At the 2022 Fragrance Foundation Awards
Earlier this month, on June 9th, I had the honor of being hand-picked to present an award at the 2022 Fragrance Foundation Awards.
This prestigious annual event is frequently described as “the Oscars of the fragrance industry.” At this year’s awards, over 1000 people attended the ceremony in gorgeous gowns and dapper suits at the Lincoln Center’s marvelous David H. Koch Theater in New York City.
After a busy day of meetings, I arrived at the Lincoln Center in a stunning blue dress, with long statement earrings by Lionette NY, and an iconic pair of gold Valentino heels. We spent the evening celebrating the skilled perfumers and fragrance houses that work with the Harlem Candle Co., and the soon-to-launch Harlem Perfume Co.
Hosted by Mario Lopez, the night was truly special as it was the first set of awards that took place in person since the start of the pandemic.
The History Of The Fragrance Foundation Awards
Established in 1949, the Fragrance Foundation is the non-profit, educational arm of the international fragrance industry. This organization sponsors these awards and has a long history of encouraging people to unearth “the artistry and passion of fragrance.”
The president of the Fragrance Foundation, Linda Levy (pictured with me above), is even known as “the fragrance queen!” She and her team in NYC worked together to put on this incredible award show.
Back when the foundation was first created, there were not nearly as many fragrance companies. Learning about the fragrance industry was challenging because consumers couldn’t conveniently look up information using the internet (since Google wasn’t around at the time!).
With the rise of social media, blogs, and YouTube videos, there is now more information on fragrances than ever. So much so, that at times it can be overwhelming.
Nowadays, the foundation aims to simplify fragrance education for consumers. This is done by having retail fragrance sales professionals tell the customers the key ingredients, the inspiration, and the story behind each fragrance.
The foundation has dozens of acclaimed member companies that participate. One of the main purposes of the foundation is to provide its member companies with forums and special events.
It wasn’t until 24 years after the Fragrance Foundation was established, in 1973, that the first annual award show was thrown. And we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it in 2022.
Why We Love The Fragrance Foundation
The Fragrance Foundation aims to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the fragrance industry, which you can find more information about on their website. At the 2022 TFF award show, they also stressed the importance of having a wide range of, “products produced by diverse people for diverse people,” which we love!
The Fragrance Foundation’s impact extends beyond aromas. In 2019, the establishment began a charitable partnership with NEXT for AUTISM, an organization that designs programs for people with autism.
Follow Along
Learn more about the Fragrance Foundation by following them on Instagram: @fragrancefoundation.
And if you’re interested in seeing some of the behind-the-scenes moments from the awards this year, follow @harlemcandlecompany on TikTok!
