Matthew J. Sánchez of MATTEO PARFUMS
Profile: “What can’t Matthew do?” is a humbling tagline and compliment I’ve been given by friends and family for decades now. It’s a mix of my optimism, ambition, and resiliency that I think affords me this honor. So, who is the man behind MATTEO PARFUMS? I’m Matthew J. Sánchez, born in Orange County (“the OC”), California and raised in Moreno Valley, CA (“the IE” or Inland Empire), and I come from a multicultural and multiethnic family. My father immigrated from Michoacán, Mexico and my mother is ethnically Ghanaian, but is originally from West Virginia, and interestingly enough I’m at least 7th generation Californian as my paternal grandmother’s side of the family has been in California since the state still belonged to Mexico in the 1800s and earlier.
Matthew J. Sánchez of MATTEO PARFUMS (upper left) and His Two Brothers, Michael and Mark (circa 2001)
I come from a storied family. My parents’ backgrounds were completely different from each other—which ultimately contributed to my upbringing. For example, my mother is the youngest of 10 children and her father was a coal miner for the majority of his life and eventually became West Virginia’s oldest (and longest-running) Minister. My father comes from a single parent household, was the middle child, and spent early years working fruit fields picking and selling produce in order to help supply money for his family, until making his way to southern California. What both sides of my family emphasized is the value of higher education and the concept of “work smarter, not harder,” which made me feel as if I can do anything. Growing up as the middle child myself and in a working-class family, I saw how much my parents often sacrificed, especially in my earlier years, in order to give me and my brothers some semblance of normalcy. I placed a lot of pressure on myself, and still do most of the time, to hold myself to a high standard. I think it comes from my childhood and wanting to not only make myself and my family proud, but also as a way to “escape the struggle” and achieve an elevated life I always imagined.
Matthew J. Sanchez of MATTEO PARFUMS
I desire excellence and have faithfully found myself trying to always maximize my whole brain—I’m always seeking out ways to make use of my left-brain and right-brain; having a balanced life full of the arts and creativity and the sciences and logic. This internal motive led me to receive a full-ride scholarship to UCLA where I went on to earn my B.S. in Applied Mathematics with minors in Entrepreneurship and Global Studies (which, fun fact, I wrote a thesis for my Global Studies minor which won an international award in Paris in 2016). Upon graduation, I entered the world of banking and financial services as an analyst, which fulfilled my quantitative needs. But I was still missing something else, the qualitative side of my life wasn’t being satisfied. It was one day while at a dentist appointment that would change my life. While waiting to be seen by the dentist, I read a GQ magazine that was in the waiting room and inside was an article on perfumers and “their famous creations.”
Candid of Matthew Sanchez and His Cousin and Stylist Kayla Sanchez During Their Trip to NYC for a MATTEO PARFUMS Campaign of Celadawn
It piqued my interest, after all I love fragrance and have a strong personal connection to scent. Some of my fondest memories revolve around scents, like going to church on Sundays and smelling my mom’s Bijan perfume and my dad’s Calvin Klein CK One, or early morning drives in my hometown and smelling fresh oranges permeate the crisp air, or family trips to San Diego and Mexico with the smell of the ocean forever present. I continued reading that feature and a lightbulb inside me turned on! On those pages I also couldn’t help but notice that all of the perfumers featured were older, white males, and from Europe. There was no one like me in the field or represented; a rhetorical question “is fragrance yet another industry that also has a diversity problem?”
Early sketch of Celadawn
This motivated me even more to really take a deeper dive into the world of perfumery once my appointment was over and I distinctly remember having the thought, “maybe I could do this? Why not me? If not me then who?” and that’s exactly what I did. That same day I went home and watched as many videos and read as many blogs and fragrance sites as I could find on perfumery (including CaFleureBon), read literature and reviewed the science behind fragrance, studied the major players in the arena, and truly delved into deep research. I would spend the next 3 years solely refining my perfumery skills and knowledge of the industry and ingredients, before eventually creating my inaugural scent, MATTEO PARFUMS Celadawn, in 2019 and launching the scent in August 2020.
MATTEO PARFUMS Celadawn
Since that August day in 2020, MATTEO PARFUMS has been featured in major media, we have received an Art and Olfaction award nomination in the Artisan Category for Celadawn, and we now have international partnerships with a few boutiques (such as 7scents in Budapest, Hungary). I’m optimistic for our future, with plenty of new products, fragrances, and partnerships. Fun fact, MATTEO PARFUMS Celadawn is written in cursive on the bottles and it’s my handwriting. I believe art can be found anywhere, and cursive and calligraphy are early forms of art I quickly grasped (it is also the style of font of the ÇaFleureBon logo!). In fact, I first learned to write in cursive before I learned to write in print.
Matthew’s perfume organ
On American Perfumery: Despite fragrance being a ceremonial and habitual practice for centuries from the regions of Africa-Asia, the industry and institution of perfumery that is popularized today is heavily centered on Europe and comes from a European gaze. For me, when I even think of American perfumery, I immediately associate us and this segment as a Renaissance. We’re a hot commodity, if you haven’t noticed, and I believe interest in American perfumery will continue to grow. We are a culturally iconic and inimitable collective that is ushering in new perspectives, narratives, and broadening the historically narrow horizons of fragrance from the anchors of Europe. In a way we shouldn’t be surprised. America is the world’s melting pot and what makes us unique is the fact many of us come from legacies and families that dealt with industrialization, migration, capitalism, and diversification. To be an American perfumer feels empowering to me. I’m fully aware there are eyes on us, some hoping we fail, others following in awe, and because we are viewed as underdogs, I’m always rooting for us. We’re more influential and impactful than we think we are.
Portrait of Robert Downey Jr. for Premiere of Iron Man 3 in Paris
Favorite American Artist: Robert Downey Jr. because he plays Iron Man and Tony Stark, one of my favorite superheroes, which had a strong impression on my youthful development. I never wanted to be anyone else other than myself but if I did have to be someone, I would always choose Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr). Tony has it all: as he famously says he’s a “Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist.” And Robert Downey Jr. is a phenomenal talent and I’m consistently impressed with how much he’s been able to evolve and continues to do so.
— Matthew J. Sánchez, Perfumer and Founder of MATTEO PARFUMS
MATTEO PARFUMS Celadawn
Thanks to Matthew J. Sánchez, we have a draw for a full size (50ml) bottle of their debut fragrance MATTEO PARFUMS Celadawn (EDP) for one registered reader in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and Latin America. To enter, you must be a registered reader. Please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Matthew J. Sánchez and his path to perfumery and where you are located. Draw closes 10/25/2022
Celadawn EDP Scent Profile: Top notes: Vietnamese Cinnamon, Indian Black Peppercorn, and Spanish Saffron; Heart notes: Sicilian Blood Orange and MATTEO PARFUMS proprietary custom Horchata Amber; Base notes: Virginia Cedar, Mexican Vanilla, and Beige Musk
Matthew J. Sánchez is the 170th Profile in our American Perfumer Series, which officially began with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes on July 11, 2011.
All photos belong to Matthew J. Sánchez unless otherwise noted.
Why not me? If not me then who?”
Editor’s Note: I met Matthew at the WPC at the Art and Olfaction Award Ceremony for a split second, and was curious to know more about a perfumer whose first and only fragrance was a finalist…. There’s so much exciting talent in our own country. That’s why I started this series, just one year after we launched ÇaFleureBon. Visit us again for Nicoleta’s’ upcoming review of Celadawn –Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief.
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