David Falsberg of Phoenicia Perfumes

Teacher. Mentor. Friend.

I met David Falsberg in 2022 after winning a bottle of Raspberry M’Oud giveaway from Senior Editor’s  J Wearescentient review on Cafleurebon. It was a simple stroke of luck that, unbeknownst to me at the time, would change the course of my life forever. What began as a delayed package and a friendly email exchange unfolded into one of the most profound friendships and mentorships I have ever known. This is my tribute to the man who took me from fragrance enthusiast to professional perfumer, and who taught me—by example—how to live with courage, generosity, and grace.

David in college

Early Life & An Uncommon Mind

David’s brilliance was evident from the beginning. A graduate of Yale University, he possessed a mind that was incisive, curious, and relentlessly creative.

David was a co-founder of Paper Magazine

Long before perfumery, David shaped culture through publishing—most notably as a co-founder of Paper Magazine, helping define conversations around art, fashion, identity, and transgression when few others dared to. His intellect moved effortlessly between disciplines. Whether discussing literature, medicine, art theory, or scent molecules, David brought rigor and imagination to everything he touched.

Against All Odds

David lived much of his life battling Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a rare and life-threatening immune-mediated condition most often triggered by medications or infections. Stevens-Johnson syndrome causes the skin and mucous membranes to blister, detach, and essentially burn from the inside out. Survivors frequently endure lasting complications, including chronic pain, organ damage, extreme photosensitivity, and permanent vision impairment. (Learn more on SFJsupport.org). David endured these realities with extraordinary resolve. Hospitalizations, medical trauma, and long recoveries became part of his life, not as defining features, but as adversaries he refused to surrender to. Where most would retreat inward, David Falsberg of Phoenicia Perfumes expanded outward. He continued to think, create, mentor, and love with urgency and clarity.

Rather than allowing illness to narrow his world, David transformed suffering into philosophy. It was here—against overwhelming physical odds—that his guiding principle fully emerged: no boundaries, no limitations. His life became a testament to what remains possible even when the body betrays itself.

Finding Perfumery

Perfumery came later in David’s life, but when it arrived, it felt inevitable. Following profound vision loss caused by complications from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, David entered a world without sight—but paradoxically gained a heightened olfactory awareness. Deprived of visual input, his sense of smell became exquisitely tuned, emotionally precise, and spatially vivid. Scent was no longer an accessory; it became language, memory, and truth. David approached perfumery not as commerce, but as olfactory autobiography. Each formula was intimate, confrontational, and unapologetically human.

 

Founding Phoenicia Perfumes

That philosophy fully crystallized with the founding of Phoenicia Perfumes. David rejected traditional perfumery rules, marketing trends, and “wearability” constraints. Instead, he created fragrances that challenged the wearer—emotionally, intellectually, and viscerally.

 

Gone But Not is a meditation on presence and absence, memory and survival—an abstract yet deeply moving composition that became his most iconic work.

Chemistry explores the charged tension between skin, molecule, and desire—raw, intimate, and unsettling in the best way.

Skin Graft confronts fragility and healing, blending discomfort and beauty into something achingly alive.

Each fragrance was edgy, uncompromising, and unmistakably David—works of olfactory art rather than products.

A Voice at Cafleurebon

David also  was a Guest Contributor for Perfumer’s Workshop  to Cafleurebon, talking with artisan perfumers about subjects such as hydro distillation. His Profiles in American Perfumery: No Boundaries, No Limitations—explored fragrance through lived experience: illness, resilience, beauty, and gratitude. He reminded readers that perfume is inseparable from the soul and the body that carries it.

Olfactory Art Keller by Hernando

Olfactory Art & Cultural Legacy

David’s work extended beyond perfume bottles into curatorial and artistic spaces. His involvement with the Olfactory Art Keller reflected his belief that scent deserved a place alongside visual and conceptual art. It was further proof that he was not merely a perfumer, but a cultural thinker expanding what fragrance could be.

 Coma Life So Beautiful photo by Ida

Author, Storyteller, Witness

David’s book, Coma Life, So Beautiful (reviewed by Ida), revealed his rare ability to articulate the inexpressible. It was not merely a memoir, but a meditation on consciousness, survival, and awe. One line that captures his spirit for me reads:

“I did not come back from the edge afraid. I came back grateful—astonished that beauty still wanted me.”

In those words, you understand the man: fearless in truth, tender in reflection.

David and Hez collage

Mentor in the Truest Sense

David invested extraordinary time, energy, and love into my development. He taught me secrets most perfumers guard fiercely. He shared rare materials, such as various Oud and musk that were his alone. He never held back and never asked for anything in return. He simply wanted me to succeed. That kind of mentorship—rooted in pure generosity—is exceedingly rare, and I never doubted that he had my back completely.

David Falsberg of Phoenicia Perfumes texting Hez

 Friends Do Not Say Goodbye

For years, we spoke several times a day. Then the messages stopped. I assumed another hospital stay—until I learned he was critically ill with aggressive cancer and pneumonia. True to form, David called me anyway. His voice was weak, but his concern was for me—my work, my needs, my future. Our final conversation was marked by clarity and peace. He wanted everyone to be okay. That was David.

David!

Gone But Not

David Falsberg was my teacher, my mentor, and my closest friend. His influence lives on in my work, my values, and my heart. To his beloved wife Beth and his family, I offer my deepest condolences. David is Gone But Not—just like his iconic fragrance.
Gone from this world, but not from the people he inspired, the art he created, or the lives he transformed. His presence lingers—in scent, in memory, and in all of us who were forever changed by knowing him.

May his memory always be a blessing.

–Hez Binkowitz, Guest Contributor and Perfumer of Hez Parfums

Michelyn’s Note: Our deepest condolences to his wife Beth and to his family; he was part of ours.  Please support and honor David’s legacy.

Purchase from https://www.phoeniciaperfumes.com/collections/all 

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All photos courtesy of Beth and Phoenicia unless otherwise noted

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