Pearfat Parfum: Love Notes from the Midwest

Inside the cheeky, olfactory world of Chicago's Pearfat Parfum and its founder, Alie Kiral.

The world of perfume has long been steeped in European fantasy and cloaked in an air of exclusivity. Pearfat Parfum offers something juicier. Something grittier, funnier, and more grounded with an unmistakably Midwestern edge.

Founded by Chicago-based perfumer Alie Kiral, Pearfat Parfum isn’t about chasing old-world glamour. It’s flipping the entire fragrance narrative on its head with handmade perfumes that smell like love, longing, and living. All this comes from the perspective of someone who grew up in the city's punk scene, making zines, and having an awareness that scent is as much about identity as it is about indulgence.

“I wanted to create perfumes that felt true to me, not just the fantasy often projected in fragrance,” says Kiral. “Perfume is luxury, sure, but it’s also drag. It’s storytelling. It’s memory. You can choose who you want to be with every spritz.”

The name Pearfat is not a typo and it’s certainly not borrowed from any storied Parisian maison.

“I wanted something totally unique. A little cheeky,” Kiral explains. “It’s a play on parfait, French for ‘perfect,’ but also kind of luscious, juicy, and sweet. That’s what I love about it.”

The name alone signals what’s inside: perfumes that are beautifully crafted but never overly precious, grounded in both technical expertise and a disarming sense of humor.

For Kiral, who still handwrites notes in every order and mixes each batch by hand, place is everything. Chicago isn’t just the brand’s HQ, it’s Pearfat’s olfactory motherland.

“Chicago has a real DIY spirit,” she says. “If you want to make something happen here, you just do it. No one’s waiting for permission.”

That sense of independence permeates every bottle. Pearfat’s scent stories don’t bow to trend cycles or department store tropes. Instead, they come from scenes Kiral constructs like dioramas, layered with both poetic nostalgia and a bit of funk.

“I like a little discord and whimsy,” she laughs. “Something wearable, but unexpected.” Think: real vanilla paired with cold metal. Wildflowers tangled with photocopier toner. Sugar and static and something that might’ve lived in your memory since childhood but never had a name. Until now.

Each Pearfat scent is what Kiral calls a “Midwestern olfactory love poem,” a tagline that has remained the brand’s heartbeat since its inception. But like any strong creative vision, the language of the brand has evolved with time.

“As I’ve grown, I’ve found this sweet spot visually and creatively. It's where kitsch meets nature, maximalism meets elegance, and sweetness doesn’t mean simplicity.”

The packaging is intentionally subtle, designed to feel as comfortable tossed in your purse as it is displayed on your vanity. There are no gilded emblems or frosted glass facades here. Instead, you’ll find the honest tactility of handmade bottles, handwritten notes, and soon, a limited-edition charm from a collaboration with Chicago metalworker, Two Headed Star.

Their joint project, Little Star, launches July 11th and pays homage to the scent of a metal shop. “It’s a little punk, a little nostalgic,” Kiral teases. “Totally Pearfat.”

In a time when fragrance has exploded into a major online talking point, thanks in part to TikTok and a new generation of scent-savvy consumers, Kiral is thrilled to see the discourse deepen.

“I love writing about scent, and I love when other people write about it too,” she says. “My customers are brilliant. They say things like, ‘This smells like something I know, but I can’t place it,’ and I just melt.”

That type of reaction is exactly what she’s after: not simple recognition, but resonance. “Perfume should tap into something personal. Even if it’s weird or challenging. It’s supposed to make you feel something.”

That ethos extends beyond just the perfume. Pearfat has become something of a community hub. Kiral hosts frequent sold-out workshops, inviting Chicagoans to learn the alchemy of scent for themselves. She’s also deeply connected to a growing circle of perfumers in the city, from brands like Clue, Agar Olfactory, and Zernell Gillie.

“There’s this beautiful lack of pretension here,” she says. “Everyone just wants to share the craft.”

Pearfat Parfum isn’t just niche. It fills a gap in the fragrance world for anyone who’s ever felt a little out of place in a gilded boutique. It’s for the dreamers, the punk babes, the Midwesterners who grew up with one hand in a candy jar and the other on a mixtape.

And while Kiral is grateful for the support of fragrance institutions and content creators, she remains grounded in the same ethos that sparked Pearfat in the first place: make perfume for the people who don’t usually see themselves in perfume.

“There’s room for fantasy, sure,” she says. “But there’s also room for truth, for humor, for the messy beauty of real life. That’s what Pearfat is for.”