An update on Nosey
In 2024, I want to present how scents evoke states of mind, ideas, and perspective.
Friends,
I’ll cut to the chase: Nosey is at an inflection to transform into a real business and/or continue on as an informal log of my progress toward becoming an independent perfumer. The next time I write, it may be about my new fragrance, Bookstore Cafe, or about a new website and newsletter sign-up.
Read on for more details! M
The road we traveled
Since 2020, my supportive fragrance pals (online and IRL) have helped me pursue this incredibly complex side-project: Setting up an at-home fragrance testing and sampling station, creating custom scents for practice, and sharing what I find through trial and error. I’ve learned how to study the market strategy of the big fragrance houses and retail partners. I discovered fellow perfume patrons, cologne colleagues, and aroma arbiters. Never doubt that someone who enjoys a good scent is an enthusiastic, curious person worth befriending.
The next mile: I’m working on migrating off of Substack for a less ideologically conflicted platform. Preparing for that change has prompted me to dig into deeper questions: What next? What needs to happen to make that happen?
First, I’m mailing three friends a sample of a new fragrance I made in the fall (working title: Bookstore Cafe).
📚 Bookstore Cafe is a unisex scent with a citrus, earthy introduction and settles into a woody, paper-like dry down. A bright coffee aroma travels gently between aisles of well-loved, worn pages.
It is the best of the three scents I made by far, so I made the call to send this one. This is the first time in almost two years I’ve made a fragrance for critique. This is truly the work of an amateur, and I am so proud of it.
Second, I’m preparing a new visual look for Nosey. When I started Nosey, I was focused on understanding materials—hence the leaves and allusion to plant materials. In 2024, I want to present how scents evoke states of mind, ideas, and perspective. I have my color palette and—since I’m not a designer—it’s taking some time for me to set up a new site and digital assets.
Third, I want to commercialize. I want to sell fragrances I’ve made, but I haven’t found a chemist (yet) to work with to ensure the professional standards needed to sell a top-tier fragrance. If folks give me money for anything, I want to show all the work that’s gone into it to make unique and high-quality products worth using. To do so, I’d like IFRA certification and safety assessments.
Fourth, I’d like to shift Nosey's editorial toward tracking industry trends and products. I will preserve my “progress" notes for occasional, behind-a-paywall diaries. This will allow me to share but, you know, not share too much.
I’m visiting London in March, and I hope to find lots of English rose and bergamot scents there.
Perfumer-in-my-residence,
Margarita Noriega