Fragrance as Strategy
What Floris London Taught Me About Executive Presence, Memory, and the Leadership of Scent
I. Scent Is Never Just Scent
Fragrance is the most underestimated form of presence.
Before you say a word, you arrive in the room.
And long after you’ve left, you’re still lingering.
Not your résumé. Not your résumé voice.
Your aroma.
When I discovered Floris London, I wasn’t just shopping for fragrance.
I was searching for a memory I hadn’t yet made—
A version of myself who understood that identity isn’t accidental.
It’s applied. With intention. With craft. With a quiet kind of clarity.
In a world that demands we perform to be heard, Floris reminded me:
You don’t have to raise your volume if your presence is already speaking.
II. The Ritual of Readiness
There’s something sacred about applying fragrance before a critical moment.
It slows you down.
It centers you.
It reminds you that you are not entering the room empty.
For me, Floris became more than a finishing touch.
It became ritual armor.
Before keynotes.
Before interviews.
Before closed-door meetings where I would need to name truth softly and surgically.
Fragrance, in those moments, wasn’t vanity.
It was spiritual scent-marking.
A declaration that I was grounded in something deeper than talking points.
That my presence had weight.
That I would not be forgotten.
III. No. 89: Stillness That Commands
My first Floris scent was the iconic No. 89.
Warm, woody, and citrus-lined—it doesn’t shout. It anchors.
Named for the Jermyn Street shop where the Floris story began, No. 89 feels like legacy in a bottle.
It evokes a leader who has nothing to prove—
Not because they’re passive,
but because their power is rooted.
It’s the scent of someone who lets silence speak.
Who doesn’t need to fill every space with commentary.
Who has done the internal work.
And walks into the room as the evidence.
IV. Special No. 127: Charisma Without Cliché
When I want my presence to spark light—especially in spaces where I’m speaking, leading, or being remembered—Special No. 127 is the fragrance I reach for.
Crisp citrus notes meet subtle lavender and clove. It’s fresh without being forgettable.
It’s regal without being rigid.
This is for the leader who moves through rooms with articulate warmth—the one who connects with clarity, who knows how to charm without pandering, and whose excellence is always intentional, never accidental.
Winston Churchill reportedly wore Special No. 127.
But what makes it powerful isn’t the history.
It’s the way it translates approachability into gravitas.
A reminder that strategy doesn’t have to be cold to be sharp.
V. JF: When Precision Becomes Energy
Then there’s JF—a scent I wear when the day requires momentum with meaning.
Bright bergamot and lemon open into fir, amber, and herbaceous depth.
It’s a fragrance that moves.
Not frantic movement—but focused forwardness.
JF is what I reach for when clarity is non-negotiable.
When my schedule is stacked, but I want my energy to be intact.
It’s executive presence for those who build as they walk.
This scent is architectural. It reminds me of frameworks, ideas, and early mornings that start with what matters.
It’s not just cologne. It’s a map.
VI. The Theology of Aroma
In Exodus 30, God gives Moses a recipe for holy anointing oil—
Myrrh, cinnamon, cane, cassia.
Not just scent, but sacred signal.
Something that marked leadership.
Set people apart.
Distinguished callings.
“It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person” (Exodus 30:32).
That verse has never left me.
Because it reminds me that to smell set apart is not vanity—it’s legacy.
Floris understands that.
Their scents don’t beg for attention.
They confirm identity.
They don’t fill the air.
They fill the memory.
You may not always be heard right away.
But if your presence is wrapped in holy fragrance—you will not be forgotten.
VII. Signature as Strategy
Floris also offers private bespoke fragrances.
I’ve always been fascinated by this idea—not as indulgence, but as identity clarity.
A bespoke scent is a statement that says:
“I know who I am—and I am intentional about how I am experienced.”
For executives, artists, ministers, change-makers—this matters.
You don’t need to be loud to be known.
You need to be unmistakable.
And sometimes, the most strategic way to do that isn’t what you say—
It’s what they remember the moment after you leave the room.
VIII. Access Point Reflections
For leaders, creatives, and culture-shapers:
🜂 What does your presence smell like when you’re not performing?
🜂 What memory do you want your leadership to leave behind?
🜂 What ritual grounds you before you speak truth into a room?
🜂 Are you wearing scent—or are you wearing strategy?
IX. Closing Benediction
You were never meant to enter the room with nothing.
You were meant to arrive anchored in who you are.
Floris doesn’t just scent the body.
It scents the calling.
Wear fragrance that aligns with your inner atmosphere.
That steadies you before you speak.
That says what your résumé can’t.
Because presence is a message.
And when done right, it smells like memory.
This is a free post from ACCESS Points. If this met you at the intersection of luxury, identity, and calling—share it. And if you haven’t experienced Floris London, consider this your invitation to scent your legacy. www.florislondon.com