Synthetics in Scentmaking; the Hair+Makeup of 'Pillion'; and How to Hot Towel Shave

Blue Princes, hello! Back with the latest episode of SPIFFY, our men’s grooming podcast. In this episode, we’re talking fragrance—and specifically, zeroing in on a key vocab word: synthetics.

I called up Christina Christie, senior perfumer at Givaudan, to do a deep dive into the science behind scentmaking, and why this word—synthetic—defines much of what we smell as consumers. From manipulating scent performance, preserving rare natural materials, and opening up infinite new smells… synthetics are the way forward.

I hope it gives many listeners a new understanding of modern perfumery too, and future perfumery (as we discuss Givaudan’s latest scent-capturing technology, and AI advancements that their perfumers are embracing).

Listen on: Apple // Spotify

None of this is an indictment on Big Naturals, either. I’m all for the brands who can source their rose, patchouli, oud, and such from the best producers in the world. But Christina highlights why ideals can’t always win out over safety and pragmatism.

And thank you to episode sponsor LuxSB - Luxury Scent Box (where you can discover your next favorite scent, among the 800+ that they sample in large 9ml vials).

Pillion Hair+Makeup, Robb Report Spotlights, and Hot Towel Shaves

Some other grooming goings-on with my name on ‘em:

An interview with Diandra Ferreira for THE SET SET. Diandra is Pillion’s award-winning hair+makeup lead.

Four love letters in Robb Report, to XYON’s hair-raising topicals, Sage + Salt’s woo-woo scent duo, Niostem’s follicle-stimulating helmet, and St. Meto’s strand-saving clay mask.

As well as a spotlight on Krigler’s latest limited-edition run, Lovely Patchouli 55 Extrait, for which we visited Peninsula Paris in December to celebrate the launch.

On Blue Print’s YouTube, we’ll soon have a bunch of hair transplant content to further build out our knowledge bank there—with 9-month updates on my friend Matt’s regrowth. We’ve got a spotlight on shave brand Tatara going up in the next couple days, and in the meantime, we have this soothing hot towel shave tutorial. (Thanks brother Sam for filming, Eric @ Blind Barber for shaving, and fellow scribe Aaron Royce for sitting in).

After we move apartments this weekend, we’ll finalize a website refresh after a couple months of steady migration to a new platform; we’ll be able to publish articles faster and furious-er… thank goodness for that!

Oh, lastly: If you don’t otherwise listen to the ICYMI podcast from Slate, I suggest you check out this episode they did on the Looksmaxxing crowd, and what that ludicrous bone-smasher movement means, culturally speaking. Host Kate Lindsay speaks to writer Charlie Sosnick to discuss the GQ article he wrote on the same unfortunate topic. (So glad I’m not 15 in 2026, woof.)

Alright, more SPIFFY eps in the cannon, mannnny more videos too… have a great week, princes!