by Dana Givens

January 20, 2021

Meet The First Black Woman To Craft Her Own Hair Fragrance From Historic French Region

Alexia P. Hammonds had a love for perfume from a young age. So when it came time for her to come up with an idea for a company, she wanted to combine her love of fitness and fragrance that complemented her active lifestyle. After becoming the first Black woman to craft her own fragrance in Grasse, France, known for perfume manufacturers, she created a brand that brought both worlds together.

Hammonds’ Eat. Sweat. Undress. is a hair fragrance collection and lifestyle brand designed for active women made with special oils to condition their hair and leave a beautiful scent. It’s based, she says, on her knowledge of creating her own products from a young age and a fascination with the perfume industry.

“I mixed fragrance oils into bath and body products. I’ve been obsessed with fine fragrances all of my life. My mother, a perfume snob herself, noticed my love of perfume and bought me tons of books,” Hammonds tells BLACK ENTERPRISE via email.

She later traveled to France, using her connections with industry insiders to learn the process of how to craft her own fragrance. Hammonds had to delay the launch of her brand after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic halted businesses around the globe, making it difficult to communicate between her base in the U.S. and her perfume connections in France.

“Typically I’d spend months on end in Grasse, France, working with our lab. Once COVID-19 hit, I was no longer able to do that. I was left with having to have samples sent almost weekly back and forth from France along with Zoom meetings with my team to discuss everything. What really hit me hard was the increase in shipping and import costs and multiple shipping delays.”

The online store is officially open. The hair mist features five scents in the collection: Carnal #4, Diani Beach, Dallas, Garden Party, and KoKo Ni.


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