By Angelina Cappiello
She has crafted perfumes for well-known perfume giants such as Tiffany, Burberry, Trish McEvoy, Avon, Diane von Furstenberg and Lancaster, to name a few. Her journey from aspiring actress to fragrance expert has earned her several awards. But it is her most recent efforts in helping people who have lost their sense of smell due to Covid19 that has the name, Sue Phillips, in the ear of millions - as she’s becoming a well-known brand all her own.
In her new book, The Power of Perfume: How to Choose It, Wear it, and Enjoy It!
Sue speaks about her unexpected journey in the beauty industry. Sue Phillips is one of the world’s leading perfume experts with over 25 years in the business. She has held top-level positions with the biggest brands in beauty before opening The Scentarium, a meticulous shop which was located in Manhattan, where Sue began some of her most intimate and inspired work for her clients which include actors Jamie Fox, Katie Holmes, and Zendaya, to name a few.
But you need not be an actor to receive excellent service from Sue. She takes each client's needs and wants into account in order to create their signature perfume or cologne. “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future,” Coco Chanel famously said. They are words Sue has always lived by.
The pandemic of 2019, however, steered Sue in a new direction and in a braver new world. As the coronavirus shut down most of Manhattan, and the building in which her ‘Scentarium’ was once held, Sue saw a beacon of hope. Covid sufferers who lost their sense of smell due to the virus, desperately sought help or fell into despair caused by their loss of smell and taste and Sue was there to help. Since then, Sue has relocated her perfume boutique to the tony area of the Upper East Side of Manhattan on 80th Street between Madison and Fifth, which has now been renamed, Sue Phillips Fragrance.
“Smell is such a big part of life’s pleasures,” says Phillips. “It is our most powerful sense because it connects memory and emotion. After COVID, people began to realize how crucial it is to our lives. When it is out of reach, it affects many realms of life, including eating and taste. People get very depressed. It’s devastating. The fact that I’m able to help them rediscover their sense of smell and get back to enjoying life again is one of the best parts of my job. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to help people.”
Sue quickly discovered a way to help her clients and began hosting private scent sessions at her upper east side studio. Sue’s signature fragrance journey, featuring 18 scents she hand-makes from ingredients like spices, florals, musk, lavender, and oils, has become one her best-selling products, which has helped many begin to gain their sense of smell back.
Sue says, she tells clients, “Let’s just be present, just concentrate, smell with your brain” – to allow “the vibrations and the frequencies” to do their work. “I’m not a doctor, and I’m not a chemist, but I know the extraordinary powers of fragrance,” said Sue.
A second generation South African, Sue came to America to achieve the dream we all dream. Today, her tenacity, determination, and business sense has earned her several awards from top business organizations, as well as several spots on some of the world’s largest news stations.
From cosmetic trainer to a passionate scent-ologist, Sue says she studied product scents and product marketing at some of today’s largest fragrance houses. She spent time working in product development & marketing for Arden, as Marketing Director for fragrance and men’s skincare at Lancôme, and Vice President of Marketing for Tiffany& Co, spearheading the development, creation, and launch of the successful TIFFANY perfume for their 150th Anniversary internationally. From Tiffany, Sue established her company Scenterprises Inc., and designed and launched fragrances for Society by Burberry, Burberry for Men, Diane von Furstenburg, and many other well -known brands.
“I would love to say I always dreamed of being in the industry,” Sue joked. “The truth is everything I have done up until now has been serendipitous,” said Sue. “Not without hard work. There was plenty of hard work.”
Her new book, a best-seller already in its own right, is a homage to her journey and the power of perfume. The 280-page book is filled with highlights from Phillips’ career, myths about perfume and little-known-facts about the intoxicating effect of fragrance on all your senses.
“I always ask my clients, ‘Why wear what everyone else wears when you can create your own? It’s amazing when somebody says to you, ‘Oh, what are you wearing?’ It’s a reflection on you, and your choices which generates a feeling of confidence and wellbeing, to make you feel empowered that your fragrance reflects who you are.”
Private scent sessions with Sue start at $1500., while her 18-piece Deluxe Scent Healing Kit with scents to help clients “smell with their brain” is available on her website for $295.00.
1) What is the one thing everyone should know about the power of fragrance?
Our sense of smell is our most powerful sense because it connects memory & emotion, smell and taste. Without it, life can be really dismal. Fragrance has the ability to evoke deep emotional connections, influence mood, and trigger memories, making it a powerful tool for well-being and self-expression. Fragrance can uplift, calm, or energize, allowing you to create personal experiences and connections through scent. Imagine life without being able to enjoy taste and smell when it comes to food. This was punctuated very strongly when people suffered from Covid Anosmia and were unable to smell and, in some cases, not be able to recognize or taste food, which is called Dysgeusia. People only really pay attention to their olfactory sense once it is lost, and then they realize its significance and importance of it.
2) When it comes to scents, what is the one most people enjoy and why?
There is never just ONE scent that is universally enjoyed as there are so many scents that appeal to different cultures and ages. However, the one scent most people tend to enjoy is vanilla. Vanilla is appealing because of its warm, sweet, and comforting qualities. It often evokes a sense of nostalgia and calm, reminding people of comforting experiences like home-baked goods or warm, cozy environments. Its familiarity and softness make it an inviting and non-intrusive scent that many people find soothing and pleasant, for both men and women.
3) For people suffering from anosmia, what relief can your kit provide and how does it work?
For people suffering from anosmia (loss of smell), our custom Scent Healing kit can offer relief by helping them retrain their sense of smell through olfactory training. This method involves regular, repeated exposure to scents, which can stimulate the olfactory receptors and gradually improve their ability to detect and recognize smells.
How it works:
1. Evaluate the Fragrances: The kit includes
fragrance notes from main categories: fresh, floral, fruity, spicy, and earthy/woody. These are chosen because they represent a broad range of olfactory experiences.
2. Daily Smell Training: The user sniffs each fragrance for about 20 seconds, twice a day, focusing on each scent's characteristics. Over time, this can help "retrain" the brain to recognize and process smells.
3. Consistency and Gradual Progress: Smell training is gradual, and while it may take weeks or months to notice improvement, studies have shown that this consistent practice can help restore partial or full olfactory function in some cases.
4. Emotional and Psychological Support: As discussed,
Scent is closely tied to memory and emotion, so reconnecting with smells through this process can be uplifting and comforting for those who've lost their sense of smell. By engaging with a range of pleasant, familiar fragrances, people with anosmia may gradually regain olfactory sensitivity, enhancing their quality of life and well-being. We have a Scent Healing kit with 12 of our perfume blends which span the entire Olfactory palate, and one with the full range of 18 blends – both have been effective in helping Anosmia sufferers to ‘smell with their brain’!
4) You’ve worked with some of the top fragrance houses in the world.
Why is finding or creating a personal scent so special?
Finding or creating a personal scent is so special because it is a deeply intimate form of self-expression that can reflect your unique personality, mood, and identity. Just like a signature, a personal scent becomes a part of how people perceive and remember you. It evokes emotions, creates lasting impressions, and can even influence your own mood or confidence. When people greet you, the comment: “You smell amazing” is uplifting, and makes you feel happy, confident, sexy and sensual. It boosts your personal ‘scent quotient’!
For more information on the Sue Phillips brand visit her websites, www.SuePhillips.com, www.Scenterprises.com, and on all social media sites as @SuePhillipsFragrance, @scentfullysue, and @scenterprises
Sue@suephillips.com to the link as well as sue@scenterprises.com and scenterprise@gmail.com