It made me so happy to have everyone in San Francisco for ScentFest a few weeks ago. There’s nothing like the action coming to your own backyard, and since I’m usually the one traveling for events, it was a nice change. I got to see perfume friends I’ve made from all over the country, meet some of them in person for the first time, and explore perfumers and brands from all over the world who flew in for the show.
It was a very fun few days that filled me up in a way I really needed. It’s cool to be surrounded by people who just get it and not have to explain your ballooning fragrance collection or answer questions you’re never quite sure are subtle digs at your obsession or genuine fascination with your passion. It’s good to be with your people.
There was so much I didn't get to smell. Between the panels, events, catching up with friends, and occasionally stepping away from the crowds, there just wasn't enough time to make it through every inch of the show. I wanted to get some other people’s perspectives in here too, so I asked some friends to share their highlights with me.
If you were there please share what you loved smelling and discovering in the comments!
The first thing I did when I got there on Friday was head straight to the L’Osmothèque room. L’Osmothèque is the largest scent archive in the world, an international research institution dedicated to the history of perfumery. They house many rare perfumes you can’t smell anywhere else. Based in Versailles, with centers in Paris and New York, many of the classics they brought are foundational to what we know and love today. I loved that their space was the first thing you encountered as you walked into the building and that they had such a big room with plenty of space to wander and smell. Smelling classics from centuries ago felt like a fitting way to start an immersive, fragrance-fueled weekend.
Yosh played a huge role in making ScentFest such a success, alongside Sebastian Jara, who conceived of and organized the event, and so many other people behind the scenes. Yosh curated an incredible lineup of panels, helped bring brands and people to the event, and was kind enough to invite me to moderate one of the conversations.
Yosh has been a perfumer and a cornerstone of the West Coast perfume community for decades, and we’re so lucky she’s still out here bringing people together and making cool shit happen. Here are her highlights.
What a whirlwind! A true mix of emotions! I felt both elated and exhausted from curating and organizing the ScentSessions and also moderating more panels than I initially wanted to. I didn’t smell through as many brands as I wanted because I’m actually a little claustrophobic when it comes to crowds. What I loved most was getting to connect IRL with old friends and colleagues whom I’ve known for decades whom I don’t get to see often because they live across the pond, and hugging mutuals from PerfumeTok as well as meeting new perfumers and brands.
The deepest cut for me was moderating “On the Rise: Fragrances from Asia with perfumers Pissara Umavijani (Parfums Dusita), Prin Lomros (Strangers Parfumerie), Kay Kwon (Le Persona), Nutt Wesshasartar (Siam 1928), Neerav Thakkar (Mitti Parfum).” Listening to their stories and smelling their fragrances was a profound experience for me. For decades, I felt so lonely being an Asian perfumer in a Westernized industry; it felt like coming home and meeting extended family I didn’t know I had. When I smelled their fragrances, I understood where they were coming from, without having to read any of their descriptions - a kind of resonance that needs no words, a silent understanding. At the same time, I smelled through their fragrances with a curiosity of wanting to know these perfumers, their stories, and creative styles that were so different in composition, construction, and style from Western style perfumery that I was accustomed to - a true delight for my senses!
- Yosh
There were a few places I knew I wanted to smell pretty immediately and both were towards the back of the building so that’s where I headed after L’Osmothèque. First stop was Mitti Parfum, then Planets Perfumery, and then Maya Njie.
Ridhima and Neerav, the founders of Mitti, were just as lovely and kind in person as I had expected them to be. I was so excited to have them tell me about their gorgeous scents, which are truly some of the most unique fragrances I have smelled in a long time. I bought a discovery set and still need to wear through them but at first smell I was drawn towards Rani Pink and Virasat the most. I’ll report back after I skin test. I asked them what their highlights were from the weekend and here’s what they shared with me.
Honestly, our favorite scent moments happened on the other side of the blotter :)
One person smelled Virasat, went quiet for a second, then looked up and said, “I’ve been looking for this sandalwood for years.” Someone else smiled and said, “I feel a little less homesick today.” And one just said, “I feel represented.” You don’t forget things like that.
We were one of the only South Asian brands in that room, and we spend so much time wondering if our stories will land. Then a stranger smells your perfume and tells you exactly why you made it. We heard the chatter of people asking one another “have you been to Mitti Parfum booth yet?” It’s been 2 weeks and still doesn’t feel real.
Our booth somehow turned into a home base. People kept stopping by before they’d seen anything else. One person who has been following our journey, hugged me, called me “sister,” and said, “I wanted to start my day here.” Another showed up with breakfast for our whole family-coffee, strawberries, muffins since they figured we will have no time to breathe. And we needed it more than they knew. The day before the fest, our car was vandalized and we lost our IDs, so we walked in carrying a little more stress than we’d like to admit. People from our TikTok remembered. All 3 days, people kept checking on us, offering help.
We all work in this fragrance world…but every now and then, the perfume steps aside and the people take over. That’s the part we carried home.
And a heartfelt thank you to this special person , You - who wandered over with a retail partner, made a warm introduction in the most touching way. It probably felt a small gesture for you. For a brand like ours, those little introductions have a way of becoming big moments in our journey :)
Overall returned home with new friendships, new perspectives, re-filling our cup through social interactions that reminded us once again the reason we started and the reason to keep going.
We finally got to smell Prin Lomros’ work in person and meet him, Neerav loved his authentic creations and ended up getting ‘Pathavi’.
Another one I personally loved was Siam and got their ‘No more love’. The fact they don’t try to ‘blend-in’ is my favorite part. May sound basic but so rare to find that these days in our perfume world who is not following a rule book to be shelved.
I was both in tears and smiling through and through writing this email, so THANK YOU!
Love and Light,
Ridhima
A highlight for the weekend for me was getting to talk to and spend time smelling Maya Njie’s scents. What an incredible and grounding presence she has. I loved learning about her history and background as a textile artist before launching her fragrance line. I was so drawn to the photos she pairs with each scent too, and the stories they tell. I’m working on a post as I wear through her incredible line, each scent has been really evocative and deep for me as I wear it and I’m savoring the experience.
My next stop was Planets Perfumery, I will be writing more on them soon too. This is a newly launched brand founded by two archetypal astrologers, Jenna and Coco, with three perfumes all created by Mauricio Garcia. I came home with a bottle of Venus, a beautiful fizzy white floral, though it was very hard to pick between that one and the more earthy and aromatic, Mercury.
On the Friday before ScentFest kicked off I went to the Zoologist event at Ministry of Scent which was just JAM PACKED. I immediately ran into Michy and Josh of the Fragrance Files. I appreciate what Zoologist does but their scents don’t really speak to me. Michey of course pulled out a few that I could see myself wearing, of course, I have no idea what they are now because I didn’t take photos or write them down. But it was nice to experience them through a fan who knows their line so well.
It was at this event that I started chatting with two of the nicest people, who I quickly found out were Jeff Miller and Todd Thurman, the founders of Free Yourself, a line which a friend told me I had to check out that weekend. I had such a blast talking to them and smelling through the Zoologist scents that were being passed around, they’re fun and easy to talk to, and I love their background and passion for what they’ve built with Free Yourself. There is so much good intention behind this brand and you can really feel it when you talk to them. I swung by their booth on day one and smelled through their line. Standouts for me included Terre, a beautiful warm earthy saffron, Aether, a mystical and earthy galbanum scent with a strong patchouli base, and Savor, from their mindfulness collection, which is a warm and cozy woody gourmand with some nice tobacco rounding it out. I asked Jeff and Todd about their ScentFest highlights too.
One of our greatest scent highlights was getting to be neighbors – and quickly becoming friends – with Thomas de Monaco. He is wonderful: charming, hilarious, and incredibly generous with his spirit. We were already huge fans of perfumer Ugo Charron, who was also at ScentFest and spent time with us at our booth, so having the opportunity to connect with both of them and then dive more deeply into Fleur Danger felt especially meaningful.
Fleur Danger is extraordinary. Ugo’s vision of a flower wrapped in metal – a bloom that pierces rather than simply opens – comes through with instant, almost mesmerizing, clarity. The steel accord creates this incredible sense of tension against pink pepper, rum, saffron, raspberry, suede, balsam, and sandalwood. It feels both protective and vulnerable, graceful and defiant. Knowing Thomas and Ugo made exploring the fragrance feel even more personal and special. But, honestly, wow, this is brilliant storytelling.
Our non-scent highlight was meeting an incredible couple, Naveed and Stephanie. They spent so much time with us at our booth searching for their wedding fragrance. They loved Eau and Air, which was wonderful, but something even more meaningful happened: we became genuinely invested in helping them find the scent that felt completely right.
We sent them off to explore Sarah Baker, Elysian, Thomas de Monaco, House of Iyrah, and Mitti, and then ran into them again at the ZGO party, where the search continued. It was so much fun and such a perfect example of the magic of fragrance – how a search for a scent can turn into a shared experience and a real connection. It feels like Naveed and Stephanie will always be part of our ScentFest story. Now we’re just dying to know: What will they ultimately choose?
A special shout-out to you, Christina, for one of our favorite serendipitous moments of the weekend: running into you at the Zoologist party at Ministry of Scent. The space was packed to the rafters, but we squeezed our way in and somehow found ourselves standing right next to you – reminiscing about the extraordinary work of Zoologist founder and visionary Victor Wong. The incredible energy and excitement in the room spoke volumes about the passion, curiosity, and warmth of the Bay Area fragrance community.
From the quirky and wonderfully weird to the sophisticated and artful, Zoologist always gives you so much to talk about. Passing scent strips back and forth, laughing, comparing impressions, and watching one another’s reactions was pure fragrance joy. It was such a spontaneous, memorable moment, and definitely one of our ScentFest highlights. Thank you for sharing it with us!
-Jeff & Todd
Another highlight for me was of course moderating a panel on the last day of ScentFest. Our topic was Fragrance in the Age of Influence and the panel included Asia Grant, Bryson Ammons, Cammy Kim, and Emma Vernon. We talked about what it means to be creating content in the fragrance community today, our responsibilities to our readers and followers, and how we balance the onslaught of new releases coming our way. It was a packed room and I’m so grateful to everyone who attended and asked such insightful questions.
I asked my friend Bryson Ammons, of the amazing Alloy Studio what his highlights from the weekend were too.
Smelling other perfumers work in person, in front of them is my favorite way to experience scent I feel. I smelled some of Dana El Masri (Jazmin Sarai) and Mauricio Garcia’s (Herbcraft perfumery + Planets Perfumery) fragrances and am still dazzled.
It’s always just wild for me to see how abundant the perfume community is. I’ve been to two perfume events so far this year, and I’m just shocked at the amount of people every time. Lots of people love perfume, but there’s also a specific interest in independent perfumers and hand makers that is so wild to witness in person. I love to see it!
-Bryson
It was also lovely to finally meet Samira Mbang, the founder of House of Iyrah, in person. She has such an interesting story about how she got into fragrance through growing up with a mother who was born with anosmia, picking her scents for her and ultimately being her nose. She’s such a light and I love her energy. House of Iyrah’s scents are rich and bold, I’m a big fan of Opera.
Here’s what Samira shared about the weekend.
One of the most meaningful moments for me was joining the panel discussion on anosmia. It’s a topic that’s incredibly close to my heart because my mother’s experience with smell loss was ultimately the inspiration behind House of Iyrah. Sharing that story, and talking about how profoundly our sense of smell shapes memory, emotion, and connection, was deeply special. Seeing people engage with the conversation and realize that fragrance is about so much more than simply smelling “good” made it one of the most rewarding moments of the weekend.
This was my very first time in California, so being able to meet the West Coast fragrance community and introduce them to House of Iyrah was incredibly special. The warmth, curiosity, and generosity people showed toward the brand honestly exceeded anything I could have hoped for. Watching people discover the collection, connect with the stories behind the fragrances, and embrace what we’re building was a highlight not just of ScentFest, but of my journey as a founder.
-Samira
There was an incredible range of Asian perfumers and brands that were represented. It was a big highlight of the show for me and something that made it feel really different than other events I’ve been to.
Standouts for me included Wren Atelier, inspired by perfumer and founder Renato Lopena Jr.'s Filipino heritage, with some wonderfully original scents like Cerveza Rosa, an unexpected beer-and-rose fragrance. I really hope someone in the U.S. starts distributing the line. I asked them how their show went and here’s what they shared with me.
For the scent highlight, we noticed how Batuk, our most polarizing scent, got great feedback by a lot of people. For other brands, we specifically liked Non scent memory included meeting a lot of amazing people and how appreciative and excited people were for a Filipino brand.
-Renato
South Korean brand Mimicri, whose fragrances are all inspired by art and art supplies, I bought I Am A Pencil, which smells exactly how you think it would. Mangla, a Tibetan brand, had incredible incense fragrances that I need in my collection. SW19’s name is a nod to a London postcode, but they’re based in South Korea. I really loved their lineup, and they had an upcoming release I would have bought on the spot if it had been available. I picked up a bottle of 9pm and I'm still thinking about Midnight, which I wish I'd bought too.
One of the most talked-about brands at the show (at least amongst my crowd) was Shanghai-based Zhufu, whose name echoes the sound of “blessing” in Chinese. I could barely get to their booth because it was so mobbed, but Karee pulled me through the crowd and introduced me to the founders, who were lovely. I ordered Above the Clouds, which has already arrived. It’s a fresh, green, cleansing scent that feels kind of perfect for my new home, where I often feel like I’m literally living in the clouds, aka the fog. I’m also still thinking about Triple Matcha, which I wish I’d bought a bottle of too. It feels inevitable that someone in the U.S. will start carrying this line. When they do, I’ll be loading up my cart.
Of course, spending time with friends in the perfume community was a highlight. We’re all online so much and I love how easy it is to connect and make friends virtually these days, but there's nothing like hanging out in person.
There were so many more brands I smelled and people I saw, but at the risk of turning this into a novel, I had to stop somewhere. I also asked a few friends who create perfume content online to share their highlights, which you'll find below.
Liz Dyer lives in SF, I don’t see her nearly enough and loved how much I saw her face ScentFest weekend. Liz was also one of the people who helped make ScentFest happen behind the scents. She has impeccable taste and you can follow her on IG here and on TikTok right here.
Off Script’s Heavenspot was a sleeper hit for me, and I almost bypassed the fragrances entirely. Off Script is Strangelove’s new line of Gen Z targeted scents that launch in August. Strangelove is famous for their $598+/btl price tag due to their use of actual ouds. So for most of us, this line is simply not financially feasible - especially for those who are younger. Hence the new line. It is still expensive, but it’s not 👀😫 Strangelove expensive.
Off Script has three scents with real oud, but in lower quantities than Strangelove’s scents, encased in vibey, elongated colored orb bottles accented by a circular cap in a contrasting hue. Heavenspot, the one I fell for, is the second in the line. Emerald green bottle, pastel pink cap. She’s cute. It’s a soft jasmine, frangipani, muguet scent with labdanum and patchouli in the base. The notes accentuate and harmonize with the oud featured in the scent: Oud Al Safii, which smells of agarwood, lavender, cedarwood, moss, incense.
The instant I sprayed it, I was taken by surprise. That’s hard to do when you’re in an event exhibiting over 1,000 fragrances. It is a soothing yet captivating, nuanced, almost sensual creamy floral. As it dries down, it continues to soften, yet deepen while remaining utterly addictive. My friend Shelby and I could not stop smelling the spots of our arms that we sprayed with Heavenspot all day Friday. We came back on Sunday to spray our hair with it so we could greedily hold onto the scent for just a bit longer since they didn’t have samples, and the bottle was $290. That’s too much for me to spend without living with a scent for at least a week or two.
Ultimately, that juice slapped reasonably hard. Had solid bussability (🙇♀️ my new conjugation for bussin’).
-Liz
It was so nice meeting Emily, aka Perfume Disco, in person. She’s so sweet and just glows. Every time we ran into her, she had another inspiring story to share about someone she’d met that weekend. If you don’t already follow her you can find her on IG here and on TikTok right here.
A huge highlight of Scentfest for me was all the incredible Asian brands I was introduced to! One I found particularly exciting was Nomr who highlight some really unique notes! While I found the corn and cucumber scents captivating, my favorite was Holday which was a mint and rum mango! My nonscent highlight had to be having conversations with both brands and creators alike about my continued push for body positivity and inclusivity in the fragrance space. I felt incredibly seen, supported, and really excited about the outpouring of voices wanting to join in this conversation! It was really humbling and had me tearing up multiple times.
-Emily
Sophia is one of those people I felt like I already knew when we finally met in person last year. And honestly, even if we didn't have perfume in common, I'd still want to hang out with her all the time if we lived in the same city. I adore her. She also recently left her longtime corporate job at KitchenAid to pursue a career in fragrance full time, which I find incredibly inspiring. She's now working with some excellent brands on their marketing. You can follow her on IG here and on TikTok right here.
Because I was working the House of Iyrah booth all weekend, I didn’t get nearly as much time to smell as I would’ve liked. Most of my fragrance exploration happened during quick “bathroom breaks” (ha!). On setup day, though, I walked past the Pesade booth from Korea and one bottle immediately caught my eye: Orris Cocoon. The name alone stopped me in my tracks because I’m currently deep in an iris and orris obsession. I asked if I could smell it and...BAM. Love at first sniff (it’s so textured, and chalky - a perfect addition to my Orris collection). It ended up being my very first purchase...even before ScentFest had officially opened.
Without question, my favorite part of the weekend was meeting everyone who stopped by the House of Iyrah booth. There’s something really special about sharing scent stories with fellow fragrance lovers and watching someone’s face light up when they discover a fragrance that truly moves them. Those conversations make this community special, and they were easily the highlight of my weekend.
-Sophia
A few more photos to cram into this extra long post. This event is definitely happening again next year. I’ll be sure to share the details as soon as I hear them. It’s worth flying out to my pretty city for!
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