Can scent shift the energy you put out into the world?
Fashion Insider Yasmin Sewell founded Vyrao to do just that.

Following her intuition has served Yasmin Sewell well. While working as a fashion buyer and creative director in London, England, for nearly three decades, she had a hand in launching the careers of some of the industry’s biggest names, including that of Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson. She says she did it all by following her instincts. “I’m always leading with my gut and what feeling I get, and then I go with my brain after,” Sewell says. “I trust it.”

In 2019, Sewell turned her intuitive eye inward to create Vyrao, a niche fragrance brand that uses olfactory expertise to amplify the wearer’s energy. Officially launched in 2021, the collection is now available in England at Selfridges, Liberty and Browns, at concept boutiques including Berlin’s Voo Store and Violet Grey in Los Angeles and in Canada through Simons and Ssense. At the end of March, Estée Lauder's New Incubation Ventures took a minority stake in the brand.

Taking its name from the Latin verb vireo, which roughly translates to “I am green,” Vyrao currently offers six scents, each with its own energetic purpose. Named for Sewell’s grandmother, Georgette is a heady, Turkish rose-based perfume meant to inspire feelings of self-love. Featuring notes of Moroccan orris, cinnamon and frankincense, the bestselling Witchy Woo empowers wearers to explore their courage. The masculine and woodsy Magnetic 70 offers a veil of energetic protection. Focused on new beginnings, I Am Verdant transforms and uplifts with mossy citrus and vibrant Italian bergamot, while Free 00 sparks feelings of liberation through Sicilian lemon and orange absolute that Sewell describes as “a summer holiday in a bottle.” The Sixth employs sacred herbs to open up one’s intuition. “We worked around certain ingredients that help you feel more mindful,” Sewell says.

Launching this month is Sun Rae, a spicy, citrusy, turmeric-based scent that inspires joy and self-confidence. As a means of combining emotional transformation with wellness, Vyrao is both a career culmination and personal pinnacle for Sewell. “It really is everything I care about and believe in packaged in a beautiful fragrance bottle,” she says.

By Caitlin Agnew