Entrepreneur’s Roots Inspire Fragrance Company
When November Nichols was young, she witnessed her stepfather launch his own automotive business. Later in life, Nichols uncovered her biological grandmother’s history of creating beloved community fragrances, teas and tinctures in Louisiana.
These inspirational entrepreneurs seeded Nichols’ destiny. Today, the Black female founder of boutique fragrance house CHÉMIN is embarking on a trailblazing mission to make luxury scents accessible to all.
“I’m standing on my grandmother’s shoulders and ushering this whole perfumery thing forward for not only myself, but for other people of color who are interested in this craft,” Nichols told AFROTECH.
Winding Road Leads to Launch
Nichols’ journey to launch CHÉMIN was nonlinear. She previously enjoyed a successful career in education before taking on a demanding corporate role.
The heavy travel and long hours took a toll on her personal life as a single mom. After reaching her lowest point, Nichols turned to mindfulness practices that soon sparked her creativity.
When a favored candle was discontinued, she taught herself to make candles. Positive feedback from friends affirmed her natural talents. After her candle-making hobby turned profitable, Nichols left her job in 2018 to focus on CHÉMIN full-time.
Diverse Fragrances Now at JCPenney
Nichols’ determination to uplift diversity in the largely white fragrance industry led to a groundbreaking retail partnership. CHÉMIN recently teamed up with JCPenney to launch an affordable luxury collection in stores nationwide.
“As an indie fragrance house founded, owned and operated by a Black woman, this is obviously a huge deal — as this is the first time a major retailer has gotten behind a Black owned fragrance brand in this way,” Nichols said.
The collection features CHÉMIN’s signature scents across a range of products. Focused on warm, comforting fragrances, Nichols’ goal is to create an intimate, personalized perfume experience for all.
Paying It Forward
In addition to growing her brand, Nichols aims to diversify the fragrance industry through educational programs. Her “fragrancepreneur” initiative exposes more people of color to the creative and business side of fine fragrances.
With sights set on making CHÉMIN an international name known for affordable luxury fragrances, Nichols continues boldly paving the way for Black entrepreneurship and representation in the multi-billion dollar fragrance world.
“The Black dollar —our dollar — is so powerful,” Nichols told AFROTECH. “If we just are intentional about that spend, we can change a lot of lives.”
