In Indie Perfume Brand Spotlight, we question different brands to find out more about their brand and the people behind it. This time we question Michael Paul of Dominican Republic-based Day Three Fragrances
About You
Tell us who you are?
Day Three Fragrances is a small, family owned, independent fragrance house. Michael Paul is the perfumer, and his wife Vanessa owns the company. Michael’s daughter Dakota works in the business and helps out at events.
How did you get into the perfume industry?
I (Mike) was a magician for many years, and pursued perfumery as a hobby. It provided a zen-like meditative activity to focus on when I needed a break from thinking about magic. In 2020, entertainers found themselves out of work because of the COVID shut downs, and on Dakota’s suggestion, we decided to pivot to perfumery in a professional context.
What was the first perfume you ever purchased?
I was just a teen, and found a bottle of Aspen in a CVS. I immediately fell in love and had to have it. It’s still a very good fragrance.
What is your favourite meal?
It’s hard to say, because I love so many foods! Like, I have to choose just one? How about a top 20? Ok… probably a perfectly cooked ribeye steak. Medium/rare, crispy charred fat, and topped with rosemary and garlic butter. Great, now I’m hungry.
Where is your favourite place?
Anywhere my wife is. One particularly fond memory is the time we spent on White Witch Mountain in Jamaica. Simply beautiful.
Do you have an interesting party trick or any hidden talents?
Well, I spent 24 years as an award winning, off-broadway magician. So… yeah, I have a decent card trick or two 😉
Who would play you in a film of your life?
I’d like to say Jason Statham, because he’s tough looking and suave… but probably Steve Carell, because I’m a complete nerd most of the time.
About your Brand
Describe your brand in one sentence.
Authentically Dominican fragrance, made by hand, with love and passion.
Where does the name of your brand come from?
In the bible, God creates everything in six days, and it’s on day three that He created everything that smells good: flowers, fruits, wood, spices, resins, greens, etc. We thought, “what a perfect name for a perfume house!”
Who are your perfumes for?
Of course, my first reaction is to say that they’re for anyone who wants to smell great. But I’m sure you’re looking to drill down on that. So I’ll say; collectors and fans of niche fragrances that are looking for something new and creative without sacrificing quality and refined craftmanship.
Tell us about your latest perfume.
“Escándalo” is a fruity floral inspired by a story told to me about the birth of Bachata (a sensual and very popular Dominican dance). It features a photo realistic guava accord, and natural “tropic daisy”, which is a flower that grows in the Dominican Republic. Tropic daisy smells like ultra-smooth lavender and bubblegum. The raw material itself is absolutely gorgeous.
If someone wanted to try your fragrances, which one would you recommend they try first and why?
We always push for customers to start with a discovery set first, so they can get everything on skin. We have nine fragrances currently, and each one is very different from the others, so recommending a specific one to start with can be a little hit or miss. Because we push so hard for customers to sample everything first, we price the sets at $35, and then give customers a discount code for $35 off a full bottle as well… so the set becomes free, essentially.
What challenges do you want to overcome for your brand?
There are two main challenges that we think are important. First, we want people to realize that independant perfumery doesn’t always mean “hard to wear perfume”. We want people to see that a fragrance can be quite creative, but also be wearable and crowd pleasing. The second is the whole “clean fragrance” trend. We want to be a source for educating customers about safe, high quality perfumery ingredients, so they can make better choices about what they put onto their skin, without being sucked into marketing hype surrounding “clean” products.
What is unique about your brand?
Besides our focus on creating scents inspired by the people and culture of the Dominican Republic, we are also a 100{9b0cebfefecba0e6bdf45dab380ff2aef24117588e828b835bd9eccaf84e3974} truly artisan company: We formulate our own fragrance, then compound it, macerate and mature it, bottle it, package it and ship it from our lab in Arizona. Every single bottle is made by hand, by our family. We even include hand written thank you notes, signed by the family member who personally packed the fragrance.
