Ryan Hunts of Beach Geeza
Profile: Beach Geeza was born out of a passion for world travel, being open to spontaneous creativity and surrendering to the magic of happy accidents. I was born in San Diego California in 1980 and I come from a family of entrepreneurs who always think outside of the box.
Young Ryan and the Flowbee circa 1992
My father was a Master Carpenter and late one night when he was finishing up his work and closing shop, he picked up a vacuum to suck the sawdust out of his overgrown hair. And at that moment he had a vision to invent a vacuum haircutter, which eventually became the ‘Flowbee Home Haircutting System’.
photos of Ryan Hunts growing up in Padre, Texas
Some years later my Parents decided to move our family to Padre Island Texas. It was at this time where I began to develop a fondness for the beach lifestyle and a love for the salty sea air of the coasts. From the humid aromas of the Gulf Coast where we lived to the fresh piney sea breezes of the Pacific Northwest where we spent our Summers. I was in love with the scent of these environments, and they gave me a deep thirst to experience more of what’s out there in the world.
Then one Summer, I was introduced to the concept of a person’s signature scent. A friend of my dad’s, who happened to be a truly masculine Man, had a scent about him that was very peculiar. It seemed like his natural smell, however, even the inside of his car had this distinct aroma. I remember the scent was not overbearing yet it was always noticeable in his presence and the Ladies would swoon who came around him, I had to know what this scent was. As it turns out, he wore Ralph Lauren Polo Green aftershave balm. This was a revelation for me on the power of personal scent and sparked a lifelong journey for me to discover my own signature scent.
Ryan Hunts of Beach Geeza filming in Indonesia
Years later after graduating college I ventured into the film and television business in a career that spanned for nearly two decades. On one project I was being flown around the world as a Cameraman to capture footage of various cultures. From the crowded spice markets of Jaipur to smoky temples full of incense in Bangkok, my craving for life experience was being satisfied and I was getting exposed to many new alluring smells. During one leg of the journey, we were in Bali Indonesia filming in a lush tropical garden near the beach. And at this moment I caught the distinct aroma of vetiver, I couldn’t see where it was, but its scent was wafting around my nose and mixing with the fresh sea salt air blowing in from the ocean. It smelled like pure heaven. And I remember asking myself, ‘Can I recreate this scent? Could this even become my signature scent?’ I flew back home with these questions blossoming in my mind.
Ryan Hunts of Beach Geeza at a Farmer’s Market
I poured over every YouTube video, website and blog on perfume creation that I could find. Then one night, I was having a lively conversation with two good friends of mine about creating a fragrance house and spontaneously the name ‘Beach Geeza’ popped out of my mouth and they both shouted, ‘That’s it! Beach Geeza! That’s you Man!’ Right then and there the vision was born to create perfumes that smell like the ultimate beach vacation.
Over the coming weeks I ordered several samples of raw materials, pipettes, glass beakers, a scale and I started blending. It became a new creative outlet for me that I was willing to indulge in at every spare moment. I remember being so excited about the idea of Beach Geeza fragrances that I couldn’t go to sleep at night. And over time as the early formulations began to take shape, I felt optimistic that I was carrying on the family tradition of being an entrepreneur who thinks outside of the box
Beach Geeza Perfumes and Eau de Toilettes Bottles ready for packaging
After about a year of consistent practice and learning to surrender to the magic of happy accidents I finally completed my first fragrance, ‘Juniper Java’ which has vetiver from Indonesia and became my personal signature scent. And not too long after that came my second fragrance ‘Coco Moon,’ which to this day is the most popular perfume in the Beach Geeza line and is heralded by some fans as the ultimate beach vacation scent. Over the last few years, the Beach Geeza house has accumulated a diverse customer base and they continually encourage me to grow as a Perfumer, the journey continues!
Ryan Hunts of Beach Geeza at his perfumer organ
On American Perfumery: Even though the art of perfumery has been around for centuries, it still feels like a new form of creative expression here in America. Given America’s vast diversity I’m hopeful it’ll cultivate a sublime wave of original work in the coming years. The fragrance classics of tomorrow are being created today and a new generation of consumers will demand originality. I’m excited to be among those who are contributing to the medium.
Collage of Steve Martin from the movie The Jerk via Universal Pictures
Favorite American Artist: Steve Martin, he’s a comedian, actor, writer and musician who has a genius for playing the charismatic buffoon with a heart of gold. His work emanates a romantic energy that’s mixed with innocent ambition. The dreamy child in me always relates to his characters.
–Ryan Hunts, Perfumer and founder of Beach Geeza
Beach Geeza Coco Moon EDP
Thanks to Ryan Hunts of Beach Geeza, we have a draw for a 50 ml of Coco Moon EDP ($189.99) for registered user in the US, UK, Canada and EU. To enter the draw, you must be a registered reader. Please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Ryan Hunts’ of Beach Geeza path to perfumery and where you live. Draw closes 8/4/22
Ryan Hunts is 167th in our American Perfumer Series, which officially began with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes on July 11, 2011
Beach Geeza Coco Moon EDP Notes: Top: Bergamot, Fresh Pineapple; Heart: Coconut, Tuberose, Jasmine; Base: Benzoin, Sandalwood, Cedar Wood, Oak Moss, Vanilla
Editor’s Note: My first encounter with Ryan Hunts of Beach Geeza was exactly a month ago at The World Perfumery Congress in Miami. During the Award Ceremonies former Sr. Contributor Marianne Butler brought him over to me and said “you must meet Ryan.” I am so glad I did –Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief
All photos belong to Ryan Hunts unless otherwise noted.
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