Perfume Room

Latest Episodes:

185. VIRGINIA BONOFIGLIO ~ So You Want a Degree in Fragrance! Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

PSA: You Don’t Have to Go to France to Study Fragrance!!In fact, there’s an educational, state-of-the-art fragrance lab right in NYC—at FIT, home to the country’s only collegiate Cosmetics & Fragrance Marketing program. Today’s guest, Virginia Bonofiglio, is the Associate Chairperson (and professor) leading it all.

Having held roles in just about every position in this industry over the span of her forty-plus year-long fragrance career (with many accolades and awards along the way), Virginia brings a rare real-world perspective to her classroom.

Today we chat about her own serendipitous path to perfumery, she shares what students learn in the program, the wide range of careers in fragrance, and how you, yes you, can find your perfect path in this industry.

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Ex Nihilo Santal Calling, Escentric Molecules Molecule 04, Hermes Terre d'Hermes, DS & Durga IDK What, The Maker Lover, Elorea Gentle Shower, Bulgari Eau Thé Vert, Paco Rabanne Calandre, Coco Madamoiselle, Cabochard, Miss Dior, Joy Jean Patou, Giorgio, Boucheron, Bijan Bijan, Baccarat Rouge

LEARN MORE ABOUT FIT'S COSMETICS AND FRAGRANCE MARKETING PROGRAM!

FOLLOW: @fitfragrance

184. MICHAEL NORDSTRAND (perfumer) ~ Is perfume just a bunch of fucus pocus? Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

Award-winning independent perfumer, multidisciplinary artist, teacher, and Perfume Papa Michael Nordstrand is in the Perfume Room this week.

Today, we discuss the 3 perfumes he thinks everyone should smell, his favorite perfumer, finding peace and harmony with malodorous materials, fragrance concentration and other lies we tell ourselves, learning and then teaching the craft of perfumery, his burgeoning brand [Mythologist] and GOING METHOD.

FOLLOW: @michaelnordstrandperfumer | @mythologiststudio

A special thanks to our episode sponsor, The Raconteur!

SOTD: Gap Dream!!

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Gap: Dream, Om, Grass, So Pink; Clinique Calyx, Parfums de Coeur Malibu Musk, Bath & Body Works Freesia, Louis Vuitton Étoile Filante, Hermès Barénia, Senyoko Paris, Lancôme La Vie Est Belle, LVEB L’Elixir; Hilde Soliani Fraaagola Saalaaata, Hermès Barénia Intense, Diptyque: Vinaigre de Toilette, Drogerie; Headspace Tubereuse, TALE Bad Lily, Mythologist

183. AGUSTINE ZEGERS (AGAR OLFACTORY) ~ Perfuming the Apocalypse, Unscented Perfumes, and Fragrant Time Portals. Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

agustine zegers, Chilean olfactive artist and creator of agar olfactory and speculative scent lab, directs experimental scent spaces focused on expanding our sensorial tools to navigate a planet in transition.

With perfumes that boast notes like hot fax machine, Mac carcass, mushroom gills, and yeasting dough, their work begs the bigger question: what is perfume and what are its functions?

FOLLOW: @agar.olfactory | @speculativescent

FRAGS MENTIONED:

The Raconteur Daintree Rain Tea, No Tell Motel, Lord Lamington; Oddity Naked Dance, Zoologist Squid, CKOne, Clinique Happy, CdG Wonderwood, agar olfactory damp, cero, bit bit , cereale, matsu musk, damp; Zoologist Bee, The Zoo Club Design, Loewe Wasabi

Thank you to this month's sponsor, The Raconteur!

10% OFF THE RACONTEUR |code 'emma10' www.stele.shop

182. RODRIGO FLORES-ROUX ~ What Does 2025 Smell Like? (According to a World-Renowned Perfumer.) Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

Givaudan VP Perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux generously returns to the Perfume Room to offer a definitive roadmap to the past, present, and future of perfume. Bookmark this ep. You'll come back to it.

Rodrigo is a fragrance genealogist of sorts, tracing your favorite perfumes’ parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. He offers a rare perfumer's POV on the current landscape: What’s trending? Why? What even qualifies as a trend? Should we care? And what's happening in the world today that will shape how fragrance smells tomorrow?

WATCH THE FLORSTALGIA PANEL(coming this Fri)

LISTEN TO EP. 136 (linked below)

THANK YOU TO THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR THE RACONTEUR!

10% off full bottles of The Raconteur @ Stéle: code 'emma10'

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Sol de Janeiro, Phlur, Burberry Goddess, 27 87 Hakuna Matata, Mary Kay Velocity, Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild, Vacation Inc, Arquiste Tropical, Cire Trudon Merida, ARQUISTE Esencia de El Palacio Guayabos, Chanel No. 5, Guerlain Shalimar, Lanvin Arpège, Schiaparelli Shocking, Robert Piguet Bandit, Balmain Vent Vert, Carven Ma Griffe, Givenchy L’Interdit, Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, Madame Rochas, Rabanne Calandre, Eau de Lancome, Eau de Patou, Eau de Guerlain, Estée Lauder Estée Super, Revlon Charlie, YSL Opium, Estée Lauder Youth Dew, Balenciaga Prelude, Estée Lauder Cinnabar, Fendi, Giorgio, Dior Poison, Ralph Lauren Polo, Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, Davidoff Cool Water, New West, Calvin Klein Escape, Issey Miyake L’Eau D’Issey, Mugler Angel, Tom Ford Oud Wood, Donna Karan Black Cashmere, Clinique Happy, Isabell Calla, Ungaro Diva, Florstalgia: Violet, Carnation; YSL Paris, Eauso Vert Fruto Oscuro, Le Galion Bourrasque, Thom Browne: Vetyver & Brut, Vetyver & Rose; Xinu: OroNardo, Copala; ARQUISTE: A Grove By The Sea, Tropical; Roberto Greco Porter Sa Peau

181. CÉCILE ZAROKIAN ~ Do Epic (Woman) Shit. Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Cécile Zarokian is one of the greatest independent perfumers of all time, but she wasn’t always independent, and she hadn’t always planned on becoming a perfumer, either.

Today, she’s in the Perfume Room sharing how she’s redefined the rules of the game, turned her greatest challenges into strengths, and found the CZP edge—her proverbial captive if you will—that helps her compete with (and win against) the industry’s biggest players.

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Yves Rocher, Lancome Magie Noir, Acqua di Parma, Chloe, Amouage Epic Woman, Granado Bossa, Electimuss Vanilla Edesia, Amouage Attar collection, Nishani Ani

SOTD: St. Rose Juliet in White

Thank you to this month's sponsor ⁠The Raconteur⁠!

emma10 for 10% off Raconteur bottles @ ⁠Stele⁠ (now - 7/31)

SUBSCRIBE: perfumeroom.substack.com for Smell Club updates!

FOLLOW CÉCILE:

IG: @cecilezarokianparfumeur

TikTok: @cecilezarokian

180. CRAIG ANDRADE (The Raconteur) ~ The Law Firm Partner Who Became a Perfumer Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

IMAGINE THIS: You're a partner at one of the world's top law firms. It's what you've worked towards your entire career. Would you walk away from it all for the chance to chase your true creative calling? Craig Andrade, founder of Aussie niche fragrance brand, The Raconteur, did. This is his story.

10% LISTENER DISCOUNT! ⁠stele.nyc⁠ | code: emma10

(valid (on The Raconteur full bottles only) through end of July)

FRAGS MENTIONED:

The Raconteur: Raconteur 2X, No Tell Motel; TLY 5755, Raconteur: KILLR VANILLR, Pavlova Kasanova, Miss Macadamia, Lord Lamington, Daintree Rain Tea

THANK YOU TO THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR, THE RACONTEUR!!!

Spotify listeners: vote in poll for which scent most intrigues you (I will do a full review on the top-voted scent)!

DISCLAIMER: This episode’s guest is also this month’s sponsor. The sponsorship was arranged after the guest was booked. Sponsorships have no bearing on editorial content. While this episode includes paid promotional content for the sponsor’s products, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

179. THE ALLOY STUDIO ~ A Perfume with a 'Trashy Perfume' Accord?! Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

The Alloy Studio is an experimental, Black, queer-owned fragrance brand blending glamour with grit. Created by romantic and business partners Bryson Ammons (the perfumer) and Eddie Hodges (the creative director), their fragrances dare and delight with notes like pineapple popsicle, sativa, and 'trashy perfume.'

This week, we get the inside scoop on the brand's silver/gold aesthetic, Bryson’s independent but community-rooted path to perfumery, and some ACTUAL piping-hot takes.

WATCH THE FULL VID EP LATER THIS WEEK ONLY ON SUBSTACK!

FOLLOW: @thealloystudio @brysonammons @by.exh

SHOP: stele.shop

SOTD: Phlur Vanilla Nectar

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Phlur Vanilla Nectar*, Comptoir Sud Pacifique: Vanille Banane*, Vanille Abricot; Profumum Roma Dulcis in Fundo, The Alloy Studio: Idyllic, Silver Haze, Kinesis; Perry Ellis Bold Red, Glossier You, Aesop Rozu, Maison Crivelli Ambre Chromatique, Frederic Malle Acne Studios, Versace Blue, The Alloy Studio Hypnotic Nectar, Boy Smells, Davidoff Cool Water, Baccarat, Santal 33, Bod Man, Perry Ellis 360 Black, Versace The Dreamer, The Alloy Studio: Hypnotic Nectar, Kinesis; Aesop Gloam, Rozu (* = gifted in PR)

Article mentioned: The Sweet Smell of Diversity

178. JAKE LEVY & MATT BELANGER ~ How did Stéle Become a Household Name? Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

A lot can happen in a year. Since opening its Williamsburg doors last summer, Stéle has added a second location, dropped 100(!) fragrances in a single day, and moonlights as Nolita's hottest millennial nightclub (stay tuned for pt. 2: the Pacha-to-Stéle Fri night pipeline).

Despite the (well-deserved) buzz, founders Jake Levy and Matt Belanger remain steadfast in their commitment to artisanal, small-batch, offbeat scents.

So how did they do it? What makes a Stéle scent? What were the roses and thorns on the way to the top? And most importantly, what's next? All ahead in this week's ep!

PLUS: A CAN’T-MISS, JUICY ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HAS BEEN A REALLY HARD SECRET TO KEEP!!! (more details coming later this week!!!)

FOLLOW: stelenewyork

SHOP: stele.shop

FULL VIDEO EPISODE: live on Substack this Friday

SMELL CLUB TIX: aromaticherbssmellclub.eventbrite.com

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Atelier Materi Cedre Figalia*, Carl Kling Fig Nuit, Naomi Goodsir Iris Cendre, Clue Perfumery Dandelion Butter, January Scent Project, Clue Perfumery, Oddity, Perfumer H Dandelion, Maison d'Etto, Raconteur, Ormaie, Stora Skuggan, Le PERE par Blaise Mautin, Le Labo Santal 33, Britney Spears, The Raconteur: No Tell Motel, Daintree Rain Tea, Cloud 9 Juice, Killr Vanillr; Arquiste Grove by the Sea, Circle of Lim Lost Generation, Toskovat Inexcusable Evil, Sylhouette Molotov Cocktail, Arquiste Tropical, Tada Paradiso, Pigmentarium: Murmur, Erotikon, Paradiso; Wolf Brothers Wolf, Andrea Maack Muse, Clue Perfumery Dandelion Butter

* = gifted in PR

177. SOLO, INTERVIEW & HOTLINE EPISODE! ~ 3-in-1 Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

My perfume hot takes, a catch-up with Principal Perfumer Sabine de Tscharner about her newest creation for Laundry Sauce, Mojave Peach, and your hotline Qs answered, ALL IN ONE EP!

Thank you to our sponsor Laundry Sauce!

Use code perfumeroom15 to get 15% off any Laundry Sauce order! (valid through Aug 9, 2025)

FRAGS MENTIONED:

Amouage Existence*, L’Artisan Passage D’Enfer, CdG Incense Zagorsk, Kyoto; Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady, Mojave Peach, Guerlain Mitsouko, Florstalgia Iris*, Guerlain Vol de Nuit, Chanel No. 19, DS&D IDK What, Aesop: Hwyl, Tacit; MAISON d'ETTO Macanudo, Escentric Molecules Molecule 01, Perfumer H: Leather, Moss, Musk; Arquiste Tropical, Voyages Imaginaires Le Grand Jeu, Ourside Nostalgia, Sana Jardin Berber Blonde, Fulton & Roark Thousand Palms, Carolina Herrera, Good Girl, Mizensir Tres There, Ambre Magique, Carthusia Terra Mia, Thameen Peregrina, Marissa Zappas Annabel’s Birthday Cake

176. CHARLOTTE ERCOLI ~ Perfuming the Silver Screen Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

WATCH THE VIDEO EPISODE ON SUBSTACK!

A film about one man's obsessive quest to track down an orris perfume—starring Tim Heidecker, Marta Pozzan, Julia Fox, Kevin Kline, Fisher Stevens, and Gina Gershon (!!)—premieres next week at Tribeca.

This week, I sit down with the visionary behind it all: filmmaker Charlotte "Charlie" Ercoli.

Charlie is no newcomer to the world of perfume. She comes from a family of perfumers, and her earliest directing gigs were all perfume ads!

This episode is a full-sensory treat and ends with us literally smelling a brick of orris. Enjoy.

FOLLOW: @fiordilattefilm @charlotte.ercoli

FRAGS MENTIONED: Arquiste Tropical (SOTD), Tom Ford Champaca Absolute, Superfume, Regime des Fleurs, DS&D Bistro Waters, Chloe EDP, biche, D&G Fefe, Memoire Liquide, Spezierie Palazza Vecchio

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