Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the web’s best products. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. Our editorial team is independent and only endorses products we believe in.
We like
We don't like
To say fragrance is having a moment would be an understatement. While signature brands are smelling sweet success, and the category growing to $8.7 billion in 2023, this growth is just the beginning as the projections are to reach $9.48 billion by 2028.
A key driver of this surge is the demand for niche and artisanal fragrances. Fulton & Roark among them.
Having once worked for the maestro of fragrances, Calvin Klein, on scents that “bottled a generation,” I am partial to the influence of aromatics. And I’m not alone. Recent studies find that smell triggers up to 75% of our daily moods. Follow along to find which (or how many) of Fulton & Roark’s 15 phenomenal fragrances are going to enrich your day.
A SOLID START
Co-Founders Kevin Keller and Allen Shafer launched Fulton & Roark — a moniker coined from the names of their rescue dogs — in 2013, as a side hustle while in business school. With a plan to focus on men’s needs, particularly gentlemen on the go, they launched with a product void in the men’s market — solid fragrance. Which, according to Keller, was “virtually unheard of” at the time.
More than a decade later, solid fragrances (highly concentrated, wax-based fragrances) remain the brand’s fastest-selling products. While the category has exploded, representing 10-15% of thriving fragrance sales, the appeal for these fragrance founders has always been more than travel-friendly portability. “We talk a lot about ‘The Three-Foot Rule: No one should be able to smell you more than three feet away,’” Keller told TQE. “People really appreciate that solids wear a little closer to your body than most traditional fragrances do. So, if you're not the type of person who wants the room to notice your scent, solids might be a great option. You also have better control of where and how much you apply. Plus, you can re-apply wherever and whenever you like without a ‘someone just sprayed perfume,’ moment.”
I personally love the highly concentrated solid for the long-lasting wear as much as the control; as a minimalist, I am also drawn to the fact that a little goes a long way.
AMERICAN FINE FRAGRANCE
Initiating Fulton & Roark with a solid fragrance is characteristic of the brand’s breakthrough style. In addition to this new formulation method, the brand prides itself on using unorthodox ingredients — such as Bell Pepper — and recently launched Extraits, parfums that are not only the most concentrated but feature more complex formulas and often contain precious (and rarer) natural ingredients.
“We are what you might call ‘optimistic malcontents’ — We tend to focus on things we dislike but think we could change for the better. It had always bothered me that nearly every serious fragrance company was either French or pretending to be,” Keller told TQE. “Rather than trying to hide our outsider status, I think leaning into it has helped us create more thoughtful, and hopefully inspiring offerings.”
While this duo has a great deal of respect for the French fragrances houses that paved the way in this booming business, finding their own footing has been an ambitious mission; these clever co-founders call their distinctive category American Fine Fragrance.
“We theorized that this stemmed from an inferiority complex that Americans have long held when it comes to lots of creative endeavors. Whether you're talking wine, painting, beer, chocolate, or even music, we noticed this interesting pattern. First, Americans try to mimic the European establishment in their pursuits, and they make uninspired product (think Budweiser, masquerading as German beer, bad American wine from the 1960's, chocolate from when we were kids...). Most of the world laughs, and mocks the American efforts, but the Americans keep working, and learning. Eventually, in each of those areas, they quit trying to imitate, break some rules and do things in their own way. We wanted to do things in the fragrance world in a similar fashion. So, we learned everything we could from the old guard, but developed products in a totally new way.”
We like
We don't like
We like
We don't like
We like
We don't like
We like
We don't like
We like
We don't like
FINDING YOUR SIGNATURE SCENTS
While I applaud the co-founders aromatic ambitions, what arouses me to turn to Fulton & Roark for scents daily is my olfactory obsession with their multi-faceted notes and rich, warm compounds. There are 15 dynamic fragrances to accommodate every whim; while the brand focused on men initially, the range of scents appeals to everyone.
My favorites, which are coincidentally best sellers, include: Calle Ocho, rich and dark with Rum, Tobacco and Sandalwood; Narada, warm and sensuous (and evolving as you wear it, much like the waterfall if was named after) thanks to Rosewood, Bergamot and Ginger; and Cloudland, a limited edition scent that conjures up summer rain with Jasmine, Ylang Ylang and so much more.
HWY 190 (which opens with white freesia and settles into a dry down of smoky Vetiver and Cedar) and Ramble (which sounds deliciously earthy with notes of black pepper, balsam fir and patchouli) are also highly coveted, so I will be trying them next.
The beauty of both forms — Extraits and Solids, which are $205 and $60 respectively — is their bold intensity. In both, there is a higher ratio of perfume oils to alcohol, so the scent has longevity and greater consistency. And with less “quickly-evaporating alcohol molecules” you don’t leave a trail of fragrance in your wake.
Along with providing transparency, the Ingredient Glossary is a fantastic way to gauge interest in scents before purchase. Prefer guidance from the fragrance founders? Take the Fulton & Roark quiz.
To allow for experimentation — another well-devised innovation the category needed — you can purchase Discovery Sets ($30). You can unearth your interest with a set of five Classics, which are the best-sellers, the Cult Favorites, or create a Custom Discovery set.
THE INSIDE JUICE
Along with stellar scent profiles, Fulton & Roark pride themselves on sourcing ingredients safely and responsibly. Since inception, the brand has been at the forefront of such transparency and sustainability, which is now in demand as fragrance is experiencing a “skinification” and consumers seek more ingredient insight.
And these fragrance founders don’t stop at what goes inside the bottle. You can learn anything from how a scent wears over time (aka fragrance vernacular) to how to layer fragrance on their blog.
Speaking of layering, with a brand so focused on craftsmanship, rest assured this fragrance duo does not want you to “smell noisy,” mixing drug store toiletries with your favorite fragrance. You can embody your favorite vibe head-to-toe by adding the following to your regimen:
- Formula 5 Oil ($55) is a lightweight, nutrient-rich oil to nourish and smooth hair and skin; Use as hair oil, scalp moisturizer, pre-shave oil, beard oil, or to treat dry skin.
- Deodorant ($28) aluminum-free — and refillable! — deodorant to feel clean and smell fantastic all day.
- Bar soap ($95+) is available within gift sets that pair fragrance and other toiletries.
It has been said that previous generations were tight-lipped about their signature scent — and it was considered rude to ask — but fragrance has found its freedom (and with it, more than 5.3 billion #PerfumeTok posts).
Find your favorite Fulton & Roark and spread the news today.
