Fragrance house

Marissa Zappas

Marissa Zappas is a New York-based freelance perfumery and scent-design practice operating since 2017 and owned by its namesake perfumer. Zappas entered perfumery through Givaudan, where she began as a temporary receptionist while completing a master’s degree in anthropology before apprenticing in the laboratory to master perfumer Olivier Gillotin. Her creative language brings together anthropology, early-twentieth-century avant-garde perfumery, New York artist collaborations, nostalgia, fantasy, reality, the gothic, and the modern. The practice spans a personal perfume collection, freelance projects, and scent design for fragrances, candles, and home goods. Its work often translates literary, cinematic, and artistic ideas into scent: in 2020, Zappas created Paradise Edition to accompany Rachel Rabbit White’s book Porn Carnival: Paradise Edition, while Flaming Creature, released in 2021 with poet M. Elizabeth Scott, responded to Jack Smith’s film Flaming Creatures. In December 2023, Zappas co-founded Gumamina with perfumer Courtney Rafuse, and a recent collaboration with artist Cristine Brache extended the exhibition Centerfolds through fragrance.