An independant publication on the cultural life of fragrance.

Heart Note Manifesto

Welcome to your new creative refuge: a space dedicated to the exploration of olfaction through literature, free of commercial influence and the residual pressure to churn out content in order to maintain a certain level of engagement. Heart Note Press is not an assembly line; it’s a secure place to disassemble with intent. Perfume is a trade, a craft—something that requires the handiwork of a violinist—and it should be written about as such.

Inspired by perfume scholars, intellectuals, and anthropologists, we engage with the idea that contemporary perfumery—especially niche perfumery—has begun to resemble garage band–like operations: passionate, experimental, and driven by a love of the science, but sometimes lacking the patience, training, and experience historically associated with the craft.

“The lust for perfume has changed, equally as much the lust for film has also changed, equally as much as the lust for sex itself has changed.”

—Marissa Zappas via Nymphet Alumni Podcast

Perfume is currently platformed within a poorly constructed, haphazard discursive charcuterie. We aim to scoop it all up, placing it in a soft nest of streamlined, intentional work that keeps the classical principles of writing in mind while continuing to build upon the ever-evolving ideals we have about fragrance in the 21st century.

Perfume is a form of media, and all media runs the risk of being employed as a numbing agent, with the goal of overriding our senses to the point of complete escape from our embodied experience. We hope to play a role in grounding the culture, tethering it back to its roots—when perfumery was slower, more deliberate, and afforded the consumer room to breathe.

There are countless apps and blogging platforms that house fragrance communities. We hope to serve as a fortified stronghold for the community at large, filling glaring gaps left by existing contemporary online spaces dedicated to the fragrance world. As the internet becomes more and more fragmented, join us in our mission to superglue the pieces into a mosaic.

Thank you for being here! You smell great.

Love,

Lauren Lexa Brown xx
Founder and Editor-In-Chief

OUR VIRTUES

COMMUNITY

We welcome diverse voices, fostering an ongoing exchange of ideas that inform how perfume exists in time and space. We love highlighting niche brands and independent artists. Fragrance is for everyone.

CURIOSITY

Some say it killed the cat—we say the cat simply holds inquiry over assertation. Fragrance is multi-dimensional and requires investigation to uncover its broader cultural and material networks.

PLAY

We should take risks, focusing on intellectual improvisation and honing into our sensory skills. Whimsy is the backbone of fragrance. Maintaining a sense of play is paramount in giving our minds a break from goal-driven thinking.

AFFECT

Affect helps us acknowledge perfume as a form of storytelling, honoring subjective experiences and fragrance as a catalyst for feeling. Never ignore an emotion brought on by fragrance.

Generative AI-Free zone

Everything you see on our website and social media is courtesy of human minds– most of which are hand-selected, independent artists paid for their work. As AI graphic design features become more ubiquitous, we aim to stand firmly against them– it’s just not our cup of tea. As for writing, this should go without saying , but anything published on our website is crafted from scratch, edited by people, and it is in our policy that contributors adhere to this guideline in good faith. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of AI, please send us an email.

Heart Note Press is a Canadian publication based in Vancouver, British Columbia, but operates globally, platforming voices from far and wide.