Bridging Nature and Scent: An Interview with Mathew Schmuelian of Lost Tribe

With his brand Lost Tribe, Mathew Schmuelian has dedicated himself to creating unique, natural fragrances. His mission: to connect people with the untouched beauty of nature through the art of perfumery. In this interview, Mathew gives an insight into the creation of Lost Tribe, reveals his sources of inspiration and shares his plans for the future.

Thank you for taking the time to do an interview with Parfumo. To start, could you share the origins of Lost Tribe? What inspired you to begin this journey, and how did the launch go?

For a few years before I started creating my own perfumes in 2022, I was, and still am, a big collector of natural, artisanal fragrances that contain musk, oud, ambergris and other rare natural ingredients. It became such a passion of mine that I started ordering my own materials. I started macerating musk and eventually created my first release named "Hope You Like It". It was a tiny batch of about 16 bottles and everyone who tried or purchased one really enjoyed it. So I began ordering more ingredients and creating more scents, and that's how Lost Tribe was born.

Are there stories behind your fragrances, or how do you decide what a fragrance is called and what it smells like?

I'm always inspired by something when it comes to finding a concept for a new release. Sometimes it's a fragrance from the past that I want to recreate with natural ingredients, a dessert I used to eat growing up, or unique ideas my wife comes up with. Other times it could be a unique material that I want to feature prominently in a perfume. The name is always important; it sums up the whole idea and gives the user their first experience of the fragrance. I usually name the fragrance at the concept stage to keep everything flowing with the theme.

What is behind the sometimes very small editions? And is that why there are several versions of a fragrance?

Some scents are very hard to recreate or take a long time to blend, so it's hard to keep an active stock of them. Also, all these ingredients are very expensive, making it difficult to create large batches of each release. While there are a few versions of a fragrance, they are not released that often, maybe once a year at the moment. 

Are all the raw materials noble and natural or can synthetic materials also be used?

Everything we use is natural, from our florals and oud to all our animalics, including musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.

In your first fragrances, I was particularly struck by the presence of brown ambergris, which I thought was great. "Sunny Nights" was a highlight for me; was that a kind of signature scent?

"Sunny Nights" was one of the small-batch releases, but it was very enjoyable. It had a lot of tobacco, ambargris and castoreum and was also very deep. I enjoyed it a lot while it lasted. Unfortunately, I finished all I had left. Hopefully it will make a comeback sometime in the future.

We can track your most used notes on Parfumo. In addition to various ouds, it's noticeable that you use different types of ambergris. Are there certain moments when you turn to white, brown or grey ambergris?

Depending on the blend, I decide which colour of ambergris to use. If it's a lighter, brighter scent, I tend to stick with white or light brown. For darker scents, I use brown or black ambergris.

What was the reaction to your collaboration with Jinx and Folkwinds? Will there be a repeat? Who came up with the idea, or are you all just into Yu-Gi-Oh? ;)

Everyone loved the collaboration with Jinx and Folkwinds; it was a hit with everyone and an amazing time working with them both. We've talked about doing another fragrance together, but it hasn't happened yet. I think Jono from Folkwinds came up with the idea and we all loved it because the scent had a lot of blue and white nuances, which fits perfectly.

Recently, there has been a discussion regarding increasing prices on Parfumo, as more brands release small editions priced at several hundred USD for 15-30 ml. Since you're one of them, what are your thoughts?

These materials are very expensive compared to any designer fragrances; the cost basis per bottle is worlds apart. While most of their costs go into advertisement, all of my costs go into rare natural materials. Some of these ouds, animalics, and florals are one of a kind and can never be remade. For example, we offered a few fragrances with ingredients from Sultan Qaboos of Oman, and these ingredients can never be bought again.

You are very active on social media and promote your fragrances accordingly. How do you see the benefits?

As Lost Tribe has grown, our mission has always been to bring attention to this small corner of perfumery. We aim to show and teach people about the benefits of all-natural fragrances and the true beauty behind them. I've been investing a lot in social media to help achieve that, and hopefully, I can help more people enjoy these one-of-a-kind creations.

What can we expect from you in the future? 

You can expect that I will always work diligently to bring the highest quality materials and one-of-a-kind fragrances for everyone to enjoy. I would love to gain some recognition for my fragrances in the near future and travel to shows to present them.

Parfumo & Lost Tribe Giveaway!

Parfumo and Lost Tribe are giving away the fragrances “White Out”, “Equatorial” and “Lolas Lola's Lemonana”  and three sample kits - good luck! To enter, simply reply to this post. The deadline is August 7, 2024.

This interview was conducted by Parfumo user Chizza, edited by Mikayla.