Bee Shapiro, a beauty editor for The New York Times for over a decade, never imagined she’d start her own fragrance brand. But when she became pregnant with her daughter, Ellis, and began cleaning up her beauty routine, she noticed a lack of sophisticated, clean fragrance options. In 2015, she founded Ellis Brooklyn as a modern American brand that seamlessly integrates into everyday life. The result? Fan-favorites like Florist, Salt, Miami Nectar, and her newest release, Dear Sky—a tribute to the American West with a surprising fruity twist.
In this episode, Bee sits down with Marianne Mychaskiw, who leads communications at Scentbird. She opens up about her nonlinear career journey from lawyer to founder, how motherhood has influenced her creative process, and why she has learned to appreciate, rather than mask, so-called "bad" smells.
Highlights:
• Introducing Bee, a pioneer in clean fragrance
• Bee’s non-linear path: from lawyer to founder
• The (real) life of a beauty editor
• Representation in the beauty industry
• The early Michelle Phan days
• The Ellis Brooklyn origin story
• Breaking into fragrance
• Myth, the first fragrance
• Finding beauty in “bad” smells
• Motherhood superpowers
• Body mists
• What does “modern” mean?
• Miami Nectar, a #1 bestseller
• Bottles inspired by South Beach pools
• Salt, a unisex scent
• A life coach’s advice on managing stress
• Sun Fruit, a Hamptons pool party scent
• Florist, pretty but not “dainty”
• Dear Sky, the newest release
• What does beauty mean to you?
• Scent Connection, Life Moments Edition
• 3 ways to find your passion in life
Featured Fragrances: