New Earth with Olfactive O Brand Founder Olivia da Costa
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What inspired Olivia da Costa to start Olfactive O and how did her early scent memories shape the brand?
Smello fragrance lovers, I hope you are smell. Sorry, I mean I hope you are well, but I do also hope that you are smelling good. It's essential to me that you smell good whilst listening to this podcast, so if you don't, please pause, rectify that, and come back. Thank you. Welcome back to yet another episode of Making Scents Make Sense, the podcast that is all about demystifying the wonderful world of scent in a way that is fun and accessible without snobbery, gatekeeping or BS. As ever, I am Thomas Sunkley and I'm your host. I am on a mission to get into the nitty gritty with some of the fragrance industry's most interesting people, quizzing them all about what they do and how they make this perhaps the most fascinating industry on the planet.
Today's guest is the wonderful Olivia da Costa, founder and creative director of Olfactive O. Do you ever meet those people who just radiate pure light? Olivia is one of those people. She exudes warmth and generosity and Olfactive O is a brand that's very much in line with that. Olfactive O puts accessibility at the heart of everything it does. For a start, the fragrances are priced really reasonably for niche fragrances, starting at £65 for 30ml. Each one also has a really straightforward concept. The name is typically, but not always, a fragrance family, and each comes with a personality statement which is printed on the label. So before you've even sniffed the scent, you've got a pretty spot on idea of what it's all about, just by picking up the bottle.
It's a brand I really love and I'm so glad to have Olivia on the podcast to talk all about how she created something so special. And we also spent some time talking about her brand new launch, the out of this world, beautiful new earth. So let's just dive straight into that interview after a very brief word from our sponsors.
of Making Sense Make Sense is sponsored by Carium. Did you know that smell is the only one of our senses that doesn't have a specific language? To talk about the smells we experience, we must borrow from our other senses, relying on the language of texture, color, sound, taste, and emotion to describe what our noses experience. Carium's innovative AI technology puts language at the center of the user experience. Using a large language model built with vast amounts of textual data, it maps how scents are described in language, coupling this with the customer's own word associations to guide them to unexpected fragrance matches. It's not just about AI, it's about immersive storytelling through Scent, allowing customers to see, smell and feel fragrances in a way that connects to their memories and emotions. The Scent Sommelier uses language to deliver a precise personal recommendation that feels both scientific and emotional in three easy steps. One, customers select the type of fragrance they're searching for from a choice of up to 16 fragrances from a single brand or multiple brands. Two, they tap through a series of scent and word cues and with each tap,
AI adapts. And three, the Scent Sommelier identifies their signature fragrance, all whilst the customer smells along in an interactive experience. Carium's The Scent Sommelier launched in the UK last summer and can be found in Selfridges on Oxford Street as part of the Famine counter, and also at the Richmond Fragrance Boutique, Puff on the Dance. So why not pop in and see how the language of scent and Carium's innovative AI solution can guide you to discover a new fragrant love.
Olivia, it's such a joy to have you on the podcast properly. I know that you came and you did a flyby when I was at Barnes last year and came and chatted for a minute or two. But it's really lovely to have you on the podcast to talk long form about everything olfactory though. So thanks for joining me. Thank you for having me. I'm very honoured to be on your podcast. It's an absolute pleasure to have you. Now, I know that fragrance and smell is a huge part of your life. But what I'm really curious to know is, do you remember when you first consciously thought about smell? Yes, I do, because I still think about it quite a lot. I guess as a creating scent, you always think, where did it start? And it's my grandma's bathroom.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What inspired Olivia da Costa to start Olfactive O and how did her early scent memories shape the brand?
0:10–7:31
2
How did Olivia’s experience as a buyer for John Lewis and The White Company influence the creation of her own fragrance line?
7:31–15:57
3
How did Olivia meet her “top‑secret” perfumer and what made their partnership unique?
15:57–23:31
4
What is the role of personality statements on Olfactive O bottles and how are they developed?
23:31–30:53
5
How was the unusual Gourmand fragrance conceived during lockdown and what story does it tell?
30:53–38:39
6
Why did the abstract “Skin” fragrance become a core product and how does the fingerprint‑on‑the‑bottle concept work?
38:39–45:41
7
What is the story behind the 10‑year‑in‑the‑making “New Earth” launch and who is its target personality?
45:41–53:37
8
What are Olivia’s future plans for Olfactive O – new formats, collaborations and expanding the scent‑and‑food experience?
53:37–54:44