Core Memories and a Fragrance Created on Zoom: Talking Scents with Bee Shapiro
April 29 | 4 minute read
Words by Christie Sinclair
When it comes to scent, there isn’t much Bee Shapiro hasn’t sniffed. As a former New York Times beauty columnist, new fragrances would find their way to her desk daily, each one promising something they rarely delivered on.
Perfumery then, in the early ’00s, was still a boys’ club. Stifled by tradition, the same noses were concocting scents with the same stories – and they certainly weren’t using conscious ingredients. Shapiro felt something was missing: “The female perspective,” she explains, “is more intimate.”
In 2015, she made her move by launching her own brand Ellis Brooklyn, dedicating it to her unborn daughter and becoming one of the first to formulate using sustainably sourced ingredients. “As I was pregnant at the time, and I knew I was having a girl and was prepared to name her Ellis, I thought it would be this ideal representation of what could be,” she tells us. “How badass would it be to show my daughter what a woman could do in the fragrance space?”
In this instalment of Talking Scents, Shapiro shares how liquefying her feelings and memories, she was able to create cult scents that changed the status quo.
Bee Shapiro: “The smell of snow at Mount Rainier. Our family had just moved from Taiwan to Seattle, and it was such a startling smell.”
The first fragrance I wore…
BS: “If you count body sprays, my first was Love Spell by Victoria's Secret. But my first real fragrance that I wore for many years was Jean Paul Gaultier Classique.”
Falling in love smells like…
BS: “Cosiness and musk. If you asked me in my twenties, I would have said something like brightness and sweetness. I've lived enough life to know now that love means safety, intimacy and security in the best way.”
My favourite person smells like…
BS: “The sun and outdoors. I love that freshness of being outdoors during the summer.”
BS: “A cocktail! Maybe something fruity and warm in there would be nice.”
Australia smells like…
BS: “Fresh aloe sap and sun on the skin. I absolutely adore all my trips to Australia and wish I could stay longer.”
The fragrance I wear everyday…
BS: “Lately, I've been wearing Miami Nectar and Vanilla Salt quite a bit. I usually alternate days depending on my mood.”
The one note I would never wear…
BS: “I struggle with very smoky scents. They always give me a headache.”
The scent I wish existed…
BS: “A vetiver scent for women. I love vetiver but it does feel instantly masculine.”
BS: “Miami Nectar. That was a moment where I really let go of what is supposed to be ‘cool’ for the brand; instead, I channelled a feeling and core memory. I love being in the sun and I always joke no-one vacations harder than a Northerner. I have spent most of my life in cold climes – Seattle and New York – and so I am always daydreaming of Miami or some tropical vacation.”
The first step in creating a scent…
BS: “Spending some time by myself. I try to distil down, ‘What are my urges and wants in society now?’ I'm a big believer that fragrance is a reflection of culture. Right now, you can tell with all our fragrances, it's about escape.”
The scent I’m most proud of…
BS: “Oh goodness, that's like choosing a favourite child! My current favourites are Myth, Miami Nectar and Vanilla Salt. Myth was literally the first scent I made for Ellis Brooklyn and it reflected a time in my life. It's a perfect balance, for me, of femininity and everyday cool factor. Miami Nectar I love because I shared my dream with the world. Vanilla Salt is probably one of our most beautifully balanced fragrances and in a sea of vanillas, I think it comes off new and sophisticated and gorgeous.”
BS: “Bee. This was created during COVID-19 and entirely through Zoom meetings. It's about self-reflection and sweetness and darkness too. I was going through a divorce at the time, and it was a little perfume song for myself.”
The note combination that surprised me…
BS: “Dear Sky EDP and Vanilla Sin perfume mist layer so beautifully together! I discovered this when I was visiting some stores and store staff shared this amazing combination. It brings about this sophisticated, fruity-floral concoction.”
The most important thing I’ve learnt about fragrance…
BS: “Fragrance is a feeling. We love talking about notes, but the truth is notes can be so different depending on the context. I always want someone to tell me what the vibe of a fragrance is. For me, Miami Nectar and Guava Granita are all about hot girl summer.”
BS: “Satisfaction. I thought I could capture this with gourmands, but I find our gourmands to be cosy and enticing. I think that's because satisfaction is something different to everyone.”
A fragrance is finished when…
BS: “I'm a big believer in ‘when you know, you know’. It's like going on a date and you just know this is the right person. I literally have to fall in love with each of our fragrances. I have to have that gut feeling.”
