragrance is a stand out for me. Perfumer Natalie Feisthauer, has imagined oud in a refined, elegant manner that conveys nuance and subtlety. The patchouli and tonka bean only add to the overall warmth and sumptuousness. L’Homme aux Gants is truly a feel-good fragrance for me that I’m always delighted to wear.

Anubis • Papillon

Upon my first experience sniffing my way through the inspired fragrances of Papillon Artisan Perfumes, I was profoundly drawn to perfumer Liz Moore’s first creation, Anubis. It is sultry, mysterious and a bit otherworldly. The soft incense combined with the velvety, sweet suede, makes this the ultimate comfort scent.

Sanctuaria • La Boticá

This is vanilla reimagined. Unlike many of its counterparts, this is not cotton candy inspired nor a baking vanilla extract. It is woven with incense, and a slight smokiness that is oh, so satisfying. It brings to mind the warmth of an outdoor smoldering fire and a deep contentment of a day well-spent. With the remnants of smoke on hair and clothing to cement the serenity and comfort of the moment. 

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Michael’s Picks

Ponte Etereo • Fumerie Parfumerie

I know this seems biased, but as the resident white floral obsessive, I just have to say that this is the standout release of the year, even though it is nowhere close to what my favorite fragrances generally are. In fact, my entire favorites list is a departure from what I normally end up obsessed with. I already have two bottles of Ponte Etereo. I will need a small stockpile because I refuse to run out. The themes mean a lot to me, the folks who made it mean a lot to me, but none of this is reason enough for me to love a perfume (and especially not to put it at the top of my year-end favorites list). It comes down to the content of the fragrance and whether it speaks for itself. This does.

Madagascar Le Baume Vanille • Parfum d'Empire

Ugggghhhhh this is SO GOOD- I am upset! Words fail me. Parfum d’Empire continues to be one of the best brands out there, full stop. Even last year’s Un Bel Amour D’ete almost made my list again, but I just cannot believe how amazing this is. Boozy. Spicy. Deep. Inventive. Perfect.

Philtre • Hiram Green

This is what makes sense to be on my list! A deliciously spiced carnation with vintage flare! 2025 was a great year for deep, boozy, mysterious, pseudo-gourmands but I’m glad at least one of the amazing white florals in my rotation made the cut for my top five. Honestly, if you like any one Hiram Green white floral you should try all of them. He is amazing in this category.

Deixis • FZOTIC

You can call it a gourmand all you want everyone! This is a celebration of labdanum of the highest order, and an absolutely incredible fragrance. I am so glad this is going to be available for me to procure more than one bottle (I was certainly among the first 100 to get a bottle at the first drop). Bruno’s vulnerable journey with this fragrance is praiseworthy outside of the accomplishment that the fragrance is in itself as well.

Sanctuaria • La Boticá

The most genius use of elemi in a fragrance that I have experienced to this point. Also, one of the greatest smoky vanillas I have ever encountered. This is the truest gourmand on my list, and honestly any gourmand making my list is a huge deal for me. This fragrance is shockingly accessible, undeniably delicious, and absolutely ingenious.

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Q’s Picks

Deixis • FZOTIC

Hitting me straight in the gut like the way my chicory dandelion root tea warms my esophagus on the way down, a rich sweetness that comes not from sugar but from the complexity of the whole.

Ambre Loup • Rania J

My fingers sticky with poplar bud resin, I am stooped over collecting them carefully, knowing that after a few more cold snaps, soon comes relief and spring.

Sanctuaria • La Boticá

This stone hallway is warmed by sunlight. I have nowhere to be but here, my chest full with the feeling of being in love for a long time.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre • Xyrena

My car may or may not break down here in the middle of the desert, I feel both exhilarated and emboldened by the smell of my own fear.

Ponte Etereo • Fumerie Parfumerie

I am safe here in my new home.

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Lele’s Picks

Osmanthus Interdite • Parfum d'Empire

I find myself easily dissatisfied with light, citrus-forward scents, often wanting something more edgy and grounded than they typically provide. As if saying “get over yourself”, in the kindest way possible, this scent quietly became my obsession over the summer and only deepened my existing love for Parfum d’Empire. It’s smooth, inviting, and self-assured in its subtlety, without compromising complexity in the slightest. This scent serves as a personal reminder that not every experience has to be loud and challenging to generate profound feelings. It’s just so nice!

Cardamom Moss • Experimental Perfume Club

Mmmmm yes is the first thought that comes to mind. To me, this perfectly captures the experience of body heat rising under a wool blanket, as you sip on a warm cup of cardamom tea. A cozy, intriguing, and grounding presence throughout my day.

Sanctuaria • La Boticá

My first memorable experience wearing this fragrance was walking down the street and stopping to look back, thinking, “I have to ask what this person is wearing!” until I realized I did a double-take for myself. This is a hall of fame vanilla for me. I find this to be the perfect blend of sweet and smoky, with a rich complexity that unfolds, rather than offering itself all at once.

Sadonaso • Nasomatto

A hug from a loved one, nestled in their armpit after a long day that began with a shower and ended with the inescapable scent of sweat. The suggestion of funk. The faint echo of soap or baby powder. It’s intimate and slightly sour. Simultaneously nostalgic and provocative. Some scents are so distinctly human.

Varanasi • Meo Fusciuni

First impressions are deceiving! I wasn’t ready for this one when I initially tried it. My relationship to it could best be described as repulsion-attraction until it transformed into a deep and enduring love affair. It’s safe to say most scents change once they’re on skin, but this is especially true of Varanasi. On paper, it’s pungent and slightly concerning. After some time on skin, it’s like a beautiful and intimidating cat that has finally warmed up to you, the danger is gone, and you’re embarrassed you were scared to begin with. Spicy, earthy, powdery, and extremely layered. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it in my life, and I shudder to think of a world without it!

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Erin’s Picks

Sadonaso • Nasomatto

Chosen to wear on the dance floor on Halloween, dressed as the bride of Frankenstein. Worn bandages, obsession, sweet desire, hedonism, with a little bit of dirtiness that comes from being a creature of the night.

Peau• Arquiste

I smell like a newborn baby, a little sour even. This resonates so beautifully and lasts forever with me. I catch drifts of it throughout my day and immediately feel held and cherished.

1# Nota di Viaggio (rites de passage) • Meo Fusciuni (new version)

The new Meo formulation took me by surprise, and it is much more my speed in terms of sharpness. Although there is a bit of grime layered underneath. Smoky, deep green, dry, like sitting in an ancient hollow tree sheltered from the rain in a forest. This scent makes me feel safe, one to wear in winter, reading on my couch, a spectacular incense I could never get sick of.

Útilykt • Fischersund

Unreal, the go-to for feeling like I’m made of cold wet moss. I want to go to Iceland. This is so magical and photorealistic; nature and all of its mystical elements bottled right up!

Osmanthus Interdite • Parfum d'Empire

I just keep coming back. it is so delicate and paper thin, the feeling of pearls, the freshness of opening the windows in spring and splashing your face with cold water upon waking up.

Interview with Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen of Voyages Imaginaires

This year, we were honored to welcome Voyages Imaginaires to the Fumerie family, adding a second all-natural brand to our beloved curation. Voyages Imaginaires is the result of collaborations between Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen, two legends of the perfume world who have a seemingly never-ending combined resumé. Camille Goutal, a skilled perfumer and daughter of the world-renowned Annick Goutal, and Isabelle Doyen, the genius nose behind the masterpiece that is Naomi Goodsir’s Nuit de Bakélite, are longtime partners in perfumery and ardent fans of natural materials. We are thrilled to share with you this interview between these two creative powerhouses and our founder & owner, Tracy Tsefalas.

Tracy • Voyages Imaginaires is such an evocative name for a fragrance line. What was your inspiration?

Camille • Being two big dreamers, we wanted a name that evoked travel, dreams, and the ability to escape the everyday. We also travel a lot to discover unexpected places, sites steeped in history with incredible architecture, museums, and hidden gardens. All of this inspires our creations. In fact, creating a formula is an imaginary journey in itself.

T • The two of you have worked together for so many years, can you outline your process? Do you both have your hands in creation as well as design?

Isabelle • We always start with a clear idea of what we want to create. We understand each other very easily. Most of the time, we create the fragrances together. We don’t actually work together at the same time on a formula, but we smell everything together. Sometimes one starts a formula, and the other finishes it. For Voyages Imaginaires, as we’re a small team and there is so much to do, Isabelle is more involved in the formulas and in the design.

• Camille, early on, you had a career as a photographer. How did you decide to transition into perfumery full-time, and did it feel seamless or were there challenges?

C • Quite seamless! I just felt I was using another sense to express my feelings. And both were intertwined. I use my eyes as much as my nose to create. The difficulty for me was to memorise the complex names of certain molecules. When we create, we use all our senses. The nose is « just » one sense among the other four. We can’t create without it, but we can’t create without the others either.

T • As the daughter of the infamous? Annick Goutal, did you feel as though you had to step out from behind your mother to forge your own path? Was there a lot of comparison in the beginning? How is your approach distinct from hers?

C • I just tried to follow my own path and instinct (which is something we have in common) and never asked myself: would she have loved that, would she have created it like that, and so on. It would have been paralysing. We loved each other very much, but we were very different. The only thing I’ve always tried to do is to be as perfectionist as she was, in order to offer the best to our clients, both in the fragrances and in the design, and to respect the DNA of her brand. I’m sure there was some comparison, but people were really kind; they only told me the good ones!

T • Isabelle, you not only attended the iconic ISIPCA school in Versailles, you have taught there for several years. Were you aware of your talent and skill in perfumery before your attendance at the school? When did you know that this was the path that you wanted to take?

I • All I can say is that from my early childhood, I had big questions about the mysteries of scents:  when I was about 5 years old, my mother was sometimes invited for dinner with my father. I was very fascinated by seeing her getting dressed and preparing herself. She would come out of the bathroom with a splendid lipstick, nice earrings, and… something strange floating around her. One evening, I asked my father about that, and he said: « it is perfume »… Wow… What was that ?!  I told myself that there should be something happening when you become a mother. From a certain step of a woman’s life, she would sometimes produce what my father called « Perfume ». Maybe it was a fantastic special sweat of mother when they would go out for a special dinner… I liked all that.

I noticed also that some women would also produce the same phenomena… wow ! How was it possible? I didn’t have the answer. Years later, I figured out that it was coming from very nice bottles and you could spray it on you, but still I was thinking that « Perfume »  was a single magical liquid in different nice bottles. Then I grew up and once, my uncle offered me a perfume: Vent Vert.

Fantastic: I was the owner of a mystery. Sometimes, I was opening the little bottle, very carefully, and sometimes allowed myself to put a tiny little drop on my neck, but it was so precious to me that I was afraid to waste it, and most of the time I would just look at it, very impressed and honoured. A few years later, I finished a second year of university, studying vegetal biology. One evening, I went to have dinner at a friend’s house whose father was working for Guerlain. We were living in Versailles, and by chance, I don’t know why, he gave me a document saying « if you are interested, there is a school in Versailles preparing students to be perfume creators». It was a shock for me: the mystery could be explained, I could study it, and I said to that man: « THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO : Perfume creator.»

T • Isabelle, you have worked with other fragrance lines such as Naomi Goodsir, Les Nez, and of course Annick Goutal. Do you find that working with various creative directors impacts your focus and approach?

I • I think we cannot really talk about creative directors concerning our or my work on perfumes.

Annick was the creative director for her brand in general and was also a perfumer. With her, we would decide together which idea of perfume we would work on. Most of the time, she would tell me « let’s work on a Gardenia or a Cologne » for example, and we would begin the adventure as a piano creation with four hands in complete freedom. She was the one who knew when to stop and say: the perfume is finished. Then we continued the same way with Camille: we were making proposals (note, concept, name) to the Goutal team and all together, we were building the project.

With other projects such as Naomi, I am also completely free. Naomi and Renaud propose a subject, and then I work as long as needed, up to the point when they say « we think it is great » and Naomi adds « but if you think you need to continue, take as much time you need ». Almost from the beginning, they told me the name would be « Nuit de Bakelite » which was very important.

For René of Les Nez, he gave me complete carte blanche for the 5 fragrances I created. He just suggested the name of one of the fragrances: « Let me play the Lion », and I chose the names of the other 4.

T • The Voyages Imaginaires line of fragrances was conceived during COVID. How did that change or impact the vision and implementation of releasing and introducing the line? Your fragrances take one to both real and imaginary places, which seems an apt offering during a time when we were all stuck at home.

C • Releasing the brand during Covid was a huge challenge. Most of the points of sale we were supposed to work with were closed, and when they reopened, they had so much stock left that they couldn’t take a new brand for almost a year. We also had some production issues and delays in the factories, but everything went back to normal after a year and a half. Our friends, who were the only ones to have our fragrances during the confinement, really enjoyed them and told us they could travel in their minds thanks to them!

T •It takes a skilled perfumer to know how to replace common synthetic notes with naturals. Do you enjoy this particular challenge? I imagine that the costs must be much higher in using all-naturals versus synthetics as well. Why have you chosen to go the all-natural route in perfumery?

I • Indeed, it’s very complex. We don’t have access to most of the classical molecules that are used in each and every single fragrance nowadays. It’s also very, very expensive. So we have to find other paths and know our molecules and essences very well!

We chose to be natural for many reasons, the first one being that natural ingredients are incredibly beautiful, and we enjoy working with them. They evolve differently than synthetic, in a richer and more poetic way. They are also more biodegradable, and from a personal aspect, we prefer wearing a fragrance that comes from nature rather than petrochemicals. But don’t get us wrong, we are not against synthetic, they offer other possibilities to brands.

Another very important point is that our alcohol is organic. In the fragrance industry, the alcohol is most of the time natural, but most of it is not organic. When you realise that at least 80% of your fragrance is composed of alcohol, you can imagine how important it is to have an organic one…

T • Can you explain the different requirements to claiming a fragrance natural? What are your thoughts regarding brands claiming that they are 100% natural when that is not actually true?

I • There are two ISO (International Organization for Standardization) norms (standards) for natural. One only allows ingredients that come directly or are isolated from nature (ISO 9235).

The second one allows ingredients that are transformed from natural ingredients, or that are more than 50% biodegradable, for example, or that are renewable carbon. The second one is less restrictive when it comes to formulation. It allows us to use certain qualities of white muscs, for example (which is not possible with 9235), or certain varieties of woody-ambery notes. Six of our fragrances are formulated based on ISO 9234, 1 is formulated upon 16128 (Comme Un Gant).

We are very transparent when our clients ask. For me, the claim is not a problem as long as the brands don’t lie on the norms to their clients. It is when they play on words or when they are not clear in their response… What is also a bit strange is that, if a client really wants to wear strictly natural ingredients, there is no way for him to know what’s in the bottle only by reading the packaging, unless he asks the brand directly. But that’s not really the brands’ fault, it's the legislation that is not well made.

T • What is your brand ethos, and what would you most like others to experience from the fragrances of Voyages Imaginaires?

C • When they smell our fragrances, we hope our clients experience different emotions and that some of them can also travel in their mind. You can experience very strong emotions when you smell a fragrance for the first time. It’s very touching for us.

So of course, we would like our clients to escape their everyday life through our fragrances, but in the end, all that matters is to really enjoy your fragrance. It should be love at the first!

T • What comes next for Voyages Imaginaires?

C • A new fragrance, of course (but it’s not finished yet), and maybe a new range…

Explore Voyages Imaginaires here

Portland's Fragrance Culture Pioneers & Accessible Artisan Culture

I first wandered into Fumerie Parfumerie six years ago, nearly to the day, to try one fragrance (oh, and I swore it would be the only fragrance I would test out during my first visit) that I had found while googling “unisex” fragrances without having ever learned that such a thing even existed. That fragrance, Slow Explosions by Imaginary Authors, had become a specific point of curiosity for me as my online searching had led me to learn that Imaginary Authors is a Portland-based brand that had a literary theme (in my previous life in Tucson, I had done what I do here, but for books at a local bookstore) and made exclusively ungendered fragrances. In simplest terms, the fragrance theoretically solved all of my perceived issues with perfumes- it combined two of my favorite smells (being leather and rose) and, in theory, would not make me smell like I am deeply insecure or afraid of therapy. It turns out, my aversion to Fougères was more a byproduct of how they were presented to me rather than a reflection of whether or not I even liked them, and that the associations I had made with them reflecting a stereotypical expression of masculinity were a result of social conditioning that had been reinforced by the advent of Axe. As I quickly came to find out, the world of fragrance was and is much wider than I had been led to believe by all of the less-than-desirable shopping and smelling experiences I had before visiting Fumerie. In fact, the main reason I made a point to physically visit the shop was because I tried watching my first-ever fragrance influencer video and felt deep in my bones that I was being sold something, a sensation I am keenly aware of and generally averse to. I assumed my visit to Fumerie would be the same, and that as soon as I expressed interest in a specific fragrance, I would be accosted with marketing blurbs, affirmations of its greatness, how it is perfect for me specifically, or sprayed without my permission. The actual experience I had, one that almost every person who has visited Fumerie in person has experienced a version of, had me leaving with samples and a lot to think about, and resulted in my watching three hours of BBC documentaries on perfumery that Tracy had recommended to me. Two weeks later, I attended my first event at Fumerie, focused on Moth & Rabbit, and had my mind blown to the point I knew fragrance was going to be my new favorite art form. Many books, failed (and successful) batches of fragrance, and visits to other fragrance shops later, I remain completely sure that I might never have gotten so deeply into my favorite art medium had it not been for the confluence of accessible approaches offered by Imaginary Authors and Fumerie Parfumerie.
My appreciation of the medium of fragrance deepened quickly as I was exposed to more Portland locals working in the space by way of visits to Fumerie, in reading Nose Dive by Catherine Haley Espstein (which is the closest thing to a training manual we use here at Fumerie), who is also a scent leader of Portland, and experiencing cult-favorite local brand Slumberhouse. Catherine is an eclectic and prolific artist in many mediums, including scent, but accessibility is always at the core of her work and is articulated beautifully in her book. Her website and project Odorbet, which encourages new words and ways of speaking about the experience of smelling and the concept of scent, is also rooted in accessibility and addressing the blind spots in language that specifically limit our way of articulating scent experiences to each other. Slumberhouse, on the other hand, has become a lot less accessible than it was when I first tried them at Fumerie because of their deeply committed fan base and extremely limited quantity “drops” that we have had to get very creative with in terms of how we release them as their popularity and public interest continue to grow. Their perfumer and brand owner, Josh Lobb, has intentionally become quite hard to find on the internet, in part because of the lengths folks have gone to track him and his work down. Regardless of scarcity, Josh has still kept his retail price reasonable and accessible (though second-hand prices cannot be described this way in the slightest), even if procuring them takes a bit more effort and patience than it used to. Just between these mentioned fragrance artists, one can already see that the Portland spirit has made a severe impact on the world of indie perfume, and I would say the two Joshes listed here have inspired a great many brands and makers to explore similar styles and concepts and have an outsized impact on American makers, especially. But, even with this wealth of Portland artisan and community influences taken into account, there are still more that bear mentioning.

I very much believe that the only spaces I have been in that could have offered the type of open-minded, honest, and accessible approach to a brick-and-mortar perfume shopping experience that may have resulted in finding my passion would also be found in Portland, being OLO and Maak Lab. I almost used the word “coincidentally” in that last sentence, but I realized it would be inaccurate. In fact, the central theme of this article revealed itself to me in this choice: Portland has an artisan culture that celebrates, centers, and insists on accessibility without compromising quality. Many folks who live here already realize this by way of the plethora of delicious food & beverages, unique clothing & jewelry, book stores, and so on. In terms of online options, no brand eclipses Imaginary Authors in terms of outward and obvious accessibility, from price point to concept, the entirety of their brand can be viewed as a true ambassador of Portland’s artisan culture. Their commitment to these concepts and their deserved visibility are exemplified and explained by so many of their actions; from publicly stating that they are committed to keeping their prices set in the face of the adversities thrust upon this industry by way of tariffs to the time I was visiting Fumerie and Josh came by to drop off some new soap (Bouquet of Miracles) and kindly gifted one to me when I revealed that his brand was the reason I discovered niche perfumery, and many examples in between, they are wonderfully representative of the way Portland approaches artistry and accessibility. With that said, for folks like myself, the internet simply is not a place where passion can truly be derived and is not an acceptable replacement for in-person community and exploration. I remain incredibly grateful, to this day, that Fumerie and Imaginary Authors found each other and that I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the perfect starting point for my fragrance journey by way of their mutual efforts. The more involved in the Portland fragrance community I become, and the more I give consultations at our bar, the more I hear similar origin stories about Fumerie, as well as OLO and Maak Lab, from the most committed, earnest, and passionate fragrance enthusiasts I have met. It seems I was not alone in my need for honest, in-person, fragrance exploration to open my mind up to the concept, culture, and breadth of fragrant art.

Starting in 2009, OLO’s owner and perfumer Heather Sielaff has been quietly building a community of committed return customers, including many touring musicians, and opening folks’ minds to more novel concepts of fragrance in a personable and approachable way. One of the defining characteristics of OLO’s ethos is illustrated by their slogan, “That place is never open,” which instantly conveys a sense of humor and encourages folks to approach high-quality fragrances with a sense of patience. These are sensibilities we also firmly believe in, and are at the heart of what Tracy designed Fumerie to be. The difference for OLO is that it is virtually impossible to visit and not interact with Heather, and therefore, OLO’s hours aren’t the same every day or week (and they do disclose this on their website, where they encourage folks to check their social media or to contact them to find out if the perfumer is in).

“The first perfume I made for someone else was for a friend's store. I wanted to capture the feeling I got when I walked in and smelled her rose soaps from France. May, the owner of Nationale, encouraged me to make more and sell it. I intended OLO to just be a side project to do in my spare time. I never intended for this to be a business. Blogging was popular back then, so we got a few write-ups, and stores started to inquire about wholesale. I spent the first five years reinvesting the money and building the business gradually. This began in 2009, but I didn't consider it a viable business until we opened the store in 2014. I never really made a solid plan or took loans or investments; it's all been a bit of a slow burn. It's important to me to be able to have the freedom to do what we want and not worry about being beholden to an investor or being in debt to a bank. We've stayed small; it's still just me and Jonathan. I think most people don't realize OLO is just the two of us. It's a joke that we are never open. "That place is never open" is even on our t-shirts and tote bags. It's funny to us because we are there every day, we are just in the back making and bottling perfume for hours and hours. We could hire someone, but I honestly still like making it and talking to people. I feel a connection with our customers. I recognize people's names who purchase online. I see the same people who have come into the store since we opened, and I know what perfume they started with and what their preference is now. We had a couple come in and tell us they met because one of them recognized the other was wearing OLO. Now they are married with a child. It's nice to have a place to be able to interact and be inspired by our customers. I think our community consists of all types of people, but the commonality would be the appreciation of our subtlety and the number of naturalistic scents in our line. We tend to make scents that are comfortable and easy to wear. OLO in particular stays close to the body and is generally very personal. We tend to be a gateway into perfume for people who think they don't like perfume. Our growth has been very organic and very word of mouth. Our clientele is a lot of Portlanders, but in general, we tend to attract musicians, artists, and people who work in food and beverage. And people who like to be outside. ”
-Heather Sielaff

For years, we have been sending folks who are after oil-based perfumes to OLO as fans of their approach and quality, but ever since Heather also launched Siela (the alcohol-based sister brand), we have even more reason to recommend a visit to their shop, and find ourselves talking about the exceptionally unique Iron & Opoponax in casual conversation very often. In the years I have been working here, I have met so very many folks who only came to find Fumerie because of a visit to OLO, and very often the story of the path of their passion is more similar to my own than not.

In 2010, Portland gained another brick-and-mortar perfumery with a unique and accessible approach in the form of Maak Lab. Partners Anoria and Taylor’s first fragrant products were soaps, but their interest in fragrance quickly expanded as they moved into their first retail space and deeper into the artistic and scientific aspects of perfumery through their laboratory. One thing anyone will quickly learn when they visit Maak Lab, is that Nori is extremely kind, transparent, and genuine. The tone of this article, and the quotes from it, are such great examples of why we hear so often that Maak Lab was the place where a lot of our community members and first-time visitors started their foray into the world of fragrant art. Indeed, the first fragrance I ever had a customer come in to enthusiastically share with me was made in Portland by Maak Lab (though I did not know it at the time). A splendidly kind young man came in to share with me a fragrance he had bought during a recent trip to Los Angeles. He kindly shared a spray and a sample of Brain Dead’s Shroom Cola, and in my new obsession, I quickly found out that I had completely missed that across from the flagship Powell’s books on Burnside was a perfumery primarily focused on the unique approach of collaborative fragrance-making (a novel and daring choice, as these spaces are typically dominated by the titans of the fragrance industry). Over the years, I have heard so many different stories that started at Maak Lab, especially from those who have taken one of their fragrance creation classes, and personally own three of Maak Lab’s Brain Dead collaborations, the most recent of which is also a collaboration with Jeff Goldblum called Goldbluming.

Six years later, Portland gained a third option in terms of accessible, community-focused, niche fragrance exploration when Tracy Tsefalas chose to strike out on her own and start Fumerie Parfumerie. The foundational principles of Fumerie are the reason I work here, and the reason I allowed myself to fall in love with fragrant art. Aside from the intention of carrying and supporting independent brands, the commitment to accessibility in approach and exploration that comes with specializing in understanding and catering to each visitor’s personal perspective, preferences, and communication style, and willingness to carry multiple sizes of fragrances when available (even though much of the industry avoids them and considers them “self-competing” products), the most important aspect of what Fumerie does is offer regular opportunities to engage with and become more involved in the vibrant and steadily-growing fragrance community of Portland. Regardless of each individual person’s story behind the beginning stages of their interest in fragrance, Tracy’s goal of having at least one event of some type every month since she opened Fumerie has an undeniable positive effect on the greater fragrance culture of this city. Last year, Tracy was asked to speak at Paris Perfume Week (pictured above) specifically on the topic of independent niche retailing in America.

”The day before the Paris Perfume Week conference was set to begin, François Duquesne, CEO and founder of Maison Duquesne, approached me with a unique opportunity. One of the scheduled speakers was unable to attend, and François was hoping that I might be willing to step up and take the stage (Nir Guy from Perfumology, would also be joining us). My gut reaction was one of trepidation and discomfort. The thought that followed was how much gratitude I have for François and his commitment to supporting and sustaining the artistry and creativity in the world of niche/independent fragrance. It was also important that I validate my own experience and knowledge after being in the industry for over 30 years.  If I could share my own insights and be helpful to an audience that was truly there to learn more about the current state of the fragrance industry, it seemed like a moment of kismet. The event moderator led the three of us, Nir, François, and myself, through a series of topics, including the state of niche perfumery in the US from the past, present, and projected future, tariffs, and the boutique experience. It was a fascinating conversation, and several members in the audience approached us afterwards with questions related to the discussion. It changed my perspective on engaging in these types of events in the future. It was confirming to share my knowledge with those interested in expanding their own understanding of the world of fragrance.”
-Tracy Tsefalas

I have known and said for years that Tracy’s approach to customer and community-focused business needs to impact this entire industry, and as the years go by and the algorithms tighten their grip and grow in efficacy, I am happy to see the industry slowly coming to agree. I believe that what Tracy, Heather, Nori and Taylor, and Josh are teaching the perfume industry (and giving many of us an opportunity to engage with personally) is that community is the key to the truly sustainable growth of an art form. It starts with accessibility, is carried further with honesty and integrity, grows exponentially with shared spaces and experiences, and crescendos with collaboration. Whether it be A Whiff of Waffle Cone, Midori-San, Art Person, Ylang Ylang, or Ponte Etereo, each Portland perfume person of considerable positive influence on the fragrance industry has focused on building bridges and welcoming more folks to a greater community.

The spirit of celebrating Portland’s collaborative and welcoming artisanal ethos has served as our inspiration for this year’s Community Appreciation Month raffle. This raffle serves as a grand collaboration across artisanal mediums and includes well-loved Portland staples such as Jacobsen Sea Salt, Steven Smith Tea, Woodblock Chocolate, Wallflower Coffee, and XRAY.FM. Our grand prize, the Portland Box, also incorporates fragrances from OLO, Siela, Maak Lab, Imaginary Authors, the ever-elusive Slumberhouse, as well as a fragrance and book Nose Dive by local author/ perfumer Catherine Haley Epstein. Our other themed prize boxes also include offerings from FZOTIC, La Boticá, Rania J, and more. For full details, please click the link at the top of the list of links below.

Explore our 2025 Community Appreciation Month Raffle here

Explore OLO/ Siela fragrances here

Explore Maak Labs’ various fragrant products and classes here

Explore Imaginary Authors’ fragrances here

Explore Nose Dive by Catherine Haley Epstein here

Explore Catherine Haley Epstein’s Odorbet and other projects here

Explore XRAY.FM here

Explore Jacobsen Sea Salt here

Explore Steven Smith Teamakers here

Explore Woodblock Chocolate here

Explore Wallflower Coffee here

Explore another example of our commitment to community and collaboration (and to snag a ticket if any remain), our upcoming event with PAMCut’s Tomorrow Theater, here

Bridging the Ethereal Gap

Back in 2022, while attending the Exsence conference in Milan, I came across a booth that stood out from the others. It’s dark, moody decor as well as the striking presence of perfumer/ founder Meo Fusciuni, dressed all in black with a long black beard and dark matching hat caught my interest. My first thought was that this was an authentic artist, not someone who was playing a part or creating a formulated vibe. His lovely and welcoming wife Federica, guided me towards the fragrance display and I proceeded to smell my way through these unique creations. To my surprise, when I lifted the scent strip to my nose that had been sprayed with the fragrance Varanasi, I was overcome with a deep emotion that brought me softly to tears. After regaining my composure, I continued to smell the creations of Meo Fusciuni, and knew that these were fragrances that I wanted to share with our Fumerie patrons as well as selfishly, to have in my life.

Each consecutive year that I attended Exsence, I made sure to carve out time to visit with Meo and Federica. I realized that the fragrances were not the only thing drawing me towards their wonderfully conceived booths. Meo is one of those rare beings whose kindness and presence is impossible to deny. I felt a kinship with him that inspired me to approach him with the idea of creating a collaborative fragrance between us that would be exclusive to Fumerie. I expressed to Meo that he take the time to consider this proposal and get back to me at his convenience. Instead, Meo broke out in a smile and said, “Of course I will do this project.”

Through various forms of telecommunication, we discussed what this fragrance would signify to us both and a general idea of the materials and tone that would comprise the creation. Meo and Federica had joined us previously at Fumerie for a wonderful event that was a very special evening for all involved. Meo expressed how much he loved Portland and his experience at Fumerie. We decided to build on that and focus on the connection between the two of us in its various forms. Our kinship with each other, the confluence between Italy and Portland, and the excitement around creating something that could express that olfactively.

When the first few mods (variants on the fragrance) arrived at the boutique, I was overcome with excitement to unveil how our ideas would be expressed through Meo’s art. Some of the specific notes that we discussed were evident, but it was the atmospheric tone that he had captured that took my breath away. It takes an extremely skilled artist to take an abstract idea, such as connection, and translate it into a fragrance that evokes such an emotional response. Once we had mutually agreed on the final iteration, the next leg of the journey commenced.

Meo’s wife, Federica Castellani, is the design genius behind the Meo Fusciuni fragrances. It is she who decides on the visual aspects of presenting different fragrant works from the brand. It was such a privilege and pleasure to collaborate with Federica in the creative process as well. She opened my eyes to the amount of detail and care required to conceive and realize a new fragrance. She patiently walked me through the endless options of bottles, atomizers, lids, labels, font options....etc., and was generous with her expertise and experience regarding decisions to be made. I was impressed with how quickly she grasped the Fumerie aesthetic and was able to weave that into the direction we took in each step of the process.

Now that the material elements of the production had been resolved, it was on to the challenge of choosing a name that would capture our vision. Several options were thrown into the ring, some terrible and some passable but needed to be worked a bit further. The name Ponte Etereo eventually prevailed as it was able to convey a variety of layers that we hoped to express. The name in Italian translates to “ethereal bridge.” This perfectly signified the bridge between Meo’s world and mine, both the distance and connection. The city of Portland played a role as inspiration for this fragrance as well so we chose to honor “bridge city.” During the creation of this fragrance, Meo chose to listen to music by Portland musicians, including curated recommendations from our staff and myself, and even wrote a poem partially inspired by his time in Portland, the intersecting aspects of our mutual lived experiences, and his feelings around his visit. I feel that the fragrance itself does a beautiful job of conveying meditativeness, introspection, sensitivity, love, and a touch of funk.

Both Meo and I are thrilled with the final result of our combined vision brought to life. It is an honor to share this with all of you and we hope that this fragrance stirs in you something special.

To explore Ponte Etereo click here

To explore our previous Q & A with Meo Fusciuni click here

Interview with Fischersund Co-Founder Lilja Birgisdóttir

Fischersund Co-Founder Lilja Birgisdóttir

When we announced the addition of the wonderfully unique creations of Fischersund to the Fumerie family of fragrances, we offered a multi-sensory and multi-media launch event to our in-store community; we also promised that our beloved online community would soon have an opportunity to engage with the brand in a similarly interesting way. Along with welcoming their newest fragrance, Jöklalykt, we are proud to offer you all the chance to engage with Fischersund’s multi-media approach to scented art by adding some of their limited edition 7” vinyl records to our shop, and this delightful dive into the mind of Fischersund’s co-founder Lilja Birgisdóttir via her interview with our founder and owner Tracy Tsefalas.

Tracy • What was your fragrance experience growing up? Did your parents wear fragrance or have a particular interest in scent?

Lilja Birgisdóttir • Each of us siblings have a scent memory growing up, but mine is the smell of my father’s pipe tobacco.  There is something so very warm and nostalgic about it and you’ll definitely smell notes of tobacco in some of our fragrances.

T • Does each member of the team contribute to fragrance creation or does each individual focus on specific areas of the process? Does everyone provide feedback on each creation?

L • Jónsi is our self-taught nose.  He’s been on an incredible scent journey for the past 17 years and crafts all of our perfumes.  He works closely with our youngest sibling Rósa, who is a perfumer in training and our head artisan who handmakes each of our products in our workshop in Reykjavik.  Inga is our art director and designs all our packaging and visual components.  I am the brand ambassador as well as a photographer.  While each of us have our own strengths, we all work together and provide input on each other’s projects and launches.  It’s a really beautiful process. 

T • What is it like to work with family? In my own experience, there were both wonderful and challenging aspects of this arrangement.

L • We created Fischersund as a platform for all of us to work together and it’s been really magical.  It’s always been our dream to create together and we are doing just that with this beautiful brand.  I think the biggest challenge for us is time – whether it’s lack of time in the day or working across time zones.  But honestly, it’s been so amazing. 

T • I had read somewhere that you use a local distillery for processing many of the materials that are used in your creations. I would imagine that allows for a more authentic connection to the natural resources from your area. Can you describe that collaboration for us?

L • We work with a local distiller who harvests local Icelandic oils, which are very pure and beautiful ingredients.  We also work with suppliers around the world to ensure we are using the best  ingredients needed to make our fragrances. 

T • Your own brick and mortar space for Fischersund sounds fascinating. Can you walk us through what a visitor might expect visiting your boutique?

L • The heart of the brand lives at Fischersund 3, one of the oldest buildings in Reykjavík that was Jónsi’s old recording studio. Under this roof, the brand began with one scent - No. 23 - and quickly grew into more than 50 unique product offerings and immersive experiences all at the intersection of scent, sound and art.

One of the signature experiences at Fischersund 3 is our scent tours.  Each guest receives a guided journey of our brand story and collection.  During the visit, guests are immersed in a scent experience, discovering our artisanal approach to crafting fragrances and corresponding scent poems that takes people through the ingredients and scent memories. Guided by one of our staff members, people can also explore our rotating scent exhibition in the basement and indulge in a tasting of our signature Icelandic Schnapps.

T • What was the point where you decided to translate music and visual arts into fragrance? What was the inspiration for that artistic expansion?

L • It was at the beginning really, when we were bringing together our passions and talents that we realized that scent, sound and art were critical parts of our DNA.  With respect to music, it’s such a natural fit with our approach to scent as both share a similar structure of mid-notes, low-notes, and high notes.  And visual arts is incredibly important with everything we do because we are all artists. 

T • Has it been challenging for your stockists to truly represent your vision respective of the immersive arts that is part of your Fischersund offerings?

L • We are so lucky to have such incredible retail partners like Fumerie Parfumerie.  There is so much care and support for Fischersund and that in turn, allows the customer to understand the brand and be immersed in our storytelling.  It’s incredibly important to have the right retail partners who are equally as passionate about our vision, as well.   

T • The music of Sigur Rós has inspired the wonderful Fischersund creations. Have there been live performances that incorporated the use of your fragrances as part of the experience?

L • Over the past couple of years, we created and have been hosting a signature experience called a scented concert which is a sensory journey where we intertwine captivating art, live music, and scents.  Each concert is composed and performed by the trio comprised of Jónsi of Sigur Rós, along with musicians Kjartan Holm and Sin Fang.  We’ve done them for 200-500 people around the world including LA, New York, Seattle, Cork, Ireland, and Reykjavik and have received incredible feedback from people who’ve attended.  We will expand this concept more in the years ahead. 

T • What do the numbers signify?

L • The numbers signify the final version of the scent after the many iterations of creation with the exception of No. 101, as that is the post code of Reykjavík. 

T • Fischersund fragrances often smell like a direct link to the outdoors. What place does nature play in your daily life?

L • Icelandic nature is essential not only to us, but really every Icelander.  Our goal is to not only capture the essence of Icelandic nature, but to also bottle some of our more significant memories growing up as a family in this special place.  We even have one fragrance called Útilykt, which was created an interdisciplinary collaboration with heritage outdoor brand 66°North that was inspired by the smell that is on your hair and clothes when you come in after a long day outside.  It’s one of our best-selling fragrances. 

Explore Fischersund here

Explore the Faux Flora scented art exhibit set here

Explore Fischersund Vinyl Records below:

Sounds of Fischer No. 6

Sounds of Fischer No. 101

Sounds of Summer Vol. 1

Interview with Marlou Founder & Perfumer Briac Frocrain

"I recently had the distinct pleasure of sharing a coffee with Briac Frocrain, founder of Marlou fragrances, during Paris Perfume Week in Paris, France. He was kind, intelligent, and clearly passionate about his art and expressing himself through his unique creations. As you will discover, Briac has a fascinating background and was thoughtful and transparent in answering my questions.  

Tracy •  Can you describe your creative background and how it lead you to creating perfumes?

Briac •  I grew up in a creative environment. My parents, both architects and visual artists, always encouraged my sisters and me to express ourselves without too many limitations. At home, it was like a true experimental laboratory. Passionate about plants, I turned the living room into a jungle, raised frogs in the garden, spent my time dismantling machines, soldering electronic components, and collecting electric motors.
I also did quite a bit of culinary exploration, and I had already started infusing plants in solvents in the hope of creating perfumes — it was often a disaster! But what mattered was trying, exploring. I am deeply grateful to my parents for giving me the freedom to make a mess, to get things dirty. I believe that’s essential to free the mind and break down mental barriers. Needless to say, we stood out in the suburban neighborhood we lived in: we were the “weird” ones in a very conformist world. I forgot to mention we also made a lot of noise: music played an important role. I played the piano extensively, and my sister played the drums. Like perfume, music is a form of immaterial creation. I believe it has some influence on how a brain develops.
Later on, I studied architecture, with a specialization in ecology. I’ve always needed to look beyond architecture itself, to explore what I considered other forms of architecture: that of objects, ergonomics, clothing. I was fascinated by the body — its movement, its social presence — and by the way we can design volumes around it. My degree explored the relationship between textiles and architecture, imagining structures that could be built both on the scale of a building and directly on the body.
I have always approached creation in a transversal and multidisciplinary way. After my studies, just like in my childhood, I continued to experiment in my room: I collected raw materials, botanical extracts, I kept cooking — a lot — discovering new spices and blending them into “olfactory architecture” projects. It was in a very instinctive way that I began to dive into perfumery, always driven by my interest in the body and its presence in society. I suppose the way I grew up taught me not to be afraid of things that “smell bad.” Animalic notes don’t repel me — on the contrary, I’m drawn to them. I want to explore them. Creating a perfume brand has been, for me, a way to extend all of this — to continue this interdisciplinary process: experimenting, designing systems, imagining packaging, inventing names, drawing... Besides, being a craftsperson seems quite simple to me — or at least, natural. Creating a product and selling it feels much more obvious than entering an industry, conforming to an economic environment, or claiming skills according to established standards. I like the idea of practicing a simple, concrete, and directly productive trade — a craft that creates value, both economic, intellectual, and cultural. A bit like a farmer working the land, growing vegetables, and selling them at the market: he is independent, in control of his activity, and feels useful. Creating a brand, for me, also came from the feeling of having something to say within this creative field. And there’s nothing better, to do so, than to create a space of one’s own.

T • We are often asked how one begins the journey of creating perfumes. Not only building the technical skill but also how one goes about connecting with the best places to source materials. What did your process look like early on and how has it changed since?

B • Here, I’m speaking about my own journey, about how I evolved as a self-taught creator. What matters most is being curious, having a desire to try, cultivating a certain imagination, and wanting to express something. It’s not a sudden decision — it’s something that builds itself up, that is nurtured over time. The rest comes naturally. Technical skills are acquired simply because there’s a desire to explore a creative field. Books, libraries, the internet, revisiting the high school curriculum in organic chemistry — everything becomes a resource.
To source raw materials, I was fortunate to receive help from companies that were kind enough to assist me in building a collection equivalent to a perfumer’s organ. These days, it’s possible to find many interesting materials online. I now regularly receive highly inspiring raw ingredients from producers.
I believe my creative process has remained the same as in the beginning: very empirical. I experiment, I jot down ideas, I fumble around. What has changed is that I know the materials better today. My nose is probably more refined as well. I have a clearer sense of what I want.

T • Your fragrances read as very emotional, personal creations. Is this a matter of finding your flow and letting go of thoughts and expectations?

B • Above all, I believe this is the result of a certain freedom of mind. I don’t seek to cultivate difference for its own sake, but I’m not drawn to the idea of conforming to anything either. My creative practice is quite self-centered — in a sense I consider positive. I operate more like an artist: I don’t aim to please a target audience or design a product tailored to a specific clientele. I explore the territories that live within me, I follow emotions I experience, I observe olfactory behaviors through my own lens. And from this personal approach, something is born — something that others can also feel and make their own. If it moves me, I’m convinced it can move others as well. In this way, I’m not trying to seduce or persuade. I believe other people will be moved, intrigued, or even shaken, just as I am — because we are alike, we share similar life experiences. If some people remain distant, don’t understand, or are put off, that’s not a problem. They will find their way to other brands.
To me, this is what defines a true creative approach: a kind of independence, an inner freedom that allows new ideas to emerge in the field of perfumery — and sometimes, to disrupt the norm. I’m not obsessed with the brand’s profitability. What does obsess me, however, is creating emotions and bringing ideas to life.

T • Where does your interest in animalics come from? There are some in the industry that seem to approach animalics in perfume to function as more of a shock value. Your fragrances instead seem to welcome the wearer in a more subversive, tender manner.

B • What interests me is that these scents are already part of our intimacy and of the olfactory language of our bodies. By occupying that space, they trigger very intense emotions — sometimes repulsive, certainly, but often far more alluring than any other scent. I don’t want to design a perfume as an olfactory mask, as a way to dominate or simply to smell “clean.” I want to think of it in connection with its medium — the body — in order to shape an olfactory personality, a trompe-l’œil fragrance that blends with the skin. It is therefore not at all a provocative gesture, but rather an emotional construction.
Moreover, animals use scent as a vehicle of communication to attract one another. For a long time, humans have been extracting these scents for perfumery, with a similar intention of seduction. I find that fascinating, and it makes me want to continue that story. Some molecules are particularly interesting in their versatility: they belong to a shared olfactory vocabulary across several animal and plant species. Jasmine, for example, can release particularly “dirty” molecules like paracresol or indole — notably to attract insects. As it happens, the human nose is also naturally drawn to these flower scents. This lexicon of carnal materials thus forms the very foundation of perfumery and olfactory communication between human beings, placing carnal scents at a level no other scent can reach. That is what draws me in, and I don’t believe it is provocative in itself — though it may be perceived as such in a society obsessed with cleanliness and overly cautious with matters of intimacy.

T •  You have just released two new fragrances “Doliphor” and “Héliodose.” Can you talk us through what these fragrances mean to you and the direction that you chose in these creations?

B • Doliphor represents an exercise in perfume publishing. Unlike the other creations we have developed, we are not the originators of this project. It was the perfumer Emma Lehaut who approached us to present a skin note — her interpretation of a bodily scent — that she had envisioned for Marlou. We are pleased that Marlou’s identity is now sufficiently recognized that, like a literary publishing house, perfumers come to us with their proposals. What is most interesting is that Doliphor ultimately represents our work very well. It brings together materials that have defined Marlou’s identity from the beginning. It’s a subtle interplay between cleanliness and dirt, which appears on the body like an olfactory trompe-l’œil. It is intimate and evokes beautiful emotions.
Héliodose is our second fragrance designed in collaboration with perfumer Stéphanie Bakouche. It represents a culmination of a long exploration around an animalic flower. Flowers can naturally emit animal substances, and we had long wanted to create our own: a fragrance in the spirit of a soliflore. I’ve long been fascinated by jasmine Polyanthum — a florist’s flower not used in perfumery. It contains a surprising amount of animalic molecules — one could say it quite literally smells like a horse. I collected several plants of this kind and conducted multiple infusions before initiating this project.
In the end, we drew inspiration from tiare and its macerate — monoi — to create a solar scent reminiscent of certain cosmetic products, evoking for many the feeling of a holiday. I had the chance to travel to Polynesia as a child, and I believe this heady flower, along with the ylang-ylang I kept dried in boxes, left a lasting impression on me.

T • Are there any perfumers that you admire and/or any fragrance brands that you find inspiring?

B • I have great admiration for the work of Marc-Antoine Corticchiato for the brand Parfum d’Empire. He works with beautiful materials and offers subtle, deeply personal compositions. This same sensibility can be found in Eris Parfums, through the work of Barbara Herman and Antoine Lie. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Anatole Lebreton, and I feel very connected to his approach, as well as to the way he has developed his brand. We discovered many points in common: our love for artisanal work, our wide-ranging curiosity, and our choice to remain modest and independent in structure. In many ways, this also echoes the work of Isabelle Larignon and Alexandre Makhloufi with their brand Sacré Français.

T • Do you ever reach out to other perfumers for consult or guidance?

B • In any case, as a self-taught creator, I always work in collaboration with other perfumers. I rely on their expertise to bring a fragrance to completion, to ensure a project can truly come to life and be released on the market. Dialogue with perfumers is essential — it’s what allows us to move forward on a coherent olfactory path. Their technical knowledge in formulation and production of the juice is of great help to me. Speaking of the two most recent perfumes we’ve released, each one reflects a very different kind of relationship with a perfumer.
Emma Lehaut, for Doliphor: Emma had just finished her studies when we began working together, and I was immediately drawn to the freshness of her ideas and the way she approached intimacy. We discovered many commonalities and spent a lot of time exchanging thoughts about our respective journeys and our shared sensibilities shaped by scent. I’m very happy to collaborate with a young perfumer. I have no interest in participating in the kind of star-making trend where a handful of big names sign numerous new perfumes — to me, that no longer feels like a truly niche approach.
For Héliodose, it’s the second time we’ve worked with Stéphanie Bakouche, and our rapport is excellent. Stéphanie, who is also a teacher and a member of the Osmothèque, is deeply committed to passing on her craft. With her, it’s possible to delve deeply into the exploration of raw materials, to take time in building a formula and refining every detail. It’s a true luxury — and a process that resonates deeply with me.

T • What’s next for Marlou?

B • Marlou has always moved forward in an instinctive way. We’re quite far from strategic plans and formal reports. I believe this free rhythm contributes greatly to the pleasure we find in our work. We do things when the desire arises. That said, certain ideas for olfactory exploration give me direction and open up new perspectives.
For example, Marlou has not yet explored a note that is nonetheless central in animalic perfumery: oud. It’s a direction I would like to explore in the future. I also want to diversify our approach to perfumery — perhaps by organizing events or multiplying creative crossovers. At the moment, I’m working with an artist on the creation of a scent of discomfort — a fascinating collaboration. In the future, I’d like to pursue more of these kinds of intersections between disciplines.

Explore the work of Briac & Marlou here

Hi, I’m new! :)

My name is Q and I am so so excited to be the newest addition to the Fumerie family!

My initial interaction with scent was born and then buried itself in my childhood, with the smell of Lantana bushes, Creosote soaked in rain, the wild must of dust storms, Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar, unflavored cough medicine, and the smell of my own knees. I came around again to scent in 2013 when I pursued a certificate of Herbalism and worked at The Herb Shoppe on Mississippi. I remembered then how important scent was as I was holding jars to the faces of our visitors, asking them to make choices based off what they felt in their bodies. That was where I fell in love with Poplar bud, Vetiver, Lemon Balm, and Rose. Scent buried itself for a number of years, outside of my dabbling in mixing essential oils or ritualistic bath taking. In 2022, I was flattened by near daily chronic migraines, and ironically, scent journeyed back into my life at a breakneck speed. I don’t remember why or when I began deep diving, because I only remember a time not knowing fragrance, and the sudden and delicious hunger to know it completely. Despite what you might expect, scent is not a migraine trigger for me, and as finding the root of these migraines took me down a long and tedious path (and saying goodbye to sweet treats for the time being), the thing that now kept me grounded and engaged with a life that had dimmed to a soft grey, was fragrance. In May of last year, my beloved now-fiancee, Rae, and I visited Fumerie for the first time to find them a birthday scent (Imaginary Authors, Whispered Myths), and amidst having my hair blown back by how it felt to be immersed in scent as only Fumerie does, to smell the things I had only read about or listened to others talk about, but also, and most importantly, to develop my own feelings about these pieces of art, I was head over heels and had unknowingly begun a beautiful future here. Visiting Fumerie became my idea of a great day, but also, whispered back and forth between Rae and I and mentioned to anyone who would listen, the perfect dream of a work environment for me.

I am in my last year at Pacific Northwest College of Art, finishing a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a focus on recycled materials (trash!), poetry, sound, and soft sculpture. When I’m not geeking about olfactory nonsense or sniffing my way through my day, I am crafting, sculpting, sewing, writing, composing, arranging, reading, free boxing, playing my Switch or laughing loudly, especially if my dog Crow is around.

I am so excited to meet all the people just like me in this community, and I can’t wait to learn more from you and to share what I know back. To me, there is nothing more important than community, and I am so excited to continue to build that here.

With a big nose and an even bigger heart,

Q

(they/them)

Fumerie Favorites • 2024 Releases

As we near the end of a year filled with truly impressive and exciting new releases, we wanted to offer our community some insights into what we all have fallen in love with, found interesting, consider particularly exceptional, or just have to tell others about! As a rule, we always include fragrances that are new to the shop (not necessarily released this year) in addition to brand new creations. We hope you’ll enjoy seeing a peek into our own personal tastes and preferences, as well as what excites us most! As always, we are available to answer any questions or help in any way if you’re considering exploring any of our selections.

Tracy’s Picks

Corpalium • Marlou

The discovery of the wonderful French fragrance house Marlou came about through one of our incredible customers. They had received samples of this line and on a whim, decided to share their excitement with us. Personally, I’m very grateful that they did as the fragrance Corpalium, has become one of my go-to scents for peace and comfort. It is the perfect combination of iris and leather and there is absolutely no chance of my turning down a fragrance inspired by the smell of horses.

Last Season • Meo Fusciuni

For many years I have yearned for a fragrance that hearkened back to a dark, sexy, rich chypre scent in the style of Cabochard and Bandit. Upon first whiff of this glorious Meo Fusciuni fragrance, I was overcome with relief, happiness and gratitude that one of my favorite perfumers chose to create such a masterpiece.

Un Bel Amour D’été • Parfum d'Empire

I have always had a great appreciation for the fragrant works of Marc-Antoine Corticchiato and was honored that he chose to collaborate with Fumerie when we first opened our doors. He is masterful in his knowledge of botany and his ability to combine notes to create something unique and inspired. My first experience with Un Bel Amour d’été was in Esxence earlier this year. Spraying it on skin, I was struck by the glow of gardenia and the absolute beauty of this extraordinary creation. The anticipation I felt in the knowledge that I would soon be sharing this fragrance with others at Fumerie, filled me with joy.

Honorable Mentions: Buio by Meo Fusciuni, Rush by Xyrena, A Grove by the Sea by Arquiste

Michael’s Picks

Pelagos • Dusita

This is simply one of the most impressive fragrances I have ever experienced. I’m hard to please when it comes to fougères, marines, and iris but Pelagos subverts all of my expectations and becomes a fragrance outside all the genres it would appear to fall in. I cannot speak for the intentions of perfumer Pissara Umavijani but, to me, this fragrance inspires ruminations on the concepts of gender and age in a way that subverts the expectations of either in terms of what we have been convinced to believe in or expect when we talk about or think about fragrance. In my humble opinion Pelagos is a masterpiece.

Last Season • Meo Fusciuni

Yet another inspired piece of art from my favorite perfumer working today. I have noticed this can wear quite differently from person to person, but for me Last Season is a celebration of old-growth coastal woodland areas. I often share this with folks who are looking for something that smells like the Oregon Coast, as I feel it elicits visiting on a rainy day with a distant wildfire out somewhere beyond sight. Cozy, yet challenging, Last Season also employs an extremely accurate castoreum (despite being vegan) and a superdose (on my skin) of moist mossy goodness.

Lilac Brûlée • FZOTIC

FINALLY. I have been searching for a perfect marzipan for as long as I have been interested in fragrance. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the lilac portion is also exceptional (a note that is just as much a “white whale” that so many folks are searching for at any given time). What can I say? Bruno does gourmands just the way I like ‘em.

Honorable Mentions: Un Bel Amour D’été by Parfum d’Empire, Dark Ride by Xyrena, Heraud by Tauer, All Marlou Fragrances, Buio by Meo Fusciuni, The Colour of Pomegranate by Moth & Rabbit, Epona by Papillon

Lele’s Picks

Un Bel Amour D’été • Parfum d'Empire

Ambilux • Marlou

Lilac Brûlée • FZOTIC

A Trip to Grasse

(from left) Nir Guy of Perfumology, Tracy Tsefalas of Fumerie Parfumerie, Viktoriya Martynova of La Parfumerie, Gigi Minsky of ZGO

Earlier this year, an opportunity arose to join a handful of other US fragrance boutique owners on an adventure to Grasse, France, the perfume capital of the world. François Duquesne, CEO and founder of Maison Duquesne, a brand that is responsible for the creation, development, management, and distribution of perfume, chose to invite select boutique owners to join him on a tour of Grasse. His intention was to support and educate us in connecting with the fragrance industry in a manner that would take us behind the scenes of well-respected businesses such as Parfum Cosmetic World (PCW) and supply house Robertet. By the end of each day, my heart and head were reeling with gratitude and the immensity of what each day brought to my own depth of fragrance industry knowledge. Another unexpected and completely wonderful by-product of this experience was the fact that I was able to bond with others who have chosen to devote their lives to independent perfumery in a manner that also celebrates the artistry and pure joy of fragrance.

Several of us that were part of this experience, had attended the perfume conference Esxence in Milan. The plan was to drive from Milan to Grasse and then begin our France adventure the following day. Unfortunately, there was a mixup with renting a large enough vehicle to be able to accommodate all of us and our luggage, and we ended up splitting into two separate groups. Those who were in my car included Nir Guy from Perfumology, Gigi Minsky of ZGO, and Viktoriya Martynova of La Parfumerie. Once on the road, the conversation turned to the fragrance industry and the trials and tribulations of running a fragrance boutique. To merely say the dialogue was enlightening is an understatement. I felt a deep sense of relief that others joined me in similar experiences and that I was not as isolated as I had assumed. I took pleasure in hearing of how they approached certain challenges and was fascinated by the differing approaches. At one point, we decided to pull off the road and search for a place for lunch. We randomly ended up in a very small French village where most of the residents that we encountered spoke little to no English. Our timing was also unfortunate as we arrived mid-day when the little coffee shop was closed until much later. Through the shop owner’s kindness and creative gesticulation, she directed us to a place down the road that might be able to serve us. We ended up in a very beautiful, historical area with cobblestone streets and a handful of shops and restaurants. Again, many were closed but we were able to acquire some of the best focaccia that I have ever had the pleasure to eat. Satiated, we spilled back into the car and once again began our trek to Grasse. 

It was truly an honor and pleasure to share a variety of experiences together. One evening, we were even treated to a special dinner at François’ parents’ home with amazing company, much laughter, and an incredible meal

I consider this time together and shared experience in France truly fortuitous. I realize how important it is to encourage and support others with this shared vision and think of the famous John F. Kennedy quote (which Nir stated on the trip), “A rising tide lifts all boats.” We at Fumerie would like to introduce you to these wonderful entrepreneurs, in particular the individuals that were on that momentous ride to Grasse. This holiday season, we would like to celebrate by raffling gift certificates from these wonderful boutiques as well as our own. We are sure that you will enjoy getting to know these other shop owners and what they offer to this wonderful world of fragrance.

Tracy Tsefalas
Fumerie Parfumerie Founder & Owner

This blog post explains the origination of what has now become our Community Appreciation Month raffle, which you can explore and participate in by clicking here

Introducing Xyrena • An Interview with Killian Wells

As a fan of fragrant art, I have appreciated Tracy’s approach to Fumerie’s curation more and more as my enthusiasm has increased. Whether it be renowned French or Italian brands that are somehow underrated in the states such as Parfum d’Empire, Meo Fusciuni, or MDCI, soon-to-be-wildly-famous masters such as Rania J or Dusita, American underdogs such as FZOTIC, Quartana, or Imaginary Authors, or the hardest to find brands in the states such as Moth & Rabbit or Binet-Papillon- Fumerie has always represented the future and past of fragrance with reverence and open-minded exploration in a way that has continued to drive my enthusiasm for this medium and the incredible artists working in the independent perfume sphere.

Now, in honor of Fumerie’s newest partnership, I am pleased to introduce an interview between Tracy and the perfumer and owner of the newest brand to join the Fumerie curation: Xyrena! This Austin brand is among the most unique we have ever encountered and has been quietly amassing a well-deserved stream of accolades and fans for upwards of eight years via their online shop. We are honored and thrilled to share Killian’s unique perspective and approach to fragrant art with our beloved community as Xyrena’s first-ever stockist! On a personal note, may I just say, FINALLY a brand with some true camp! - Michael

Please enjoy this interview between Tracy and Killian Wells below:

Tracy: You have such a unique and singular approach to fragrance and your brand in general. Would you say your ideas for Xyrena originated as the result of being a perfume lover who wanted to see the types of things you didn’t find already in existence, or did you approach fragrance as a lover of collectibles and pop culture? 

Killian: It’s a bit of both. I’ve always loved fragrance, and there were a handful of real-world scents I’d always wanted but couldn’t find, like chlorine, which I incorporated as a main note in “Dark Ride” and “Pool Boy.” I’ve also always been a collector of trading cards, Beanie Babies, souvenir shot glasses, Funko Wacky Wobblers and Pop’s, and VHS videos, just to name a few. With Xyrena, I wanted to marry fragrances with pop culture in a way that’s fun to collect and display.

T: There is a history of attempts at combining the experience of film and smell. The movie Polyester and Smell-o-Vision are a few examples of this. With your love of both film and fragrance, do you have your own ideas of how this might work to the best effect?

K: I love the history of immersive film experiences like Smell-o-Vision and 3D. They paved the way for thinking outside the box in terms of engaging the audience. With Xyrena’s Cinematic Scent Archive, my approach focuses on creating definitive official fragrances for iconic films. Instead of synchronizing scents with specific scenes, I aim to capture the essence of a film in a single fragrance that fans can enjoy anytime. This way, the scent becomes part of the film’s legacy, offering a unique and personal connection to the movie. 

T: You have chosen to focus on pop culture and maximalist aesthetics from the 1980’s as inspiration for your fragrances. What drew you to this time frame and would you consider other decades as creative inspiration moving forward?

K: The 80s is definitely my favorite aesthetic, and in my opinion, the most fun. However, my inspiration isn't limited to just that decade - I draw inspiration from the 50s through Y2K. Each era offers a unique style and cultural impact. Moving forward, I’m excited to explore and incorporate elements from various time periods.

T: You have worked directly with movie studios in your process of creating your fragrances. How did you initially contact the studios and what were their reactions to your concept?

K: While movie-branded fragrances are nothing new, creating a cohesive library of them with niche quality and collectible packaging is novel and adds a gravitas that most licensed products lack. The majority of the filmmakers and studios I’ve approached appreciate the potential for these fragrances to offer fans a new, immersive way to connect with their favorite films.

T: When creating a fragrance inspired by a film, would you say the inspiration is more driven by images or an overall “vibe”?

K: It's mostly about capturing the overall vibe that a movie evokes. I choose notes that collectively convey the feeling and atmosphere of the film, ensuring the fragrance reflects the essence of the movie as a whole.

T: A few of your fragrances are directly related to adventure park rides. Is this something that you have a personal affinity for?

K: Absolutely. I love theme parks, and many of their associated scents are very nostalgic to me. Some people thought I was crazy for making "Dark Ride," but it's one of our top sellers. Capturing those unique and memorable fragrances brings back fond memories and allows others to experience that same sense of nostalgia.

T: How would you describe your training in terms of how you came to approach creating fragrances?

K: I have zero formal training, just a good nose and scent memory. It’s very similar to how I’m not a classically trained musician, but I produce pop music and had some minor success in that industry before fragrance. I’ve always felt that education can give you great tools and general guidelines to work with, but you can’t teach creativity. Some of the best art comes from breaking the rules.

T: I imagine you have many requests for movies and pop culture references that others would like to see you create as fragrances. Would you say you have an overall vision for the collection that you draw from or are those choices more spontaneous? Have any of these requests or suggestions turned into releases?

K: There’s no shortage of movies that could make great fragrances, but since everything is officially licensed, it’s really just a matter of the stars aligning from the business side of things. While I do have an overall vision and roadmap for the Cinematic Scent Archive, some choices are more spontaneous based on opportunities that arise. There are some movies on my wishlist that unfortunately may never have an official fragrance due to rights issues or non-visionary gatekeepers. I’m always listening to requests though, and I’m proud to offer a diverse collection of scents—Xyrena has something for every taste and personality.

T: You recently launched a perfumer searchlight program. This looks like a great opportunity for brands like those featured in our Maker’s Residency program and beyond. We think this is so forward-thinking that we simply must convey how impressed we are with the concept. Could you tell us and our community a bit more about your vision for these future collaborations?

K: Thank you! With our searchlight program, we're offering independent perfumers the chance to create official fragrances for the Cinematic Scent Archive and become part of movie history. Rather than collaborating with major fragrance houses, we're giving emerging talent the opportunity to contribute to this unique collection in exchange for sales royalties, credit, and recognition. This initiative aims to support the next generation of fragrance creators and bring fresh perspectives to our brand.

Explore Xyrena’s fragrances here

Learn more about Killian and Xyrena’s history here

Maker’s Residency participants and other perfumers can explore Killian’s perfumer search program here

Discovering Potential in the Midst of Adversity

photo by Azin Javadzadeh

Recently, while taking a walk with a fellow entrepeneur, we had a fascinating discussion involving the experience of taking a vision from the ethereal to a reality. My friend Keith Sconiers, financial advisor, podcaster and all around advocate for underdogs, asked if I would be willing to share my story on his “Purpose” podcast. He explained that my story would not only be interesting but would provide value to others for a variety of reasons. During our interview, I found myself sharing vulnerable truths that I hadn’t intended to expose but knowing in the moment that it was important to unveil as both confirmation of my own journey as well as a possible guidance to others. I hope that you enjoy our conversation.

To listen, click here

Essential Viewing

Hello Friends and Fumerie Fragrance Community!

Today’s blog post is all about videos! We make no secret of the fact that we prefer personalized consultations, written reviews and appraisals, and personal exploration to the ever-increasing video recommendation culture around perfumes, but where we do love to use the medium of video to explore perfume and fragrance is in the documentary format!

When I first started getting into fragrance Tracy recommended this three-part BBC documentary to me and it changed my worldview forever. Truly, my reactions to the information contained in these documentaries has steered my feelings about this art form and industry more than any single fragrance or brand, and I would say the only thing more influential to my interest in fragrance in general has been Fumerie itself. I think every fan of fragrance and fragrance art, and to be frank any consumer of any products at all, stands to benefit from the material found in these three hour-long documentaries. I’m sure history buffs would enjoy these as well!

I present them here without further introduction, and hope a great many of you will view and enjoy them! I encourage anyone who finds them interesting to comment on this post or reach out to us with feedback or question!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Additionally, a few years back I came across this fascinating Al Jazeera documentary on oud, which is probably the most mystical and often asked about single-ingredient in perfume (just edging out ambergris for my anecdotal top spot). I will also present this below without further comment. If you have any other fragrance-informed movie recommendations we would love to hear about them! Feel free to leave a comment or reach out to us directly!

Oud Documentary

Thanks for stopping by, and we hope you enjoy!

Michael

AMA Answers • Fabrice Croise of Scents of Wood

As we enjoy the privilege and honor of an expanding community, we receive more requests for access to our events in ways that can be translated into mediums that aren’t time-sensitive or exclusive to in-person locations. One of the solutions we have been offering in the last year has been giving folks around the world the opportunity to anonymously submit questions to creatives, brand owners, and other important people from within the world of independent fragrant art via our blog. Most recently we published the answers to our AMA with Marc-Antoine from Parfum d’Empire, and are now beyond thrilled to be able to offer the answers Fabrice Croise from Scents of Wood has been so gracious as to offer us for everyone who will be unable to join us for our upcoming in-store event with him! Please enjoy below the questions you all submitted, and their answers!

Question: • What are your favorite places to go for inspiration when working on a new fragrance?

Fabrice’s Answer: Forest and trees (and books about them). I just came back from a trip to Japan and inspiration was everywhere. The tree species, their shapes, their smells… I found myself taking notes and pictures all day long to make sure I wouldn’t forget any detail. The fact that the trip took place during winter was also very meaningful: there is something magical about the way snow and trees combine to compose touching, evocative landscapes.

• It is both refreshing and impressive that you have chosen to be so transparent with the inner workings of how the perfume industry works. What inspired you to share your knowledge and experience with the public?

I just thought it might be of interest to some people. It’s kind of the way I function myself: I am very eager to learn the behind-the-scenes elements of things I am passionate about. It just adds depth and allows for a more complete understanding of any field.

• What initially drew you to the world of perfume?

It wasn’t really my choice. It actually is a bit of a crazy story. I started my career at L’Oréal, a company with a brand portfolio that covers all 4 businesses of beauty (skin care, makeup, hair and fragrance). At that time, every new recruit was interviewed by an HR manager who chose the brand they would start on. After a 45 minute conversation, that HR person suggested I would be a good fit for fragrance. Little did I know (and I am not sure she did either) that she was deciding my entire career at that moment. I wish I knew her name and could find her and thank her. In a way I owe her my entire career.

• You have been very ambitious in launching a scent-subscription and the sheer amount of fragrances released annually. Have there been any surprises for you in taking this approach? Have you been pushed to revise your initial concept after seeing the method in full production?

The most important thing I have learned is that time spent on creation doesn’t necessarily translate into quality. A fragrance will not necessarily be better because one spends more time refining it. And I think this holds true of anything creative. The original inspiration, the starting point, is what matters most. Much more so than endlessly fine tuning, sharpening, adding or subtracting. Those things are important of course, but in moderation. Fine tuning a bad idea won’t make it a good one. And conversely, overly reworking a good idea might dilute it to the point of extinction.

• Your collaboration with perfumers go beyond merely assigning a brief. You request they identify personally with creating a fragrance, in the form of choosing a memory or experience of a connection to trees and/or woods. What has this process been like for you?

I truly think that every brand should have their own proprietary briefing system. The brief to the perfumer is such a key moment in the development of a new scent. It should reflect the ethos of the brand and differentiate it from any other. 

In the case of Scents of Wood, we start from what I call the “personal forest” of the perfumer, composed of all their intimate memories of trees, forests, woody notes and wooden objects. That’s what we tap into as a starting point. 

This process has been a very effective way of injecting emotion and personal involvement into the conversation that precedes the creation. And those are fundamental ingredients of a successful collaboration. 

• Recently, you opened up your fragrance studio in Utah to welcome those who have chosen to be members of your scent subscription. What moves you to share this part of your process with the public? What would you like them to gain from this experience?

Actually, our workshop party was open to everyone.  It was the first of its kind and we will definitely do it again. My long-term vision for the Scents of Wood company is a constellation of workshops in different regions of the world, each servicing a local community of subscribers and customers, each open to all of them all the time. Subscribers will visit any of those locations at any time, coming from anywhere. There will always be a place for them to sit, socialize or work, right in the midst of us filling and assembling products. Maybe even a few bedrooms upstairs, maybe interesting meals and activities being offered. Like a fragrance-obsessed social club.

• What inspired you to create NFT fragrances? You are very open and transparent and even encourage your audience to participate in guiding the creations. This removes some of the traditional mystery of the fragrance industry and is a very innovative approach to perfumery. Can you describe what this looks like to you?

We went into Web 3 and NFTs because we are committed to explore every idea potentially linking luxury scents and the digital world. Hence our subscription model, hence our focus on customization, hence our ties to influencers. Web 3 is going through a bit of controversy at the moment, and NFTs have been given a bad name, but the ideas of community-driven creation and co-ownership of brands remain fascinating. We have renamed our project the Creators Club and we will keep exploring with our members all that can be done in terms of fragrance co-creation.

• You have brought so many innovations to your creative approach to perfumery. Macerating cane alcohol in wooden casks, being fully accessible in your process, and actively asking for customer involvement in certain creations. Do your inspirations come from a big-picture vision or are they more guided by the norms of the current fragrance industry and things that you would like to change?

Interesting and complicated question. I think a bit of both. I do have a vision for an inclusive, transparent, happy, and welcoming way of conducting business, for sure. But I also feel the urge to shake things a little bit in our industry. Fragrance creation is such a formatted process, there is a lot of room for change in my opinion. In creation, design, and product development but also in branding, storytelling, and distribution.

• The level of creative input and sheer quantity of fragrances is admirable. Given some of the challenges faced by other brands in the past, do you see this as the way Scents of Wood will continue to operate for the foreseeable future?

Thank you. And yes, for sure, we will keep operating that way. “All creation, all the time” was and will remain our motto. Not necessarily easy, but so much more satisfying and stimulating.

• Will Pascal Gaurin be crafting the next iteration of Plum in Cognac? Do you have any details on what kind of cask will be used for the next formula?

He has! The work on Plum in Cognac vintage 24 is completed and I will present it at the event. I am in love with that re-invention of a scent that I loved so much in the first place. It is quite remarkable. The barrel is a different French oak barrel, that was also used for years to age cognac. 

• The concentration of Scents of Wood is pretty reliable and only deviates slightly between fragrances so far. Do you think Scents of Wood will release extraits at some point?

Only if it makes sense to a particular creation. We choose concentrations based on the olfactive result. Every scent is optimal at a certain concentration. That’s what we are after. We typically do not test them above 24% so it’s unlikely that we will ever release extraits. But who knows?

Thank you visiting our blog and spending time exploring Scents of Wood, and the world of fragrant art. Please feel free to like, comment, or share below!

Explore Scents of Wood’s fragrances here, and their candles here

Reflections on the Path to Fumerie

At the point that I knew I was entirely committed to moving forward with my vision of opening my fragrance boutique, the gravity of what it would take to implement this plan truly set in. Many of the aspects were exciting and fulfilling such as making a list of which fragrance lines would be part of our selection as well as designing the boutique space, including such details as the lighting, color scheme and my personal favorite, the library ladder. Other requirements were much more challenging such as finding the right space for the shop and where to acquire funding for my unique concept. 

In all honesty, I was somewhat delusional in believing that getting a loan would be a smooth, direct process in which all of the pieces would magically come together and I would walk out victorious with a check in hand to execute my dream. The harsh truth was that although my concept was strong, on paper I did not present well. Although I had worked at the same job for over twenty years, I was severely underpaid and undervalued. Even several years in when my duties increased and I was managing the shop, I did not receive a raise or any other financial benefits such as a decent bonus or a 401K option. I was humbled and honestly embarrassed when I saw the look on the face of the bankers that would review my numbers and then express their confusion on why my income was so low. It was then that I realized that getting the funding that I needed to launch my shop was going to be a lot more challenging than I had initially thought. 

One of the things that I had going for me was a very thorough and well laid out business plan. I had done my research regarding competitive analysis, target markets and projections. A competitive analysis involves finding other businesses in your area that are offering the same or similar services. This was a bit of a challenge as there were very few fragrance boutiques in Portland, and none doing business in the manner that I envisioned. I ended up exploring shops that typically had a small offering of fragrances but specialized in other things such as clothing or home goods. Overall, finding comparisons was minimal which served me well in terms of proving my point that what I had to offer was unique. Creating projections was the most difficult aspect of the plan and through the advice of different financial advisors and bankers, ended up being the section of my plan that received the most tweaking in order to be accepted by those that I sought to support me financially. I even had one loan officer tell me to significantly raise the numbers in my five year projections in order to be taken seriously.  I was told, “It’s all an estimation anyways, we would like to see confidence not hesitation in your numbers.” She explained that there was a sweet spot where the numbers were strong but not unrealistic. Although her institution wasn’t willing to support me financially, I took her words to heart and revised the projections to represent a more optimistic view of the future. 

I reached out to traditional banking institutions as well as smaller lending companies in my quest for financial backing. I was turned down again and again and I can candidly admit that I had a few serious meltdowns in which I considered giving up on my dream altogether. Rejection is painful and it’s tempting to believe in other’s limiting ideas of what you are capable of. I look back with pride in myself that I continued to stay true to my vision and chose to listen to my intuition, believe in myself and be confident in my own potentiality. It was on my seventh attempt that I finally found a lending company that was willing to stand behind my vision. The interview was particularly daunting as I presented in front of a panel of representatives from various lending institutions (ten individuals in all), and needed to show knowledge and conviction that my dream was worth believing in. In addition to the moral support I had from family and friends, I chose to wear the fragrance that always makes me feel empowered “Borneo 1834” by Serge Lutens. Throughout the presentation, I would get slight whiffs of this gorgeous fragrance and each time, it would give me a slight boost and felt like a good friend was there to shadow me in this very stressful moment. I admit that some of the questions caught me off guard but I was able to confidently handle it and when I didn’t have a sufficient answer, I committed to getting back to them with one after the interview. I wrapped up the interview by handing out bags of various fragrance samples to each of those that were in attendance, both as a thank you gift and an opportunity to acquaint themselves with niche fragrance. 

Within two weeks of the interview, I received a call from Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO), that they would indeed be funding me for my boutique. They explained that they don’t typically provide loans for the large amount that I was requesting, but were so impressed with my interview that they would be dispensing three separate loans in all that would take care of all my needs. They have been an integral part of not only helping me to launch Fumerie Parfumerie but also providing business resources and emotional support along the way. I am forever grateful for their support and confidence in my vision. 

Realizing opening a business is both stressful and exhilarating. I truly had no idea when starting out the many ways that this experience would challenge me and how I see myself in this world. Through this experience, I have forced myself to face some deep fears and insecurities and at the same time discovered the depths of my own strength and perseverance. I was drawn to write this post to share my personal experience of opening a business and the challenges as well as the rewards of what this venture was truly like. I encourage you to respond with your own insights as well as any questions that you might have regarding your interest in entrepreneurship.

Just for Fun • Fumerie's Album & Fragrance Pairings

Here at Fumerie we love to pair fragrance with all kinds of things! We have had a lot of interesting prompts over the years, and we never shy away from the abstract. We’ve helped folks find fragrances to go with specific moods and life events, to embody and represent Dungeons & Dragons or other fictional characters, to be worn to specific concerts, and a great number of abstract concepts such as “smelling like a robot.” We are huge fans of the abstract nature of perfumery in both creation and exploration, and we celebrate particularly enthusiastically when abstract concepts are explored with great skill and surprising nuance.

In the past we’ve asked folks on our Instagram stories to make album recommendations which we then listen to in the shop and post fragrances that we think accompany the albums well or represent a vibe that works in balance with their musical and/or lyrical themes (only in our stories; sorry there is no backlog!). As we have been hosting Jasmin Saraï as our first-ever Maker’s Residency display, and since Dana El Masri’s creations are so intentionally inspired by music, we have been talking and thinking about these types of pairing more than normal and would like to give a permanent spot to a few of our couplings here on our blog for you all to enjoy! Below you will find one or two albums and the fragrances we have chosen to pair them with by each of us, respectively. We hope you’ll enjoy this playful exercise and encourage you to chime in with your own album & fragrance pairing in our comments!

Tracy’s Picks

picture by Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu • Baduizm B/W Serge Lutens • Daim Blond

I'm the first to admit that I arrived late to the brilliance of Erykah Badu. Once discovered, the album Baduizm was played on repeat and was an obvious choice for most any occasion. The entire vibe of the album is sultry, and her rhythms guide us through her fascinating streams of consciousness that are often tinged with humor. Her music is a salve that serenades us with her soulful, lush, smooth sounds. She honors the rhythm without rushing and the beats make it impossible to stand still. 

The pairing of Daim Blond with Baduizm was an automatic choice with no hesitation. The moment this scent hits the skin, I find myself breaking into a soft smile and reveling in the pleasure of it's gorgeous embrace. Like Baduizm, Daim Blond is lush, sultry and smooth. The fragrance introduces leather in a unique manner focusing on spice, musk and a creaminess with a touch of apricot. There is an aura to this scent that weaves perfectly with the seductive sounds of the scintillating voice of Erykah Badu.

*Serge Lutens is not sold by Fumerie, nor is Daim Blond

photo by Radiohead

Radiohead • A Moon Shaped Pool B/W Meo Fusciuni • L’Oblio

The band Radiohead has always been one of my favorites. They are musically masterful in both intelligence and skill. When the album A Moon Shaped Pool was released, I was filled with anticipation and excitement. Upon first listen, I admit that I was somewhat apprehensive about the use of orchestration throughout the album. Unlike some of their previous releases, I didn't listen to AMSP on repeat but instead gave myself space between plays to truly digest the experience. To my own surprise, this has become one of my favorite albums and never fails to affect me with it's haunting depth of emotion and vulnerability. This music is immersive and introspective with it's expansiveness and abandon. The soundscape is an existential escape from the pain of being human. 

Perfumer Giuseppe Imprezzabile, captures his captivating fragrance L'Oblio with the quote "What if the good of man is forgetting instead of remembering?". L'Oblio is a reflection on the idea of oblivion and the balance of the intensity of a moment of joy and the relief of the release of letting go. Both L'Oblio and A Moon Shaped Pool evoke a place of internal wanderings and the stillness of sitting in those deep places of emotion. Whether listening to the album or wearing the fragrance, I am immediately brought to a place of contemplation and an awareness of an underlying sadness. The melancholy is embraced in that it is confirmation of being alive.

Michael’s Picks

Image By Portugal. The Man

Portugal. The Man • Evil Friends B/W Imaginary Authors • Bull’s Blood

Portugal. The Man’s album Evil Friends is a nuanced and extremely effective combination of bright pop sensibilities, psychedelic undertones, punk aesthetics, and biting (albeit duplicitous) lyricism. At any given time it is fun, catchy, gnarly, ethereal, and kinda mean. The textural masterstrokes provided by Danger Mouse’s production complete the larger concept at work within and make this album many folk’s favorite from the band. If you’re familiar with the new version of Bull’s Blood (or even just the first) this pairing is probably already making sense to you.

Bull’s Blood is often referred to as Imaginary Author’s ‘dirtiest’ fragrance, which is a short way of saying it incorporates beautifully bold scents to create a piece of scented art that celebrates a few universally accepted darlings of perfume intentionally co-mingled with ingredients that are only to the liking of some. Both Evil Friends and Bull’s Blood seamlessly incorporate elements many would advise against into an overall format that is hard to dislike, an expert-level approach to subversion that many attempt and few achieve.

Is it a coincidence that these two Portland staples fit so well together, or is there something about our city’s culture that translates often into its art? One thing I certainly see as thematic with a lot of Portland artwork is hard-won expert-level execution, and a celebration of the dirtier parts of a life well lived.

photo by Sammus

Sammus • Pieces in Space B/W Eris • Night Flower

Sammus is an incredible rapper who has a unique stylistic often referred to as “nerd-core” because of her references to things like video games and pop culture (especially after the album preceding this one, Another M, which is themed after Nintendo’s Metroid whose main character is the inspiration for her name). I do think this term is reductive and misses the depth of her skill; she also has a PhD and produces her own tracks. I think people are starting to figure out that nerd should be a badge of honor, as “nerds” often look deeply not only into their favorite pop culture fascinations, but most things- including themselves. Pieces in Space is a wildly self-exploratory album and it is a mood from start to finish, as Sammus’ lyrics and production work seamlessly to weave an experience that is somehow both mellow and intense. Picking apart the pieces of her reality and experiences, juxtaposed against broader realities of life, while inserting comedic relief and plenty of her infamous references she creates an album that is only comparable in skill, tone, or effectiveness to certain MF DOOM works.

Similar not only in that it is conceptualized by a scholarly mind capable of deep-cut references in creative director/ founder Barbara Herman, Night Flower accompanies the mood of Pieces in Space perfectly. Both works are challenging in the most rewarding ways, and use elements that are universal, old-school, known and loved, yet presented in a brand new and singular fashion. Night Flower is also somehow both mellow and intense- using contradictory notes like tuberose and suede to create a truly contemplative experience that really only has a peer in the deeply discontinued older version of Shalimar.

Lele’s Pick

photo by frou frou

Frou Frou • Details B/W Cuoium • Orto Parisi

When I first heard this album, it felt like suddenly remembering a dream I had forgotten. It’s romantic, rhythmic, and scattered, weaving together sweeping orchestral sounds with breathy vocals, and synth soundscapes. It mixes once contemporary electronica, with classically trained vocals and instrumentals. It’s both alluring and unnerving. I’m not immune to the resurgence of y2k trends, which inevitably inspired me to revisit media I had only foggy memories of. My updated perspective allowed me to better comprehend the bittersweet nature of this album, and appreciate it even more.

Alessandro Gualtieri’s creation Cuoium is the epitome of compelling contrast. Ambergris, leather, styrax, and patchouli sit opposite to the sweetness of vanilla, mandarin, and violet. Initially, these elements don’t quietly coalesce; they dramatically diverge, just to come back around and compliment each other. Cuoium is a fresh and unconventional composition of age-old materials. I feel the depth and complexity of Cuoium is comparable to Details, and although both could be considered polarizing for their unorthodox approach, for the same reason they are innovative and unforgettable.

Q & A with Mandy Aftel & Tracy Tsefalas

image by aya brackett

In the Autumn of 2018, I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents. This was unlike any museum that I had previously encountered. Although of small stature, this magical place was filled with a vast array of artifacts, aromatic materials, and historical items. The space is intentionally welcoming and invites its visitors to explore to their heart’s content. I strongly recommend a sojourn for anyone with any level of interest in the olfactive world.

In November, Fumerie was lucky enough to collaborate with Mandy Aftel in an online event in which she walked us through her new book The Museum of Scent, Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance. Those who attended also had the opportunity to ask questions of the very knowledgeable and gifted perfumer. I had a variety of questions myself which time didn’t allow me to share on this particular occasion. I reached out to Mandy with a request that she and I might continue the conversation and she graciously agreed. The following is what transpired.

Tracy • What inspired you to create a museum? Do you aspire to expand and are there special items that you hope to acquire?

Mandy • Much of what is available to experience in my museum I have collected over a period of over 30 years. Before the museum was created, I would often bring out these special items to share with friends. I loved sharing things that I found beautiful and enriching and it brought me joy to share this world with others who had never had the chance to experience these items before. After repeated times of hauling the items in and out of storage, the thought occurred to me that I could create a space that others could visit, learn about and explore this wonderful world that I found so fascinating. The museum celebrates the multi-cultural underpinnings of ethno-botanical, biblical, and historical offerings that provide so much value and are endlessly inspiring. Initially, I had reservations about whether or not others would even come to the museum but over time have seen a diverse audience that has travelled from across the globe to visit. I don't have any plans to expand the museum but I am always hopeful that I will find some new treasure. 

T • Do you use your carefully curated museum as a teaching tool for your students?

 M • Not directly, no. The book on the other hand includes particular items with my students in mind. I have expanded on the blending capacity of natural essences in the book much more than in the museum and I was able to include wonderful tidbits about lore that I found quirky and fascinating. In fact, when I added the essential oil families that you find in the book, they were a very late addition to the overall work. 

T • What was the impetus to write a book about your incredible museum?

M • I was desperate to write a book about the museum! I wanted to reach people who didn't have the chance to visit and to bring alive the beauty, history, and scent. It also allowed me to take a deeper dive into descriptions that are limited in the museum due to the signage having to be concise. I have found that even some of the people who visit the museum who may be tagging along with their partners and not necessarily have an interest in fragrance, find something that piques their curiosity and they can appreciate discovering something new. The book itself has all sorts of anecdotes and serves as an appreciative nod to history. 

 T • Having co-authored a few cookbooks with renowned chef Daniel Patterson, it is evident that taste plays an important role in your own sensorial experience. Can you tell us about your chef's essences and how and why these have become an integral part of your creative process?

M • Everything revolves around the essences. I love the materials and what they add to food. Extraordinarily gorgeous plant materials are meaningful, rich, and historical. All of these food flavors can be used in perfumery but not all of the perfume fragrances can be used in food. Fragrance is a little more complicated because there are so many moving pieces in a perfume but the integrity of the materials is the same.  I'm like the "flavor doctor" at my house and I use the chef's essences all of the time. Even subtly, the essences contribute so much to food and can bring out the most wonderful expression to a meal.

T • You have taught fragrance workshops for many years. How has your approach to teaching evolved over the years? Have you noticed any changes in how your students currently engage in the classes versus the early days?

M • I have my own way of teaching that has been evolving and "cooking over the stove" for years. When I was teaching classes in person, they were small groups of eight students. In the studio class, we all shared one organ (a shelving system that holds an array of bottles carrying essential botanicals). If I wanted to show anything, we would pass around that one bottle, which was basically chaos. If I wanted to teach about a specific material, by the time the last person got their nose on the bottle, the focus would have already shifted to something else. I was aware that this method was not ideal but couldn't see a solution. Then COVID hit and everything switched to online classes. I created a system in which I would send out a fragrance kit that both my students and I would use during our sessions. Online classes give me the time and space to analyze the student's creations for the dynamics, not whether the creations are good or bad because in the beginning that doesn't matter. The revising process is what I consider the most important, not the first drafts. Teaching has become more interesting and alive for me over the years.

T • Several past students of yours are now successfully selling their perfumes to a wide audience. What is it like for you to have been such an important part of their olfactive experience?

M • I love seeing them go out into the world with work that they love and I'm honored to have played some role in their lives. There are plenty of other students that I have taught who have never made their work public even though I consider them wonderful perfumers. They are all along a continuum of that type of ambition and it's wonderful wherever they are.

T • Tell us about your participation in the Institute for Art and Olfaction, and how that came to be.

M • I was very excited when Saskia (Saskia Wilson-Brown is the founder of the Institute for Art & Olfaction), launched her institute and I made a point to reach out to her. I was thrilled about Saskia's vision and wanted to help and support it. Before she arrived on the scene, there really wasn't much of a platform to showcase and honor handmade perfumery. It's wonderful that she has an award in my name to celebrate handmade perfumery, and to see these creations getting honored and recognized is fantastic. I'm pleased with the direction that Saskia has gone, she does an absolutely terrific job.

T • What is your view regarding the current state of perfumery? Are you excited by how many people are engaging in creating perfumes on a smaller scale?

M • I love it! There was no opening for that when I started, it was all big brands. Now there is a greater opportunity for people to find your work, buy your work, or even have your work out in the world. It is a very lively environment. People who make perfume are passionate and curious. 

T • Your process for discerning a client's preferences when creating a fragrance for them is fascinating. Can you walk us through that experience?

M • Antithesis to my method as a practicing psychotherapist years ago, I don't provide a questionnaire for a fragrance consult. I rely entirely on a person's aesthetic response to materials. I have created a kit that I send out to an interested client which includes 16 top notes, 16 middle notes, and 16 base notes. Upon receipt, they rank their favorites. I believe that one's sense of smell is not driven by their conscious mind or language, it is driven by the animalic aspect of who they are. I make a sample based on their choices and our conversation and then have them critique that for further information. I will remake the fragrance three times. It's fascinating that around 80% of my clients choose the first one. For those that choose to return for another scent at a later time, they rarely choose the same essences to go in it. That particular creation is like a portrait of them at that point in time. 

 T • From a psychological standpoint, do you feel personal taste, interest, and expression through scent complement the human experience of personality differently from other art forms, or is it more similar to taste in mediums like music, movies, ...etc.?

M • The connection that people have with a smell without feeling that they have to like something, truly bypasses a lot of the chatter and gets to something deeply personal that they can attach to. Perfume is an expression of an aspect of who you are; it’s wonderful to have several fragrances for different moods because we humans are so complex.

In addition to Mandy’s newest book The Museum of Scent, Fumerie is also proud to offer Mandy’s other book Essence & Alchemy, as well as her Olfactory Note Wheel. Links to each can be found below.

Explore The Museum of Scent here

Explore Essence & Alchemy here

Explore the Aftelier Natural Parfume Wheel here

AMA Answers from Marc-Antoine Corticchiato

Earlier this year we opened up our blog to our wonderful community to ask any questions of Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, founder and perfumer of Parfum d’Empire, and we are pleased to announce that we are now ready to publish the answers. This AMA was inspired by Parfum d’Empire’s twentieth anniversary, and the answers now stand to celebrate Marc’s most elegant release to date in Ruade, and the arrival of Parfum d’Empire’s new stunning candles. We sincerely thank Marc-Antoine for this special opportunity, and for these thoughtful responses you are all sure to enjoy. We also thank you all for your submissions!

Though his family hails from Corsica, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato was born in Morocco. He grew up between his parents’ citrus groves near the ancient city of Azemmour and his family home in the village of Cuttoli Corticchiato, deep in the Corsican maquis.
A horseman since the age of eight, Marc-Antoine was a competition rider and considered becoming an equestrian professional, but his drive to understand the mysteries of scent production in aromatic plants, and why this scent varies over their life cycle, led him to study chemistry instead. For his Ph.D., he developed a new technique to analyze extracts of aromatic plants through carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance. He completed his training at the renowned École Internationale de Parfumerie de Versailles (ISIPCA).
Marc-Antoine went on to work in a research laboratory focused on the analysis of aromatic plants and extraction methods. For years he “dissected” natural raw materials and acquired in-depth knowledge of them. His work was published in international scientific reviews. 
After starting out with aromatherapeutic blends, he joined a Parisian perfume laboratory. He also teaches at ISIPCA, the Versailles school of perfumery. In his quest for the best possible natural plant extracts, he has set up a production unit for essential oils in Madagascar.
Parfum d’Empire, founded in 2003, has given him the opportunity of truly expressing his fearless, physical, baroque style. His in-depth knowledge of natural raw materials allows him to unleash their full power. He was awarded the Fragrance Foundation's Prix des Experts two years in a row—in 2015 for Parfum d'Empire's Corsica Furiosa and in 2016 for Parfum d'Empire's Tabac Tabou.

Please find below your questions and Marc-Antoine’s answers:

Q: I love your work. Aziyade is in my top 5 perfumes, along with Ambre Russe. Have you considered using Oud in a perfume?

A: This question comes just at the right time, as I've finally decided to release a fragrance based on oud. I discovered this raw material about thirty years ago and it immediately inspired me to write a story about the equestrian world, which I know well. I love the animality of oud, its texture, its brightness. In the end, it's exactly these facets that other brands erase when they make claims about oud. So my Ruade creation had its place!

Q: What does the advancement of aroma chemicals hold for the future of perfume in your opinion?

A: I'm not the perfumer best placed to talk about innovations and research into synthetic ingredients. I know that there are some very advanced developments, in particular with a view to ever cleaner production and ever less environmental impact. But I'm more familiar with advances in natural ingredients. Here too, there is a growing concern for the environment. We're looking for ever more beautiful, ever finer qualities, but also ones that don't use petrochemical solvents, for example. We are also working more and more with 'waste', upcycling the by-products of traditional raw material processing. Some of these are very interesting from an olfactory point of view.

Q: Some ideas stand out when I read about you and your work: excess, indulgence, intensity, challenge. I connect these to this wonderful thing you are quoted as saying in the Essencional article, "I don't like scent politeness, without love or hate." I would love to hear you elaborate on your ideas around private versus public fragrance, and how you react to public fragrance when it pleases you, or when you find it irritating or unpleasant.

A: Most mainstream fragrances are tested by consumer panels over and over. Since the general public likes what it already knows, and the perfume industry doesn't want to cut itself off from any potential consumers, it ends up producing the same kind of accords. Perfumers' ideas are diluted into a mass of notes that can be smelled everywhere. Unfortunately, niche perfumery is increasingly tending to follow the same path. Admittedly, there aren't as many consumer tests, but many brands present copies of successes or repeat the same old 'niche' accords. To take Ruade as an example, when I saw that all the brands were launching their own ouds ten or so years ago, I didn't want to launch my own. In the end, Ruade is so different in its intention, in its main accord, that it has nothing in common with the other ouds on the market. There's no woody amber notes, synthetic sandalwood, saffron or rose like everywhere else. The essence of natural oud took me back to the world of stables, and that's the precise story I wanted to tell here. The result won't please everyone: the smell is animalic, there aren't the molecules that will stick to your skin, and the accord doesn't smell like any other perfume. But for me, niche perfumeries must continue to take these risks, to dare, because that's why people come to independent perfumeries like Fumerie in the first place. Not to be disappointed, as they may have been by a very uniform perfumery. To love or hate.

Q: I personally own 50ml bottles of every fragrance you offer. Every fragrance from your house is bottle-worthy, in my opinion. The reason for this is twofold. Each fragrance is very well crafted, while at the same time totally unique and unlike any other fragrance on the market. My question is, how do you achieve this uniqueness in your fragrances? Do you use unusual or rare ingredients? Is there some other reason, or reasons, that can be attributed to this uniqueness?

A: Parfum d'Empire has a rare configuration in the world of perfume: we are entirely independent and I am the perfumer and sole owner of this house, I have my own laboratory. This allows me to use natural raw materials that few houses dare to use (and in such quantities) and the cost price is never an obstacle. Finally, this freedom gives me what is the greatest luxury in the world: time. Today, brands launch with 10 fragrances, the quantity of new releases is insane... When I created Parfum d'Empire over 20 years ago, I only released one fragrance, Eau de Gloire. Today the brand has 23 fragrances, and each one was created with the time it needed. With my fragrances, I've always wanted to tell original stories that are close to my heart. I've never compromised a release "because it had to be done" or because the market demanded it. It's probably this time, the greatest of luxuries, that contributes to the original character of each creation.

Q: What are your current inspirations; either in materials or concepts?

A: I'm always working on different projects at the same time. But after several perfumes that told very personal stories (Mal-Aimé, Vétiver Bourbon, Ruade...), I'm thinking of returning to more universal themes. Eroticism and the sacred are the oldest origins of perfume and never cease to fascinate me, and these themes are already present in Parfum d'Empire. But there are still a few angles I want to explore.

Q: Do you have any tips for those just starting out making perfume?

A: You have to be curious! Being open to the world around us is a source of creativity. Don't worry about trends, follow your own ideas, and work hard!

Q: When you teach at ISIPCA, is it in a specific area of focus?

A: I teach a few olfaction courses, which introduce the different raw materials in the perfumer's palette (both natural and synthetic). I also teach a few formulation classes. We study the great perfumery accords, to introduce the concepts of balance, structure, and facets.

Q: What drew you to your original concept of fallen empires? How do you feel this concept has evolved over the years and what specific direction do you see your current and future work moving in?

A: I've always been interested in the universal power of scent. Perfumes go through the ages and civilisations, and mankind was perfumed even before it could write. Time has made me realise that my early perfumes were personal stories in disguise. I preferred to talk about Ambre Russe, about the Russia of the last Tsars, with its great feasts. Whereas I used to talk about my parents' parties in their days of splendor. Cuir Ottoman, it was the leather of my father's Jaguar. Over time, I've become a little more confident and I'm more comfortable talking about my experiences through my fragrances. I've spoken more explicitly about Corsica, notably with the L'héritage corse collection. As for the future, I'm not really asking myself that question. I already find it hard to analyse my work (past or present)...

Q: Is there anything you find particularly inspiring in the modern fragrance industry?

A: I've always been fascinated by new plant extraction techniques, especially CO2 extraction, and by the more sophisticated separation techniques that allow you to separate one or more molecules precisely from the plant extract, which means you can work on the scent in a surgical way. When it comes to new perfumes on the market, I say this without pride, but I'm not really up to date with what's coming out.

Q: What drew you to teaching?

A: Perfumery is a field where you're always learning. All perfumers, even the most gifted, are always redoing their ranges. Teaching allows me to have new exchanges and therefore new ways of looking at raw materials, which I wrongly think I know by heart. I mentioned curiosity earlier when you asked for tips for beginners, and well, I'm still applying it! It forces you to revisit the basics.

Q: In your early study of botanicals, did you ever study plants used for early medicines or cultural rituals? How did you find yourself transitioning from botanical research to the extraction and use of botanicals in fragrance?

A: The use of early medicines plants and cultural rituals came to me as my professional life progressed. I actually worked in an aromatherapy research laboratory at the beginning of my career. At that time, aromatherapy was unknown to the public, and few people were interested in essential oils. It was a transition to the world of perfume formulation because I kept my chemist's hat on, specialising in the analysis of perfume plants, but I also made my first formulas. I had to create blends of essential oils with two constraints: to maintain therapeutic efficacy and to have a pleasurable dimension in the final scent of the product.

Q: Are there materials that you find challenging to work with?

A: Many natural raw materials are delicate to work with. For example, I love immortelle absolute. I use it very often in my perfumes, even in traces, but it's a very difficult product to master. When I was working on Immortelle Corse, I spent a lot of time trying to introduce it in the right way.

Q: Are there materials that you hope to work with in the future that you have not yet featured in afragrance?

A: For a long time, it was oud ! I knew exactly what to say with this extraordinary material, which took me straight back to the world of horses. But I think more about the stories I want to tell than just the raw materials. And I still have plenty of stories to tell!

Explore Parfum d’Empire’s fragrances here

Explore Ruade here

Explore Parfum d’Empire’s candles here

Fumerie's Favorites 2023

Hello Friends!

As we near the halfway point of November, our Customer Appreciation Month, we wanted to share with you some of our current favorite things. Below you will find five fragrances chosen by each of us that we have found ourselves wearing most often this year. Some of these are new releases, but overall we are simply sharing the things we find ourselves wearing most often and some of our thoughts about them! As you will likely notice, we each have pretty specific tastes. This is one of the reasons we do what we do! In our experience finding and enjoying fragrances is most enjoyable when it is deeply personal, which is why we started offering free online consultations in addition to our in-store ones this year. We also believe a bit of variety goes a long way in the enjoyment of fragrance, both in access at home (owning a fragrance) and just trying things in shops and in general to expand your exposure to fragrances that can surprise you outside of your normal preferences (for better or worse!). We hope sharing our current faves will be helpful or entertaining to you, and we look forward to assisting you however we can on your scent journey!

Tracy’s Picks

Ierofante • Quartana Upon first sniff of this inspired fragrance sprayed on skin, I had the grin of a cat that swallowed the mouse. It is one of the most satisfying leather fragrances that I have had the pleasure to wear in years.

Ravi • Naso Di Raz Ravi is a sultry, layered tobacco scent that wears beautifully. I find myself reaching for this fragrance when I’m in the mood for an elevated, sophisticated experience.

Ambre Loup • Rania J This is the ultimate comfort fragrance. I don’t typically gravitate towards amber-forward scents due to the fact that many of them read very similar to each other and don’t offer much of a twist. Ambre Loup is edgy and compelling and makes me swoon every time.

Little Song • Meo Fusciuni Bitter coffee and tobacco wrapped in a state of melancholy. Nothing more needs to be said.

Hinoki in Hinoki • Scents of Wood Hinoki in Hinoki is a sophisticated take on the well-loved essence of Japanese cypress. It is both contemplative and meditative and somehow makes me feel more intelligent with every wear.

Lele’s Picks

L' Oblìo • Meo Fusciuni L’Oblio embodies the fluctuating nature of emotions while simultaneously offering a sweet relief from the monotony of life. A thoughtful incense journey.

Nolita 96 • La Boticá Fresh and self-assured. The considerate, understated, and reliable friend you’d like to have on your team. Notes of santal and iris create this comforting feeling of familiarity. It’s crisp without being sharp, and soft without being too delicate.

Santal Umeshu • Scents of Wood My go-to when I want something sweet, yet unapologetically green. Santal Umeshu is delicious without being explicitly gourmand. Its sweeter elements of orange, umeshu, and vanilla, are grounded, and complimented by notes of sandalwood, ginger, and violet leaf.

Bois d'Ascèse • Naomi Goodsir The smoky leather fragrance of my dreams! Bois d’Ascèse is something I reach for when I want an all-encompassing experience. With every wear, I’m transported to a brooding and never-ending green landscape that is completely overshadowed by a bright and blazing bonfire. The dry down feels like the cathartic morning after; contemplation and smoke.

Molecule 01 + Guaiac Wood • Escentric Molecules This has been my go-to when I’m in spaces where I’d like to embrace anonymity, without depriving myself of smelling good. Guaiac wood is stable and intriguing to me, and I love the way this scent melds into my skin. A fun scent to layer with as well, especially for fragrances that you feel could benefit from the addition of woods.

Michael’s Picks

Shah'Ryar • Rania J Right when we opened the first package containing Shah’Ryar I could tell from the notes Rania provided and the color of the fragrance that I was going to love it. This dense extrait is centered around a focus on high-quality and rare ingredients, but to me the star of the show is the rich hay that permeates every section of this fragrance supporting every other ingredient; uplifting the caramel, mellowing the smoky oud, and expanding the rich osmanthus. This fragrance is so to my taste I can hardly believe it was made! If you are fan a of (or curious about) Slumberhouse, I cannot recommend any other non-Slumberhouse fragrance more highly than this for a similar experience of rare and highly concentrated ingredients expertly implemented into an art-forward composition.

Ummagumma • FZOTIC If I am ever making a list of favorite fragrances and the list does not require specific restrictions (like new releases or ingredient focus) Ummagumma will always make it in the lineup, especially if the question is what are you wearing most often?. Folks often ask me what my favorite fragrance is. It is Ummagumma, and I have worn it more than anything else for some years now. I have no idea if I will ever find anything that can dethrone it, but I’d be amazed if I do. I’m not the first to say it, but this thing is criminally underrated.

The Lobster • Moth and Rabbit Parfums The Lobster is already a legend amongst those that know it. If you, like me, struggle to find a marine that you love because they lack the edge or dirtiness that you associate with coastal experiences I highly recommend trying this (even though it is a chypre). Also, watching the scenes from the film of its namesake that this fragrance is meant to accompany while smelling it is a mind-blowing experience- if you can, try it yourself! Moth & Rabbit can be hard to come by in the States and we rarely have enough Lobster to satisfy the demand so if you love it and see we, or another shop, have it in stock don’t hesitate to pick up a bottle.

Flor De Selva • La Boticá This fragrance reminds me more of the Sonoran desert, where I grew up, than any other fragrance. It is also something I have looked for in a fragrance for years in that it is actually spicy! It is delightful and skillfully executed, as all La Boticá fragrances are.

Odor 93 • Meo Fusciuni Picking just five fragrances is hard! As a tuberose fan, Odor 93 narrowly edged out Mélodie de l'Amour (as a white floral masterpiece I am obsessed with) and Varanasi (as probably the best perfume I have ever smelled) simply because I cannot stop wearing it. I admit part of my obsession is sentimental as this is the fragrance I chose to have Meo sign for me when he visited our shop, and I treasure the opportunity to have met him and Federica; but, truly, having my obsession with tuberose, complex spice, resin, and wood brought together in a stunningly original fashion by one of the best perfumers to have lived is so special. I can say I would likely be wearing this just as much if I had never met the lovely creatives behind it.

Smelling Outside the Box: Reflecting on our Catherine Haley Epstein Event

From our event with Catherine Haley Epstein June 15, 2023

On June 15 we were lucky enough to again host Catherine Haley Epstein for an event here at Fumerie. As a participant in Fumerie events on both sides of the bar, I found the event to be particularly engaging. The format of Catherine’s presentation welcomed a lot of audience participation, exploration, and creativity. We blind-smelled many perfume ingredients and wrote down our impressions of them, discussed some of Catherine’s inventive fragrances, and each listed ten smells we would show an alien visiting from another planet in order to help introduce them to Earth. Overall we were encouraged by Catherine to get outside of our normal comfort zone of smell description and experience, as she also does so well in her book Nose Dive.

Catherine’s visit stuck with me, and some specific conversations that came about organically during the event caused me to ruminate on a few specific concepts in the world of fragrant art; gender, notes, and artistic intention.

On Gender
As a cisgender white American male, I don’t make it a habit to proselytize my opinions on gender’s role in perfume because I do not believe the conversation or narrative needs to be shaped by me or those who fall in my demographic. I know a lot of people have strong opinions on the matter, and many of them have experienced gender-based adversity that I will likely never know. Out of respect for the experiences I cannot know, I ask that you take my opinions on this matter with a grain of salt.
I do consider myself someone who tries to be an ally and has railed against gender stereotypes as long as I have known of their existence. I came to fragrance largely because I found the gendered versions of fragrance to be reductive, pandering, boring, and (to me) offensively commodified. My main beef is with the binary, but I also am against gendering perfume- but not because I don’t think gender identity has a place in fragrance, I just can’t say I support the source material.
As a society, we have a lot of work to do in terms of understanding the spectrum of gender, and this is especially true in terms of language (and even more so in terms of universally accepted language). Being that our modern world has been so defined in terms of gendered products, I can’t see us developing a referential language for perfume that accommodates the true breadth of gender- but again my core issue is with the source material.
So what do I mean by source material? I mean referential language. I don’t agree with the idea that perfume should be explored and expressed solely through means of referencing the way other objects smell, and since this is the primary way that perfume is talked about, I especially do not think any commonly used referential material is inherently gendered. I am not alone in this opinion, but I do think songs, architecture, food, and other art forms are not inherently gendered by society and therefore perfume should not be either (Fabrice from Scents of Wood said so much just last week on the Scents of Wood Instagram account). This opinion is admittedly oversimplified because gender does come into play in art constantly, so I could see how gender does have a role to play in analyzing fragrant art but not categorizing it. Most exhibition or sale of art is not separated by gender, and it is especially not separated by which gender is more likely to (or even ‘should’) enjoy it.
While there may be elements of perfumery and fragrant art that contain commentary on gender, reference gender, or even push gender boundaries based on the commonly held conventions around gendered fragrances the source material for these fragrant explorations is still mainly based on the binary conventions long held by people with limited perspectives (mostly men) or the main intent of successfully marketing and selling fragrance above understanding the vast variety of experiences in a lived gender experience. Until we have a lot more time with a much more diverse group of people producing fragrance (that is also accessible to more people on the consumer side), I believe we are using referential language that is poorly allocated in terms of gendered experiences to the point it should be largely, if not entirely, ignored. In other words- I think it’s time we all let go of these conventions and start building new ones based on our own experiences! What puts me in touch with my masculinity may be (and likely is) different from the next person. Choosing a fragrance to wear based on how it makes you feel about yourself in relation to your gender is an amazing and empowering choice, and is also a choice that you should be free to make without the industrial-grade pressure of marketing conventions. Everyone should be free to find their own definitions, connections, and reference points (and in fact, we are)!

On Smelling Notes

Getting right back to discussing the ‘source material’ of referential language in describing scent- it is true that something helpful can also be limiting. I can think of many activities and skills where this is true, and many where guidelines and protocols are completely essential. I do not think anything having to do with art or its interpretation lands in the latter category (unless, arguably, you are a professional critic or creator). Fragrance stands alone as the only art form that most people think requires the tools of reference to interpret, and I believe this hinders a great many people in terms of experiencing the artistic side of fragrant compositions.
Often when I help folks with their consultations here in the shop, I will encourage them to explore the scent without knowing the supplied smelling notes before revealing the intended notes or backstory/ inspiration. One of the big reasons I choose to do this is because of Catherine’s book, and another perspective that reaffirmed my positions on ‘smelling outside the box’ was that of Sissel Tolaas’ views expressed in an episode of the podcast Perfume on the Radio. Overall, these experts reflected a sensibility and notion I had been internally mulling over for some time- do we need to acknowledge referential terminology to enjoy and explore fragrant art? Does referential language inhibit our ability to enjoy fragrance on a more emotional or intuitive level? Are there better ways to talk about fragrance as an art form than using the framework of reference?
Obviously smelling notes have a place in perfumery, but I do think the way we use them is largely strange and inhibiting. We don’t search for songs we like based on notes, paintings we like based on individual colors, or books we like based on how many times they use our favorite words. Fragrance, and smell in general, offer a type of comfort that these art forms do not- one that is harder to explain in its effect, and more intensely tied to deep personal memory (often on a level we cannot pinpoint). I believe this is one reason why referential language is the default for experiencing/ evaluating fragrance, but I also believe it is again a byproduct of streamlining sales. I don’t know exactly what I would propose “instead” of smelling notes, but I do know that allowing myself to experience fragrance without searching first for ingredient-referential words has enhanced my experience with the medium a great deal, and further reaffirmed for me that fragrance is my favorite artistic medium. I also know that the Odorbet project that Catherine co-founded is doing great work in expanding and exploring the world of descriptive language as it refers to scent in an accessible and open-source fashion, and deserves your time and attention.

Check out Odorbet here
Explore Nose Dive here
Find your new Carnet candle here

From our event with Catherine Haley Epstein June 15, 2023

Q & A with Meo Fusciuni

Last month we were lucky enough to host renowned perfumer Meo Fusciuni and his wife Federica at our boutique for a wonderful event filled with personal stories, inspirations, and anecdotes about his emblematic fragrances. In an effort to share this wonderful experience with our online community and those who could not get a ticket, and to further the experience of those who attended, we have made available this Question & Answer interview between Meo and Tracy. We hope you enjoy it!

Tracy: Sharing one's art with the world is generally a very vulnerable experience. Your creative process lays bare your innermost thoughts and feelings through poetry, photography, music, and fragrance. Do you feel compelled to be that vulnerable and what does that look like for you?

Meo Fusciuni: In my creative work, all forms of expression combine, finding a perfect balance. I believe that recounting one's intimacy through all these forms is not an obligation for me, but it is the only way I know to achieve my goal, which is to excite through fragrance. I believe that in every art form, the most intimate and fragile part of ourselves holds the essence of expression. I love this aspect of my work, each perfume contains not just a formula, but often an entire year of my life, my travels, my reading, and the music I listen to. It becomes a total, almost holistic experience of perfumery.

T: Are your inspirations always travel-based?

M: Not all of them. Travel is definitely an important part of my work and research. The journey puts me far from the central focus of my life, it distances me and makes me look at things differently. Traveling puts you close to other cultures, people who are different from you, and your way of thinking; this helps me a lot. The escape from the every day is sometimes necessary. Having said that, not all the fragrances in our collection are about distant journeys. Some fragrances such as Notturno, Luce, Little Song, and Spirito, are journeys into my soul, deep inside myself. They are moments when time is suspended and we find ourselves, like in a labyrinth.

T: Do you ever experience "writer's block" when it comes to your perfume creations?

M: It happened to me only once, before I created Varanasi. After the release of Spirito, I had an inner emptiness occupying my days, it was the first time it happened. At first, it was panic, then I experienced that period as a good time to study new techniques in my craft. Fortunately, then came the inspiration to create a new trilogy, dedicated to my love for Asia, and soon after the idea to tell the story of three places of the heart, India, Laos, and Japan through three trips I had actually experienced. A timeless trilogy.

T: Are there other perfumers/ creators that inspire you?

M: Initially, when I embarked on this new path in my life, I was very afraid of smelling the work of other perfumers and other collections. I was afraid of being influenced in my technique and creative inspiration. After a few years, I realized that I had achieved my own olfactory signature and I started to smell a lot of the great perfumers, both contemporary and pioneers of this world: Jean Claude Ellena, Lucien Ferrero, Mark Buxton, Alberto Morillas, Dominique Ropion, Arturetto Landi, Pierre Bourdon, Lorenzo Villoresi, Jean Carles, Germaine Cellier, Edmond Roudnitska, Isabelle Doyen.

T: With your background in studying natural medicine at a pharmaceutical facility in Parma, do you intentionally use herbs and materials with specific properties to evoke certain effects?

M: My studies had a great influence on my work in the early years. For what you mean, I only did it specifically once, in 2# nota di viaggio (Shukran...). I have always loved the nerve-tonic action of Mint on a mental level on humans. Its action on our mood is very strong. So when I thought of recounting the moments of joy I spent in Morocco, I immediately thought of using Mint as the main ingredient in the composition.

T: How does the interpersonal relationship with your wife as the artistic director for Meo Fusciuni work for you both? Has it been this way since you launched the line or has it evolved over the years?

M: Our roles within Meo Fusciuni are quite distinct, but there is a continuous and daily confrontation on our path. Over the years I think it has always improved. Every aspect of my work blends into Federica's work. She has to translate into matter and aesthetics what I narrate in fragrance. I think it is an endless process of growth, each of us learning from the other, every day.

T: What is the difference between working for yourself versus creating a fragrance for another fragrance house such as Masque Milano and your fragrance "Luci ed Ombre”?

M: In the past, working for other brands has been very interesting and challenging. You are confronted with different briefs from your own path and each experience becomes a challenge to yourself. There is more technical work behind a consultancy. When working on a brief, my work is less of a gut feeling and I think more about staying within the lines of the brief I have been given. Of course, whoever comes to me as a perfumer is looking for a very strong emotional part, and I understand that, but I always have to control my impetus, which I never do in my creations for my own brand. I always let the impetus follow its path, taking all the risks that can arise from that.

T: You have stated that your method of creating a scent follows the pattern of naming the fragrance, choosing a story and/or an experience, and finally composing a formula. Can you walk us through that experience? How do you know when a fragrance is finished?

M: I think every perfumer has their own method and I think it is important to find one's own early on. When one of my perfumes is born, the spark starts with the name, as if it were the epiphany of a new birth; for me it is the genesis of my work. At that point, behind the name lies a story, personal, intimate or a journey, to a place in the world that tells or may in the future tell the story behind the name. At this point I have everything, name and story...it is at this point that my being a chemist and a perfumer comes out. The formula stems from my very intimate relationship with the raw materials, which I feel are close to me, to my story. It is a very intimate dialogue with them. In the first five, or six months of work, solitude and intimacy is fundamental for me. I realize that a fragrance is finished when the emotion in the feeling is so great that I start to cry, it has always been like this. It is as if my spirit empties itself of all the tensions accumulated over the months, the mind frees itself.

T: Have you always approached making perfumes the same way, in regard to inspiration, vulnerability, and process, or was there a shift to allow for the methods you've shared with us?

M: This is a beautiful question dear Tracy, because I believe that in life the smartest thing a man can do is to believe in the changes, in the metamorphoses that life brings you and not to hold on to thoughts.
I have changed my technique over the years and I think I have grown technically over the years, but I still want to improve, study and do better. All this leads you to grow and sometimes to change your primordial ideas. I think that's life and its natural course.

Thank you for this space into your blog. I will always carry the experience I had with you in Portland, always, in my heart.