Lucky Cloud Perfume is On Cloud 9

Every scent tells a story. Perfumes can whisk you away to far-off lands, or envelop you in deep nostalgia. They remind us of people we’ve loved, and introduce the world to the person we want to be before stepping into a room. 

Danielle Bryant, the owner and founder of the Seacoast-based perfume company, Lucky Cloud, is an aromatic artist, creating delicate mixes of scents to craft natural perfumes that everyone, including people like herself, can enjoy.

“It started because I am so sensitive to perfume,” Bryant said. “I’m that person who has allergies and reacts to everything.”

Lucky Cloud offers their natural perfumes in varying sizes and in delicate heart-shaped perfume charms.

Bryant had spent years searching tirelessly for a perfume that she wasn’t allergic to, with no luck. Eventually, she took matters into her own hands and decided that if she couldn’t find a perfume that she wasn’t allergic to on the shelf, she would create one.

“I got a couple of oils and made a really rudimentary thing that I liked for a bit, and that’s where it started,” Bryant said.

Bryant quickly fell in love with the process of creating fragrances, and wanted to dive deeper into perfumery. As she started making more “proper” perfumes with complex formulas, Bryant began making the types of perfumes that she had been dreaming of, but was never able to find. She also saw that there was an untapped market for a perfume company that was synthetic-free and totally transparent with their ingredients. Bryant debuted Lucky Cloud in the fall of 2024, with a line of six perfumes. In her vision, this first line of perfumes would become her core line — something that she would always offer no matter what. 

“I wanted to really focus on rare and unusual botanicals,” said Bryant about the development of her core line. “(I wanted to use) aromatics that you’re not just going to find in other perfumes you’re going to encounter in your day-to-day or at Sephora.”

It all started with “Lotus Eater,” the first perfume that Bryant made for the line. 

“Pink lotus was the first aromatic that I worked with,” Bryant said. “I love the smell. I can’t get enough of it.”

Each perfume was created around a scent that Bryant became entranced by.

“For ‘Lotus Eater,’ it was the pink lotus — I was like, ‘I need to make a perfume. This smell is… so beautiful.’ Same with ‘Tea Ceremony’ — when I smelled this green tea extract, I was blown away. The same goes for ‘Moon Palace,’ (for) which I use osmanthus (which is a really beautiful little flower). That’s where each one of them started. I found my center of the perfume, and that’s where I built it.” 

After finding the perfume’s center, Bryant will build out the scent with what she finds most magnetizing. She plays with different oils and modifiers that can be imperceptible when the wearer smells it, but makes a huge impact in the overall profile of the fragrance. 

“What is interesting about perfumery is that usually you add notes that really don’t seem like they belong,” Bryant said. “For some of my perfumes, (I use) rose, and you won’t smell rose, but you’ll smell the effect of the rose and how the rose is impacting the other notes. That’s where the real fun of perfumery is — using these elements that are completely changing the perfume, but aren’t perceived outright.”

Bryant formulates, crafts, packages and ships all of her perfumes from her Seacoast studio.

Bryant proudly manufactures all of her perfumes by hand at her Hampton-based studio. Lucky Cloud is a one-woman operation and Bryant does everything, from making stock, to filling bottles, to labeling and boxing each perfume and shipping each order, to branding, running socials and website design.

“As an indie perfumer, I make my own formula, source my own oils, and make my own stock, on top of bottling, labeling, branding and sales,” said Bryant. “It’s much more labor-intensive, but it’s also so rewarding to make perfume that really is unique and to offer something to customers that they aren’t going to find elsewhere.”

Even though she is allergic to perfume, Bryant says that she doesn’t have any of her usual allergy issues while crafting or wearing her fragrances, because hers are all-natural; she doesn’t use synthetics.

“Wearing a perfume that’s totally natural is different, because it wears differently and lasts a different amount of time,” Bryant said.

Bryant explained that synthetic molecules are simple, and because there’s only one molecule, it has a more linear life. That’s why you can smell synthetic-based perfumes for a full day or a week. Natural oils are different. 

“With natural oils, you have dozens or more molecules in a single oil, like rosemary or whatever,” Bryant said. “It’s kind of like a symphony. It has a whole life cycle where it’s evolving and transforming and decomposing. So, instead of your perfume lasting a day or two weeks or filling the entire room, it’s going to wear closer to your skin and be a closer experience.”

Natural perfumes also feature different aromatics that are truer to life. 

“(These are scents) you’ll find out in the wild,” Bryant said. “You can go outside and smell them. I don’t have any shade for synthetic perfume or mixed media perfume. I think all perfumers are very talented, and I admire everybody who’s working in this medium, but (working with naturals) is a whole different world to work with.”

Bryant also ensures that each of her perfumes features a transparent ingredient list, and are made with aromatics that are ethically sourced. While she can’t share her sourcing exactly (that’s a trade secret), Bryant ensures that her boxes for sourcing and sustainability are checked.

“I make sure that people are paid fairly and that nature and earth are treated fairly,” Bryant said. “There are a lot of ways to take too much, so really, sustainability and ethics are guiding my choices for sourcing.”

Lucky Cloud’s Discovery Set is the perfect way to explore their full line of natural perfumes.

In the year since she first opened Lucky Cloud, Bryant has seen her business boom. Perfumery has become her full-time job, and she makes 1,200g of stock per variation (compared to the 5g she made when she first started). Her perfumes can be found at 3S Artspace and janegee in Portsmouth, and are available on her website. There, she sells her discovery boxes, full-sized bottles and her perfume charms.

“It took a few years of building my skills, solidifying my vision, stashing my cash, but here we are. I’m proud of how far things have come, and I’m very excited for where things are going,” said Bryant.

 “I have a lot coming up,” Bryant added. “It’s been a really great year. The line has been so well received, and I am continuously adapting and growing the brand. I have some more of my perfume charms coming out soon, and I have more fragrances in the works.”

Perfume Placement

By nature, natural perfumes will fade faster; however, Bryant says that the longevity of the scent lies in the placement. Here are her tips for getting the longest wear out of your perfume.

“My favorite place is to apply is the wrists. I think most people go for the wrists, pulse points and the front of the neck. The back of the neck is an underrated spot. It gives you this enveloping feeling, which I really appreciate. It also reduces nose blindness to your perfume. 

If you’re somebody who feels like you stop smelling your perfume after like 20 or 30 minutes, sometimes, not always, it’s because you smell too much of it at once. It’s all in front of you — in front of your nose and under your nose. If you put it on the back of you, you can get a feel for your perfume for longer.”

For more information about Lucky Cloud, visit luckycloudinyoursky.com or visit them on instagram @luckycloudinyoursky