The Heritage
The Story of Boy Smells
Boy Smells is a queer‑owned fragrance and candle house rooted in Los Angeles. Founded by Matthew Herman and David Kien, the label blends candle‑making heritage with contemporary body scents. Its collections move between home and skin, inviting anyone to explore scent without gendered expectations. The brand balances playful naming with a steady focus on quality, offering everything from the citrusy Citrush to the gourmand Banana Pudding.
Heritage
The story began in 2015 when Matthew Herman and David Kien launched Boy Smells as a candle company in Los Angeles. Their first line featured bold, unapologetically scented candles that challenged the pastel, gender‑specific market of the time. By 2016 the duo had positioned the brand as a gender‑fluid alternative, a stance highlighted in early interviews that described the label as a love letter to non‑binary expression. In 2021 Boy Smells expanded into fine fragrances, releasing its inaugural perfume line and signaling a shift from home‑only to body‑focused products. The expansion was covered by industry outlets that noted the brand’s seamless transition from wax to skin. A pop‑up flagship opened at 268 Elizabeth Street in New York’s SoHo in 2022, giving shoppers a tactile space to experience both candles and perfumes. The same year the brand introduced collaborations with artists such as Grace Jones and musician Kacey Musgraves, reinforcing its cultural relevance. In 2025 Boy Smells unveiled a new visual identity; the redesign sparked debate across social media, with some critics labeling it the “worst rebrand of 2025.” Despite mixed reactions, the rebrand underscored the founders’ willingness to evolve. Throughout its decade‑long journey, Boy Smells has remained anchored in a Los Angeles studio, where the founders continue to experiment with scent, design, and inclusive storytelling.
Craftsmanship
Production at Boy Smells begins in a Los Angeles studio where candle waxes are blended by hand using a mix of soy, coconut and paraffin bases, a formula disclosed in a 2022 feature on the brand’s manufacturing process. The same facility houses a small‑batch perfume lab where perfumers—often external collaborators—work with natural essential oils, absolutes, and synthetics sourced from reputable suppliers in France and the United States. Ingredient lists are printed on each product, allowing customers to trace notes back to their origins. For body fragrances, the brand follows a cold‑process method that preserves volatile top notes, a technique highlighted in a 2021 trade article about the brand’s fragrance launch. Quality control includes weekly sensory panels that evaluate consistency across batches. Packaging uses amber glass bottles for perfumes, protecting the liquid from light, while candles are housed in matte‑finished tins that reduce breakage. Recycled cardboard and soy‑based inks appear on outer packaging, aligning with the brand’s environmental commitments. The company also runs limited‑edition drops that experiment with rare ingredients such as lychee extract, demonstrating a willingness to push material boundaries while maintaining rigorous testing standards.
Design Language
Visually, Boy Smells favors a minimalist yet bold graphic language. Early candle labels featured blocky typography in pastel hues, a nod to 1990s skate culture, while later perfume bottles adopt sleek amber glass with simple black caps. The 2025 rebrand introduced a new logotype that replaces the original handwritten script with a geometric sans‑serif, a change that generated extensive online discussion. Marketing imagery often pairs the products with diverse models in everyday settings, reinforcing the brand’s gender‑fluid ethos. Store installations, such as the SoHo pop‑up, use raw concrete, reclaimed wood, and soft neon lighting to create a tactile, immersive environment. Collaborative pieces, like the Grace Jones limited edition, incorporate custom artwork printed directly onto candle tins, merging visual art with scent. Across all touchpoints, the aesthetic balances a clean, premium feel with playful color accents, making the brand instantly recognizable on a shelf without relying on overt luxury cues.
Philosophy
Boy Smells frames fragrance as a gender‑free language. The founders describe their mission as creating an ever‑evolving collection that feels at home on a candle holder or a wrist. Their public statements stress inclusivity, positioning scent as a personal expression rather than a market‑driven category. The brand’s “genderful” label reflects a deliberate rejection of binary marketing, a theme explored in a 2023 interview where Herman explained that scent should be a love letter to one’s younger self, regardless of gender identity. Collaboration is another pillar; partnerships with musicians and visual artists are chosen for shared values rather than pure commercial gain. Sustainability appears in their sourcing narrative, with an emphasis on responsibly harvested essential oils and recycled packaging. The philosophy also embraces playfulness: whimsical names like Cherry Slay and Sugar Baby coexist with serious craftsmanship, inviting consumers to approach scent with curiosity and confidence.
Key Milestones
2015
Boy Smells launches as a candle company in Los Angeles, founded by Matthew Herman and David Kien.
2016
The brand publicly adopts a gender‑fluid positioning, describing itself as a love letter to non‑binary expression.
2021
Boy Smells expands into fine fragrances, releasing its first perfume line.
2022
First standalone flagship pop‑up opens at 268 Elizabeth Street in New York’s SoHo.
2025
A comprehensive visual rebrand is unveiled, prompting widespread discussion on social media.
At a Glance
Brand profile snapshot
Origin
United States
Founded
2015
Heritage
11
Years active
Collection
3
Fragrances released
Avg Rating
3.7
Community sentiment
Release Rhythm