There have been some events happening in the world that can be smelled and then thought about: The Fenty Par FUM : What it smells like. What it's made of. What's the deal with that logo. Also, Rihanna's government name is Robyn?? (It is.) Also, all these scented stunt products from IKEA and Ford. Plus, some very fascinating and confusing scientific discoveries in a bug's nose about how olfactory receptors work -- that while being very exciting, we are not entirely sure what it means? But we're t...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 45
We all remember navigating the mall through the huge beauty floors (because you always had to enter the mall through a department store for some reason) where your friendly fragrance sales associates would be demo-ing the latest, pungiest (you know what I mean), designer-iest fragrances. Well, we have always wondered what it's like to have one of the most glamorous jobs at the mall: perfume girl. So we decided to talk to one former fragrance demo (and current illustrator and artist extraordinair...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 44
The smell of love is not quite the same thing as the scent of lust . The latter is more... slutty for lack of a more polite word. But along all the lines of all things amorous and sessual , the scents we associate with attraction, sex, and love are often not quite the odors present in either context. And sometimes they are. So that's what we're talking about in this definitely not PG episode. [ What we smell like: Floraiku One Umbrella For Two, Byredo X Oliver Peoples] Find more info, episodes, ...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 43
So you thought targeted ads would stop at just your eyes and your ears? No, they're coming for your nose as well — in fact, they've been there and you may or may not have even been aware of it. Some such companies like our guests for this episode, Air Aroma, are responsible for curating the olfactive vibes in any kind of space, from hotel lobbies to fancy stores, homes of the rich and famous, car dealerships, cruise ships, airline lounges, and even medical offices. In this episode, we discuss sc...
Jul 13, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 42
Another bi-annual round of AMA Q&As submitted by our dear and loyal SYL listeners. We cover all sorts of topics, including career stuff, beauty products that are just OK, Tynan's eternal scourge with Santal 33, things to buy, things not to buy, the capitalist success paradigm, and other things of absolutely no libelous nature whatsoever. Get to know a bit more about the SYL hosts... six months after they did one of these interrogation episodes previously. [Fragrances mentioned: By Kilian Rol...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 41
If you've watched any beauty YouTube (or Instagram) in the past decade you're likely well aware of Huda Beauty. But the brand's co-founder Mona Kattan also has an extremely high-profile (perhaps the highest) side hustle with KAYALI , a very fancy fragrance brand. Perhaps you've heard about it from Tynan absolutely losing it over Sweet Diamond Pink Pepper in previous episodes, or more likely from Mona herself because she is much more influential than we, and also she runs the brand, obviously. We...
Jun 22, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 40
We are discussing Tynan's most loathed topic: deodorant. And in an attempt to talk about anything but this topic, he deftly veers the discussion around to: pimple-popping (videos and IRL), scabies, ballsacks, natural beauty's foibles, the clothes that make B.O. even worse, sunscreen (again), sexual handshakes, and of course the deodorants we actually like because they work . (You have to listen to the episode to learn those, you thought you could cheat just by looking at the episode notes, did y...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 39
Everyone knows that when you start smelling that sweetly tropical scent of sunscreen on everyone's skin, summer is officially here. But what is that particular scent that we all seem to just know ? We do a not-that-deep dive into our favorite sunscreen brands' telltale fragrances and get into what our favorite classic summer fragrances are for getting into all the kinds of trouble that only this hellishly horny season can enable. [ What we smell like today : Louis Vuitton On The Beach, Copperton...
Jun 08, 2021•49 min•Ep. 38
There are certain fragrances that carry connotations of the types of personalities who wear them loud and proud. And for those unfortunate few fragrances who did nothing wrong other than hang around the wrong crowd of certain men about town... they have come to be the aromatic warning waft for the fuccboi™. For reasons unknown to all but the marketing teams behind their mass success, these certain fragrances are implicitly known by anyone with a beating heart as the scent of fuccbois. Your hosts...
May 25, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 37
"Skin scents" are a newly trendy fragrance aesthetique that we can all thank/blame the people who brought you 'no-makeup makeup' and con culture. Just kidding (maybe)! We've had a vague idea of what skin scents are—transparent, musky, "natural"-smelling, non-perfume-y fragrances that mold to the wearer's skin chemistry—but not what's actually in the juice. So we took it up with the molecule master Geza Schöen, perfumer and founder of Escentric Molecules. The fragrance brand's debut fragrance iso...
May 18, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 36
“Clean” is the biggest beauty buzzword in recent history, but what does it mean ? Rosie Jane Johnston of By Rosie Jane joins us to help demystify how loosely the term is thrown around, yet has come to define the current era of makeup, skincare, and yes, fragrance. By Rosie Jane launched in 2010 as a "clean" fragrance brand, before the term became the rallying cry it is today. She shares her unique, holistic perspective on what it means for her brand and the industry at large. [ What we smell lik...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 35
Addictions are the hedonistic and sometimes dangerous expression of our indulgences, so it should be of little surprise that scents are a huge indicator, enabler, and even keeper of our fondness for these experiences that may be toxic in nature—but definitely not in this fragrance concept. That's the sweet spot that Akro hits, a new perfume brand from Anaïs Cresp, Jack Miskelly, and Olivier Cresp, the nose behind the six fragrances in their initial offering (and behind Angel, Light Blue, Nina Ri...
May 04, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 34
You may have noticed how the co-hosts of this podcast audibly cringe every time we talk about a fragrance that is marketed as an "oriental" scent. It feels icky and wrong and way tone-deaf. Because it is. But why does the fragrance industry continue using such an outdated term in such a blasé matter-of-fact way? It's not like there aren't a ton of other more accurate descriptors that could be used to better explain a fragrance. It remains a mystery, however, one that more and more people are sta...
Apr 27, 2021•49 min•Ep. 33
How do you apply fragrance? Well, that is a many-pronged question, pondered for many years and with varying degrees of authority on the matter. Tl;dr: it depends. How far do you want your scent to emanate? How many enemies do you have? Why doesn't perfume ever last as long as you want it to, no matter how much you douse yourself? (That we can help with.) Your hosts will answer these queries and many more things that no one and everyone asked us on the matter, imparting our fragrant knowledge on ...
Apr 20, 2021•45 min•Ep. 32
If you want to talk about fragrance, you have to talk to Luca Turin. So we did. The biophysicist and writer wrote the book on fragrance—three actually—which were some of the first published guides to contemporary fragrance starting in the 1990s. He's since studied the science of how scent works with our sense of smell, still a grand mystery. Also a mystery: why masculine scents are so...the way that they are, what marks the difference between a scent and a fragrance, what makes some fragrances r...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 31
Are you team switch-up-your-fragrance-for-Spring or are you bad at sports? There are arguments for both and we have them here in this episode. Seasonal fragrances do the shelf shuffle twice a year, and now is one of those times. When the rising temps and hems mean more skin to spritz, some of us break out the Spring-y fragrances in favor of our whatever-seasons-come-before-Spring fragrances. What is a Spring fragrance, you ask? Well, allow us to tell you what our ideas of seasonal scents are and...
Mar 30, 2021•45 min•Ep. 30
So many people are alarmed at the presence of added fragrance and scent in their skincare products. But scent in skincare products is also there for the added experiential element of enjoyment. Dermatologists and Skincare Youtube will ditch scent in skincare as any non-essential ingredient that can possibly lead to an allergic reaction would be, but there is a way to live your life and moisturize your face while having your very own little Calgon take me away moment. One skincare brand that's al...
Mar 23, 2021•59 min•Ep. 29
Have you ever wondered how so many celebrities have perfumes? We have (obviously). So we asked Steve Mormoris, CEO of Scent Beauty and former CMO at Coty Beauty, how and why famous folks like Cher, Dolly Parton, and Beyoncé create fragrances—and how Lady Gaga's Fame perfume was originally meant to smell like sperm and blood (and whose sperm it was based on). [What we smell like today: Boy Smells Violet Ends, Almost Guilty Internal Affairs] Find more info, episodes, and merch at Smellyalater.live...
Mar 16, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 28
Your sense of smell is a powerful connector for your memories and emotions but it can also be an avenue to improving your mental and emotional wellbeing. Supplement brand The Nue Co offers two fragrances that do just that. We speak with VP of product Flo Glendenning about the science behind their Functional Fragrance and Forest Lungs, and how the goal of wellness isn't just self-optimization, it involves connecting to nature and your environment, for which your sense of smell is an alternative r...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 27
We finally did it. Our obsession with celebrity fragrance brings us to interview queer pop icon Haley Kiyoko about her first fragrance Hue . Two years in the making, it's being released into the world like... tomorrow, but not after a slew of ideations on how to create the kind of scent that feels like a "virtual hug." Before you ask, it's made for everyone by which we mean, it's made for anyone needing an aura of safety and security where one can feel their most authentic. So yeah, that's prett...
Mar 02, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 26
Rodrigo Flores-Roux is the nose behind some of the most popular fragrances you've been spritzed with at the mall (Clinique Happy, John Varvatos, Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy), as well as some of the most celebrated niche, luxury perfumes that he was contractually unable to discuss with us (rhymes with Chom Board). Flores-Roux has been in the scent game since the 1990s, having created probably over 300 perfumes (he lost count). He graciously tells us all about his journey from studying biology i...
Feb 23, 2021•57 min•Ep. 25
It's the episode that we (mostly Tynan) have all been waiting for. We're doing Valentine's Day with an early surprise episode discussing scents of former lovers and former lives, a semi-accurate and entirely too broad discussion of aphrodisiacs, and...edibles? Grab a box of conversation hearts, don't you dare text your ex, and join us in celebrating the most wonderful time of the year. [What we smell like this episode: Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning, Byredo Seven Veils] Follow the p...
Feb 14, 2021•48 min•Ep. 24
You know those cool, eye-catching candles that pop up on your Instagram feed (usually in a very aesthetic post) and are so VIVID that it's like you can smell them from your phone screen? Yeah, we know them too. Known for their striking packaging and uniquely quirky and luxurious scents that can fill your studio apartment as well as they can fill your chalet, Otherland creates interesting home scents for interesting people. Brand founder Abigail Stone comes on the pod to talk about what it's like...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 23
The beauty world is full of dupes galore and for good reason: shit's expensive. But when it comes to fragrance, dupes are on a whole 'nother level— namely, that they are generally shameless about the fact that they are knocking off another designer fragrance. No perfume is too precious to mimic at a lower price point (and concentration)! Naturally, your hosts have fEeLiNgS about the matter. Also, it turns out, so do you. Consider this episode a semi-roundtable discussion of what constitutes a du...
Feb 02, 2021•48 min•Ep. 22
Would you rather lose your cell phone or your sense of smell? Apparently, a lot of chuckleheads would be OK with losing their sense of smell. BUT! Did you know just how integrated your sense of smell is to your mental and physical well-being, your ability to sniff out an ideal mate, and experiencing a full spectrum of emotions (and flavors!) in 4kHD? Tim Apple could never. Neurologist and smell-specialist Rachel Herz kindly blows our smooth little minds with heaps of information about just how u...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 21
Atelier Cologne is not only a prolific collection of fragrances but also an olfactive retelling of the love story between the two founders, Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel. Can you stand it? Brand Ambassador and Atelier Cologne's first employee Ross Barry joins the pod to take us through the history of the brand from how it started, how they stay true to their nature-derived and environmentally sustainable practices, and how the brand keeps current in the increasingly competitive beauty an...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 20
We know it's 2021 or whatever, but we're starting off the year by dusting off this vintage gem from early days that we just...never published for some reason. Never too late to right a wrong! Recorded in early September 2020, this episode is all about the way scents have become pins in the maps of our lives, harkening back to places, environments, and contexts that employ the likes of SpaghettiOs, automobile paint, garbage water, hot dog carts, and much more as odor anchors in our travels. [Frag...
Jan 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 19
Smell Ya Later's inaugural year is coming to a close and this candle in the wind is going out with...an inquisition. You asked and we put all those asks in a pile to save for one whole episode to deliver. Dear listeners, this episode is for you because we love you and are so grateful that you tune in every week to hear all about what we smell like. Therefore, all of the inquisitive, intelligent, shady, and invasive questions you've slid into our DMs shall be indulged in our most illuminating epi...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 18
We all remember THOSE commercials — the orgasmic shower scenes inspired not from a highly pressurized hose attachment but the euphoric scent of...Herbal Essences shampoo. Its bright, fruity, and floral scent wafted from every hair flip and ponytail swish of the 90s and early aughts (and before that as well but we weren't alive then) and remains one of the most memorable haircare scents today. Proctor & Gamble's master perfumer and senior perfumers (respectively), Zerlina Dubois and Stacy Her...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 17
The word "iconic" gets thrown around a lot. So does the word "literally." Well, prepare for an encore when we tell you that Krigler is literally one of the most iconic fragrance houses in the WORLD. Their exquisite juices have spritzed the necks of royalty (American and otherwise), celebrity, Oscar winners, literary icons, and also the iconically wealthy. Hepburn, Kelly, Dietrich, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Kennedy — Krigler truly is the scent of ICONS. Ben Krigler, the great great (great?) grandson...
Dec 15, 2020•59 min•Ep. 16
