Black Woman are Showing Up Unapologetically in the Fragrance Space—This Brand is at the Forefront

As a Brown consumer, I’ve noticed far too often how white-dominant the fragrance space is. While we’ve traditionally thought of European fragrance houses as the standard, this year alone, I’ve discovered so many incredible Black-owned and operated fine fragrance brands that are setting a new standard. One where Black and Brown women are at the forefront of creating luxurious, high-quality scents that rival the houses we’ve come to know and love.

A recent brand discovery I can’t get enough of is Forvr Mood. Co-owned and operated by Jackie Asamoah (formerly Aina), an OG beauty influencer I’ve loved and followed for years. Asamoah built Forvr Mood around a deep love of self-care and a mood-elevating routine. She feels that fragrance is the way in for both. Initially, she was inspired to create her own brand due to the frustration of having hyperhidrosis as a child. “I got into wearing perfume at the early age of nine years old,” she tells us. “At the time, it was the only way I could think of to manage sweating a lot. As I grew into adulthood, I realized most fragrance brands were either really high-end and masculine, or kitschy or cheap-looking, and there was no in-between. Fragrance was an extremely serious and stuffy business. Most consumers were intimidated by walking up to a perfume counter in a mall or a shopping store because, sometimes, they don’t even know where to start. I wanted to change that. I also wanted a brand that spoke to someone who looked like me: Black women are obsessed with smelling good, but are hardly at the forefront of fragrance campaigns, marketing, and conversations about scent in general. So that is what birthed Forvr Mood. It’s a brand where the products look visually beautiful, speak to grown women, and an overall brand that still feels attainable, both from how we speak about fragrance in general, but also the price point.”