From Libertine To Paraphrase : A Catch-Up Interview With Josh Smith

Back in 2020 we interviewed the wonderful Josh Smith of what was then known as Libertine Fragrances. Five years later, the whole fragrance landscape has changed, and Libertine is now Paraphrase Perfume, along with a serious bottle upgrade to boot. We wanted to catch up with founder and perfumer Josh Smith about all the changes that happened, and all the good stuff to come...

Q: It's been five years since we last talked! How do you feel fragrance has changed in that time?

Yes it has been a while! The last five years have been interesting. It feels like the industry has really exploded. Niche perfume has really gone somewhat mainstream and indie perfume is booming. With the rise of TikTok, it feels like more people than ever are interested in scent.

Q: And Libertine has now turned into Paraphrase Perfume. What do those words mean to you and why the decision to change?

Changing the brand name was initially undertaken because of an issue with obtaining trademarks for Libertine, but as I started going through the change, it was actually a really cathartic experience. Libertine was chosen as I was in university and it represented a sort of pent up energy, a real desire for rebellion. It felt like a bit of a middle finger to parts of the world I wanted to see change. Over the years, I have found it more emotionally and energetically useful to focus on just building more of what I would like to see in the world, rather than rebelling against what I dislike.

For me, the name Paraphrase really represents the best of what perfume can do. It can reframe things for people. Perfume itself is really a paraphrasing, telling the stories of the world in another way. I think scent can allow people to explore and understand their own stories.

Q: Can you talk about the different bottle design now, and do you think a bottle is important to a perfume?

I come from a design background, so the branding and packaging is really important for my appreciation of a perfume. Scent is an invisible product for the most part, so you really want to imbue the bottle with as much of the meaning and feelings you intend as possible. That said, getting custom packaging is really out of reach for a lot of smaller brands, including myself. The earlier packaging was me doing my best with components that we could get reasonable quantities of. The rebrand seemed like a perfect chance to upgrade things, though, since so much was changing already.

Q: Have any of the formulas been changed or are these the same fragrances as before?

We have done some very subtle tweaks on Smoked Bloom and Fin de Siecle based on some allergen regulations that were updated. Pretty much everyone we have had smell said the changes are pretty subtle so no big shifts.

Q: Since we last talked, you released Gilded and Lucky Days. What were the inspirations behind these releases?

Gilded is a sticky, spicy incense with a large dose of immortelle - which has a very unique fenugreek, maple syrup meets sticky, dried flowers vibe. The scent, overall, starts with chai spices, ginger, cardamom & cinnamon. These spices were the initial starting point and I worked outwards to create a sort of ancient, astral woody incense around them.

Lucky Days is a musky orange blossom with a bright, neon green petigrain top. I just think orange blossom is the most carefree note and wanted to create a breezy, carefree scent.

Q: What's your creation process like in general? Where do you usually get ideas, and how long does it take until a fragrance is perfect?

I usually start with a little vignette in my mind. A scene or landscape or even just a song lyric that surprises me. I build out the world of the scent in my mind from that initial scrap, pulling together notes and seeing what interesting combinations occur. I like the think of my scents as naturalistic and I am often imagining different landscapes as I am choosing notes.

Some things come together fairly quickly, maybe a month or two of occasional testing with space in between to let things settle. Some scents I am slowly working away on, perfecting accords and trying things for a few years.

Q: What’s in store for Paraphrase in the future?

The rebranding took a lot of energy away from perfume formulation so I am excited to get a few scents out that I have half finished. It also meant I had to pass on some opportunities to get out in the world and travel and meet more perfume people. I am hoping to do a few pop ups and shows that didn’t make sense over the past few years.

Q: Favorite smell?

Lilacs. The province I am in has a super short growing season, so lilacs are one of the few aromatic flowers that grow naturally here.

Q: Smell you hate the most?

Dihydromercenol and pineapple perfume materials. Both are super “fresh” but feel like bleach in my nose.

Q: Favorite song right now?

The Bullshit Century Pt 1. by Dick Stusso

Q: One thing you wish more people knew about fragrance?

I have a pet peeve with the word musky. With clean white musks becoming the predominant type of musk used in perfumes the word has too broad a meaning. Many people use it to describe anything dark or dank, from patchouli to animalic notes. Musk perfumes now can be either super light and clean, all the way to stanky, and I think it confuses people that are only marginally into scent.

Q: Favorite place in the world?

My family cabin in western Alberta.

Q: If you could describe your work in 3 words, what would they be?

Naturalistic, Sticky, Sensual