Ep 446 - What Makes a Viral Perfume? Tips for Long-Lasting Scent, Perfume Layering and a Custom Fragrance In-Person Atelier with The 7 Virtues’ Barb Stegemann

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Episode Recap

Barb Stegemann is back to inspire us once more, just in time for Mother’s Day! Also known as the “Philosopher Queen,” Barb is a longtime friend of our show and a complete force to be reckoned with in the beauty business. 

Barb launched The 7 Virtues fragrance brand out of her garage in Halifax on International Women’s Day in 2010, after her best friend, Capt. Trevor Greene, was wounded in Afghanistan by the Taliban while serving there.

Barb then sewed the seeds of what would become a historic social enterprise and commercial success story, buying fair-trade essential oils from farmers in war-torn regions to make perfumes for peace — and now The 7 Virtues is in 2,000 Sephora stores around the world.

Tune in to hear about:

• What makes a viral moment: why The 7 Virtues “Santal Vanille and “Amber Vanilla” were the clean perfumes to pop off on TikTok

• Why “Vanilla Woods,” launched in 2018, was years ahead of the gourmand trend, and what makes it the brand’s bestseller to this day

• What makes a fragrance “clean” anyway? Barb explains fragrance load, organic sugar-cane alcohol and a 24-hour wear test 

• Why “Strawberry Jam” is the biggest launch in brand history, and why Barb believes everyone wants to smell like layer cake at this moment in time

• Inside The 7 Virtues Atelier on the Halifax Waterfront, and a major scoop on Barb’s expansion plans for the custom fragrance concept store

• The Sephora full-circle moment: from taking part in Sephora Accelerate in 2018 to mentoring the next class of Sephora Squad creators in 2026

• “Dragons’ Den,” redux: the original pitch that landed Brett Wilson's $125,000 investment (a reported 56-fold return), and what it felt like to return as a guest dragon for the show's 20th anniversary

• Why being underestimated is a gift, and the Marcus Aurelius wisdom Barb has repeated to her kids since they were small: “Be prepared to meet the angry, the lost, the jealous, the jaded. Now lead.”

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Affiliate Links

• The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods Eau de Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Santal Vanille Eau de Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Coconut Sun Eau de Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Clementine Dream Eau de Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Amber Vanilla Eau de Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Cherry Ambition Eau De Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Buttercream Haze Eau De Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Lotus Pear Eau de Parfum

•  The 7 Virtues Strawberry Jam Eau de Parfum

• The 7 Virtues Perfume Layering Discovery Set

• The 7 Virtues Of A Philosopher Queen: A Woman's Guide To Living And Leading In An Illogical World (Amazon CA | Amazon USA)

• Days for Girls International

• The Seven Virtues Atelier, Halifax Waterfront (Queen's Marque)

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For More Amazing Founder Stories, Check Out These Past Episodes!

Ep 03: Barb Stegemann, Founder of The 7 Virtues perfumes

Ep 102 - Why Bite Beauty Founder Susanne Langmuir is Banking on Waterless Beauty Next

Ep 356 - “Perfume Princess” Mona Kattan On Kayali’s Meteoric Rise at Sephora, The Secrets to Fragrance Layering and Is Your Signature Scent Overrated?

The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods