Funmi Monet, then a Nigerian-American student studying to become a licensed therapist, developed her love of fragrance while working at the perfume counter at Dillard’s. Content creation soon became her creative outlet, with her growing following (now over 500,000 strong on TikTok) seeking her fragrance advice. Then the opportunities started to come in: Monet collaborated on her own limited edition fragrance called Exalté and joined the Sephora Squad in 2022 as a “fragrance girl” before Sephora approached her with the idea of creating her own brand.
“I’ve always wanted to launch my own fragrance line, but to be honest, I’m not a business person,” Monet told Ujo Shop. “I worked on mental health, I’m a creator, but … launching a business is very different.”
However, Sephora’s pitch was the push she needed to break into the beauty business. Monet was accepted into Sephora Accelerate – the beauty retailer’s incubator dedicated to supporting emerging businesses – and began building her fragrance label Influxious in 2024. Last summer, Monet also attended the program at ISIPCA (the school of French perfumes, cosmetics and flavors in Versailles) and received a certificate as a perfumery. He says: “I knew three words of French, but it took me two weeks to learn at school.
Image: Courtesy of Influxious
Now, after two years of development, Influxious will debut exclusively at Sephora on July 27 with four different fragrances: Well Loved, Magic Hour, High Life and Gold Standard. Each fragrance is available in 50mL and 10mL bottles, priced at $150 and $35, respectively. Instead of launching with one hero scent, Influxious is showing that it’s here to stay with its four fragrance line. As Monet said: “Why not start with a bang?”
The hot fragrance cabinet opens with Dearly Beloved, a creamy leather fragrance that includes notes of cardamom, apricot, shea butter and vanilla. While many modern leather fragrances embrace fresh linens and notes close to soap, Monet goes into a warm interpretation. “Every time I think of the smell of clean skin, I think of how I grew up,” she explains. “My mom used to apply shea butter and cocoa butter on my skin after I showered and that’s what I associated with clean, fresh skin.”
Magic Hour is the brand’s “holiday scent”, intended to transport the senses to a tropical retreat through watermelon, golden mango and dragon fruit with a base of sandalwood, salty skin musk and sunlit amber. Thanks to the expertly placed pepper note, “it almost sounds like a cocktail with a Tajin rim,” says Monet. Magic Hour is also “ankle-approved,” which is Monet’s own spin on sensual, fruity juices worthy of being spritzed up to the ankles.
Image: Courtesy of Influxious
Inspired by Detty December (the holiday season in Nigeria), High Life “captures what Lagos is all about at night,” says Monet. The perfect fragrance to wear before a night out with friends, with notes of Turkish rose, West African incense, pink pepper and sparkling raspberry. According to Monet, this fusion of the senses was intentional: High Life also refers to the Nigerian singer Fela Kuti’s invention of Afrobeat, or the fusion of West African music, jazz and funk. “It’s a strong fragrance, it feels very sweet, it feels rhythmic,” he adds.
The Gold Standard, a gourmand melted into luxury, rounds out Influxious’ first offering. It opens with top notes of blood orange fruit and golden mango, then moves into a heart of saffron and Moroccan neroli. As its sweet name might suggest, Gold Standard then inhabits a rich base of caramel, vanilla, rum, tonka, musk and golden amber. “This smells like someone with 800 credit points and the rich are laughing,” Monet said.
Paying homage to Monet’s legacy, a note of Nigerian ginger acts as a line between all four fragrances. Nigerian ginger is naturally strong, providing freshness and spice to every scent (albeit in varying degrees of intensity).
“Some scents are more gingery and some have a little sprinkle of ginger, it’s not very noticeable, but it’s just enough to have this golden thread that connects all four scents and makes them stand out,” said Monet.
Image: Courtesy of Influxious
Beyond Sephora acting as a guiding partner from the perspective of Influxious, it also made sense for the fragrance brand to be introduced to the retailer given its status in the global beauty category. While high-end perfumes sit on the beauty counters of specialty retailers and department stores (think Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman), Monet wants to help build the niche fragrance space into a widely available retailer like Sephora.
“For me, I’ve always seen Influxious as a global brand because I really see perfume as a global language,” explains Monet. “When I think about how I want the brand to grow, I think it makes sense to grow with someone who has a global history because I also want this to be more accessible.”
Looking ahead, there is no limit to the Universal Universe, says Monet. The fragrance is just starting out, but exploring fragrance in all its forms – such as body oils and butters – may be on the product’s horizon.
“You don’t see a lot of world-class African-based perfume brands,” Monet said. “Many times brands are limited in their countries because of the distribution, or because of the many products of Blacks, just in the US, but I hope to break that ceiling and show that the beauty of Nigeria, African perfumes, African ingredients and botanicals are perfumes and that French perfume should not be the standard.”
Gold Standard Eau de Parfum Unscented, $150, available here
Influxious High Life Eau de Parfum, $150, available here
Influxious Magic Hour Eau de Parfum, $150, available here
Well-Liked Eau de Parfum, $150, available here
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