About me
My name is Jessica Murphy.
I’m an art historian and museum professional with a longtime passion for perfume, always looking for new ways to connect art, fragrance, history, and popular culture.
In my scented life, I’ve been a contributor at the leading perfume blog Now Smell This since late 2006, writing reviews of fragrances and scented body products. I started blogging on my own in 2012. In 2015, I began offering presentations about the history and culture of fragrance through venues including Brooklyn Brainery, the Institute for Art and Olfaction, Morbid Anatomy, the Corning Museum of Glass, and public libraries in New Jersey and New York.
Since 2019 I’ve been creating museum talks and tours combining art, fragrance, and their many cultural and historical connections. These “art & aroma” events have taken place at the Brooklyn Museum, the Timken Museum of Art (San Diego), the Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Design Museum (NYC), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (as an independent gallery lecturer).
Please feel free to contact me at perfumeprofessor@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you, always, for reading.
Recent press mentions
Byrdie: “The Evolution and Enduring Appeal of Pop-Star Perfumes.” Interviewed by Andrea Bossi, May 7, 2026.
InStyle: “10 Valentine’s Day Perfumes for Every Kind of Romantic, From Soft and Subtle to Sensual and Show-stopping.“ Interviewed by Ariel Wodarcyk, February 2026.
The Kit: “What Smells Expensive? These Luxury Fragrances Do, But For Surprising Reasons.” Interviewed by Sarah Daniel, October 24, 2025.
Bloomberg Businessweek: “Why Everything From Perfume to Soap Smells Like Food Now.” Interviewed by Julia Press, October 21, 2025.
Glamour: “Will You Come to My Perfume Swap Party?” Interviewed by Ariel Wodarcyk, June 25, 2025.
InStyle: “13 Summer Scents That Will Get You Compliments All Year Round.” Interviewed by Emily Kelleher, June 23, 2025.
Go Fug Yourself: “Fugs and Pieces.” Mention and link, June 29, 2025.
Glossy: “The ‘tomato girl’ trickle down: How tomato fragrances reached critical mass.” Interviewed by Emily Jensen, May 20, 2025.
InStyle: “The Prettiest Perfume Bottles You Can Own.” Interviewed by Emily Kelleher, March 31, 2025.
Events and more
Please visit my other website for further info about my events, ways to contact me, etc.!
Free subscriptions
Most of my posts here on Substack are free, because my academically trained side still values open access. They include perfume reviews, photos and recaps of fragrance events I’ve attended, recommendations for scents in current “trend” categories, and notes on my current fragrance rotation. Stick around and enjoy these posts for free!
Paid subscriptions
For anyone who is interested in more in-depth discussions of perfume history, art-and-scent overlaps, nostalgic reflections on perfumes I’ve known and loved over the years, etc., I’ll be offering special monthly posts to paid subscribers.
