The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
L.A. High arrived in 2020 as part of Kismet Olfactive's Common Ground collection, a series of location-inspired releases made exclusively for Stéle New York. The brief was simple: translate Los Angeles into something you could wear. Not a postcard version. Not coconut sunscreen and palm trees. Shabnam Tavakol grew up in California and spent time studying perfumery in Grasse, France before settling in New York. L.A. High carries both geographies, the Pacific in its opening, the discipline of French technique in its structure. The result is a fragrance that smells like a place, but thinks like a memory.
The pairing of sea salt with sage is unusual. Salt usually wants to be clean, crisp, uncomplicated. Sage wants to be herbal, medicinal, slightly bitter. They shouldn't work together, but they do, because both carry that California restraint. Violet leaf softens the edges without making anything sweet. Hemp adds an earthy depth that keeps the composition grounded when it could otherwise float away into abstraction. The woody base of Palo Santo and sandalwood anchors everything. This is what makes L.A. High different: it smells like the coast without smelling like a spa. Like a late drive along the Pacific, windows down, the salt already drying on your skin.
The evolution
It opens on sea salt, mineral, not sweet, the kind that catches light off ocean water. Violet leaf arrives within minutes, adding a green snap that prevents the salt from reading as clinical. The sage takes its time, but when it arrives around the thirty-minute mark, it announces itself quietly. Not aggressive. Present. The hemp shows up as an undertone, earthy and slightly resinous, adding weight to what could have remained an airy composition. By hour two, the salt has faded. Palo Santo and sandalwood move to the surface. The drydown is warm, woody, close to the skin. Petitgrain adds a faint citrus bittersweetness that keeps the woods from becoming heavy. The sillage is moderate, this is a fragrance that stays near you, not one that announces itself across a room. Lasts into the evening on most skin types, settling into something meditative and intimate rather than loud.
Cultural impact
L.A. High arrived in 2020 as part of Kismet Olfactive's Common Ground collection, a series of location-inspired fragrances representing different urban landscapes. Created by Shabnam Tavakol, the fragrance brought an artisanal American perspective to the niche fragrance scene with its sea salt and sage composition. The 2020 launch offered a fresh take on coastal and herbal fragrance, appealing to consumers seeking something beyond traditional aquatic or fresh scents. Kismet Olfactive's approach of treating each fragrance as a narrative, a scent story capturing a specific location, positioned L.A. High as a cultural artifact reflecting Los Angeles's unique character.
