Sue Phillips: The Alchemist of Scent, Memory, and Emotion – The Woman Who Transformed Scent into Science, Story, and Soul
Sue Phillips is a globally celebrated fragrance expert, visionary entrepreneur, SAG-AFTRA actor, author, and speaker whose extraordinary career spans over four decades across the worlds of scent, science, and performance. Renowned for transforming fragrance from a luxury into a powerful emotional and neurological experience, she stands at the forefront of a new movement—where scent is not only worn, but felt, remembered, and even used to heal.
Phillips has created some of the most iconic fragrances in the world, including the original scent for Tiffany & Co. and Society by Burberrys for Burberry, as well as fragrances for Lancôme, Avon, and Trish McEvoy. Through her companies, Scenterprises Inc. and Sue Phillips Fragrance, she has created bespoke scents for thousands of clients—including celebrities such as Jamie Foxx, Katie Holmes, and Zendaya—as well as immersive, multi-sensory experiences for Fortune 500 companies including Google, Pinterest, AOL, and Wells Fargo.
During the global COVID-19 shutdown, Phillips authored her first book, The Power of Perfume, a deeply personal exploration of scent’s emotional and psychological impact. Following a national television appearance on NBC, she was asked a question that would redefine her career: could she help someone who had lost their sense of smell for over 15 months?
She could—and she did.
That pivotal moment marked the beginning of her groundbreaking work in olfactory rehabilitation. Drawing on decades of expertise, intuition, and sensory training, Phillips developed a unique, scent-based approach to help individuals suffering from COVID-related anosmia. To date, she has helped hundreds of people regain their sense of smell—restoring not only a sensory function, but also memory, emotion, confidence, and connection to life itself.
She expands on this pioneering work in her forthcoming book, Smell With Your Brain: How Scent Rewires Emotion, Restores Memory, and Brings Us Back to Life, co-authored with neuroscientist Dr. Mila Emerald. Bridging fragrance expertise with neuroscience, the book introduces a transformative concept: olfactory healing through the integration of scent and brain science—positioning Phillips as a leading voice in this emerging field.
In her groundbreaking work, Sue Phillips introduces a powerful new concept: “Smell With Your Brain™.” Rather than experiencing scent as a passive pleasure, Phillips teaches that fragrance is a direct pathway to the brain—bypassing logic and connecting instantly to memory, emotion, and behavior.Working alongside neuroscientist Dr. Mila Emerald, she explores how scent can stimulate neuroplasticity, helping individuals recover lost sensory function and reconnect with deeply embedded emotional memories. From post-COVID anosmia recovery to enhancing mood, confidence, and cognitive awareness, “Smell With Your Brain™” represents a new frontier—where fragrance becomes a tool for healing, transformation, and self-discovery.
Sue Phillips lives by what she calls the “7 P’s”:
PASSION, PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE, PURPOSE, PERFORMANCE, PROFESSIONALISM—and of course, PERFUME.
Yet Phillips’ creative journey extends far beyond fragrance.
A New York–based SAG-AFTRA actor and graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she has performed extensively on stage, with leading roles in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Julius Caesar, and numerous New York productions, including performances with the PAGES theatre group. A trained voice artist with exceptional range, she performs in multiple accents and has appeared across major media platforms including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and HSN.
In addition to her creative work, Phillips is a highly sought-after motivational speaker and educator, serving as an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and LIM College, where she teaches fragrance marketing and sensory branding. Her signature presentations—often described as “scentertainment”—blend storytelling, science, and hands-on experience, inspiring audiences to connect more deeply with scent as a tool for identity, confidence, and well-being.
Today, Phillips continues to redefine the role of fragrance in modern life—elevating it from a finishing touch to a powerful instrument of emotional connection and personal transformation.
Sue always says: “Perfume is the signature of your soul.”
Sue Phillips
Fragrance Expert | Author | Sensory Innovator
Redefining scent as a bridge between emotion, memory, and the brain.
All photos by: Vital Agibalow
instagram.com/VITALphotoNY