I framed before that a product consists of function and aesthetics. Analogously, I frame a job consists of substance and optics. By “substance”, I mean a job does something useful, and by “optics”, I mean everything we could vary while maintaining the same substance, especially how someone appears to do a “better” job.

Heuristically, you can tell if a job has less substance if it has more optics.¹ Call me a philistine, I believe “high” fashion jobs have little substance because they have so much optics.

To focus back on Hwyl, look at this picture from Vogue of the “French nose” behind Hwyl:

You might see a dashing French smolder ready to bend you over in a beautiful remote forest, whispering

“The silence and verdancy of an ancient Japanese forest, and the wind in the canopy.”

or

“Almost like a pause, a time to breathe, we were focusing on a very specific sensation or feeling that you get by being alone in nature and feeling it as a shelter, a refuge, or even a mirror. Also, we’re fascinated by the phenomena known as ‘crown shyness’ [when the crowns of trees do not touch but extend to form a canopy above the forest floor with gaps, or channels, running through it] and its importance in the survival of the forest. These sensations and experiences in nature inspired the ingredients of Hwyl Eau de Parfum. We can indeed say that the natural narrative is the tone that can gives our fragrance depth in a world that goes so fast and far away from the green landscape.”

My back hurts. And I don't think $160 of perfume will bring me back to nature.

While I do see a dashing French smolder, I don't see an actual bottle of perfume. Oh, wait, it's hiding in the forest! Among the optics, where my tired eyes can barely read the label.

At this point, I've gotten fired up enough about the Hywl to do something … next time.