Corporate records indicate that Skylar is headquartered in Los Angeles, while its legal entity, Skylar Body, Inc., was incorporated in Delaware in November 2017.[3]

Founding

Skylar was founded in 2017 by Cat Chen, a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from Taiwan. Prior to launching the brand, Chen worked in the technology and beauty sectors, including a tenure at The Honest Company.[3] The company’s origin stems from a personal incident involving Chen’s infant daughter, who had an adverse reaction to the fragrance Chen was wearing. This led Chen to seek a cleaner alternative suitable for sensitive skin. She identified a gap in the market for fragrances that combined hypoallergenic formulations with sophisticated scents, which became the foundation of Skylar.[1]

The brand’s original value proposition was to create luxurious-smelling fragrances without requiring consumers to compromise on ingredient safety or sensitivity concerns. Chen initially bootstrapped the business, managing product development and fulfillment directly before Skylar launched at Sephora in 2019.

Growth through Sephora

Sephora played a pivotal role in Skylar’s expansion, initially launching the brand in 126 stores in 2019. It subsequently expanded to hundreds of locations across the United States and Canada.[3] This retail partnership allowed Skylar to transition from a niche clean-beauty label to a widely recognized fragrance brand.

Acquisition by Starco Brands

In January 2023, Starco Brands announced its acquisition of Skylar. According to financial filings, the transaction was completed on December 29, 2022.[4] Following the acquisition, Skylar continued to operate as a distinct brand and business unit within Starco, with founder Cat Chen remaining involved during the transition period.

The Leah Kateb era

In 2025, Skylar entered a new creative phase when Los Angeles native Leah Kateb was appointed Chief Creative Officer and “Refounder.”[2] Her role focuses on redefining the brand around a contemporary California identity characterized by West Coast confidence, modern femininity, individuality, and playful luxury. Under this direction, the brand describes its aesthetic as “effortlessly California.”[3]

Skylar built its identity on the concept of “clean fragrance.” The company states that its products are formulated to be hypoallergenic, safe for sensitive skin, vegan, cruelty-free, dermatologist-tested, and free of parabens and phthalates.[1] Skylar asserts that it excludes over 1,300 questionable ingredients and formulates without 36 common fragrance allergens, adhering to standards above European Union clean regulations.[1]

It is important to note that “clean fragrance” is not a universally standardized regulatory category. Rather, it is a positioning and formulation philosophy used to communicate the avoidance of specific ingredients based on the brand’s published exclusion lists and testing standards.

Skylar aims to combine modern perfumery with a cleaner formulation philosophy rather than simply making “natural” fragrance. Scents are developed by expert perfumers and are inspired by memories, nature, and California environments.[3] This approach distinguishes Skylar from traditional luxury perfume houses, which often emphasize heritage and exclusivity, as well as mass-market brands driven by celebrity endorsements. Skylar occupies a middle ground defined by clean formulation, modern perfumery, California lifestyle, and accessibility.

Skylar has developed a diverse portfolio of fragrances:

• Vanilla Sky: A signature scent featuring notes of cappuccino, pure vanilla, and caramelized cedar, representing the warmer side of the brand.
• Salt Air: An aquatic fragrance with driftwood, sea salt, and seaweed notes that aligns with the brand’s coastal California identity.
• Boardwalk Delight: A gourmand-style fragrance built around vanilla, cotton candy, and coconut milk. It became one of Skylar’s most successful launches at Sephora.[3]
• Coconut Cove: A tropical, beach-oriented scent reinforcing the California vacation aesthetic.
• Pink Canyon: A nature-inspired fragrance carried during the brand’s retail expansion.[3]
• Nude Skin: Represents a more contemporary and intimate fragrance direction introduced during the brand’s newer era.[3]
• Double Dates: Developed as Leah Kateb’s first signature fragrance for Skylar, this scent combines sweet dates, sticky toffee, and brown sugar, reflecting a shift toward playful and indulgent profiles.[2]

The current catalog also includes fragrances such as True Love’s Cake, Pomegranate Princess, Sunkissed Dahlia, and Citrus Reverie.

While fragrance remains central, Skylar has expanded into adjacent categories including travel-size fragrances, hair and body mists, fragrance sets, suncare, and Scent Club subscriptions.[1] The Scent Club subscription service allows members to receive limited-edition fragrances, adding a community component beyond traditional retail sales.

Sustainability is integrated into Skylar’s brand positioning. The company promotes its packaging as 100% recyclable, including the bottle, cap, and box.[3] This aligns with the brand’s effort to associate fragrance with conscious consumption rather than the waste often associated with conventional beauty packaging.

Although Skylar began as a direct-to-consumer brand, it has established significant physical retail presence. Products are distributed through Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie, with corporate communications describing availability at stores nationwide.[3] This omnichannel strategy addresses the tactile nature of fragrance purchasing, allowing consumers to test scents before buying full-size bottles.

Skylar’s visual and emotional identity is defined by California femininity meeting clean modern luxury. Imagery and language evoke associations with Los Angeles beaches, sunshine, nature, freedom, and everyday luxury. The brand describes its philosophy as inspired by the natural beauty, creativity, and laid-back luxury of Los Angeles.[3]

Skylar appeals to consumers seeking fragrances that are modern, feminine without being overly formal, and appropriate for daily wear. Its audience overlaps significantly with the clean beauty, millennial/Gen Z, and accessible-premium fragrance markets. Key consumer motivations include concern for fragrance sensitivities, interest in wellness and conscious beauty, and a preference for approachable luxury over heritage prestige.

Skylar competes with other clean or contemporary fragrance companies such as Phlur, Ellis Brooklyn, Clean Reserve, Henry Rose, and Juliette Has a Gun. Its primary differentiators include:

1. Hypoallergenic positioning: Sensitive-skin considerations are central to the brand identity.
2. California aesthetic: Los Angeles roots provide a consistent lifestyle narrative.
3. Accessibility: Positioned below traditional luxury houses while maintaining premium quality.
4. Omnichannel model: Availability through both digital channels and major physical retailers.
5. Scent Club: Subscription model fostering recurring engagement.

Skylar is no longer an independent founder-owned company. Starco Brands acquired the business in late 2022, and Skylar now operates as a business unit within the larger organization.[3] This structure combines the heritage of a founder-created clean-beauty brand with the resources of a consumer-products corporation.

Cat Chen

Cat Chen is the founder of Skylar. Her background in technology, beauty, and clean consumer products shaped the brand’s original formulation philosophy, which was catalyzed by her daughter’s reaction to conventional fragrance.[3]

Leah Kateb

Leah Kateb serves as Chief Creative Officer and Refounder. A Los Angeles native and longtime customer, she plays a central role in shaping the brand’s current creative identity and product direction.[2]

Skylar demonstrated that “clean” and “premium” fragrance need not be mutually exclusive. Historically, consumers concerned with ingredient safety or sensitivity faced a trade-off between formulation and olfactory sophistication. Skylar challenged this assumption, applying clean-beauty principles specifically to fragrance. Its trajectory reflects broader industry shifts: from the mainstreaming of clean beauty in 2017, to Sephora-driven visibility in 2019, acquisition by Starco Brands in 2022, and a repositioning around contemporary Los Angeles culture from 2025 onward.[4][2]

As of 2026, Skylar is described as a California-inspired clean fragrance and beauty brand that has evolved from a sensitive-skin-focused startup into a broader lifestyle fragrance company. While its original commitment to hypoallergenic, vegan, and paraben-free formulation remains central, the brand increasingly emphasizes personality, luxury, and trend-driven launches.[1] Skylar represents a modern Los Angeles fragrance brand built on the premise that perfume can be sophisticated and desirable while accommodating sensitive-skin and clean-beauty considerations.

1. About Skylar: The Story Behind Our Clean Fragrance Brand
2. Skylar and Leah Kateb Unveil Her First Signature Fragrance for Skylar: Double Dates :: Starco Brands, Inc. (STCB)
3. Skylar
4. https://www.sec.gov