Atlanta just gained its newest bragging right, and fragrance lovers everywhere are about to lose it. Brown Sugar Babe officially opened its Atlanta fragrance store, and the launch event was a delicious mix of jazz, cocktails, and scent-soaked elegance. If you love a fragrance moment, this flagship is your new playground.
Guests were welcomed with live saxophone music and cocktails themed after Brown Sugar Babe favorites, including the Richy Aunty fragrance and a neighborhood-inspired New to Peopletown sip. A four-course dinner followed, featuring fried chicken with caviar, butternut squash with focaccia, and trout crafted by award-winning chef Lorna Maseko. Everything was designed to immerse guests in the world of Brown Sugar Babe, right down to the scents swirling through the room.
For anyone new to the brand, Brown Sugar Babe is the creation of CEO Maekaeda Gibbons, whose love for fragrance started long before she poured her first bottle. Scent was her emotional tether to her mother, something she used to feel connected when she missed her. She eventually began blending oils for co-workers while working at Wells Fargo and used $300 from a paycheck to launch what is now a viral fragrance force.
Today, Brown Sugar Babe is beloved for its nostalgic, nature-rooted oils that make strangers ask what you’re wearing before they even say hello. During our conversation, Gibbons shared why opening the first flagship in Atlanta was never up for debate. “This brand was born here,” she said. “I love the blackness and the unapologetic ambition here. I feel like I can be successful by osmosis because there is so much Black greatness here. We can’t do anything unless we do it at home.” She added that while the brand has mastered online trust, now is the time for everyone to experience it in person.
And that’s exactly what the new Atlanta fragrance store delivers. You walk in as one version of yourself and leave smelling like your highest self. The space celebrates bold scent lovers who want to feel confident, grounded, and fully expressed.
“I want this store to be a community space for people who are geeked out about fragrance the way I am, to enrich and teach fragrance lovers,” Gibbons shared.
The Vibe Inside the Store
Stepping inside feels like entering a fragrance gallery curated by your stylish cousin with impeccable taste. Browns, neutrals, and soft pastels warm the space, while oversized product bottles stretch across arched shelves. It is chic, welcoming, and absolutely selfie-approved.
Gibbons shared that many of her scents are rooted in memory. “A lot of our fragrances come from nostalgia. I grew up baking with my family. Strawberry cheesecake or strawberry cake was our thing.” Nature also plays a major role, infusing earthy, mossy notes reminiscent of quiet wooded walks. It is a fitting connection for an Atlanta fragrance store nestled in a city known for lush greenery and tree-lined streets.
Each oil includes avocado, grape seed, sweet almond, olive, and castor oils, giving every fragrance a nourishing feel that boosts confidence as soon as it touches your skin.
Choose Your Own Scent Adventure
Inside the flagship, Gibbons created two fresh, interactive ways to explore scent:
1. The Discovery Station
Perfect for beginners or anyone who wants guidance. Aerators lift the top notes of the brand’s most loved scents, giving you a clean, luxe first impression. From citrus-forward Bad and Bougie to soft floral Halo, this table is where the fun starts.
2. The Layering Lab
This is where fragrance fans live their best creative lives. Build a custom blend, experiment, layer and play with oils until it feels undeniably you. “We will be doing consultations and teaching how fragrances work with your skin chemistry because everyone is different,” Gibbons said. Influencers will also teach layering recipes in-store soon.
Layering is especially powerful for anyone who wants a scent that lasts through busy days. Oils cling to skin, evolve over hours, and adapt to your natural warmth, creating a fragrance that becomes uniquely yours.
Brown Sugar Babe’s Atlanta fragrance store is more than a place to shop; it is an experience. A community hub for scent lovers to discover, learn, and express themselves. Whether you’re searching for your signature scent or building a custom blend, this flagship invites you to explore fragrance with confidence, curiosity, and a little luxury. Brown Sugar Babe wants you to smell as powerful as you feel, and Atlanta finally has the space to make that happen.
