New Fragrance Boutique Aaila Curates Uncommon Scents

Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

Stephanie Matthew has a nose for memorable scents. “I still remember the exact smell of the rose geraniums in my grandma’s backyard,” she says. And just thinking about her early childhood in California, before her family moved to Hawai‘i and she established a career as a photographer, invites a rush of vivid scent memories of “Santa Ana winds, chlorine and chamomile.” Such is the power of scent. In an instant, it can hurl you back in time or whisk you off to a far-flung locale, something Matthew hopes to celebrate with Aaila, her recently opened fragrance boutique in Downtown Honolulu.

The shop focuses on niche fragrances—those created by dedicated perfume brands—from around the globe. Crafted in small batches by indie perfumers, these are highly imaginative fragrances designed to enthrall and delight. “Vietnamese brand D’Annam makes a scent that at first smells like white rice, then turns floral, then musky,” Matthew says. Inspired by Ching Shih, a fearless female pirate of the South China Seas in the early 1800s, one of New York perfumer Marissa Zappas’ scents layers notes of gunpowder with velvety orris and apricot-tinged osmanthus.

Potency ranges from extraits (the strongest) to toilettes and colognes. For the optimal experience, Matthew suggests coming in with an open mind and a willingness to explore. “Walk around and smell everything,” she says. “That’s what’s so cool about niche perfume—people come in thinking, I like this, I like that and then leave with something completely different!”

7 N. Hotel St., Downtown, aailahonolulu.com, @aaila.honolulu

Brie Thalmann is the former home and style editor of HONOLULU Magazine and now a contributor.