Smell Ya Later

There are certain fragrances that carry connotations of the types of personalities who wear them loud and proud. And for those unfortunate few fragrances who did nothing wrong other than hang around the wrong crowd of certain men about town... they have come to be the  aromatic warning waft for the fuccboi™. For reasons unknown to all but the marketing teams behind their mass success, these certai...

"Skin scents" are a newly trendy fragrance aesthetique that we can all thank/blame the people who brought you  'no-makeup makeup' and con culture. Just kidding (maybe)! We've had a vague idea of what skin scents are—transparent, musky, "natural"-smelling, non-perfume-y fragrances that mold to the wearer's skin chemistry—but not what's actually in the juice. So we took it up with the molecule maste...

“Clean” is the biggest beauty buzzword in recent history, but what does it mean ? Rosie Jane Johnston of By Rosie Jane joins us to help demystify how loosely the term is thrown around, yet has come to define the current era of makeup, skincare, and yes, fragrance. By Rosie Jane launched in 2010 as a "clean" fragrance brand, before the term became the rallying cry it is today. She shares her unique...

Addictions are the hedonistic and sometimes dangerous expression of our indulgences, so it should be of little surprise that scents are a huge indicator, enabler,  and even keeper of our fondness for these experiences that may be toxic in nature—but definitely not in this fragrance concept. That's the sweet spot that Akro hits, a new perfume brand from Anaïs Cresp, Jack Miskelly, and Olivier Cresp...

You may have noticed how the co-hosts of this podcast audibly cringe every time we talk about a fragrance that is marketed as an "oriental" scent. It feels icky and wrong and way tone-deaf. Because it is. But why does the fragrance industry continue using such an outdated term in such a blasé matter-of-fact way? It's not like there aren't a ton of other more accurate descriptors that could be used...

How do you apply fragrance? Well, that is a many-pronged question, pondered for many years and with varying degrees of authority on the matter.  Tl;dr: it depends. How far do you want your scent to emanate? How many enemies do you have? Why doesn't perfume ever last as long as you want it to, no matter how much you douse yourself?  (That we can help with.) Your hosts will answer these queries and...

If you want to talk about fragrance, you have to talk to Luca Turin. So we did.  The biophysicist and writer wrote the book on fragrance—three actually—which were some of the first published guides to contemporary fragrance starting in the 1990s. He's since studied the science of how scent works with our sense of smell, still a grand mystery. Also a mystery: why masculine scents are so...the way t...

Are you team switch-up-your-fragrance-for-Spring or are you bad at sports? There are arguments for both and we have them here in this episode. Seasonal fragrances do the shelf shuffle twice a year, and now is one of those times. When the rising temps and hems mean more skin to spritz, some of us break out the Spring-y fragrances in favor of our whatever-seasons-come-before-Spring fragrances. What...

So many people are alarmed at the presence of added fragrance and scent in their skincare products. But scent in skincare products is also there for the added experiential element of enjoyment.  Dermatologists and Skincare Youtube will ditch scent in skincare as any non-essential ingredient that can possibly lead to an allergic reaction would be, but there is a way to live your life and moisturize...

Have you ever wondered how so many celebrities have perfumes? We have (obviously). So we asked Steve Mormoris, CEO of Scent Beauty and former CMO at Coty Beauty, how and why famous folks like Cher, Dolly Parton, and Beyoncé create fragrances—and how Lady Gaga's Fame perfume was originally meant to smell like sperm and blood (and whose sperm it was based on).  [What we smell like today: Boy Smells...

Your sense of smell is a powerful connector for your memories and emotions but it can also be an avenue to improving your mental and emotional wellbeing. Supplement brand The Nue Co offers two fragrances that do just that. We speak with VP of product Flo Glendenning about the science behind their Functional Fragrance and Forest Lungs, and how the goal of wellness isn't just self-optimization, it i...

We finally did it. Our  obsession with celebrity fragrance brings us to interview queer pop icon Haley Kiyoko about her first fragrance Hue . Two years in the making, it's being released into the world like... tomorrow, but not after a slew of ideations on how to create the kind of scent that feels like a "virtual hug." Before you ask, it's made for everyone by which we mean, it's made for anyone...

Rodrigo Flores-Roux is the nose behind some of the most popular fragrances you've been spritzed with at the mall (Clinique Happy, John Varvatos, Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy), as well as some of the most celebrated niche, luxury perfumes that he was contractually unable to discuss with us (rhymes with Chom Board). Flores-Roux has been in the scent game since the 1990s, having created probably ove...

It's the episode that we (mostly Tynan) have all been waiting for. We're doing Valentine's Day with an early surprise episode discussing scents of former lovers and former lives, a semi-accurate and entirely too broad discussion of aphrodisiacs, and...edibles? Grab a box of conversation hearts, don't you dare text your ex, and join us in celebrating the most wonderful time of the year.  [What we s...

You know those cool, eye-catching candles that pop up on your Instagram feed (usually in a very aesthetic post) and are so VIVID that it's like you can smell them from your phone screen? Yeah, we know them too. Known for their striking packaging and uniquely quirky and luxurious scents that can fill your studio apartment as well as they can fill your chalet,   Otherland creates interesting home sc...

The beauty world is full of dupes galore and for good reason: shit's expensive. But when it comes to fragrance, dupes are on a whole 'nother level— namely, that they are generally shameless about the fact that they are knocking off another designer fragrance. No perfume is too precious to mimic at a lower price point (and concentration)! Naturally, your hosts have fEeLiNgS about the matter. Also,...

Would you rather lose your cell phone or your sense of smell? Apparently, a lot of chuckleheads would be OK with losing their sense of smell. BUT! Did you know just how integrated your sense of smell is to your mental and physical well-being, your ability to sniff out an ideal mate, and experiencing a full spectrum of emotions (and flavors!) in 4kHD? Tim Apple could never. Neurologist and smell-sp...

Atelier Cologne is not only a prolific collection of fragrances but also an olfactive retelling of the love story between the two founders, Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel. Can you stand it? Brand Ambassador and Atelier Cologne's first employee Ross Barry joins the pod to take us through the history of the brand from how it started, how they stay true to their nature-derived and environmenta...

We know it's 2021 or whatever, but we're starting off the year by dusting off this vintage gem from early days that we just...never published for some reason. Never too late to right a wrong! Recorded in early September 2020, this episode is all about the way scents have become pins in the maps of our lives, harkening back to places, environments, and contexts that employ the likes of SpaghettiOs,...

Smell Ya Later's inaugural year is coming to a close and this candle in the wind is going out with...an inquisition. You asked and we put all those asks in a pile to save for one whole episode to deliver. Dear listeners, this episode is for you because we love you and are so grateful that you tune in every week to hear all about what we smell like. Therefore, all of the inquisitive, intelligent, s...

We all remember THOSE commercials — the orgasmic shower scenes inspired not from a highly pressurized hose attachment but the euphoric scent of...Herbal Essences shampoo. Its bright, fruity, and floral scent wafted from every hair flip and ponytail swish of the 90s and early aughts (and before that as well but we weren't alive then) and remains one of the most memorable haircare scents today.  Pro...

The word "iconic" gets thrown around a lot. So does the word "literally." Well, prepare for an encore when we tell you that Krigler is literally one of the most iconic fragrance houses in the WORLD. Their exquisite juices have spritzed the necks of royalty (American and otherwise), celebrity, Oscar winners, literary icons, and also the iconically wealthy. Hepburn, Kelly, Dietrich, Fitzgerald, Hemi...

Dirt. Holy Water. Angel Food Cake. Puppy's Breath. Demeter's fragrance library could easily be a word association card game, but far greater than that, they're a catalog of singular scents bottled for your enjoyment and curiosity. One day in the future when the Earth is ruled by hand-slapping robots who have evolved past their AI and every imaginable scent throughout time and history is archived i...

It's the most capitalist time of the year! Haha! But honestly how else would we show our nears and dears just how much we care about them if not via material items with indisputable monetary valuations? OK, but for real though, not to brag — these gifts are actually really good. We've outdone ourselves. They're delightful, functional, and they all smell incredible (duh). Like, you COULD just get t...

This episode features the ultimate anti-aging ingredient: a concentrated dose of Nostalgia. Today we’re taking a trip back to middle school (sorry) with the six GAP Scent fragrances. Yes, THOSE fragrances. We deep dive into six of the originals, pulling apart what makes them so unique, so iconic, and why they’re seared into our collective consciousness. And best of all, we’ll clue you in on how yo...