Christopher Brosius

Christopher Brosius, founder of CB I Hate Perfume, is a perfumer who takes a unique approach to scent creation and is considered by many to have been the major trendsetter/ main inspiration for the approach that modern self-taught, boutique houses employ in a general sense. He states on his website, "For me, perfume is a special individual experience, so I prefer to keep things small. I design all my perfumes myself, and each is carefully compounded, blended, and bottled by hand here in my workshops. My traditional methods are laborious but allow me to create unique perfumes that are impossible to mass-produce."

Brosius has always had a disdain for conventional perfumes, as expressed in his manifesto, which reads, "I hate perfume. Perfume is too often an ethereal corset trapping everyone in the same inelegant shape, a lazy and inelegant concession to fashionable ego…." However, he is deeply passionate about his work, saying, "I love perfume. I love being a perfumer."

Before establishing CB I Hate Perfume, Brosius co-founded Demeter Fragrances with Christopher Gable in 1992. The company gained a cult following for the uncommon scents Brosius created for it, such as Snow, Dirt, Gin and Tonic. Brosius's passion for custom fragrances led him to leave New York City for Dornsife, Pennsylvania, where he established Demeter Fragrances. Brosius states, "I love listening to people to discover what smells they truly love and why. I love to see people light up when they smell a scent they love so much and realize that they can have it whenever they want." Brosius and Gable sold Demeter Fragrance Library in 2002 to the Freedom Marketing Group.

Brosius's background is in visual design, but his interest in scent was sparked during his time as creative director at Kiehl's Pharmacy in New York's East Village. He learned the art of blending essential oils to create a unique fragrance there. Brosius's first custom scent was for model Cindy Crawford, a Kiehl fan. Brosius's quest to replicate the smell of the tomato leaf, which he remembers from his childhood, led him to launch eight single-note fragrances in 1996, including Dirt, which became Demeter's best-selling product.

Brosius's approach to perfumery is rooted in his love for the art and the individual experience it provides. He explains, "Perfume is an art always informed by science, and the look of my perfumes reflects that marriage. The bottles and boxes I use are drawn from laboratory equipment and the materials of the artist’s studio. They are elegantly spare yet constantly remind us that the point of a perfume is its scent. Perfume is meant to be enjoyed."

image via cafleurebon.com and bio via fragrantica and wikpedia