Sebastian: So if I had to start over with my collection, I think since I did start doing this in twenty twelve, I would buy a couple of bottles of L Fleur de Mol from Jean-Paul Gautier because it's such an awesome scent. I don't know why I never bought a backup, but it's the one that I'm looking for for a vintage fragrance and a collection like mine. So that's something I would do over if I did have to start this over in twenty twelve.

Josh: Yeah, hard to find now.

Sebastian: Yes, yes. It's such a great scent.

Josh: Well, ⁓ thank you so much for joining us, Sebastian. It is such a pleasure. ⁓ for those who do not know the perfume guy, can you give us a brief introduction?

Sebastian: ⁓ well, I'm just totally obsessed with fragrances, I guess. I just love discovering new scents, collecting, talking about them, doing deep dives on on the channel. And now we're doing together we're putting together a a fragrance festival. So I've been busy with fragrances pretty much for the last fourteen years.

Josh: I had the pleasure of listening to your recent episode with the perfume room ⁓ podcast. ⁓ it gave a lot of insight into like how you got into collecting and your first YouTube channel. So to any of the listeners ⁓ and and viewers, if you would like some more background on Sebastian and his very, very large collection, ⁓ check out that episode

Sebastian: Yeah, that was a fun fun ⁓ fun experience. She's really great at what she does. And it was great to get to know her through doing the podcast with her. So I've I've only met her briefly at Paris Perfume Week. We just bumped into each other. So yeah, that was fun. Yeah.

Josh: That's awesome. ⁓ speaking about creating a fragrance festival, Scentfest is next week. It's actually will be happening while this episode comes out. ⁓ you talked at length to kind of how it started coming up in the perfume room. ⁓ I think it's become probably one of the most anticipated fragrance events in the US right now. Looking back, what gap were you trying to fill with that?

Sebastian: Well, you know, the other one that happens on the East Coast, and we are on the West Coast. I just I love California. I love being here. So we needed something big here. I think a couple of things led up to us doing this here. attending Cent Fair in LA, learning about the WPC in Monterey, which is happening just before our show. And then there was the beauty, ⁓ Business of Beauty Global Forum. Because of those two events, I thought, you know, we gotta we gotta do something here when there's already people here sort of connected in the industry. So there was ⁓ definitely a need here and ⁓ it looks like it looks like it's people want it. So because we're almost at 3,000 tickets sold, and that's between single day and three day, I I there's a demand for it. So we did the right thing to to do this. And we only launched on March eighth. So it hasn't even been four months that we started putting this show together. So it's pretty intense and insane that we got to the stage that we're at. So I'm very, very happy where

Josh: Yeah, very excited for it. And was there a moment while you were planning this that you you were like, ⁓ this is becoming much bigger than I anticipated?

Sebastian: You know, there was a few moments that I said, I'm just giving up. This is just too intense to do. But I I had already booked my my trip to Paris for Paris Perfume Week last year. So I almost canceled that because I wanted to focus on trying to get ⁓ exhibitors. But it was a good idea for me to go to Paris because I met I I made appointments with a lot of brands that we kind of Got to agree to come and exhibit. So after I got back, I was like, okay, this is becoming bigger than I thought it was going to be. Because we thought, you know, there might be 50 brands, but we have over 110 brands available at the show. So yeah. After I get back, end of April, early May, it was like, okay, this is becoming something really big. So yeah, we're excited where we're at today.

Josh: Yeah, it's been very cool seeing kind of the the gradual flow in of of brands and exhibitors. And I'm like, ⁓ I can't wait to see them. Or I haven't ever smelled any of these brands. You have a lot of brands that are I think maybe the first time they're coming to the US.

Sebastian: Yeah, I think well, we've got some Korean brands, we've got some Chinese brands, we've got some ⁓ Thai brands, Thailand. Even like French brands and Italian brands, I don't think they've been not everyone's been at the show. So I mean, some of them have participated at ⁓ ScentExplore, but a lot of these brands have not participated in any shows in the USA. So I'm glad to be bringing them here to to do this for the first time. And I think people wanna experience and sample brands that they can't get access to at the stores. So

Josh: Yeah, it's really phenomenal to see how ⁓ the community's just latched on and I I there's so much buzz. ⁓ I see TikToks of people planning outfits and organizing who's gonna get breakfast where. It's it's really cool because the community is still small enough that it's like, ⁓ I'm excited to meet this person in the flesh at this event. So you're really creating a space for people to smell and love perfume, but you're also kind of shepherding in this community to the West Coast.

Sebastian: ⁓ wow. You're absolutely right. I haven't been keeping up on TikTok. I'm still not one hundred percent using it, but it's nice to hear all of that. I didn't even know people were planning outfits and planning breakfasts with people. So that's cool. Yeah.

Josh: Yeah. ⁓ shifting back a little bit towards you, after handling and smelling thousands and thousands of fragrances and creating content for over a decade, do you feel like you're collecting perfume or are you collecting the stories and emotions?

Sebastian: So my collection consists of fragrances that are current and fragrances that are discontinued. I think what I'm really collecting are the ones that I really want. They generally tend to be the discontinued ones that I never got access to or got. I would call that really my collection. Everything else is fragrances for me to speak about in content that I produce on YouTube. So It is my entire collection, but for me, the ones that I really want to collect are the ones that I were missing what's missing in my collection or the ones that I really wear. If I wear fragrances a lot, then I'll have more than one bottle. And I'll have one here, one at the house, and several backups. So I think my real collection is the vintage stuff and the ones that I really wear, but everything else is here for me to pull from and speak about. You know, I'll do an animalic video and I'll have animalic fragrances. I'll do one on rows and you know, it's nice to access all of those and do my three hour long deep dive videos. So you need a lot of, you know, product to show and talk about.

Josh: Yeah, for sure. Have you ⁓ it it seems almost like with your the part of the collection it sounds like you hold really dear is this vintage. Would you say it's almost beyond simple acquisition, more towards like preservation of these fragrances?

Sebastian: I think it is preservation because you know, people come in here, they want to smell some stuff that they've never had access to. I mean, I'm not I'm not I'm not an expert in preserving perfumes because I have had perfumes turn, especially the ones that are very s citrus forward. But I guess me having these fragrances and keeping them in a cool, dark, dry place most of the time is a way of preserving the fragrances. Cause I d I mean, I don't want to forget these fragrances because these are probably very historic and they had a lot of meaning when they were out. But somehow they for some reason didn't click, they got discontinued quick, or they just didn't make money for the brands and they got, you know, they got axed. So I guess it's a way of preserving, but I'm not I'm not saying that I'm the Osmotech, because that's their job, which is Another thing that I'm excited about for our show. But yeah, I think it's a way to preserve them and have access to them and to pull from, to learn from what what was done in the in the back in time. Because fragrance is changing and what I have and what I'm collecting as far as vintage fragrances go and what's currently produced is night and day different. So

Josh: I also really appreciate about your content that you have kind of this Rolodex of fragrances that you can reference and compare. ⁓ I did not grow up wearing fragrance or or really knowing about it. So there are fragrances from the 80s and 90s that are history and I don't I will never be able to smell them. And in your videos, you've been able to call back and you'll say, Well, this if you were a fan of, you know, Kuros, you might enjoy this now. And it it was kind of an interesting play where I was like, I need to learn. more of my perfume history. It's not always about the new release.

Sebastian: I agree. I mean, if it wasn't for those fragrances, we wouldn't have the fragrances today. It's ⁓ and I think growing up in a family, I'm the oldest and I was the first child. Mom and dad were still wearing a lot of fragrance. They were also going out when I was young. So I was constantly smelling what they were wearing. And that's how really I got into scent, because they were wearing really strong fragrances. And they they would go to nightclubs or dinners. And there was dancing there and I'd you know I'd smell what they're wearing and really start enjoying them. So and then seeing those beautiful bottles like my dad had the polos and the caron poranome de Caron and the Pierre Cardin and my mom's opium and ⁓ her ⁓ Reeve Gauche bottles, those those were very visually beautiful bottles. And I'm a very visual person. And I think for me, seeing the bottles pulls me in more. So I think I remember as a kid it pulled me in and it still does to this day. So

Josh: It's very cool. D do your parents ever talk to you about like, ⁓ now you're this perfume person? And they they're like, ⁓ we're responsible for this with these vintage bottles.

Sebastian: Yeah, they don't they don't pay c ⁓ they don't consider perfumes something important. I mean, ⁓ my dad's no longer with us. ⁓ but my mom, she appreciates perfumes and she likes strong perfumes. If I give her something that's weak, she goes, that one doesn't last long. And I'm like, Okay, yeah, that that's true. ⁓ you like strong things. You l you prefer to have extraits, but they don't it's not important to them. So I I'm just Always giving her fragrances because I want her to smell great. That's ⁓ that's something that Ma da ⁓ the son does. But if she likes strong fragrances and she finds somewhat of an importance about it, but it's not it's an afterthought for her. It's more important for me. Same thing with my siblings. They don't really care about fragrances, they'll wear it, but it's not very important. I've I've made it very important. It's part of my life, so.

Josh: Right. I ⁓ my mother's no longer with us, but my mother in law, I gifted several bottles, both ⁓ more affordable and quite high end, and she always goes back to ⁓ the Gucci gorgeous jasmine. And I'm like, Okay, that's what you love, got it. I I won't I won't go for Tiana Terenzi anymore. Like

Sebastian: Mm. Yeah. I mean it's sometimes it connects with people, but maybe also somebody that's not very familiar with fragrance might be challenged with something a bit more niche. And I think designer fragrances are maybe a bit more simplistic and it's easier to embrace when you're, you know, not advanced with your palette of scents and styles. That's probably what it is as well. Could be. Yeah.

Josh: For sure. Yeah. thinking about that though, like fragran fragrance is moving incredibly fast now. Do you feel like there are any parts of perfume culture that we're losing touch with with so many releases and so much instant content?

Sebastian: Going back to history again, I think we're we're we I think it's important to learn about the classics and pay attention to them. I mean, I get comments all the time, ⁓ grandpa, because you're into these older fragrances, or you know, that one smells like grandma. But we need to we need to remember the classics, because if we didn't have the classics, we wouldn't have ⁓ what ⁓ we have today. But Yeah, it's it's moving really fast. I think styles are changing, pal palettes are changing. I don't wanna say the dumbing down of our palettes, but maybe it's kind of going that way a little bit. People don't want to be challenged. And I love gourmands, don't get me wrong, but I like a nice animalic, not overly animalic. I don't want to be smelling like, you know, but I like I like animalics. I I think they they do a great job in fragrances and I remember them in the 80s, Kuros, ⁓ and Antillas, all of those had some funk in them. And nowadays people don't want that. I mean, it's it's crazy, but that's how it is.

Josh: Yeah, I ⁓ I was just wearing actually I'm wearing it today, ⁓ it's a new fragrance called You Probably Think This Scent Is About You, ⁓ by a new brand called the Foolish Unlimited. And it is the Foolish Unlimited. ⁓ I'll bring it ⁓ I'll bring a sample of it to San Francisco for you. But it is ⁓ cool new brand and it's the story of narcissists in perfume form. So when you first smell it, it's this really stemmy green floral with like a vanilla

Sebastian: The Who? Who is it? I've never heard of it. Mm. ⁓

Josh: watery base. You're like, okay, cool. But as it warms and develops on the skin, this like hay and sweat starts to come up and this idea of like self, self love. It it has a little bit of that funk to it that I really gravitate towards because initially I was like, I don't think this is my my style. I don't usually gravitate towards florals and now I can't stop wearing it because it's this interesting juxtaposition. ⁓ yeah people always skirt away from the the like

Sebastian: Okay. Wow. Hm. Well, wow.

Josh: Animalic, musky, sweaty tones.

Sebastian: Mm-hmm. Yeah, cumin's one of my favorite notes, and people just don't get it. It's it does have that weird body odor like scent to it, but it's a lot more, it's the spice. I guess if you're not used to the spice itself, it might come across as being body odor, but I absolutely love the spice itself. And I can separate them. I can totally separate them and treat them as two li different things. It's not body odor. It's the actual spice. But yeah, some people connect them or associate them together.

Josh: W speaking to the classics and and remembering the history, are there any houses or perfumers or even cultural movements i within fragrance that deserve more attention?

Sebastian: I think one of my favorite perfumers of all time is Bernard Schaunt. I that guy was a genius. He worked at IFF. ⁓ he did some amazing classics. He did 900 aromatics elixir. I think he did. In fact, ⁓ the mini s mini series on Halston, I think that's supposed to be him, but they changed they changed the sex of the perfumer to a female perfumer. I think he did the original Halston for the ladies. But I think he did like he did Eramis by Aramis. ⁓ just I think he's a legend as far as perfumers go. I absolutely love that guy's creations. But I can't find a huge catalog of his fragrances. I mean, maybe they're just not reported or unrevealed. They haven't revealed the name and he's done a lot more work. I don't know, but ⁓ I think he's a genius. So

Josh: Yeah, we have ⁓ an episode coming up with Michael Nordstrand around ⁓ authorship of perfumery. And he used the example that like you you don't go to a bookstore asking for Lord of the Rings by the publisher name with no mention of Tolkien. And there's a lot of ⁓ erasure of the perfumers in the industry.

Sebastian: Mm. Yeah, and some brands are totally like protective of who they use. And it's like, why are you hiding the names? I don't know.

Josh: Yeah. But it's interesting because like you mentioned, Bernard, people often resonate with like a perfumer's work and that that thumbprint that they leave in perfumes. And knowing who has done a perfume you love can help you discover other works by them, regardless of the brand that it's under.

Sebastian: Absolutely. I I also really love Dominic Ropian. I don't really love every single fragrance he's done. ⁓ especially the mass produced ones for the d you know, for the designers, but he's done some amazing work. The guy's a genius too.

Josh: ⁓ do you think fragrance enthusiasts of today are having a different relationship with discovery than people who were discovering and and collecting fragrances fifteen years ago were?

Sebastian: So I started around fifteen years ago. And when I got into this, I was mostly familiar with designers with some niche like Anikutal and Penhaligans and things like that. It felt different at that time. I feel like everything starts smelling very similar nowadays with fragrances. Maybe because I'm smelling so much, maybe because there's so many launches. And there's not that many houses. So there's so much crossover and overlap. ⁓ I felt like it was more interesting when I first started doing this, but maybe it's because I've been in it for so long and nothing is feeling truly original anymore. Everything's starting to smell the same. Once in a while there's a great fragrance that I'm really obsessed with, but everything else is kind of dismissive. So

Josh: I mean, w as you said, it kind of shifted quite a bit. Do you think your definition of what a great perfume is has evolved over the years?

Sebastian: Well, see the thing I get criticized for loving gourmands. I mean, I'm I'm obsessed with sweets. So and food is so smell oriented. I love the smell of the food that I eat. So why not wear the fragrances? So I love the gourmands, but man, I also love the vintage stuff, the animalics. Not overly animalic, but ⁓ you know. the thing is I don't like being criticized for what I like, ⁓ and I do get all the time. ⁓ man, you like gourmands too much. ⁓ it's ⁓ another vanilla. But hey, is so good. It is so, so good. I never liked it when I was younger. I mean, people used to tell me I loved wearing vanilla. I was like, no, no vanilla for me, no white flowers for me. I mean, I was in in that camp at one time, but It's opened up my palate and I'm I embrace all these amazing ingredients and it's part of the world. I mean, they're part of us, vanilla and flowers and fruits. And so I kind of embrace them because I grew up in them. Even green things, because my dad used to grow gardens and plant vegetables and tomatoes. I just love green smells. Really, really do. I think it's because I really love smells that I really love perfume. I don't I come from that side. I and growing up in a family that appreciates fragrances turned me into this. Some people come from a different side. Somebody's gifted them a bottle of perfume and they're kind of casual wearers and they kind of somehow, you know, go to the next level and are in ⁓ you know, go down the rabbit hole of discovering fragrances. I just love smells. That's kind of what got me into enjoying fragrances. And some people don't appreciate smells. They just appreciate fragrances. But I appreciate smells. And I appreciate fragrances if that makes sense.

Josh: Absolutely does. It's funny that you say you're you're known for vanilla and gourmands because I really consider you like a p like Mr. Patchouli in my brain. 'Cause you exposed me to like the depths and the types and the presentations that patchouli can come with.

Sebastian: Mm-hmm. I get criticized for patchouli as well. I'm like, somebody says, you like you love patchouli too much. I'm like, I just love it. I just love the way it smells. I mean, I can't anyway. Yeah, it's it's it's fine. I just I'm I'm all about smells. Patchouli, vanilla, amber, boozy notes, musks, tobacco. These are like my top iris lately. These are my top notes. I just love these notes.

Josh: Yeah. Yeah, I think one of the the big perfe so I ⁓ had a very large collection for a while, and then I have now curated down and I I only have about thirty-five bottles. And a perfume has to be truly exceptional to join my cabinet now. ⁓ but one of them is a perfume you actually turned me on to, which was Corinne by Corrine Reutfeld. ⁓ you were talking to Paciuli and you were like if

Sebastian: ⁓ wow. ⁓ I love it.

Josh: Even if you don't like white florals, like this is something you should try out. And I smelled it and was like, ⁓ wow. I mean, on top of the bottle is probably one of the nicest bottles I've ever held. But I was like, This is unlike anything I've smelled. It's this really sharp green chic patchouli.

Sebastian: Mm. Yeah, Ropian ⁓ does it again. He did a great job on that one. It's super sexy, the combination of the earthy, sparkling patchouli against the beautiful, I think it's gardenia and jasmine. There might even be orange blossom in that one. ⁓ The is intoxicating. In fact, there was another fragrance, ⁓ similar but smelling different. It's a canton biche creation, ⁓ and now part of the discontinued ⁓ Estee Lauder. Luxury collection. I think it was just called Estee Lauder Luxury Collection called Radiant Mirage. I'm so bummed that that that collection never caught on. But that was also similar. It was patchouli with jasmine and a base of sandalwood. Amazing. Very intoxicating, super sexy. I love that. I just love it. And I can take patchouli in any different variety or form. I think, give me more, give me more patchouli.

Josh: Yeah. There are ⁓ I know a lot of people who are not into fragrance that are like, ⁓ I don't like patchouli because they're thinking of like the Nag Ciampa like hippie store patchouli and careen is the one I always pull out where I'm like, Well what do you think about this? And I I won't even say it has patchouli in it and immediately they're like, ⁓ this is so lovely, ⁓ this is so cool and I'm like, Yeah, it's it's a patchouli white floral. It's not what you would think.

Sebastian: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Awesome. That's a good one to pull, yes.

Josh: you mentioning that ⁓ everything kind of smells the same ⁓ right 'cause you're smelling so much. ⁓ What a fragrance that impresses you to one that endures for you?

Sebastian: Okay, you know, I I don't know. I have to step back here. ⁓ there's a lot of trends that I'm not into. The Middle Eastern trend, I'm not really into. There's been so much ooud in Middle Eastern style fragrances. I'm so bored. And I'm Middle Eastern. I I'm bored of it. I I prefer the classic French style of perfumery, maybe a little bit of the Italian style. But so when I'm going through fragrances and it's reminding me of that Middle Eastern style, I'm like, next, next, next. And then something comes on, like, wow, this is this is what fragrance is supposed to be. It's supposed to surprise me and it's supposed to make me really like swoon and really like totally want to embrace it. And like if you're meeting somebody and you're hugging them, that's kind of what you you want to do with this fragrance, because you just want to. Have it all over you. So it doesn't happen a lot, but once in a blue moon, it does. Like when I first discovered 45 Degrees by ⁓ Trudon, ⁓ my God, I said, This is so good. Honey and vanilla together. And it has this weird bubblegummy effect without smelling like bubblegum. It's kind of like plasticky, gooey, but not sticky. So I was like, This this stuff is so yummy. But then I sampled the other two that were part of that collection. I was like, these are not good. These are not for me. I'm done. I'm I don't need to smell them again. And people also were like, Why do you judge a fragrance so fast? It's like there's so many. Why do I want to I mean, ⁓ should I say I I'll come back to this? There's too many, but when I did the the Toodon, it was like 45 degrees. This is super original. I really love it. This is the kind of fragrance I haven't smelled before. Yeah, I've smelled the notes, but not in this the way it's created. So I want to wear it. But it happens a lot. There's too many fragrances that are reminding me of one another. And I'm I'm gonna move on. I want to find new smells, things that I haven't smelled, ones that resonate with me, ones that I love that I want to wear.

Josh: 45 was another one of those. I I typically gravitate towards the indie space. ⁓ And a of mine who's very much into the the kind of French perfumery in general was like, You gotta try this. You you say you don't like vanilla, but you you have to try this. ⁓ so I got a sample and I killed the two mil in one day and was like, ⁓ I'm buying a bottle of this. ⁓ It it ⁓ truly exceptional.

Sebastian: Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha

Josh: It there's something I think the way you said like it it's sticky without being or or it it like pulls and stretches as you wear it in a way that I've never experienced in a fragrance.

Sebastian: Yeah, it's like bubblegum but not sticky. Like like you can stretch it, it feels kind of gooey, but I don't know, it's something about it is just just resonates with me perfectly. And I actually I had a similar reaction to Flora Nebula from The Harmonist. And I had sampled Florae Nebula before I sampled 45 degrees, but I didn't connect the two. But somehow I've connected the two together, even though I'm saying a lot of fragrances are smelling one like one another. I think both of the fragrances are Givaudin creations. So I think that's where I'm getting the crossover. But I really love both. For me, the the Harmonist Flora Nebula does have a very unique shampoo texture. It also has a shampoo-like smell, but something like more expensive and luxurious. And that's kind of what I like about it. I don't get it from the 45 degrees, but I somehow connected to because I think they're both ⁓ Given creations. And going back to 45 degrees, ⁓ the perfumer is God, what was his name? I always forget his name, but lately I'm really loving all of his fragrances. Vosnier. There it is. I thought I thought of it. Yeah.

Josh: For sure. Yeah, I will have to look into more of his work. ⁓ it's funny you were saying you've kind of connected two perfumes in your mind. ⁓ I think it's just because of the numbers. I have connected forty five degrees and fifty four in my head. They're very different attitudes. It's like a day night, ⁓ but I I somehow have them as like cousins or sisters in my head.

Sebastian: ⁓ ⁓ okay. ⁓ I could see that the creaminess, I think, right? Yeah.

Josh: Yeah. There's something about that the the linger and the bass quality to it that I have associated together.

Sebastian: Mm. Yeah. Fifty-four was such a great project, although I was pointed out recently that apparently it doesn't smell like the nightclub. yeah, it doesn't smell like the nightclub. I've never been to the nightclub, so I don't know. But we set out to do a fragrance ⁓ that if the f nightclub existed today, this is what I would be wearing. So

Josh: Yeah, and does anyone actually want to smell like an old nightclub? Like photorealistically? I don't I'm not sure about that.

Sebastian: Yeah, I'm not sure about that either, because it could get weird.

Josh: I mean, ⁓ Nocturnality by Arquiste ⁓ brings kind of that interesting leather bar element to to fragrance in a way that like it it wears very boot polish to me. Like fruity drink and boot polish.

Sebastian: I gotta check it out. I I like that brand quite a bit and I haven't tried I haven't tried that one yet. It's been it's been a while. I think Ministry of Scent carries the brand, but I haven't seen it there. Maybe I'm just missing it. Really love their almond suede though. Yeah.

Josh: Yeah, woman's way. I have ⁓ Poe is the one that I always go back to with them.

Sebastian: O is which one?

Josh: It's the black bottle biarquist. It's the skin musk with like ambergree and black pepper.

Sebastian: ⁓ yes, yes, yes, yes. I do like that one too. I actually really wanted to get a bottle of is it L? The one that smells like Kuros?

Josh: L L and Eya are both surprisingly animalic. They're both beautiful.

Sebastian: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a he's ⁓ he's been I think under the radar mostly for a long time, I think. ⁓ because you know I discovered them at Barney's. ⁓ we had a Barney's ⁓ everybody had a Barney's. ⁓ well big cities did, but ⁓ no, I used to go there and sample R keys fragrances and I didn't see them anywhere else. And then I think when Barney's went out of business.

Josh: I'm big fan of arquista. Yeah.

Sebastian: Or maybe I think it was a little bit before that Tiger Lily, which became Ministry of Cent started carrying the brand. Now they're even at ⁓ Lucky Scent. So yeah, I think they've made it big. But it took him a while, I think.

Josh: Mm-hmm. I think people also have been intimidated by it because Arquiste as a brand comes off so polished that they assume it's like some heritage house or something that's like very hard to approach when it's Carlos and and Rodrigo. Like it's a beautiful brand, very approachable collection with a lot of variety inside of it.

Sebastian: Mm. Yes, I agree. I can see that. And there are a few vintagey kind of fragrances that they've done. But no, almond suede is so good. it's another Jivodin creation. I guess I kinda like their molecules. I don't know. I'm I'm kind of addicted to them. Yeah.

Josh: Their and their approach and and mixing. speaking the way people approach perfumery, how do you ⁓ introduce complexity to the fragrance ⁓ without people feel excluded or or like they don't have the vocabulary to approach fragrance?

Sebastian: I have a simple way of explaining things. I think that kind of helps. But I kind of I mean, somebody that's fairly new doesn't under understand words like animalic or gourmand is probably going to be wondering what I'm talking about. But I kind of try and use as plain language as I can so people can understand. And if if somebody says, Well, what does that mean? And, you know, I have content on on the channel that I can guide them to to to learn a bit more about some of the things that they're not understanding. So I think that's the kind of approach I I take. I just pe speak in the simplest languages I can so people understand what I'm talking about. And that's kind of what I think people enjoy about my content. I'm I don't get super like overly complicated with my explanations. Otherwise I I get the complaints. ⁓ I just wanna know if it's good. I'm like, okay, it's good. ⁓ Wear it then. ⁓

Josh: Yeah. I mean, do you feel like social media has kind of fractured fragrance culture or is it strengthening it?

Sebastian: I would say both. I started doing content on Instagram in ⁓ In fact, in 2014, ⁓ the Fragrance or some foundation in UK selected my Instagram as one of the top 10 of various accounts. And nobody was doing, you know, fragrance content back then ⁓ on Instagram. But It's a diff it's different now. Once the influencer I mean, I I started when there was no influencers. It was nobody was known as an influencer. So I think since it became influencer, content has totally changed.

Josh: but do you feel like there are parts of the fragrance culture that can only exist when people are gathered in person?

Sebastian: No, I think it can exist without people gathering. I think connections happen online and leads to meeting in in person as well. I know, I I don't want to get like intellectual with anything, ⁓ but I'm I'm reading things like less and less people interaction with real people ⁓ is going on with the s you know social media accounts and everything. So but I think bringing people together is definitely a good thing. And so you've known a lot of people all this time, but you've never actually physically met them ⁓ and you know, gatherings, ⁓ fragrance Community gatherings are a good thing for some people.

Josh: like ⁓ perfumed ⁓ earlier this year in Chicago was the first fragrance event I went to. ⁓ I travel a lot for work and just have not been able to make Scent Explorer or Polaris or anything like that. ⁓ so it was my first fragrance event and getting to see people that I've known and watched online for years was really exciting and that's another reason I'm very excited for for Scentfest is because we do make these connections, but having that tangibility to them just makes it That much more special.

Sebastian: I I've been attending these shows for ten years. I think I went to ⁓ yes, first event was ⁓ Exence Milan in twenty sixteen. ⁓ And went to my first PT fragranza in twenty sixteen. And then it Cent Explorer happened in twenty nineteen. I went to the first one. ⁓ And you're to meet people. It's kind of weird also because people like Treat me like I'm a celebrity. They want to take my photos and photos with me. And I'm like, ⁓ God, it's kind of weird. But if I was not who I was, and I was just it's nice to meet, see people that I meet all the time and, you know, catch up what with what what they're doing. Cause sometimes you're going so quick with social media and messaging. It's it's one, two sentences and that's it. You're not really taking it all in with what's going on with the person. So it's always nice to see people and gather. Which is what we're gonna be doing with our show, so

Josh: It's interesting that you say like it you ⁓ it's a little odd being treated like a celebrity when you are really kind of like of the same ⁓ of a lot of like the OG YouTube influencer stars that kind of built a lot of the modern social media and internet as we know it.

Sebastian: some people love that whole being ⁓ treated celebrity like thing. And I just don't need that personally. I'm just a normal person who appreciates fragrances. I don't need to be treated like a star or something, but I do see ⁓ some people really dwell on it ⁓ and ⁓ Just I don't I don't dig it myself. So I don't want to be treated that way. I'm just normal like you are, just really passionate about fragrances.

Josh: Yeah. And I think the fact that you are so down to earth and approachable is what makes your content have such longevity. Is it anyone can walk into your channel at any video and go, ⁓ okay, I'm gonna learn something here.

Sebastian: Mm, thank you. Yeah. I'm I don't yeah, I don't know. I just I don't dig that stuff. So one time in in ⁓ I was in Italy and I was in a city called Turin, Torino. And I just got there hotel and I decided to walk out and there's a department store nearby that I wanted to just go check out fragrances and as I was I went in and I as I was walking back out, a guy was walking in, gave me eye contact, and then I noticed that he turned around and came back out behind me. And I'm walking and just looking around, and I noticed that he was following me. And I'm like, ⁓ God, what's going on? I'm speeding up and then he's speeding up too. I slow down and he slows down and he's like trying to catch up to me. And I'm like, Okay, this is really weird. I gotta get out of here. And then I decided to jump into a store. I saw the I saw the Laboratorio Olfativo store. I'm like, whoa, it's here. I never even noticed that I got in and I I somehow missed him or something. And then as I was in the store waiting for the associate, there's a whole bunch of fragrances. I got a message on Instagram. It said, Are you in Turin? I'm like, yeah, who are you? ⁓ that was I said, is that you that was following me? I s he said, yeah. I said, why didn't you say hi? ⁓ I was too nervous. I'm like, okay. You made me all we feeling all of

Josh: Yeah.

Sebastian: Freaked out. I'm like, okay, thank you. I said, Don't feel bad, just say hi. I mean, ⁓ d otherwise I'm like really freaked out with somebody's following you. What are they gonna do or something? But that's the kind of thing I I don't really like. ⁓ but it happens. Yeah.

Josh: Yeah, ⁓ yeah, just saying hi is much, much easier than following someone around.

Sebastian: Yeah, totally. I was like, What are they gonna do?

Josh: ⁓ I know in ⁓ ⁓ room episode you mentioned you're huge film buff ⁓ that kind of brought me into ⁓ the question of do you ⁓ you feel fragrance captures moments ⁓ culture the same way that music and film and architecture do?

Sebastian: I think I think it does. I'm a film film guy. I went to film school and I've always loved film. My dad was also, so I learned it from him. See, I I took fragrances from him and also film. So, but I'm also a big music fan. So music, film, and fragrances, all I guess they are similar. I remember 80s films and I remember 80s music and I also remember 80s fragrances. So yes, I agree with that theory for sure.

Josh: I think there is a way that fragrance can kind of ⁓ reflect societal shifts in a way that r is reminiscent of any other art movement, music and film and and so on.

Sebastian: But the thing is, seventies, eighties, ⁓ even two thousands, yes, but it's all getting muddied now. It's not as easy, ⁓ movies from the last decade to now is anything really memorable. ⁓ mean, there might be one or two here and there, but it was more obvious back in the the other eras, like when I was young in the eighties. So many great movies, so many great songs, so many great fragrances that stand out. And nowadays also with fragrances, they're just kind of becoming disposable. Like s they're just being cranked out so fast. Just like songs these days, I just don't even think they're worth listening to. It's just mass-produced garbage, pretty much, I think. So is that the same thing with fragrances?

Josh: I mean, I think you have to because commercialization has made everything so fast and so disposable to your to your point, and you have to really dig to find the things that are special. You have to find the independent artists that are controlling their narrative. You have to find the fragrances that are really telling a story.

Sebastian: Yeah. And that goes back to the the theory. People complain that, ⁓ well, you have to wait for the fragrance. And I'm like, no, I don't. I don't like the way this smells. Why should I wait? Why should I wear it? I go to a store and I'm going through fragrances. I judge right on the spot. I don't need to give it time. So why should I wait? Why do I waste my time smelling something and just wearing it for days to decide later I don't like it?

Josh: Yeah, I I get that. 'Cause there's also like sometimes you listen to an album by someone and you're like, Hmm, not your best work. I'll I'll come back for the next one. Like I don't I don't need to sit and analyze it and pick it apart. This just isn't for me.

Sebastian: Ha ha ha.

Josh: if everything is getting kind of muddy right now, ⁓ do you think today's fragrances will tell people about this era fifty years from now?

Sebastian: I think it's also maybe a reflection on what's going on in the world, maybe where we're at with fragrances and everything else, like music and film. I'm th I'm hoping that there's a reset coming up and maybe we go back to the way it was in the in the in the seventies and eighties with fragrances. I don't know if that will ever happen. Will people ever like I think people just don't want to be challenged. And maybe fragrances from the seventies and eighties or classic or vintage fragrances were more challenging. Maybe there's just too much challenging or too many challenges in the world and people just wanna smell great. They don't want to experience something that's difficult to wear. But I'm just hoping that maybe that there comes a day that we b we go back to the way fragrances were. And again, there's nothing wrong with some of the fragrances that I enjoy. I love gourmands, I love modern fragrances, but I I I I could see going back to where sheepers were like really popular and really appreciating fragrances like that. And animalics. Again, not overly animalic, something that's tolerable, but something that's a bit daring. I could I could totally see that. But I don't know if that will ever happen. I don't.

Josh: Yeah. If someone were wanting to kind of discover this era in fragrances, we'll say the last fifteen years, what are some of the fragrances that pop out to you that would become like the the poison of the twenty tens and twenties?

Sebastian: Well, Baccarat Rouge is definitely one of the fragrances. I mean, Ganymede. I'm gonna throw a portl portrait of a lady in there because it came out in twenty ten. It's only sixteen years old. maybe. I don't know what else. ⁓ everything. Yeah, the thing is there's so many fragrances in my mind, I always forget them until I do like a look around in my studio to see what's out there. ⁓ maybe ⁓ Zamarli's Leighton, ⁓ kind of fragrances stand out. So maybe we'll remember those. The small ones that we probably really love that ⁓ not many people know about will probably not be the ones that stand out. Yeah.

Josh: Yeah. They'll be forgotten the time. Well, moving towards our kind of closing reflection, ⁓ what is something you hope contribution to fragrance culture ultimately is?

Sebastian: I really like I said ⁓ earlier, I really love smells. ⁓ Fragrance is smell. It's something that you smell when you wear it. Do you wear fragrance because you appreciate smells, or do you just wear fragrance because you want to smell great? I think people should appreciate smells as well as the smell of the fragrances. Just I try to teach that with ⁓ with ⁓ with my videos. I always bring up How I learn to appreciate the smells. So I think just appreciate smells and nature. That's what I think my contribution should be. In addition to, you know, appreciating the fragrances, the smells and nature, because I think without those we wouldn't have fragrances.

Josh: Yeah. I also think about a lot of the perfumers that we've talked to when we ask, you know, what is their earliest fragrance memory? It's often not a perfume. It's grandma's kitchen. It's the flowers in the field where I would play. It's it's nature and it's life and it's the smells of life that that lead us down that path.

Sebastian: Yeah, I totally agree. And the world is full of very pleasant smells and very bad smells. So those bad smells might be challenging and you might experience some of those bad smells in your fragrances as well. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. The all the sweat and sleas and everything.

Josh: Yeah. Like nightclub, apparently. So I know you've been very, very busy getting ready for Scentfest, ⁓ but what are some fragrances you're enjoying lately?

Sebastian: Yeah, this question was asked recently, but ⁓ I'm enjoying quite a bit of 54 still. I'm enjoying Vanilla Mudslide. 54 is by Juice Box, Vanilla Mudslide is by Blender Graphy. I am work I'm launching a new fragrance with Angelo's Creations Olfactives. It's called Soma Panorama. It's a it's another collaboration that I started. Quite a while ago. It's finally happening here at Centfest. We will have some ⁓ premiere bottles, debut bottles available. And I'm also I'm wearing that quite a bit. Trudon's 45. a few others that I'm drawing a blank with. I'm looking at the counter here. I don't see them right now. But those those I think are good ones too to mention for sure.

Josh: Yeah. I live in Detroit, so we're still kind of in that like late spring, almost summer. ⁓ I've been wearing a lot of, like I mentioned, you probably think this scent is about you by the Foolish Unlimited. ⁓

Sebastian: So wait, the name of that, is that is that the name of a song or is that what it is? What where do I know that?

Josh: I th I think it's a song reference. Right. You probably think the scent is about you. You probably think the song is about you. Yeah.

Sebastian: The song is about y yeah, that's what I'm remembering. Okay, okay. That's nice, that's catchy.

Josh: Yeah. ⁓ that one is is very good. Yeah. And then Poe Bierquist. ⁓ and oddly enough, Heretic did the the big release for rhubarb thief, and one of the travel sizes with that was fourteen carats. And I have not had a carrot dominate fragrance before and I immediately fell in love. And it's only available in travel sizes, so I have two of them.

Sebastian: Mm. ⁓ wow. That's that's awesome. Yeah. Loeve has ⁓ one man that I really enjoy. It's carrot forward. It's very powdery. The EDP. Yeah.

Josh: I'll have check that one out. Yeah, I did not anticipate carrot to be a note that ⁓ resonated with me, but I I enjoy smelling like I'm in a d a dirt garden.

Sebastian: Mm-hmm. Wait, I think it's ⁓ the the one from OO One Man Loeve is I think carrot seeds, which I think ⁓ is used in conjunction with Oris or Iris, so it's it makes it powdery. But what you're talking about is the actual it's carrot. Okay. All right, I'm curious to check it out.

Josh: Okay. It's carrot. I mean it has carrot seed in it, but it is carrot. Yeah, surprisingly sweet. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Sebastian. ⁓ can you let the listeners and viewers know where to find you online?

Sebastian: You're welcome. You can find me on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, just at the perfume guy. And yeah, come to Scentfest if you are still thinking about it. We're almost at capacity. We're almost sold out. So we'd love to have you and make it a very memorable show. So

Josh: Yeah, I look forward to it and I will see everyone at Centfest. Thanks so much, Sebastian.

Sebastian: All right, thank you so much for having me. Bye.

Josh: Yeah. Bye.