A Manifesto – The Candy Perfume Boy
I’ve recently undertaken a rebrand of my social channels, moving away from The Candy Perfume Boy to something new. Whilst the blog will remain under TCPB (it’s too SEO-embedded to change now), I’ve updated the website’s tagline to match my socials and my overall mission statement. But why the change? Well, after taking a two year break from all things perfume-related I’ve come back and re-evaluated what it is I want to do in the world of fragrance, or to be more accurate, what I want to keep continuing doing. It became clear to me that The Candy Perfume Boy no longer fit and I needed something to sum up my approach to fragrance writing and communication – a new manifesto:
‘Making Scents Make Sense’
I’ve always taken a conversational approach to speaking and writing about fragrance, holding the firm belief that perfume should not be exclusionary. It is something for everyone to enjoy regardless of how much knowledge they hold. So Making Scents Make Sense just seemed to fit. I’m here to make sense of a world that is often hidden, secretive, mysterious, and shrouded in complexity. It’s my goal to demystify this world in a way that makes sense to everyone. With that in mind, here are my five key missions.
Mission 1: Perfume Discourse Should be Accessible
You shouldn’t need a chemistry degree of years of education to understand what is being written or said. Casual readers and perfume addicts should be able to access and understand perfume discourse without any significant barriers. Fragrance should be relatable.
Mission 2: No Gatekeeping
2Knowledge should be shared and everyone should have access. We don’t gatekeep fragrances or information. We take an educational approach where anyone who is interested is invited to the party. We are not exclusionary.
Mission 3: If You Smell It, It’s There
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to fragrance. It’s about individual experiences and emotions. Forget the list of notes (they’re just a guide, like tasting notes) and what other people may say. We follow our own noses and however we experience or describe fragrance is correct.
Mission 4: No Snobbery
Whether a fragrance is niche or designer, £10 or £1000, if it smells good we celebrate it. My philosophy is: if you love it, wear it and ignore what anyone else thinks. Taste is subjective and the most important thing is that fragrance makes you happy.
Mission 5: Have Fun
It’s just fragrance, let’s not take it too seriously. Let’s make it an accessible thing to enjoy by making it fun. The most important thing is that we enjoy our exploration of this beautifully scented world.