Beauty Pacakaging: Jamies Foxx Gets Schooled On Fragrances

By Marie Redding, Associate Editor | December 23, 2014 - Beautypackaging.com Jamie Foxx, currently starring in the Annie movie, visited Sue Phillips at her new ‘Scentarium’ in NYC.

Typically, when a celebrity needs a gift, a brand might receive a call from an assistant - or even be asked to meet with several members of the A-list client’s entourage. Jamie Foxx recently visited The Scentarium in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood personally, and stayed for a lesson on fragrance development. Sue Phillips, creator of the custom-blend perfumerie, Scenterprises, opened The Scentarium in New York City this past spring, and the investment seems to be paying off. “I have been creating custom fragrances for six years, and had turned my apartment in NY into a fragrance studio, which wasn’t ideal for clients,” she says. Setting up a retail space was essential to growing Phillips’ business. “Now, the studio is on the lower level in this great neighborhood, so you can walk right into the relaxing oasis I was able to create - no one ever wants to leave.” Foxx’s assistant reached out to Phillips, and did the initial legwork to create a scent - and Foxx insisted on coming in himself, to ‘tweak it’ personally. “He was charming,” Phillips says. “He wanted to learn all about the olfactive families, and create something really unique.” (Foxx is also charming - and entertaining - in the new movie remake of Annie - he plays Will Stacks, a NYC tycoon and politician who takes in the famous orphan.) Attracting an A-List Clientele Phillips enjoys when a celebrity like Foxx takes an interest in her fragrances, but says she doesn’t have a PR team reaching out to attract the attention of celebrities. “Foxx’s assistant found me on Google,” she says. “We’ve had quite a few celebrity clients over the years, and they have all found me on the Internet, or through word of mouth,” she adds. Phillips has also worked with a few sports stars and rappers, which make for an odd mix of fragrance fans. “It's funny, many of our customers are men,” Phillips says.