225: A case against discovery sets 🧐

We're back after a wee break (vacation, life, etc) with a listener question about the pros/cons/whats with plunking down the dollars for a full-size scent vs. taking home a discovery set when in the market for niche fragrances abroad. We also discuss a handful of new scents from D.S. & Durga's Debaser In Bloom, Summer Fridays Sunlit Vanilla, Non-Fiction, Sidia, and more.[What we smell like today: Nonfiction The Beige, SIDIA Midas]🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

When art & design turn their ambitions toward technology and olfaction, how much does a machine powered by algorithms, AI, or both, challenge an industry known for gatekeeping (and upcharging), and how much does it supplant the craftsmanship and skill of a perfumer? We discuss such iffiness after experiencing a custom scent-making installation that questions, "What if every human could create their own scent?"[What we smell like today: Prada Infusion de Santal Chai, "Forever Yong" made by Sable using Algorithmic Perfumery]🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

Dancing is a Sonoma vineyard (est. 2022) founded by mother and daughter, Cynthia and Lauren Russell. It's also a perfume brand that makes vineyard-themed scents: smoked wood and forest floor, the grapes, and, of course, the vines. We chat with Cynthia and Lauren about how it all came together and how they created their three scents with Frederick Bouchardy of Joya Studios.[What we smell like today: Louis Vuitton Fantasmagory, Zoologist Harvest Mouse]🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

Famously, we're not "florals" people, and especially not rose, but... a listener question prompts us to choose the rose. If we had to, these are the ones we'd pick. And for the rest of the hour, we talk about a lot of new scents we've been smelling lately.[What we smell like today: YSL Babycat, Documents Feather] 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

There's a certain position in the fragrance industry that gets to call the shots, finesse the juice, and influence how fragrances go from brief to shelves — a position that your hosts wished they knew existed during the "figuring out what we wanna be" phase of our academic careers. We can't turn back time, but we can grill said figure: Kyle Ferguson, fragrance evaluator at Givaudan. He's the go-between the client and perfumer, facilitating communication, translating scent directives, and helping to make a fragrance its best and most beloved. Kyle generously shares his insight and experiences, behind-the-scenes of the perfume biz.[What we smell like today: LBTY "Liberty Maze," Roan Sahara Song]Shop our 👚 NEW MERCH👕 now available on our website. It's very cute, very cool, and we made it especially for you :) 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

We have Bryson Ammons and Eddie Hodges, founders of Alloy Studio, on this episode to talk about creating an independent fragrance brand in NYC, how creative rules everything they do, and celebrating queer and black identity via fragrance. We also have an exclusive sniff at their newest releases: Faux and Luster, the duo that makes up their Afro-disiac collection![What we smell like today: Kylie Cosmic Intense, Dancing Gnarly Vines]Shop our 👚 NEW MERCH👕 now available on our website. It's very cute, very cool, and we made it especially for you :) 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

We haven't done one of these in a while — it's a listener Q&A episode in which we address your queries about fragrance and non-fragrance related things like: how to blind buy "successfully," how to display your perfumes in a non-tacky way, how to tactfully tell someone they stink, where all this perfume hype culture is going, any former guests we'd love to have on again, the most repulsive scent, and more interpersonal anecdotes to further our parasocial relationship![What we smell like today: Hawthorne Phantom Melon, Coach Dreams Starlight] Shop our 👚 NEW MERCH👕 now available on our website. It's very cute, very cool, and we made it especially for you :) 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater, and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

Is it peaking? That's what the rumors (industry insights) say, but based on what we've been seeing, the fraghead community is very much so cooking.[What we smell like today: Maison d'Etto Macanudo, Anti Nashi Toro] Shop our 👚 NEW MERCH👕 now available on our website. It's very cute, very cool, and we made it especially for you :) 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

Are we psychic? According to the history....... not no. Every year, we have a stab at what we can expect to smell in the coming year's forecast, based on current trends, emerging trends, the thousands of PR emails we receive trying to make [redacted] happen, and what we've been seeing and smelling on the streets. And most of the time, we are correct! Consider this a free seminar on fragrance marketing and trend forecasting.[What we smell like today: Krigler Velvet Night 76, Maison D'Etto i-Dream] Shop our 👚 NEW MERCH👕 now available on our website. It's very cute, very cool, and we made it especially for you :) 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)  

Every year, we review our favorite smells that launched into the world in the last 12 months, broken down by such innovative categories as "best body mist," "Best candle," and "best body product smell..." you get it. Here's a tight, correct list of our favorite new smells born in 2025.[What we smell like today: Imaginary Authors Yesterday Haze, Dancing Scorched Wood]This episode is sponsored by Cécred (hurray!) Use code SMELL20 to enjoy 20% off the Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub and Hydrating Shampoo at Cecred.com.  Shop our 👚 NEW MERCH👕 now available on our website. It's very cute, very cool, and we made it especially for you :) 🌐 Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live☎️ Leave us a voice message on the SYL Hotline at Speakpipe.com/smellyalater and we may respond on a future episode.📱 Follow us on Instagram @smellyalater.mp3💌 Leave a comment in our Spotify episode prompts and/or a (nice) review wherever you stream (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ only)