Help Me Build Toby's Scent

Scent is strongly tied to memory. Sometimes all it takes is one familiar smell to bring back a person, a place, or a moment you haven’t thought about in years. It can bring back details you didn’t even realize you remembered.

When I was growing up, my little brother Toby had a signature scent he wore every single day. We were thick as thieves and even shared a room for many years, so I was around that scent constantly. Over time, it became ingrained in my memory and something I would always associate with him.

When Toby passed away, that scent became more than a bottle on a shelf. It became warm memories of my brother, of growing up together, and of a time in our lives I’ll always carry with me. In a way, it became a small piece of him that stayed behind.

If you’ve ever lost someone you love, you probably understand the weight those little reminders can carry. A smell, a song, an old shirt, something that might not mean anything to anyone else can bring that person right back to the front of your mind.

That’s a big part of why I want to do this. I’m creating a beard serum inspired by this piece of Toby and the scent I’ll always associate with him. The scent is locked, but I need your help building everything around it.

I could’ve named it Toby. I could’ve called it Brother. But I don’t want this to just be a name I put on a bottle and send out into the world. I want the process of creating it to be something I get to share with all of you. This scent started as something deeply personal to me, and now I get the chance to turn it into something bigger by inviting the community we’ve built to be part of it.

So, I’m leaving the name and the label art up to you. I want to see what this story inspires, what you picture when you hear it, and where we can take it together.

From October 6–20, send me your ideas for the scent name and what the label art should look like. Fill out the form below or comment on my posts. Both count the same, and you can send as many ideas as you want. When the two weeks are up, I’ll pick my favorites, we’ll put them to a public vote, and the winners will go on the bottle.

You do not have to be an artist. If you can picture it, describe it. Tell me the colors, the mood, what’s going on around Dman, a tiny hidden detail, or whatever else you see. I’ll build it from there. If you’d rather draw or design it yourself, go for it. One rule either way: Dman stays in the same spot on the label, and the text stays in the same spots.

This one means a lot to me, and I can’t wait to see what we build together.

Scent Profile: Lavender, Bergamot, Mint, Cinnamon, Orange blossom, Vanilla, Amber, Sandalwood, Cedarwood