David Roelen: My uncle’s piece of hash comes to mind. He was a hippie artist who lived in a commune and loved to smoke. Hash rocks were always lying around, and I could smell them as I walked by. I loved the mix of herbal, woody, and animalistic notes. It had such an aromatic quality, especially to me as a child.

It’s a value system. It’s not only about masculinity but about dissolving the borders between genders. I think of personality rather than gender when it comes to perfume. I’ve always envisioned a world where people interact free of fear and with respect. Perfume is one way to express this.

The design was shaped by necessity. When I started, I needed bottles that stood out and could be filled by hand. I also wanted something neutral. The flacon protects the liquid from sunlight and serves a clear function. For me, perfume doesn’t happen in a bottle, it happens when a person wears it.

People who share our values: they’re reflective, aware, respectful, and confident.

I’m not a “pro”, like, I didn’t formally study perfumery. I create olfactive concepts and work with master perfumers on their actualization.

But in this case, it’s pretty easy: Top notes diffuse quickly; they’re very present initially but fade soon after. The middle notes, where the top and base converge, build the perfume’s character. The base lasts until the end.

Imagine testing several commercial perfumes at a Duty Free Store—they all smell nice initially, but later, they often fade into sameness. These perfumes prioritize top notes to create an instant appeal, a strategy known as “Sniff n Buy” in the industry.

My approach for Roelen Perfumes, however, values top, heart, and base notes equally to create strong “personalities” and lasting impressions. For me, fragrance is an identity that unfolds over time—like truly getting to know someone.

I start with a name and concept, then explore base ingredients to see what resonates. I also create a briefing for my Perfumer (also called “Nose”) which can contain text, images, music, and video clips to convey what I want people to feel when they smell my perfumes. The Nose then creates variants, which I direct and we refine them iteratively until the scent feels right. This can take from weeks up to 9 months, per scent.

… to a feeling.

This concept hit me during research, discovering that 30% of all women buy men’s fragrances—a striking statistic, a third of all female customers! What?! Why does the industry cling to outdated ideas, perpetuating the notion of women as the “cute accessory” to successful men? This concept demanded transformation, and it had to become a fragrance. Associating certain ingredients with gender feels arbitrary—likely a marketing construct that, over time, became learned behavior: we associate specific scents with masculinity or femininity because of how our parents or grandparents smelled who were also brainwashed by the marketing teams.

The aim was to reinterpret everything typically considered masculine—shaving foam, lavender, herbal notes like sage or chamomile, tobacco, leather jackets, or car seats—by blending it with a gentler, modern perspective. The campaign debuted with a striking bottle and the headline: “She’s a Daddy.”

To clarify, it’s not about sugar daddies. These ingredients were historically taken from women; now, the status is reclaimed from men. Also, the bottle itself could symbolize “Daddy.” It leaves space for interpretation; it’s food for thought. And in a way, maybe a provocation and a gentle middle finger.

The second. Sometimes I’m even team “several fragrances in one day”.

Very often, we make decisions based on fear and “What will people think about me when I wear this?”. Instead of asking “Do I like this?”

Leaving self-doubt behind is really helpful. Being open to surprise yourself. Same for the idea of “That’s not me!” – well, maybe, it’s not who you were, but maybe, it is who you will be from tomorrow on.

That brings us back to the people that wear my scents. I think that’s exactly the process they are going through. They understand that we evolve and develop, and that change is something positive.

You know when people say “You have changed!” with this certain tone of voice? My usual response to that  is „Thanks!”.

I can only guess but I’d say they feel whole and confident when wearing it. 

For me, perfume is like a message. It is something that people can’t see but notice. “Invisible, yet there” so to say and it tells them a lot about you. When it’s right it matches your algorithm. It’s a part of you like a piece of clothing, a handbag, a hair color, everything, and when you can identify with it, you feel even more confident and because of that people will resonate with you.

The message lies in what people (in the campaign) tell each other: “I love the way you smell.” This campaign highlights genuine connections, featuring real friends and customers of the brand in 11 short video clips. It’s about rethinking gender and emphasizing personality. In one of the clips, one friend described another as “an infinite source of light,” which moved them to tears. I never imagined that this would happen, it was very powerful. 

Moments like these matter more to me than market success. The goal is for my perfumes to truly touch people.

Perfumes can be difficult gifts. 

Rebuying a perfume that somebody already uses? Cool. Also, if you don’t care and you just want to tell somebody “Hey, when I smell this, I think of you. Maybe you like it – here’s a gift”. But giving a new scent as a couple can put a lot of pressure on each person. And it can also go terribly wrong. 

For that, we have discovery sets which include all six perfumes in the line. That’s a nice way to let people discover perfumes playfully. Approach gifting with a bit more space to explore.

Chrystal Haze. It’s conceptual, futuristic, and curious—like Berlin, a melting pot where people come to find themselves.