In an industry long dominated by heritage houses and signature scents, PHLUR is rewriting the rules of modern fragrance, with emotion at its core.
No longer just about notes and accords, scent has evolved into a form of self-expression, and PHLUR has positioned itself at the forefront of this shift by anchoring its identity in authenticity, storytelling, and sentiment.
Founded in Austin in 2015 on the principles of transparency and sustainability, PHLUR gained early recognition for its clean formulations and ethical practices.
But the brand’s true turning point came in 2021, when beauty incubator The Center, founded by Ben Bennett, acquired the label and brought on entrepreneur and beauty influencer Chriselle Lim to lead its creative direction.
Lim, in the midst of her own personal transformation during a public divorce, saw fragrance not only as a product, but as a portal to emotion.
Speaking with Because of Marketing, Lim reflected on the evolving role of scent:
“Today, fragrance is more about you, and expressing yourself through scent.
Consumers used to stick to just one signature scent, but they now want to personalize, play, layer, and test new combinations. Fragrance has become a true medium of self-expression.”
PHLUR’s fragrances draw inspiration from everyday emotions, whether it’s the intimacy of a quiet solo morning or the warmth of a comforting memory. The goal, Lim explains, is to create a full sensory experience, one that connects people to their daily lives through scent.
That emotional lens shaped PHLUR’s first rebranded launch, Missing Person. More than a perfume, it was a feeling, an ode to intimacy, nostalgia, and longing:
“Missing Person was deeply personal to me. It was inspired by my divorce and that haunting feeling of missing someone you love and still smelling their presence around you.
I wanted to bottle that raw emotion: the intimacy, the longing, the nostalgia, a feeling that resonated with so many people.”
That vulnerability struck a connection. Within days, the fragrance sold out and amassed a waitlist of over 275,000 people.
To date, Missing Person has sold more than 150,000 bottles and solidified PHLUR’s viral success.
What sets PHLUR apart in a crowded fragrance market isn’t just its minimalist packaging or expansive scent catalogue, it’s the way the brand makes fragrance feel human. From ‘Father Figure’ to ‘Vanilla Skin’, each scent is designed to help customers discover themselves through olfactory storytelling.
This philosophy aligns with a broader shift in consumer behaviour. The idea of the “signature scent” is fading. Instead, modern fragrance lovers are curating ‘scent wardrobes’, a term which involves layering and rotating perfumes based on their mood, memory, or moment.
That balance of authenticity and scalability defines PHLUR’s latest chapter. Just last week, the brand was acquired by private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners, marking a new phase of growth. With expected retail sales surpassing $150 million this year, PHLUR is now among the fastest-growing fragrance brands across major retailers including Sephora, Amazon, and Space NK.
Yet even as PHLUR steps into new markets and broader distribution, Lim remains committed to protecting its core identity:
“This milestone marks a new era of growth and opens the door for continued innovation, deeper community engagement, and global expansion..what’s most important to me is that our vision and values remain the same.
Nothing changes in the day-to-day, and I’ll continue in my role as Creative Director, focused on crafting stories through scent and bottling up the raw, emotional moments that connect us all. As we scale, authenticity will remain at the heart of everything we do.”
PHLUR’s rise signals a broader transformation in the modern fragrance world. As consumers move beyond traditional luxury cues in search of deeper emotional connection, brands that lead with heart, not just heritage, are winning.
By turning scent into story and vulnerability into value, PHLUR isn’t just bottling perfume. It’s bottling emotion. And other brands should take note.
To explore the full collection, visit www.phlur.com.
