Pulse BEAT
SENTIMENTAL SCENTS Kelly Kussman bottles up memories with fragrance business, Cayla Gray
BY ELIZABETH LIBERATORE / PHOTO BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE
Throughout her teenage years, Kelly Kussman immersed herself in beauty articles from magazines. Of all the beauty topics she read about, fragrance was her absolute favorite because of its incredible ability to transport the wearer to a specific moment in time. “I can’t tell you how many of my childhood memories are associated with scents. The smell of a tomato plant brings me back to my mother’s garden, and the perfume Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker reminds me of my college days,” she says. After a 17-year career in retail, buying and sourcing fragrances for major department stores, Kussman wanted to create something of her own. So, she learned the art of perfumery from a master perfumer and, last November, launched her online fragrance business, Cayla Gray. “It wasn’t easy to launch a brand during a pandemic with so many raw material and packaging delays, but after almost losing my life in 2017, I realized life is short and I didn’t want to wait any longer,” Kussman says. Cayla Gray (www.caylagray.com) is Kussman’s way of honoring the children she tragically lost in two ectopic pregnancies. Cayla Gray is the namesake of Kussman and her husband’s first baby. “I get to create products that make memories for people,” she says. “These are memories that I was not able to make with my little ones, so it’s beautiful to see new moments captured in their honor through my products.” The product line includes perfumes and 100% soy-based, hand poured candles, both of which are available in the brand’s four scents that represent the seasons: Petals (spring), Water (summer), Cozy (fall), and Hearth (winter). In addition to these signature scents, Kussman plans to launch up to four limited-edition fragrances a year. All Cayla Gray products are made of premium-quality materials, are void of parabens and phthalates, and are cruelty-free. A storefront and full-time staff are some of Kussman’s long-term goals for Cayla Gray. The entrepreneur also has plans to launch a give back program, where a portion of sales will get donated to her customers’ charity of choice each quarter.
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So Scottsdale! April ‘21