Risa Parfumerie Co. was founded in late fall of 2024 by me, Courtney Charisse—the perfumer behind every RPC fragrance. Looking back, perfumery was always calling me. I just didn’t have the language for it yet.
My earliest scent memories live in the women who raised me. In the early ’90s and into the new millennium—long before I was “allowed” to wear perfume—fragrance was non-negotiable in my family. My mother wore Perry Ellis 360. My grandmother rotated between Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds, Coco Eau de Parfum, and anything Avon that smelled divine. My favorite aunt wore Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels, and my favorite cousin lived in Exclamation and Curve for Her.
I was obsessed. I begged to wear perfume. I begged for my own bottle. I even knew exactly which one I wanted: DKNY Be Delicious—fresh, shiny, and everywhere in the mall (because… New Jersey). I was told I was too young, so I settled for sneaking tiny spritzes whenever I could.
December 2002 changed everything. I was officially a “pre-teen,” and my grandmother gifted me my first perfume set: JLo Glow. I wore it everywhere. Every day. No exceptions. That bottle sent me straight down the fragrance rabbit hole. Once I was allowed to wear perfume, I wanted to smell everything. I practically lived in Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and my grandmother’s Avon catalog. Every year, without fail, she made sure I had a new fragrance. A collection was forming before I even realized it.
By high school, I had earned a reputation. I was the girl who always smelled good. The one with the lotion. The one with the perfume. If someone needed to re-up—I had them covered.
Still, becoming a perfumer—or even a fragrance reviewer—never crossed my mind. In 2009, that kind of career didn’t feel visible, attainable, or even real. The closest thing I knew was fragrance retail. So I pivoted. I built small businesses. Became an author. Worked in the “real world.” Fragrance didn’t disappear—it was simply placed on a shelf. And nothing ever quite felt right.
Then in 2015, I was gifted a bottle of MAC Turquatic—and the spark reignited instantly. I fell back into fragrance, this time as an adult with curiosity and intention. That passion deepened during 2020, when lockdown gave me the space to explore niche, indie, and luxury brands with no distractions. By 2021, my collection was full again. I began decanting and selling what I didn’t reach for, eventually launching The Fragrance Pantry.
Curiosity took over. I wanted to understand notes. I bought essential oils and herbs—not to create perfumes yet, but simply to learn how scent worked.
In 2024, under The Fragrance Pantry name, I began creating fragrance content on TikTok, YouTube, and Lemon8, building a beautiful community and gaining strong engagement. And then—one random day after editing content—it hit me. The this is it moment. Fragrance wasn’t just something I loved. It was what I was meant to do.
I asked myself the question that changed everything: What’s next? I prayed. And the idea of creating my own fragrance house wouldn’t leave me alone.
There were missteps—early attempts, the wrong materials, learning the hard way (yes, including fragrance oils). But the vision never faded. I committed fully: deep research, serious study, relentless experimentation—with the right materials this time.
In early 2025, Risa Parfumerie Co. began to take shape. And now, in 2026, we are finally here—launched, intentional, and just getting started.
This is only the beginning. And I can’t wait to see where the next chapter of this scent story takes us.
-Courtney