Katy Perry has one. So do Britney Spears and One Direction. Celebrity-endorsed scent is the cornerstone of any perfume empire, but when those with indie-rock fame want to dabble in scent collaborations, they go to indie perfumer Sanae Barber (of Sanae Intoxicants). She approaches perfume the way most people approach drugs: "It's all about the immediate experience," she explains.
After listening to her favorite band, Vetiver, while on vacation in Santa Cruz, she got inspired to start blending perfume. Since then, Barber has been creating heady unisex scents made from exotic, natural oils. But Sanae Intoxicants doesn't smell like a yoga studio in Berkeley; instead, Barber sources rare and far-flung ingredients that suit the free spirit of the modern, stylish hippie tribes of California. Recently, she created a scent for Bonnie Prince Billy, and another called Innocence by Misty, a limited-edition bottling made with sexy L.A. faux-shaman folk singer Father John Misty. It happens to smell like a more palatable version of marijuana. Recently, Barber spoke with the Cut about blending perfumes for hippie rock stars, the scents of Middle Eastern airports, why she likes the smell of weed, and how partying is the key to a successful job. Excerpts:
How did you end up starting a perfume business?
After I took the class I became obsessed with this whole palette of scents that I was introduced to, so I started doing a lot of blending and mixing. I started wearing them out, and people were stopping me on the streets and at parties and bars, and asking me, What are you wearing? People wanted to buy it from me. And then I found a really nice bottle and packaging and got a little press. So things just evolved naturally on their own.
What is your signature scent?
For me, it’s probably Meadow Slumber just because that was the first one that I created, and that was the one that inspired me to keep making perfumes, and to keep finding new scents to work with.
Full Interview
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