From Rhode to Lore: Melanie Bender on Reinventing Fragrance
Gloss Angeles
Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 14 October 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Fragrance fans, this one’s for you. We’re sitting down with Lore founder and former Rhode CEO Melanie Bender to talk about building a world, not just a brand — and why scent was the next frontier. From translating memory and place into wearable moments to rethinking how fragrance is taught, sold, and even talked about, we dig into the stories behind Lore’s debut collection (and why launching Sephora-first was key). Plus, we get into the industry rules she’s most excited to break, her current scent obsessions, and the first perfume she fell in love with.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Gina's a muncher. |
| 0:02.3 | Jackson Nippler. |
| 0:04.5 | Lucy likes to linger. |
| 0:08.1 | But not for too long. |
| 0:10.2 | And Harry? |
| 0:11.9 | Thank you, Harry. |
| 0:13.5 | Mikado is the crunchy biscuit stick dipped in smooth milk chocolate |
| 0:17.3 | and makes other biscuits look so ordinary. |
| 0:20.3 | Mikado is deliciously Moorish. |
| 0:22.5 | However you enjoy it, make every day more Macardo. |
| 0:26.4 | Grab a pack in your local store today. |
| 0:28.5 | Find Macardo in the Biscuit Isle. |
| 0:34.5 | GLAM, Los Angeles. |
| 0:38.2 | Hi Kirby. Hi, Kirby. |
| 0:39.7 | Hi, Sarah. |
| 0:41.2 | Welcome to Los Angeles. |
| 0:47.1 | So, y'all have heard us speak and wax poetic about lore. |
| 0:52.2 | And now, attempt to drive the notes in it. |
| 0:56.1 | By the way, as we mentioned, we failed. |
| 0:58.6 | No wrong notes. |
| 0:59.7 | No wrong notes. |
| 1:00.6 | We tried our best. |
... |
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