Indulge in a custom fragrance experience at Chémin!
November Nichols began her self-care journey and path to a new career after a pivotal moment. Her previous high-stress, high-power position in education publishing didn’t allow her to spend as much time as she wanted with her child, and she began meditating because of it. “This rock bottom moment led me to my meditation practice, which includes a ritual of lighting a candle and pouring myself a cup of tea,” she says.
When she discovered that her preferred candle was discontinued, Nichols panicked, especially because she was sensitive to many fragrances. Not being able to find a replacement led her to found Chémin, a custom fragrance house based in Armour Yards. “We’re a self-care company disguised as a fragrance brand. We believe that self-care is vital. Fragrance is personal, and it leads you on a personal journey. A lot of times that journey is inward.”
Here’s where her journey has taken her so far.
How did it all start with one candle?
That candle set my soul on fire. It released me. I started making natural butters, oils and scrubs, and adding my fragrant aromatics to them.
I was giving them to girlfriends, and I had one encourage me to test the market. We took the products to a Pinterest conference and sold out in days. One client came up to me and said, “I don’t want a scrub or a butter; I want a perfume. The company that made my fragrance discontinued the scent.” Sound familiar?
I realized there was a gap in the market. When people lose beloved fragrances, they want to replace them without searching through thousands of commercial fragrances. We started out as L’Artisan Muse at Paris on Ponce then at Westside Provisions District in 2019. Then 2020 happened, and we closed our shop.
Why did you rebrand as Chémin?
I was talking to my biological father, who did not raise me. We were still getting to know each other. I told him I was working on my fall/winter collection of fragrance notes. He got eerily quiet and then told me that my grandmother, whom I had never met, made fragrances, teas and tinctures in her community. Her name was Marylena Chémin Portales. And I decided to rebrand after her. Chémin also means “path” in French.
What should someone expect from the in-person custom fragrance experience?
We’re a private fragrance house, by appointment only. It starts with an assessment to get to know you and how you move. It’s important to know how a fragrance will have to perform for you, how you sweat, allergies, etc. We then pull a palette of scents from our library of 500 different notes and accords. A certified master artisan will then craft a signature scent for you on the spot. It’s an exclusive experience. You can do it one time, or we have our Scent Society membership that allows us to keep your formulas on file to create perfumes, butters, oils and more. We also work with businesses and brands. Fragrance is part of a brand experience. We create scent marketing experiences. We recently did an affordable luxury collection for JCPenney. They wanted to have a prestige fragrance. We also have partnered with several individuals and brands to create custom fragrances.
CHÉMIN
maisonchemin.com
@maisonchemin
