About
Dana :) Pronounced Daana - like Anna or Hanna!
Dana El Masri is a perfumer, interdisciplinary artist, lecturer, storyteller, and vocalist inspired by our contemporary landscape's sights, scents, and sounds, her rooted Egyptian-Lebanese cultures, and her global life experience.
Born in Budapest, raised in Dubai, lived in Grasse, Montreal, New York, and now Los Angeles. She owns Jazmin Saraï, an artisan line of small-batch, unisex perfumes and scented products.
Dana's work bridges different cultures and media to create multi-sensory, synaesthetic, and immersive experiences. She focuses on the importance of olfaction in social interaction, cultural belonging, and multicultural research and representation. Her ultimate goal is to swap the euro-centric lens of perfumery with a multifaceted, flourishing universe of narratives.
Her scented works (perfumes, olfactory & interdisciplinary installations, and residencies) have been presented in Arlington, Amsterdam, Dearborn, Denver, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, and New York.
Dana’s written work has been published in the US, UK, and online.
Dana is a Jasmine Award (UK) and Perfumed Plume winner (US), an IAO lecturer, a board member, and a five-time AO judge.
Dana also has a podcast called On the Nose (on hiatus), where she chats with perfumers and artists about all things olfaction.
Photography by Bianca Desjardins for ANIMA
She has collaborated with fellow perfumers and created scents for musicians, lifestyle brands, hotels, and art spaces, which has given her invaluable experience in cross-modal practices and collaborations.
Dana has conducted various olfactory workshops on topics such as scent and social ritual in South West Asia & North Africa (SWANA), scent and self-care, olfactory cultures, imprints, and more. She also does cultural consulting for brands and co-founded the Diverse Talent in Perfumery database, which promotes visibility for the global majority in the fragrance industry.
"I care about how scents make us feel and seen and how they can bring us together, embracing unique olfactory cultures.”