LOs angeles
Dana Kiley Buchanan
Podcaster & retailer, Luckyscent | ScentBar
Dana Kiley Buchanan is an artist living in Los Angeles with almost a decade of experience working in perfumery with Luckyscent/Scent Bar. A deeply passionate fragrance enthusiast, she finds profound meaning in the world of scents and the power of scent memory, and co-hosts the Luckyscent podcast.
James McHugh
Professor, South Asian religions, USC
A scholar of pre-modern South Asian religions, history, and material culture, McHugh's research spans from several centuries BCE through the early second millennium CE. He is the author of Sandalwood and Carrion, an examination of the sense of smell and the use of perfumes in early Indian culture and An Unholy Brew, a comprehensive study tracking the history of alcohol and drugs in pre-modern India.
Paul Kiler
Perfumer, PK Perfumes
Paul's life has been about the arts with an intense passion for beauty. He has worked in design, sculpture, photography, and writing. With 20 years of experience in perfumery, Paul is a leader in the self-taught perfumery movement.
Shabnam Tavakol
Perfumer, Kismet Olfactive
Shabnam Tavakol studied fragrance creation at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery in South France. After graduating, she worked professionally with large-scale fragrance houses and master perfumers in Paris and New York City before founding Kismet Olfactive.
Syd Buffman
Perfumer, SYD Botanica
Syd Buffman is an independent perfumer and multidisciplinary artist in Los Angeles, California. She is the perfumer and founder of SYD Botanica fragrances. Syd's work is inspired by the poetry of nature, transformation, emotions and interconnectedness. She creates immersive and ethereal fragrances informed by her background in design, incense making, herbalism, and alchemy.
Taylyn Washington-Harmon
Founder, Black Girl Perfume Club
Taylyn Washington-Harmon is an award-winning journalist, consultant and fragrance critic. She is the founder of Black Girl Perfume Club, a community and think tank centering BIPOC fragrance consumers and perfumers since 2022. She currently lives in Los Angeles, by way of Chicago.
NEW YORK
Alia Raza
Founder, Régime des Fleurs
Alia Raza was an acclaimed visual artist before founding Régime des Fleurs as a handmade artisan fragrance line in 2014. Since then, the brand has evolved into an internationally recognized niche fragrance house celebrated for its poetic sensibility and conceptual approach to scent.
Kimberly Waters
Founder, Modern Urban Sensory Experiences (MUSE)
Kimberly Waters is the founder of MUSE, established in Harlem, NYC, in 2017. A cultural platform dedicated to inspiring a lifestyle of scent, MUSE brings fragrance, culture, and community together through its flagship destination, The Parlor by MUSE. Kimberly has dedicated much of her fragrance career to amplifying emerging brands, supporting independent creatives, and introducing their work to new audiences.
Victor Mane
Director Creation Fine Fragrance & Ingredients North America, MANE
Victor Mane is from Grasse, the modern cradle of perfumery, and is a fifth-generation member of the fragrance house V.MANE FILS. Academically trained as a chemist, he is passionate about raw materials, responsible sourcing, and innovative extraction technologies, combining scientific expertise with a deep appreciation for the art and craft of fragrance creation.
April Lea
Perfumer & Founder, LVNEA
April Lea is a multidisciplinary artist rooted in the fertile soil of do-it-yourself counterculture. Her work explores the intersection of nature and the immaterial world. LVNEA was born from her passion for the natural world and a desire to honour ancient perfumery traditions while challenging modern fragrance conventions.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Founder and perfumer, DSH Perfumes
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is a true underground force in niche perfumery. DSH, as she is called by her devoted following, has been working with aromatics for over 30 years, and is a pioneer of the American indie perfumery movement.
Steven Gontarski
Host, 'It's Just Perfume' a Luckyscent podcast
Steven Gontarski is an artist, musician and perfume aficionado. He sees perfumery as an art form that both mirrors and shapes culture. Through his YouTube channel and work with Luckyscent, including hosting their podcast 'It's Just Perfume,' Steven presents fragrances in a broad context pulling from perfume history, entertainment, fine art and personal memories.