Liis Fragrance Founders Share How Scent Can Become Your Second Skin

0:00Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. This is Fragrance Friday and I have such an amazing brand to share with you. I have recently fallen in love with Lise Fragrances. They are such a unique brand. It's niche luxury perfumery. They have such an interesting collection of fragrances because I feel like it's very, very difficult these days to find a scent that really lingers for a long time and also just smells like a second skin, something you can really live in and fall in love with. So without me ranting too much, I want to introduce you guys to Alisa and Leslie. Welcome, guys. So excited to chat.

0:31Hi. Thank you so much for having us. No, it's a pleasure. I absolutely adore what you've done and the whole feel of it. You know, it's just really for me personally, it's right up my alley and I can see how much thought you've put into the brand itself. And I'd love to actually dive into like the more nitty gritty later, but first learn about you guys. Like how did you meet and decide to start a fragrance brand and where did it start? Yeah. So actually, Leslie and I, we've both been interested in perfume since we were kids. And we both grew up in Marin County, which is just north of San Francisco.

1:03When we met, we discovered that we were both obsessed with fragrance since childhood. And this was back in 2009. So it was really rare to meet someone that had the same passion as you before social media and all that. So it was such a special connection. We're both from the same area and we have this shared passion. And at the time I was actually living in Europe, I had finished my master's at Izipka, which is the world-renowned, famous perfume school in Versailles. and Leslie was about to move to Europe to pursue a master's at Central St. Martin. So it was really, you know, such a special connection.

1:40And when she moved, we actually lived in like the same neighborhood. So we quickly became like best friends and, you know, really bonding over our love for, for scent, art and design. Yeah. And yeah, I love that. I love that you guys were, you know, in the same place. And I'm curious, like, did you ever have moments where you were like, you know, maybe there was like a local shop or something that you both smelled that you both loved and had that moment of creativity. Like, I mean, I can imagine that must be nice, right? Living in the same place and trying to gain inspiration. Yeah. And well, actually at the time I was working for Penhaligon's and L 'Artisan Parfummeur, which are like heritage niche perfume brands.

2:20So I think that also kind of helped us in like really kind of having a deeper understanding of niche. And we had this idea back then, like, wouldn't it be so great if we could have our own line someday? And Leslie, I don't know if you wanted to add, add to that. Yeah. I mean, I think we just kind of realized that we were maybe the yin and yang of skill sets. And for me, having already been into fragrance and then meeting somebody who worked for a fragrance house, it kind of demystified things for me a little bit like, Oh, this is something that people can actually do, you know? And I know that Elisa has also said that me being a creative person, the kind of light bulb went off that, you know, could be something that we could do together.

3:05Also, you know, the creativity in niche brands was something like they're very expressive. It's not the same as like a designer fragrance world. You can tell many stories and very personal stories with niche. So that was also something that really attracted us. I really like what you said. And I that whole personalized thing because when I look back on all of the fragrances I've ever fallen in love with it's always this beautiful almost like serendipity right and and you have this like very deep story behind why that fragrance was created now we live in the world of just information everywhere so you can find out you know where people came up with ideas for things and for me it's always been this like you know there was a very real reason why someone created this fragrance and whether that's from the artistic side or from the functionality side or whatever it was, there's a cool way that this came to be.

3:53Yeah. It's interesting too, because when we were kind of coming up with this idea back then, we were coming off of the tale of the reign of designer fragrances. And so this idea of creating fragrance as art was something that was really exciting for us. From my perspective as a creative person, fragrance is a medium for storytelling, just like, you know, writing or painting or photography. The scent itself is the medium, but then you get to create the whole world around it. So then there is the photography that goes with the campaign and the written storytelling and the naming and all that stuff is really fun to pull together to create a world around whatever the ideas are that you're trying to communicate.

4:35So for me, creatively, that's the fun part. And Alisa, you can chime in too about the science of it. Yeah. I mean, scent is so interesting from so many different perspectives, like how it's transformative and tied to our identities and our emotions and on the science side, like how certain materials can affect our moods. We created scents that we wanted to wear ourselves and the different scents are based around the notes that we love. So they are very personal to us. Yeah. And also just going back to what you were saying about how scent is so transformative in general. I think that goes back to just human biology too, right?

5:15Because when we're out in the wild, different scents might indicate like danger or like a new environment or somebody familiar. And so I think that what's really fun about fragrance and the way that it can be transformative is that it's like tapping into our intuition and our instincts. And as we've evolved, like it's fun to play around with that. And so, you know, for me and like with studied the note that we centered studied around was really the ambrat note, which is kind of a fruity musky note that is very unique. And it's just a note that I personally loved. And I think that for me, it was like that familiarity and it's also to me, it just smelled good, you know?

5:56So when you're around something that smells good, it can also lift your mood too, I think. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. No, I like what you said about the biology part. I think that's so, so valid. And I think one thing I want to talk about, because I know that you guys are a clean brand, you know, you don't have the synthetic additives and I would love to learn about how that was formulating without preservatives and phthalates and all of these ingredients that we hear about, you know, how is that process? Yeah, for sure. So coming from Wren County, it was really important for us to like, for our scents to have integrity.

6:27We wanted them to be high quality. We wanted them to be formulated clean. We've always been supporters of like sustainability and making sustainable choices in both our fragrances as well as our packaging. So yeah, sourcing can definitely be a challenge and oftentimes more sustainable and high quality materials are more expensive. So that's also, you know, could be a little bit more challenging. The packaging too is, you know, we use FSC materials, it's compostable and recyclable. And when we were first developing the packaging, it was difficult to find suppliers and vendors who weren't trying to make us use a foam tray.

7:08I feel like the industry hasn't really caught up with, or I guess I should say the supply chain hasn't really caught up with, like, the needs of sustainability or sustainable brands. Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting, though. Like, it's almost like this is the norm and you kind of have, like, both options are not ideal. So I want to know when you guys first launched, what were the key fragrances that you introduced? And how did you come to the decision to launch them first? Yeah, well, when we, you know, initially were developing the line, we developed eight different scents. But we actually launched with three, Bow, Studied, and Roastruck because, you know, we're self-funded.

7:47And so we only had the means to really launch with three. And we felt like these really had the widest range and they were the most differentiated from one another. and they really resonated with both of us. We had to really edit it down, but we've since launched, you know, many of the other fragrances that we developed first. Yeah, no, absolutely. I would love to talk to you guys about Lucienne actually, because this is my favorite fragrance that I've tried in the lineup and I absolutely love it. And like I said, it really does evoke like memories for me, you know, from like when I was first discovering perfumery.

8:20So I'd love to learn about this one. Like what went behind creating this? And maybe if you could walk us through the notes and kind of tell us the story behind it. Yeah. Well, so Lucienne is inspired by light. It's about seeing things in different ways. The notes are pomelo, lemon zest, dragon fruit, magnolia, water lily, and marina cord. So it adds that like saltiness to it. And, you know, it's bright, it's very shimmery, and it's hard to encapsulate an idea like that in fragrance. It's also very personal because, you know, as Elisa mentioned, she loves the magnolia note. It's a beautiful, I don't know if it's considered a white floral, but it's, you know, it is a white bloom and it's very crisp and fresh, but it also kind of has like a citrus quality to it.

9:03So it's, you know, it's a really unique note. And the name Lucian comes from the Latin word for light. And it's also Elisa's mother's middle name. And it's my son, his, his middle name is Lucio. So when we discovered that we had this connection, we realized that we like immediately had to name the fragrance after it. And it also really illustrates the idea of seeing things in different ways because it stems from the same root words. That's beautiful. I love that. Oh, thank you. Yeah, no, this is a really, really special scent to me because I feel like, and this is kind of across the board with your brand.

9:39I've noticed this is that all of your perfumes and all of the scents are very layerable and they're very easy to work with, especially with somebody out there, if you guys like layering with certain lotions or oils, or, you know, I know fragrance oils are a big thing right now, but these are really great, you know, for layering. And even if you wear them like standalone, it's not overpowering to where that's like when I think one of my biggest pet peeves in life is when someone's perfume is just like taking over my life. You know what I mean? Like when they walk past me. So I love that about your brand that, you know, it's very personal.

10:10Oh yeah. For them to be like more sheer and layerable and almost like melting into the skin and we we love seeing how people interpret you know what their interpretations are and how they layer the different scents together it's been fun seeing what different scents people layer yeah no it's really really rare to see that and it is like second skin like it does that's why I love because the scents linger very beautifully it's not overpowering but it's still like even if you were to kind of you know top up during the day you're not going to feel like oh my gosh like I've just had this fragrance is overpowering you know what I mean, like wherever I go and whatever I'm doing, it's all I'm smelling.

10:47So that's I feel like you guys really kind of hit the nail on the head there. It's very rare to find, you know, I think brands that can do that in such a beautiful way. I really enjoy it. Yeah. And we wanted them to be like super wearable and you wear the scent. The scent doesn't wear you. So if somebody like comes in for a hug, they'll smell it, but they won't like smell you before you enter a room. Right. Right. Now, one thing I do, you know, Elisa, maybe you can address this because I've heard this before is that when it comes to scents that are like more like they lean more citrusy or even like I think you know you guys were mentioning like you know white floral those notes evaporate more quickly how was that I mean in terms of like kind of understanding like the longevity of a fragrance can you kind of clarify that a little bit I mean is that true yeah the citrus notes are typically top notes which will be like your first impression of the fragrance so that's what you you smell first over the first few minutes.

11:43And then the heart notes come out in the first few hours. And those would be like the florals and the base notes are what kind of linger. So the woody notes, the sweeter notes, the amber notes, the resins, that's kind of like what will last throughout the day and even or multiple days. So typically like fragrances that are more like citrus focused won't really, you know, you might have the impression that they don't last as long because they're mostly like top notes or top note heavy versus like a like a woody scent you know with wood kind of last longer or you could smell it throughout the day because it's more base note heavy if that makes sense yeah no it does it absolutely makes sense and the reason I also asked is because I feel like the fragrances I've tried they're very very light that like I said and they linger they do feel like second skin but they don't evaporate I guess as quickly as some of the other fragrances I've tried.

12:40That's what I think shocked me a lot when I tried the line was that, oh my gosh, the wearability on this is amazing. And I didn't feel like, oh my gosh, I spressed it like 30 minutes ago and now I'm like, where's my perfume? It didn't feel like that. So that's why I asked you is like, the longevity side of it, how does that work? Especially because you guys are clean. When you were thinking about this, are there certain, I guess, ingredients that are used to help with the longevity of a fragrance if it is on the lighter side? Yeah, I mean, we wanted to make sure our fragrance were balanced. So we incorporate, you know, top notes, middle notes and base notes.

13:14So the base notes will ensure the longevity of the fragrance. We also, our fragrances are eau de parfum. So the amount of oil that we use is higher than like an eau de toilette. So that also will help with the longevity of the scents. Yeah. Yeah. Makes sense. So I want to ask, what are some interpretations you've kind of gotten feedback about? Yeah, it's always fun to see the way that fragrances are interpreted. And, you know, we like to say that Lise is fragrance that you can create your world with. So anything's up for grabs. And I love seeing all of the interpretations on TikTok and Instagram or, you know, reading on Reddit, what people are associating the different fragrances with.

13:55And it's always so personal to them as well. And it really runs the gamut too. Like we've seen, you know, recently a TikToker, she matched like each scent to a sorority girl. Oh, cool. I know. And then other times it's like, you'll see people responding to the fragrances and, you know, they're, they're saying that it's like very Northern California and it's like the opposite of a sorority girl. And so it's just really fun to see the gamut of interpretations. And that's really what's fun about it. That's so cool. I love the sorority sister thing. That's really cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's just really from wherever the person is in their life, you know, then they, it goes through that lens of wherever that person is.

14:38Yeah. So that's what's fun about it for me. Yeah, I agree. And I was gonna say, I think, you know, certain editors have like commented about what movie character they think might have worn what scent and one that stood out to me was Laura Regensdorf, who wrote a piece for Vanity Fair. she was saying like oh Winona Ryder's character in mermaids would be like wearing bow and I thought that was really you know really well yeah you know from the bay area as well and I've always been a huge fan so that was like extra special and I loved correlating that that character with like one of our scents I love that no I think you know I I really like what you what you just said about like it does matter where you are in your life when you're interpreting a scent like and also like the fact that you guys have aquatic notes like I for me I know I've always tried to live by the water you know at some point in my life I strive for that and I feel like maybe that's also why I fell in love you know when I first smelled your collection because it does bring you it brings you back to a place that feels more aquatic and not in the way of like oh yeah this is just another aquatic fragrance but the memory of that you know what I mean going to the beaches or like sitting by the beach I used to I remember I was in medical school I used to sit and study by the ocean.

15:51Every day I would go onto the beach, sit there, and there's so many memories for me, right? When I can smell something, it evokes that. That's very powerful. It's not just about like, oh, this has aquatic notes or this has fresh notes. It's more about there's a balance here that was created. And I feel like you really achieved that, you know, in your line, you've done that. And so really hats off to both of you for accomplishing that. Oh, thank you. Yeah. I I think Elisa mentioned earlier, you know, about the sheerness of the fragrances and how, you know, they don't wear you, that you wear the fragrance.

16:23I think that that was something, like Elisa said, it was very much intentional on our end. But I have to think, too, that it's, you know, a bit of our, you know, California upbringing and that sensibility and living on the coast. Because every locale that we've been to, people do wear fragrances differently, too. So for us creating Lease, it was about creating fragrances that we would wear and that are inspired by our personal experiences in our backyard, as opposed to a place that maybe we had never been before. And so I think that we're really trying to encapsulate just like our innate point of view.

16:59And so that's really fun that you are experiencing that through Lease as well, that you're, you know, getting that kind of coastal feel to it. Right. No, I and I love that you I love that you said that it is about like, you know, crafting something from the experience of where you've lived. And I feel like that is such a that's such a huge point, actually, that you've made here, because there are a lot of fragrances out there that are claiming like you're going to feel like you're in such and such city or such and such time or whatever. Right. But it's very difficult to do that. And I've always wondered that as a consumer myself about perfumery is that, you know, when you are crafting a scent, it must be something personal for you for you to then bring that to somebody else's life and make it personal for them.

17:47You know what I mean? Like, yeah, like I feel like that's really integral to good perfumery. And, you know, and so I love hearing that from you because it shows like in the products, like it shows that you really were speaking about something and you're doing something that is familiar to you. And so you you're transferring that familiarity and that that feeling to your consumers, you know, in that way. It's beautiful. Yeah, that's totally true. Oh, thank you. Yeah, it's totally true. I love that you said that because I think that when we were first starting out, the idea of being inspired by our everyday lives, I think a lot of times the things that are in your everyday life, you start to take for granted and you think, oh, nobody's going to be interested in hearing about that, you know.

18:29But we realized that that was such a rich place for us to draw inspiration from. And we realized that people, not everybody lives where we live and not everyone's had the same experiences that we've had. And so they might be interested in it. And we do constantly have to remind ourselves that too, you know, but I think that's part of, you know, the authenticity and, and how we've been able to connect with so many people that we weren't even, you know, that wasn't like the goal, like, Oh, how can we connect with people? It was really just like, how can we tell our stories? Yeah. And just, I think that the authenticity kind of like comes through because we were looking in our, at our own experiences for inspiration.

19:12Absolutely. Absolutely. No, I can definitely see that. And I love that you did that. That's truly like, it's genuine and it's from a place that's real. And I feel like in the beauty world, I mean, I say this a lot about like beauty brands, but I think it applies to everything, right. That we consume. You want to find that little piece of like home and everything that you're buying. At least that's how I feel, you know, and when I'm purchasing anything, it's like, whether it's a lipstick, whether it's whatever, like I want to feel like the brand or whoever created this like kind of gets a little bit of what I'm looking for you know and that's what you're buying really at the end of the day that's the thing so I think for consumers if you can create that connection it's beautiful but that connection can't be created if you're just pretending to know something and you don't I mean if someone's selling me a perfume and they're saying well you're gonna feel like you're sitting in ancient Rome or something when you smell this I'm gonna be like what are you talking about you know like you were not in ancient Rome you don't know you know so it's like that's where I feel like a lot of times especially like I you know I'm a millennial I'm growing up I remember there were a lot of perfumes that were marketing like that right where it was like oh you're gonna have this intense experience and it's gonna be like and it just doesn't land because that's not that's not it you know for the everyday person like yeah I know yeah and it could have also been too that like I said earlier we were coming off of that like designer fragrances trend, you know, and that is exactly what was dominating the market at that time.

20:39And so I think for us, like telling these personal stories or the idea of telling personal stories felt almost like revolutionary to us in the, you know, as far as fragrance goes at that time, I know that it's, you know, becoming more prevalent now, but it, and it's fun to see the way the trends are changing. Speaking of that, what's next? Are you, do you guys have anything in the lab that you're working on? Yeah, we're really excited. We're working on body care. So yeah, that'll be launched in the fall. So we've got liquid soap and, you know, some other fun stuff that we're really excited about.

21:12Yeah, that's really exciting. Well, I'm, I'm looking forward to that. And, you know, I can't say it enough. I really genuinely like from my heart, I love your brand and I love its simplicity and complexity, you know, all in one, Like it's very beautiful and it resonated with me. Like I said, the minute I tried it, it immediately kind of stuck to me, you know, so that's very rare. And I just want to really say thank you for creating that. You know, I think that's rare to see as a consumer where you, you find products like that. And for everyone listening, if you are looking to discover a niche brand that really does speak to you, this is such a beautiful option.

21:47And I promise you guys are going to fall in love with it. So check it out. But thank you both so much. This was so fun chatting with you and learning from you. Oh, thank you so much for having us. Yeah, my pleasure. Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms. So wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe. You will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host.

22:21And that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of. Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok, X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium. So if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast and it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more we go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets so check us out leave us a comment leave us a review and we'll be back next time with another episode thank you