Unbeknownst to many, Chicago is a vibrant hub for independent fragrance brands. Enter our new blog series, Windy City Scents: Exploring Chicago’s Indie Fragrance Brands. We reached out to our favorite Chicago-based fragrance brands to uncover their origins and connection to Chicago. Our second installment features Alie Kiral, founder and perfumer of Pearfat Parfum.
With a collection that’s homegrown, whimsical, and experimental, Pearfat scents are redefining what fragrance can be: with perfumes featuring notes as wild as seaweed, lime cola, vinyl, and ozone. The entire collection is available for purchase at Merz Apothecary and Smallflower.com.
Q: Can you introduce yourself and explain your fragrance brand to anyone who might be unfamiliar?
A: My name is Alie Kiral, and I am the brand founder and perfumer of Pearfat Parfum! Pearfat Parfum is a brand of handmade fine fragrances designed to be whimsical, nostalgic, and accessible to all. I am a mostly self-taught perfumer and am interested in how the fragrance craft intersects with history, culture, and artistic expression. The Pearfat lineup of perfumes pays tribute to midwestern childhood memories and classic scents, always with a touch of humor.
Q: What’s your fragrance origin story? Do you have any memories attached to a specific scent that made you fall in love with fragrance and think about fragrance differently?
A: I grew up with a very glam mom, so applying perfume was always a ritual I watched her perform growing up. When I was around 5 years old, I was gifted a Tom Fields Tinkerbell perfume set that I was absolutely obsessed with - the smell was a very sweet lily of the valley fragrance, and the set came with a little powder pouf. I have always been enamoured with smelly things - good and bad smells! One of my first niche perfume experiences was later on in life, smelling the very controversial and famous Secretions Magnifique by Etat Libre D’Orange - at MERZ! - and being completely blown away that perfume could be so weird, gross, and challenging. My perfume interest was completely solidified when I began working for Lush Cosmetics in college, and learning all about how important storytelling is to making an interesting perfume.
Q: How did the idea for your brand start? When did you know you wanted to make a career out of it?
A: Pearfat was born out of my desire to tell my own weird little stories with scent - the Euro-centric, fancy pants, aspirational stories ring somewhat old and flat to me. I love to smell rose and sandalwood, but I also love to smell motor oil and popcorn. I wanted to make perfumes that felt more fun, experimental, and less serious than most of what was on offer in the world of niche perfume at the time. I wanted to crack jokes, make odes to my family and favorite things, and put some uniquely midwestern scents on display. I began to dive into the world of scent creation and the ideas have never stopped flowing.
Q: We’re proud to be one of very few niche fragrance retailers in the city. us about your relationship to Chicago. How has the city of Chicago and the surrounding area influenced your fragrances?
A: Chicago has been one of my favorite places on earth for my entire life - I grew up in Michigan, but visited often with my family, and decided while in college that I would move to Chicago as soon as I graduated, and I accomplished that goal. Merz was the first shop I ever visited that had truly unique niche perfumes, and I will never stop pinching myself that my line is now carried there!
Q: Do you have a favorite Chicago scent? A certain food, place, etc.?
A: My perfume, Multiball, is inspired by the Logan Arcade in Logan Square. It smells of sticky cola, lime, waxy floorboards, and has a metallic note inspired by playing pinball. Logan Arcade is a place I always feel safe, welcomed, and have a good time. Third spaces like that are rare and the experience there is really special, and the product of owners who prioritize community. I also associate Chicago with the smell of giardiniera (yum) and the Jackson CTA stop blue/red line tunnel (yikes, iykyk).
Q: What notes would you say evoke the energy of Chicago?
A: Petrichor, sparkly citrus notes, savory smoky notes.
Q: What has been the most unexpected challenge you’ve faced running an independent fragrance brand?
A: Keeping up! I work on Pearfat full-time, mostly alone. I'm so grateful to be booked and busy, but I work every single day to make sure I can fill orders on time and leave space for creative work, too.
Q: If you could go back in time to when you first started out, what advice would you give yourself? Would you change anything?
A: Don't use cheap sample vials, they will absolutely leak.
Q: What do you think makes your brand different from other fragrance brands?
A: I have a pretty distinct sense of humor and aesthetic that I think touches all parts of Pearfat. I pride myself on being a talented, sophisticated perfumer, but never hiding behind my brand - I want people to see how I work & where the perfumes I make come from at all points of production.
Q: Is there a certain feeling or emotion you hope your fragrances evoke?
A: Joy, laughter, comfort, nostalgia.
Q: Why do you think fragrance makes such a great tool for self expression?
A: It's fleeting, so you can change how you express yourself as often as your perfume allows. It functions like drag or a costume - you can "put on" whatever energy you need for the day.
Q: What’s a fragrance trend or note that you’re excited about right now?
A: I am a big fan of all of the savory and veggie-forward gourmands! More tomato leaf and celery and potato perfumes, please!
Q: What do you think people should know about the niche fragrance community in the midwest?
A: The midwest has always had such a unique point of view that sets it apart from the other parts of the country. I love that we're seeing new perspectives and non-traditional perfumes coming from a place that is so full of creative possibilities and such a huge diversity of experiences. Many perfumers from this part of the country are self-taught, which I personally think is incredibly badass. We're re-writing a lot of rules that have made fragrance a boring consumable product and creating art instead. Midwestern perfume brands bring authenticity, fun, and grit to perfumery in a huge way.
Q: What's next for your brand?
A: I hope to continue growing as a perfumery educator, and expand my workshop offerings. I am a big believer that anyone can make a cool, interesting piece of scented art, and I hope to continue to use Pearfat as a tool for teaching and inspiring. Also excited for a few collabs I have coming up this summer with other local creators!
The complete Pearfat Parfum line is available now at Merz Apothecary in Chicago, Illinois.
