Have you ever wanted to bottle up the scent of your cat’s fur? Or smell like the bitter, herbal aperitivo you sipped at happy hour? Niche scents like those are botanical perfumer For Strange Women’s speciality, and, as the name implies, they’re crafted with the eccentric in mind.
Owned by Jill McKeever, the indie fragrance brand launched in 2009 and operated strictly as an online shop before opening its first brick and mortar in 2014. A designer and photographer by trade, McKeever is a self-taught botanical perfumer who relies on plant resins, balsams and essential oils rather than synthetic fragrances. It’s a craft that pre-dates modern perfumery by thousands of years.
“A lot of times, people think my job is chemistry,” McKeever says. “While there’s a lot of careful measurement to stay within safety guidelines, I don’t produce any chemicals—I’m taking what’s been extracted from plants and working with that. There’s a lot of artistry to it.”
As opposed to many alcohol-based sprays, For Strange Women’s products are oil-based, which McKeever says wears closer to the skin. “Oil doesn’t have that fast evaporation that alcohol does, so it’s a slow evolution throughout the day,” she says. “The oil interacts with the skin chemistry, so it might turn a little sweeter on some people or smokier on others.”
Of the company’s nuanced collection, Vixen—a musky, amber aroma with notes of black pepper and coffee—and the aptly-titled November—which evokes a stormy autumn morning in a cabin in the woods—are fitting for fall. Winter Kitty, a scent inspired by McKeever’s cat frolicking through the snow, is a favorite among cat ladies and will soon make its seasonal return as it does every year. And each new moon, the perfumer launches a limited-edition scent; the most recent release was inspired by the atmosphere before a tornado. The company also produces concentrated extraits, candles, bath products, incense and more.
But McKeever says the business’ bestseller by far is the bergamot- and lavender-heavy London Fog. “It’s simple and easy to love,” McKeever says. “It’s great for someone who is new to perfume and isn’t into complex, weird stuff yet.”
Although For Strange Women was viewed as rather obscure when it made its debut 17 years ago, the brand has since found a cult following among clean beauty and indie perfume lovers, largely relying on online sales. But sampling the scents in person at the airy Crossroads storefront, which is tucked into an alley off of 18th Street, is the best way to shop.
Browse For Strange Women’s collection in-person at 115 W. 18th St., Suite 107, KCMO, or online at forstrangewomen.com.
