Sound the klaxon: Gen Z fragrance brand DedCool has finally landed in the UK. But way before the launch, it had already caused a stir in my local Costco.
I was standing in the chilled section, right under the sign advertising a case of steak for the bargain price of £114.99. My Dad was taking forever to pick the perfect pack of beef ribs. So, I’d parked up by one of the many chilled refrigerator units, aimlessly flicking between my inbox, Instagram feed and Reddit app, while I waited.
The words, “Excuse me,” pulled me out of my mindless phone scrolling and I instinctively moved, assuming that I was in the way of another shopper. However, it wasn’t pork chops this lady was looking for.
“Can I ask you a strange question?” she continued. I immediately panicked, but not before my inner chronic people-pleaser could respond: “What perfume are you wearing?”
They say flattery gets you everywhere, and the instant wave of relief, followed by a smug sense of pride, is truly a testament to that. Here I was, makeup-free, hair scraped back in a claw clip, wearing my human comfort blanket – aka an oversized grey jumper that spells out ‘Harvard’ in bobbly red letters – and yet, I smelt good.
When I told my newfound friend the name of the brand, she confessed that she had found me in this gigantic industrial warehouse by following “the trail my perfume left behind”. Before I had time to panic about what other scents I left wafting in my wake, she asked one final question, “Can I?”.
It took me a minute to realise she had asked to sniff me, but once again, politeness took over and I pulled out my heavily worn jumper (I always spray my clothes with perfume) and let this stranger lean in for big old whiff.
This is the most extreme effect I’ve had on someone when wearing DedCool’s Xtra Milk, but every single time I spray it, someone is guaranteed to ask me what my perfume is.
The first time I heard of the brand was through my fellow beauty editor and friend, Lucy Partington. We were in New York on a press trip together, scouring every Sephora store we could find, hunting for a scent she had smelt on someone at a dinner.
That someone was Alex Gowans, a beauty PR, who told Lucy, that she was wearing Xtra Milk by DedCool and that it was only available in the US.
Despite our best efforts, we never found it on that New York trip, as it was sold out every Sephora we went to. However, we had much more luck on our holiday to Los Angeles later that year. Naturally, by this point, I was as invested as Lucy in smelling this elusive scent in person.
Thankfully, when we finally found it, Xtra Milk did not disappoint. In fact, it truly was love at first inhale.
From there, the mission didn’t end, but simply evolved. Much like Pokemon, we weren’t content with just the one, now we had to find as many DedCool scents and products as we could. In Hailey Bieber’s smoothie shop, aka Erewhon, I found the Handwash in the scent ‘Red Dakota’. In one of the many other Sephoras we went to, I picked up a travel-size perfume called ‘Taunt’.
We even debated placing an order on DedCool's website to be delivered to our Beverly Hills Airbnb, before agreeing that our baggage allowance probably wasn’t going to allow us to order the fabric conditioner we so desperately wanted. Yes, DedCool doesn’t just do perfume. It does air fresheners, body lotion, laundry detergent, pet shampoo, poo drops and even tumble dryer sheets.
Thankfully, you don’t have to make an epic pilgrimage like us because the coolest and most coveted perfume brand I’ve come across in forever, has now, finally, arrived in the UK.
Before we get to the important dates – and an exciting pop-up – I had to ask DedCool’s founder, Carina Chaz, what is her recipe for making such a widely complimented perfume.
“We like to consider our scents ‘addictive’,” Carina told me. “We know that our amber mixed with white musk combination in our original Milk scent, which is the same scent profile as Xtra Milk [Xtra Milk is just a touch stronger], is a combination that keeps folks coming back and chasing others.” As someone who has been (politely) followed wearing this perfume, I can certainly attest to that.
DedCool was created because Carina felt “disenchanted” with traditional fragrances and as someone that struggles to fit into a ‘floral’, ‘woody’ or ‘smoky’ box, I couldn’t agree more. I want to use perfume the same way I use makeup – to bring out the best version of myself – and truly, that is what DedCool and more specifically, Xtra Milk, does for me.
DedCool is available to buy on SpaceNK.com from 18th March. Want to smell your soon-to-be favourite perfume brand in person? Visit Space NK’s World of Fragrance Pop Up from 22nd - 24th March at The Stables in Covent Garden, London.
