Read the full feature here and review the highlights below -
Most people have mementoes from their teenage years they recall with a mixture of nostalgia and embarrassment. For Carina Chazanas, that memento is her first fragrance business.
“When I was 16, I did a brand called Carina Chaz. It was cutesy and girly. I made something that was totally not myself,” she says. “I learned that I had to be really passionate about what I was doing. If you don’t really have your heart in it, then it’s not going to go far.”
Seven years later, a more secure Chazanas is winning over retailers with her second brand DedCool, a unisex antidote to cutesy that’s a DGAF addition the perfume segment with its barcode-lined, stripped-down bottles and clean beauty creed. It’s in the debut assortment of Forever 21’s beauty offshoot Riley Rose, and has entered Neiman Marcus, Urban Outfitters, American Rag Cie and Ron Robinson.
“When I was at the headquarters of Riley Rose, a woman there said to me, ‘Your brand is the next big fragrance brand for millennials.’ I think the store will be an amazing platform for me to express my vision,” says Chazanas. “Even though I do have customers of every age, with the current way of doing business which is focused on Instagram and social media, the brand really speaks to millennials.”
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Take a look at the full feature from Nylon magazine here, or read some of the highlights below -
“As a child, I collected all the mini samples from the department stores. I loved fragrances so much, but never could translate them to my personal scent,” says Carina Chazanas, founder of rising fragrance line DedCool. Chazanas’s preoccupation with fragrance, identity, and how the two intersect, has followed her through her 21 years as a Los Angeles resident. Then, in June 2015, her prevailing interests became something more: She created her own line of unisex, vegan, cruelty-free, and non-toxic fragrances. Labeled “01” through “05,” it’s as though DedCool’s stripped identity is a tool in helping the user create their own scent identity, by cutting out the extremely gender-specific marketing that is typical of generic fragrances.
However, Chazanas’s personal aesthetic isn’t the only thing driving her up-and-coming indie label—she wants to push fragrance forward toward inclusivity. “I wanted to change the way of fragrance by making it ‘cool’ and natural. I decided there should be no gender attached to fragrance, as I wanted to smell masculine and have a lover smell the same,” she says about the mission of her brand. The line’s for-all vibe is visualized in the bar code logo, which de-genders the product.
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You can take a look directly at the awesome 'Allure 11 Products to Help Transition Your Skin Care to Winter' feature on us or review the highlights below -
We are really excited that POPSUGAR have featured our Dedcool 'Blonde' 03 Fragrance on their recent article.
Take a look at our highlight below and the original feature here at the 'Trendiest Fragrance' feature -
"This warm, rich scent was originally commissioned by Baccarat to celebrate the 250th anniversary of their crystalworks and was sold only in an extravagant $4,000 decanter," Gilman noted. The recently released Baccarat Rouge 540 is now housed in regularly priced, though still splurgy, bottles.
If $425 is still too rich for your blood but you're keen on saffron, reach for DedCool Blonde ($69). At the forefront is spicy black saffron, which is paired with earthy juniper berries and pomelo. Middle notes of cristal rose, black violet, and accord cuir add depth and intrigue, while subtle base notes of raspberry and vetiver make it an approachable and wearable scent that still stands out in a crowd.
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Just as warm-weather scents rely on florals and citrus to brighten the senses, a wintry fragrance is deepened by spicy, woody notes. But there are thousands of options, and it’s next to impossible to pick one if you aren’t standing at a department store fragrance counter. Luckily, GQ’s Best Stuff did the legwork for you, and has identified the four best scents for when the temperature drops.
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What inspired you to make products that are vegan and cruelty free? What are some of your favorite ingredients you use?
I was inspired to create Vegan and cruelty free products because of the harms and toxins in most name brand fragrances and products. I am totally against animal testing and will never buy a product that follows those values. Most people are unaware of the brands they are buying/using that harm poor innocent animals.. I like to educate my consumer and people around me.
Who are some eco-friendly and wellness conscious brands in your industry that you admire?
I am a big fan of LaNatura, not only because the creator of the brand birthed me but every product is made with the best ingredients and if it wasn’t for the LaNatura brand, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Your 3 keys tips for negotiating a deal:
Believe in what you are selling. Always make a deal. Be confident.
The illustrations of bar codes and sculls on your products are seriously cool. Can you take us through the steps of your product development and branding?
The bar codes represent simplicity and the branding goes back to the whole idea of being uni-sex. The code is universal and can appeal to all types of people. I am always drawn to minimal design and chic displays.
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Read the full feature here or review the highlights below -
As women, I think we can all agree how much we LOVE to smell good. Right? I can't even describe how many perfumes I have tried pretty much since I came out of the womb. I have tried everything you can imagine growing up from Rue 21, Kim Kardashian (I know, I know), Pink Sugar, Ed Hardy and even got super fancy with it and used Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford etc. I think at this point, you're pretty much smellin' what I am cookin'. Anyone that really is purchasing perfume mainly looks for 1 thing: the longevity of the wear.
Carina Chaz is a 22 year old Los Angeles native that created this line with a purpose. A gender neutral line that is not only vegan and nontoxic but this perfume will carry it's aroma on you all day long. Now, I really only blog about things that I absolutely love and this brand 100% has my heart. It's easy for me to get tied into the whole "Tom Ford is my favorite line ever" based off of the name, the popularity and so on. After the last few days of wearing DedCool, I can easily say that I will be wearing and only talking about this brand.
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