Brings a New Boston-Inspired Scent to the Seaport

A FRAGRANCE LEGACY FINDS ITS WAY BACK TO BOSTON

Some brands arrive with a new product. Nantucket Perfume Co. arrives with a story that stretches back more than 40 years.

The fragrance house began in 1983 with John Harding, a gifted “Nose” with a talent for identifying, combining, and creating distinctive scents. His first perfume house, Essense, opened locations in Boston and Edgartown before the business eventually made Nantucket its permanent home in 1991.

There, John spent decades developing fragrances inspired by scent, memory, place, and the character of island life.

After his passing in 2019, his wife Patricia and daughter Caroline continued what he started. Today, Caroline still works from her father’s handwritten scent notes, pages of formulas, experiments, and ideas that continue to influence the fragrances she creates.

A NEW CHAPTER IN THE SEAPORT

This summer, that Nantucket story found its way back to Boston.

Nantucket Perfume Co. opened a seasonal pop‑up at The Current in Boston’s Seaport, running from late April through August 30, 2026. The storefront gave Boston visitors a chance to discover the brand in person while introducing a new generation to a fragrance house with deep New England roots.

But the Boston chapter produced something that will last beyond the pop‑up:

A new fragrance, Seaport Summer.

Image Source: Nantucket Perfume Co.

MEET SEAPORT SUMMER

Created during Nantucket Perfume Co.’s return to Boston, Seaport Summer captures a new chapter for a brand long associated with island life.

The fragrance gives the company’s Nantucket roots a distinctly Boston connection linking more than four decades of family perfumery with one of the city’s most recognizable waterfront neighborhoods.

And while the Seaport pop‑up has wrapped for the season, Seaport Summer remains part of the collection, giving fragrance lovers a way to discover the Boston chapter long after summer ends.

FIND YOUR SIGNATURE SCENT

Part of the appeal of Nantucket Perfume Co. is that fragrance isn’t treated as one‑size‑fits‑all.

The company specializes in oil‑based fragrances, with scents ranging from citrus and floral notes to woods and more unexpected combinations. Because fragrance interacts differently with each person’s skin, discovering a favorite becomes part of the experience.

And for younger fragrance lovers, the brand’s approach stands out:

No alcohol. No harsh chemicals. No fillers.

Just pure fragrance oils, concentrated, long‑lasting, and crafted to evolve beautifully on your skin.

It’s modern perfumery rooted in tradition, connecting Caroline’s work today with the techniques and scent notes her father left behind.

A LEGACY THAT KEEPS GROWING

For Caroline, bringing Nantucket Perfume Co. to the Seaport was about more than opening a seasonal storefront. It created an opportunity to introduce her father’s work to people who had never encountered it, while reconnecting with those who remembered him.

Visitors shared stories about John, recalled his creativity, and discovered the fragrances now being carried forward by the next generation.

The pop‑up may have closed, but the story hasn’t.

CREATE A SCENT OF YOUR OWN

Nantucket Perfume Co. also takes the fragrance experience beyond the bottle with custom scent experiences brought directly to private gatherings and events.

The team arrives with a curated collection of fragrance oils from individual notes to more complex blends allowing guests to experiment and create personalized scents of their own.

It’s part fragrance discovery, part creative experience and everyone leaves with something uniquely theirs.