I own several Aaron Terence Hughes fragrances including Odyssey, Water, Gin Sling, Red Fever, Supersonic, and Supernova, and I can honestly say this is one of my favorite independent fragrance houses. One thing I respect about Aaron is that he isn’t trying to be another inspired-by house or simply copy what everyone else is doing. Most of his fragrances have their own identity. Whether you love every release or not, you can usually tell you’re wearing an ATH fragrance. The quality is excellent. The materials smell natural, the blends are smooth, and the transitions are well done. They don’t smell like a collection of aroma chemicals thrown together just to create a loud fragrance. There is real composition behind them. Performance is one of ATH’s strengths, but I want to be clear about what I mean by performance. I mean projection and sillage—not just longevity. Many people confuse the two. A fragrance can project beautifully for three or four hours and still have excellent performance, even if it stays on your skin much longer. ATH understands how to make a fragrance work. What also impresses me is that Aaron isn’t afraid to take risks. Some releases are fresh, some are gourmand, some are darker, and some are completely unique. Not every fragrance is meant to please everyone, and I actually respect that. I’d rather see a perfumer create something with character than play it safe every time. If I had one criticism, it’s that some fragrances are so concentrated that they can become a little heavy in extreme heat. These are fragrances that deserve respect. More sprays don’t always make them better. I also appreciate that Aaron is transparent about his work and passionate about perfumery. Whether you agree with every opinion he has or not, you can tell he genuinely loves creating fragrances, and that passion comes through in his products. Overall, I would put Aaron Terence Hughes among my favorite modern independent houses, right alongside names like Lorenzo Pazzaglia, Day Three, City Rhythm, and a few others that continue to push creativity instead of following trends.

Hello, Brotherhood! I'm a little late posting about Scent Fest SF, but I finally had a chance to sit down and share a little about it. I had the amazing opportunity to meet up with @Aditya Choksi and @Henry Clay , and we turned it into an awesome three-day trip. We had an absolute blast exploring beautiful San Francisco and even got to meet our very own @Antonio Centeno and @Lon Chaneyfield . If there's one thing I took away from this trip, it's how fortunate we are to build genuine friendships with people who share the same passion. For me, it's about much more than just hanging out, it has created friendships that go far beyond our love of "smelly water." @Antonio Centeno , it was a true pleasure finally meeting you, and man, you looked sharp! @Lon Chaneyfield , you were exactly as I imagined, a ball of energy, full of fun, laughs, and great stories. It was a pleasure spending time with you and your significant other (God bless her for putting up with you! 🤣). @Aditya Choksi and @Henry Clay ... what can I say? You guys are my brothers, and I'm honored to call you true friends. Thanks for the amazing laughs, conversation, and cigar smoke! As for Scent Fest itself, I was blown away by the incredible fragrance brands and houses that were there. Some of my standout favorites were Lorenzo Pazzaglia, Roble, Tankhouse, Jeroboam, Rose et Marius, Bohoboco, Mitti, Scentseum, and Algorithmic Perfumery, Zoologist, and many many many more! I'll be making a dedicated post about Algorithmic Perfumery because I thought the concept was incredibly interesting. They have you log into their site, answer questions to learn your scent preferences, and then create a fragrance tailored specifically to you. I had one made for myself and one for each of my daughters, and it was fascinating to see how they turned out. I'll share more about that soon.