Boy Smells Woodphoria EdP - 2023 Fragrance Foundation Finalist for universal Prestige Fragrance of the Year

Created in 2022, Boy Smells Woodphoria is a Unisex Woody fragrance. Woodphoria is a technicolor fever dream, rich in ecstasy and sensual swoon. Worship the hot California sun and kneel to forest nymphs in psychedelic, old-growth woods-all at the same time. Bright fig leaves, young coconut, and jasmine flirt with moody sandalwood, sophisticated cedar, and blissed-out musk.

Key Notes: Coconut Water, Fig Leaves, Sandalwood

Boy Smells' Cologne de Parfum line launched after the success of their candle line. Each of the fragrances take notes often considered masculine or feminine and blends them in ways that makes them complement each other and expands them into something more. Boy Smells has always played with contrast of gender but also the juxtaposition of dissimilar notes, taking things that should be dissonant and making them harmonious. Historically, fragrances have been strictly "for men" and "for women," with everything from the campaigns to the bottles and the scents themselves being created within the strict confines of traditional gender roles. And while the past decade has seen brands evolving beyond gendering their scents, shirking the idea altogether and deeming its fragrances "genderless," Boy Smells is taking a slightly different route. With the arrival of Cologne de Parfum, Boy Smells aims to embrace all parts of the gender spectrum with a phrase it coined, "genderful." 

"To consider something to be genderful, I always have to have a balance of the masculine and feminine," explains Herman. "Gone are the days of, 'Oh, buy this fragrance and you're going to attract a really beautiful woman,' or 'Buy this fragrance and you'll have a sports car,'" explains Herman. "We really want to create scents that mix masculine and feminine together, that are as complex and layered as the identities of our customers and reflect modern identity through olfactive structures." The fragrances from any brand can be worn by anyone, no matter how they identify, and interpreted however the wearer chooses. 

"As a queer person who grew up in the '90s, I'm still [peeling away] the layers of the onion of what my identity would have been if I had grown up in a more progressive time," explains Herman. "Boy Smells is a little bit of a love letter to a version of myself who could have grown up as a teenager today, when there's just so much more representation of gender fluidity and queer representation. I strongly believe identity is not a destination, but a playground where you can take a lot of different paths and explore quite a lot."