With Kayali as the No. 1 fragrance brand at Sephora last year, the retailer appears to have learned its customers have a taste for international influences. Now, it’s pushing further in that direction by bringing in Borntostandout and Fugazzi, two rising global fragrance brands selling scents with an attitude.
Founded by Bram Niessink, son of KIS Haircare founder Nico Niessink, 7-year-old Fugazzi gets its name from the slang term “fugazi,” meaning fake or intangible, which Niessink encountered in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and made his own by swapping in a mirrored Cyrillic letter. It’s most recognized for Angel Dust, a woody ode to introversion built around synthetic musk Cashmeran, known for its skin-scent quality without fading into nothing. Sephora is launching Angel Dust in eau de parfum and extrait de parfum varieties—Fugazzi has a reputation for highly concentrated fragrance formats—and four other scents (Vanilla Haze, Magic Mango, Cloudh Nine and Orange Crush) in 105 doors on March 13.
Former investment banker Jun Lim started South Korean brand Borntostandout three years ago to, ahem, stand out with provocative product names, distinct red and white packaging that upends cultural norms in its home country and unconventional fragrance notes like basmati rice. Its bestsellers are Drunk Lovers, an earthy scent spiked with a brandy accord, and Dirty Rice, a warm and sheer fragrance with the starchiness of basmati rice at its heart. Borntostandout made its debut online at Sephora on Feb. 24 and expands to 112 doors on March 13.
Borntostandout and Fugazzi collaborated on limited-edition scents in 2024 and a Paris pop-up event this Valentine’s Day, underscoring the shared irreverent positioning that has helped them gain traction in niche fragrance circles. They’re arriving at Sephora as the fragrance boom has had time to settle in, cultivating greater sophistication among fragrance aficionados that the retailer believes may be ready to experiment with high-end niche offerings. Borntostandout and Fugazzi will test Sephora shoppers’ appetite for fragrances that cross boundaries in storytelling, composition and price.
Fugazzi’s prices range from $120 for a 1.7-oz. eau de parfum to $180 for Angel Dust’s 1.7-oz. extrait de parfum. Borntostandout is pricier, running from $39 for an eau de parfum travel spray to $220 for 1.7-oz. eau de parfum bottles. Sephora is introducing six of Borntostandout’s eau de parfums with concentrations of roughly 30% to 40%, and five lighter eau intimité fragrances. On average, 1.7-oz. eau de parfums at Sephora are priced around $130 to $160.
“At the core of both brands, there is humor, provocation and a real desire to make fragrance feel less intimidating and more playful,” says Pierre Vouard, founder of PJV Advisory and adjunct professor at FIT. He continues that the entrance of Borntostandout, which he describes as “firmly in the ultra-luxury pricing territory,” into Sephora is a strong signal about the retailer’s ambitions as it battles Ulta Beauty, where brands like Noyz and Snif have shaken up the fragrance selection in a more accessible pricing tier. He says, “Sephora is actively testing how far customers are willing to go in fragrance within this distribution.”
The move into high-end niche fragrances also comes as the fragrance market polarizes and Sephora increasingly globalizes its assortment. Data from Circana cited by The Business of Fashion shows fragrances priced above $150 grew 14% in the first quarter of 2025, and those under $50 rose 11%, leaving the mid-tier squeezed. The dynamic is in line with broader polarization in the American beauty consumer base, where high-income consumers are driving a disproportionate amount of growth.
Sephora’s global strategy has it identifying emerging brands and expanding them across regions. Prior to breaking into Sephora in the United States, Fugazzi recently launched at the retailer in the Middle East following its earlier expansion to Sephora in the United Kingdom, where it was the fastest-growing niche fragrance brand last month. Fugazzi has more than 640 retail partners in 33 countries, according to its website. Borntostandout has a presence in 65 countries, including at Selfridges, Harrods, Galeries Lafayette, Samaritaine, Mecca, Revolve and Luckyscent.
“Sephora is actively testing how far customers are willing to go in fragrance.”
Vouard points out that Borntostandout and Fugazzi’s launches at Sephora reinforce that fragrance is no longer only hailing from the traditional global epicenters of perfumery. “New creative centers are bringing different sensibilities into the category along with new scent profiles and new ways of telling stories,” he says. “That creates a virtuous cycle because as the category opens up culturally, it becomes easier for new consumers to see themselves in it, especially those who may not have connected with the old, more rigid codes of fragrance.”
Vouard adds that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump starting last year have made it trickier for American perfume lovers to purchase international brands such as Fugazzi and Borntostandout. With Sephora selling them, it creates a wider opening for Americans to buy them and is an encouraging sign for other brands with a global culture or heritage approach. Vouard says, “Sephora betting on these two lines even in the face of stiff tariffs suggests that customer demand for fragrances with a global perspective is stronger than ever.”
It’s unclear whether the bet will pan out. A fan of Borntostandout and Fugazzi, Asia Grant, co-founder of fragrance brand Redoux and host of Scent Social Club fragrance tours in New York, says they currently lack user-generated content that’s propelled scent sales in the U.S. She spotlights Lore, a fragrance brand from former executives and founders at Rhode, Youth to the People and Milk Makeup that launched at Sephora in September, as employing influencer marketing to effectively spread the word. She says, “The week after they did their initial big push, everyone on my tour was like, ‘What do you think of Lore?’”
The brands, however, have seen sales momentum ahead of their Sephora premieres. Niessink has said Fugazzi has doubled sales every year since 2018 and tripled revenue in 2025. Industry sources told the publication Glossy that Borntostandout is expected to generate approximately $10 million in revenue in 2026. Last year, the brand secured series A funding in a round led by venture capital firm Touch Capital, with participation from L’Oréal’s VC fund BOLD.
