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If you’ve got any interest in the world of scent, you’ve probably come across Camryn Kim cradling armfuls of perfume bottles on your feed. Known for their niche curations – whether it’s a deep dive into bread-based scents, an on-going series reviewing ‘notoriously vile’ perfumes, or breaking down fragrances for “weird girls” – Kim has become a trusted voice in the growing online world of fragrance, drawing in an audience looking for more than just aesthetic reviews.
“I always had an obsession with fragrance because my mum is extremely sensitive and I couldn’t wear it growing up, so there was this scarcity-driven fascination,” Kim says of her childhood relationship with perfumes. Growing up on a semi-rural island in the Pacific Northwest, Camryn’s immersion into scent was one shaped by nature, an influence which now shows up in her curations for fragrances that smell like everything from rain and the forest floor to the moon. Today, one of her strongest scent memories is Wild Achillea by Jo Malone, which she says smells just like the trampled nettles that would sting her while running around barefoot all summer.
Now based in Seattle, Camryn has become a go-to figure for people wanting to understand perfume on a deeper level. “I was a child of the internet, especially YouTube, and I’ve felt called to that kind of long-form online video format for as long as it’s been around,” they explain. At a time when more people are searching for ways to reconnect with their senses and find niche, personal signature scents, her videos offer something for the curious. Below, we speak to the fragrance content-maker about scent, memory, and building a devout online world.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you grew up?
Camryn Kim: I grew up on a semi-rural island, so my childhood was sort of isolated from the outside world. I found that frustrating at times, but I look back on my upbringing very fondly because of how it fostered my relationship with nature and soothed my neurotic Virgo tendencies. I grew up doing a lot of performing arts, which I also think was very healthy for me. I love a lot of aspects of my city life, but overall, I find being a working adult in a metropolitan area pretty draining and overstimulating. I like to have a lot of space.
What is it you do and why do you do it?
Camryn Kim: I write and make videos about perfume, gummies and other things that feel good. I was a child of the internet, especially YouTube, and I’ve felt called to that kind of long-form online video format for as long as it’s been around. The real catalyst for me starting to make my own videos was when I became so obsessed with perfume that I was boring all my friends with it and needed another outlet. Now I do it because fragrance still really excites me creatively and I’ve found such a sweet community of people who listen to and teach me the most fascinating things. I find a lot of comfort in the little virtual world that we’ve built together.
How did you first get into perfume?
Camryn Kim: I always had an obsession with it because my mum is extremely sensitive and I couldn’t wear it growing up, so there was this scarcity-driven fascination. Even though I was obsessed, I was so unfamiliar with it for so long and it felt kind of inaccessible. I remember getting really overwhelmed by all of the options in department stores and feeling like I couldn’t tell anything apart. I’m always getting into random YouTube niches and at some point I became addicted to watching fragrance content. I ordered a few discovery sets at first, but I didn’t start truly collecting until I went to my first real niche store and smelled Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle and all of the Santa Maria Novella fragrances. That really shifted things for me – I found those scents very moving and I felt like I was finally able to understand fragrance through the lens of appreciating art.
Describe your beauty aesthetic in three words.
Camryn Kim: Playful, committed, whimsical.
If you woke up and you had only one day to live, what perfume would you wear?
Camryn Kim: I would try to wear all of my perfumes in short intervals and just wash myself between applications. I know that’s probably considered cheating. It really feels impossible to choose. If I really could only choose one, maybe Eau Duelle by Diptyque because it’s comforting and could soothe my nerves but it also feels extremely connected to my inner world. Don’t hold me to that, though.
Why do you think perfumery is popular right now?
Camryn Kim: I think it’s because we are living increasingly virtual lives, and a lot of people feel disconnected and dissatisfied. We are being overworked and bombarded with way too much information all of the time, and perfume is a consumable product that provides a different kind of escape than what we are used to getting from social media or substances or whatever. Smelling fragrance is a really low-effort doorway into vivid memory or fantasy that doesn’t require any patience and can be done from the comfort of your own home. It’s also an often forgotten way of accessing physical pleasure, which I think can be really exciting for people who haven’t been tuned into that aspect of their sensory experience.
What is your current obsession?
Camryn Kim: Steamed whole milk, Daft Punk, my new iPad.
What’s your earliest beauty-related memory?
Camryn Kim: Watching my mum do her make-up and wanting to steal all of it so badly. I remember I begged her for some once when I was really little and she put blue eyeshadow on me and it felt amazing. I always had this really vivid fantasy of beauty and femininity, and I was obsessed with drawing these very glamorous women with huge eyelashes.
When do you feel most beautiful?
Camryn Kim: Whenever I feel really embodied. When I’m dancing really hard, or if I’ve been playing outside for a couple of hours and feel totally wild and can’t even remember what I look like or why it matters. Or when I’m on the beach by the ocean and I can feel that crazy magnetic pull inside of my body. Those are all such pure, euphoric feelings.
Who is your beauty icon or favourite look of all time?
Camryn Kim: My grandmother. She was so gorgeous and stylish, and she always had on a full face of make-up and false eyelashes. She was singular in her aesthetics and unwavering commitment to glamour. She was totally captivating and I am still inspired by her every day.
