Over the years, Essencional has covered various pockets in the world where independent perfume brands are cropping up: from Amsterdam to Shoreditch and now Brooklyn. In this article, discover several entrepreneurs who thrive in the artistic openness this locale is known for, and plan a visit to the shops supporting niche and artistic perfumery.

Floral Street arrived on the fragrance scene nearly ten years ago in 2017. In this interview, founder Michelle Feeney talks about her experience working with Leonard Lauder, on being an entrepreneur and the joy of creating affordable luxury scents.

In days gone by, perfumers weren’t personalities, they were quietly working in anonymity, honing their craft, creating art without recognition. In this article discover seven of the most important perfumers from the 20th century, a group of noses now recognized as the architects behind some of the most influential fragrance masterpieces.

Having left his native New Zealand at a young age to pursue his dream job, Isaac Sinclair has moved to IFF as Senior Perfumer. Recently featured in Essencional and a former Esxence panelist, he was mentored by Maurice Roucel and spent formative years in Brazil. He has created for niche brands Neanderthal and Abel. Congratulations Isaac!

Alberto Morillas has had a stellar career, marked by the milestone of signing CK One 35 years ago. Now working with his daughters on his own brand, the master perfumer admits he never stops thinking, and never stops creating. In this interview, he talks about fragrance culture today including Gen Z, dupes and the influence of TikTok.

Master perfumer and founder of his eponymous brand, Francis Kurkdjian has been named a Knight of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest national distinction for civilians. The annual awards recognize individuals whose work has made a lasting impact across a wide range of fields. Kurkdjian is recognized as one of the world’s most influential perfumers.

Niche fragrance is associated with gender-neutral all inclusive scents, but this new brand is targeted to men only. Perhaps capitalizing on the trend of young men driving fragrance sales, Urbanbeast launches with three scents positioned as “performance-enhancing” adapted to the brands vision of today’s man defined by discipline, emotional balance, and self-control.

Last month ScentFestSF hosted its inaugural event with a 3-day fair including over 100 exhibiting brands coming from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US itself. The author describes his day visiting a handful of brands: from the avant garde, to the art inspired to heritage based. This San Francisco show is sure to be a “don’t miss” annual fragrance happening.