The Story Behind The Latest Viral Fragrance: From Divorce to 250K Waitlists

From heartbreak to fragrance empire: How PHLUR became the Taylor Swift of scent

When Chriselle Lim took over PHLUR in 2021, she was going through a divorce and wanted to bottle up loneliness itself, specifically, the scent of someone's skin that brings warmth when you're alone. What started as emotional therapy became a fragrance phenomenon with 250,000-person waitlists.

This week on The Formula, Kelly chats with the woman behind PHLUR about turning personal trauma into business gold, why fragrance wardrobes are replacing signature scents, and how she built a community so devoted they'll blind-buy every release. From the genius behind fragrance names like Father Figure and Missing Person, to why Gen Alpha treats fragrance like fashion, Chriselle reveals how storytelling drives every scent creation. Plus, she reveals which PHLUR fragrance to try first (spoiler: it's the "blue jeans of fragrance") and her take on what Australia would smell like as a scent.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED:

PHLUR Fragrances:

FOR MORE WHERE THIS CAME FROM:

Watch & Subscribe on YouTube – Watch this episode, tonight at 7pm! Catch it here.

Join our You Beauty Facebook Group here

For our product recommendations, exclusive beauty news, reviews, articles, deals and much more - sign up for our free You Beauty weekly newsletter here

Subscribe to Mamamia here

GET IN TOUCH:

Got a beauty question you want answered? Email us at youbeauty@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note on Instagram!

You Beauty is a podcast by Mamamia. Listen to more Mamamia podcasts here.

CREDITS:

Hosts: Kelly McCarren

Guest: Chriselle Lim

Producer: Sophie Campbell

Audio Producer: Tegan Sadler

Video Producer: Artemi Kokkaris

Just so you know — some of the product links in these notes are affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission if you buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support the show. Happy shopping!

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Published on 2 weeks ago

Podcast Episode Details

The Story Behind The Latest Viral Fragrance: From Divorce to 250K Waitlists