Heritage
A house, in its own words
Susan D. Owens built her perfumery practice outside the traditional fragrance industry pathways. Born in Texas, she spent time in Hollywood where she worked as a Playmate before leaving that world behind. When she moved to East Dallas, she had no background in chemistry or formal perfumery training. In 1989, Owens created a fragrance purely for herself, blending materials in her home without any intention of commercializing it. Friends and strangers alike began asking about the scent she wore, and their persistent interest reportedly convinced her to share it more widely. By 1990, the formula she developed for her own use became available as Child Perfume. The fragrance existed for years primarily through informal networks and specialty boutiques before reaching wider distribution. Owens later created a second fragrance called Heir in 2003, marking a rare output from a perfumer who works at her own pace. Throughout her career, Owens has remained based in East Dallas, operating independently from major fragrance houses and fragrance conglomerates. Her studio location in East Dallas has become part of her story, with D Magazine noting her presence there as somewhat unexpected given her Hollywood background. She has never publicly disclosed her complete ingredient lists or detailed her creative process beyond general statements.
Owens treats fragrance as something deeply personal rather than commercial. She created Child Perfume as a private response to her own desire for a scent, not as a product designed to fit market demand. This origin story shapes how she approaches her work: she creates for herself first, and only shares what genuinely satisfies her own standards. She has described the fragrance as addictive, a word that appears across multiple reviews and her own social media presence, suggesting she values intensity and memorability in her compositions. Unlike perfumers who work with briefs from fashion houses or marketing teams, Owens operates without external pressures dictating her creative direction. Her minimal output (two fragrances across three decades) reflects a philosophy of restraint over expansion. She reportedly believes in the primacy of scent over presentation, focusing her energy on the formula itself rather than elaborate branding campaigns. Owens has survived Hollywood and transitioned to a quieter life in Dallas, suggesting an underlying value system that prioritizes authenticity over industry acclaim. Her Instagram presence describes the fragrance as still hand-poured, implying that she views craftsmanship and direct involvement in production as essential to maintaining quality.