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Featured Image Credit: Moodeaux
When we think of luxury, it’s not only about material worth, it’s more of an experience. A way of living and feeling. Through the years, boutique fragrance houses have shown us different paths to achieve that luxury status.. The fragrance world is one of the oldest beauty industries to exist, and it roots way back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was born from older practices of religious rituals and various uses. From being a day to day practice, it has developed in a sign of high status in today’s society. It is also an established industry traditionally dominated by European Luxury houses. However, this panorama is slowly being challenged by upcoming black-owned labels that leveled up the game. Changing how the current industry works. Through the years, there were many innovative black-owned fragrance brands that started to stand out, like Outside, Brown Girl Jane and Maya Njie Perfumes. Our favorites? Chris Collins Fragrance and Moodaux, the queer black-owned brand founded by Brianna Arps.
This product is essential to start your day with a clean face, helping getting rid of impurities and maintaining a gentle treatment on all skin types.
Horace Purifying Face Cleanser – $15
When it comes to body care, this natural multi use Allantoin based soap can help with hair, body and hair by cleansing, massaging and cooling from head to toe.
Woody’s Moisturizing Body Bar – $11
This deodorant brings a fresh and mild protection that is suitable for even extra sensitive skin, for up to 24 hours.
Wild Mint & Aloe Vera Deodorant – $16
Jack Black Lip Balm provides a protective barrier to prevent moisture loss and soothes and hydrates dry, chapped lips.
Jack Black Lip Balm SPF 25 – $10
Jack Black Lip Balm provides a protective barrier to prevent moisture loss and soothes and hydrates dry, chapped lips.
Jack Black Lip Balm SPF 25 – $10
Brianna Arps, creator of MOODEAUX Fragrance and winner of the 2025 ESSENCE BEST IN BEAUTY, has come to challenge the current industry with its scientific and creative purpose with her fragrance brand. Her journey into the fragrance world almost started by chance. Her initial interests were towards journalism. It was not until she was doing a marketing internship at ESSENCE that she started to connect with the world of storytelling, and how she could scientifically explain how fragrance affects people’s moods. Before attending the School of Aromatic Studies, she became self taught by watching video tutorials, reading books and attending free courses. Any kind of free media she could find. Thanks to her own experience she actually pushes for her community to get involved into STEM careers that are not that attended, such as in the area of fragrance.
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Moodeaux made its debut in 2021 with just 2 retailers, Credo and Urban Outfitters. Later on it started getting popular among the masses, gaining new names on its retailers list, like Sephora, and appearing on the public media, such as Good Morning America and the TODAY show. The lapse of only 3 years created a jump in success for a project that started as an indie fragrance label. Their successful strategy? Creating a strong brand identity and community and not relying on celebrity culture. Since the beginning, yearly Moodeaux has generated growth that reaches from 172% to 228% in 2023. Also topping the number of 101 million in non paid exposure value.
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Community is an essential pillar for Arps, so she founded Black in Fragrance. This foundation was created in order to generate global support for upcoming entrepreneurs and members of the community that want to generate a network with professionals in the industry, consumers, buyers and media outlets. She is creating a fund of help for emerging black creatives in the industry that she did not have at first. She is giving back to the community.
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Both creators, along with many others, are a source of inspiration for emerging black owned brands and continue to diversify the industry of perfumery. They both proved to show excellence in a field that is known to be eurocentric, by providing skills and help towards other people from the community, and telling their own narratives. Collins with its empowering blackness heritage that resembles the proudness of it, and Arps showcasing unisex scents that are related to identity and autoexpression. Moodeaux and Chris Collins Fragrance celebrate culture, diversity and representation. They continue to generate a legacy and open doors for future entrepreneurs that want to get started and get successful just like them.
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