In an industry long ruled by glossy billboards, celebrity contracts and carefully curated perfection, one Australian fragrance house has quietly rewritten the rules. And the world is paying attention.

Founded by Raquel Bouris in Sydney in 2018, Who Is Elijah has become one of the most compelling perfume brands of its generation not through spectacle, but through substance. Built on genderless scent, sustainability and a distinctly human approach to branding, the label has cultivated a devoted global following. Yet what truly sets Who Is Elijah apart is not only what is inside the bottle. It is the story that surrounds it.

And in a cultural moment where story is the most powerful currency a brand can possess, that matters.

Stripping Back the Fragrance Industry

Bouris never set out to follow the rules. With no formal training in perfumery and no background in beauty, she entered the industry with fresh eyes and a clear sense that fragrance had become too polished, too predictable and too distant from real life.

Her first scent, His | Her, was launched using her own savings and sold at Bondi Markets, a humble beginning that would later become part of the brand’s mythology. Even the name, Who Is Elijah, was born from a fleeting encounter with a stranger. The name lingered. It felt mysterious, ambiguous and unassigned, exactly the energy the brand would come to embody.

Rather than reinforcing outdated ideas of gendered scent, Who Is Elijah invites the wearer to define the experience for themselves. The result is perfume that feels personal, intuitive and unapologetically individual.

Authenticity as the New Luxury

While many brands work tirelessly to manufacture authenticity, Who Is Elijah simply is. Its imagery is intentionally raw, its social presence unfiltered, its storytelling unguarded. Grainy film photographs, behind the scenes moments and emotional honesty form the backbone of its visual language.

There is no reliance on traditional luxury tropes. No glossy fantasy. Instead, the brand universe feels lived in, like the effortlessly cool friend who never tries too hard and never needs to. This is modern luxury, defined not by perfection, but by connection.