Check Out Rubia Chaudri’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rubia Chaudri.

Hi Rubia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m first generation Canadian, and my ethnicity is Pakistani Muslim. When I was a young, my Mom would take me and my siblings to Pakistan to immerse ourselves in our culture once a year and then back to Canada. Vast differences but appreciation for both. My Pakistani culture is filled with vibrant colours, smells and taste. North America as a whole, I have an appreciation for the diversity of people from different backgrounds and the influence they bring, both contributed to me being a global citizen. I studied business and IT, but I always loved the arts, fashion and design. My career lead me to New York working on Wall Street 13 years ago. I used all my free time to enjoy the art, music, overall New York culture scene. It was my playground and also where I expanded my palate for fragrances with the large array of independent/niche brands being available. From NYC, I decided to move to LA to enjoy warmer weather and delve deeper into the arts while still working in technology. I started my journey to become a perfumer in 2016 while visiting a friend in LA. I attended my first fragrance making workshop at the Institute of Art and Olfaction (IAO) in DTLA and it was love at first sniff. It was the a big factor in deciding to move to LA, specifically Hollywood and follow my path in becoming a perfumer.

In 2019, I created my first fragrance Nomad Sun, with notes of lemongrass, soft musk, leather, vanilla and ginger. It was inspired by the idea of creating one’s own path and celebrating life, summer, the desert and what perfect place to wear it to than Burning Man. Nomad Sun was a hit and noticed by one of my camp mates who later asked me to create a series of fragrances for the LA Auto Show which led me down the path of more brand projects and adding to my future line. I was also commissioned by dublab and the Institute for Art and Olfaction to translate, Prince’s song, Purple Rain to a fragrance. It was part of a music/fragrance series with other artist/perfumers called, Nose Music, and carried at the MOCA.

Between 2020 and 2023, I was invited to join the Institute of Art and Olfaction as a Board Member and Judge for the Art and Olfaction Awards. For independent, niche perfumers and artists, the Institute has been key player in creating visibility on an international level and also helping give access to fragrance resources, which were once only available to large fragrance houses.

in 2023, with a collection of fragrances I would only share with friends and family, I decided to move forward and create my brand HURO fragrances. The name HURO is a combination of my name Rubia, named after the first female Sufi Saint and my middle name Homa which means Phoenix. Brought together to make HURO, it represents transformation, connection with the Universe and creating one’s own path.

HURO reflects the beauty of becoming.

The fragrance line currently contains four signature fragrances:

Nomad Sun: A scent born from the soul of the wanderer

Kahwah: My true story of crossing paths with a merchant in the mountains of Pakistan and being invited by him for a cup of tea and a possible romance.

Rain Noir: Rain, forest, suede, smoke and the taste of your lover still on your lips.

Howlite: A memory of walking along the pier smelling soft woods and the fresh ocean air as the sun breaks through the clouds to embrace you with it’s warmth.

HURO officially launched in June 2025 at Astralab (currently closed) in Koreatown, a local LA community third space, which also featured a gift shop carrying local brands. In the fall of 2025 I met the owner, Alan Berdjis of Beverly Hills Perfumery, to sample my line and he became a fan of Howlite; inviting me to carry my fragrances at his infamous store. Around the same time, woman owned – Lizz Lopez; boutique Son of Wolf opened in DTLA, featuring local and international niche brands. A beautiful shop also carrying beautiful art, jewelry and leather accessories.

This past week, my fragrances became available in NYC as well. To have the fragrances available both on the East Coast in and the West Coast has been a dream come true.

To summarize, these fragrances are currently available on the West Coast at Beverly Hills Perfumery in Beverly Hills by request and Son of Wolf in the Arts District in DTLA in store and online.

They also just became available last week on the East Coast at Stéle in New York both in store and online.

The journey continues, I’m still small and growing brand awareness. HURO just went viral last week via an amazing review given by a fragrance fan gave for Rain Noir. I’ve had to restock both stores on the West Coast this past week.

I want to thank the LA fragrance community for supporting my brand and the fragrance lovers who bought my fragrances and are creating their own stories wearing them.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Social media is smokes and mirrors. I had to be really intentional with how I rolled out my brand. The pandemic hit while I was creating my fragrances and working a corporate job. Between 2023 and 2025 I had personal health issues and had to put everything aside to focus on recovery and also leave my corporate job. I used that downtime to turn inwards and ask myself what are my dreams and how to take action to make them materialize. I was no longer feeling satisfied with my life path but was given a second chance. I wanted to do something that would fill my heart and make me happy; to connect my experience with others through scent and story telling. I love art, fashion, beauty, fragrances which was the opposite of what I was doing, working in corporate. Besides just my journey inwards and health related, there were the finances, operations and just learning to run the business and be open to risk. When you work in corporate you get comfortable getting a bi-weekly check. There is a delay in following your passions because you have a safety net and also a fear of the unknown. The idea of having our own business and not knowing where your next check is coming from can be daunting and a big factor in not pursuing your dreams.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I used to work in IT, but outside work I was enjoying immersing myself in the world of fragrance making. It went from hobby to actually starting my own business.

I officially launched my fragrance line HURO in June 2025 and am currently approaching it’s one year anniversary. It’s been an amazing journey and the growth in the past few months. The word of mouth and people on social media embracing the brand has been outstanding. Outside my line I also collaborate with brands and work on projects looking to include a scent component or creating their own line. I also teach workshop and classes on scent related topics; such as Scent Culture in Islam, Sustainability in the fragrance industry. A fun one, Vampires and Scent Culture.

My fragrances are stories inspired by my own personal experiences which are unique to me yet are also part of the human experience. Feeling of love, adventure, looking inwards, the moon. Fragrances like visual art can be inspired by a poem, music, painting or own personal story. I get asked often, which fragrance brand inspired my brand, because many large fragrance brands, copy each other and fragrances all start to smell the same. As an independent artist, I don’t copy fragrances, I create my own unique scents. I’m proud that my fragrances have their own DNA and that they share stories which resonate with perfume collectors who are now looking to make intentional connections with fragrances and not just over a celebrity representing the brand.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice would be, nothing happens fast. From the outside it looks like, something that became viral or overnight, actually takes years of commitment, resources and patience. I also learned the importance of community. You need community to support you. Yes, its always good to be the ‘lone wolf’ and not have others influence your decisions, but when it’s time to release and spread the word, you need trustworthy people around you to get the word out. You need to find that fine balance.

Your time. Time is precious. You think, oh I have all the time in the world, to launch this dream, let me just get to a, b, c. Nothing is going to be perfect. You’re going to make mistakes no matter what, so the quicker you make them, the faster you have time to fix them and keep going. Also, every day is precious. Cherish each day and honour each day and yourself. If you have a dream, but you don’t have the means to manifest in a short period of time, set small goals, work intentionally. I think the hardest thing for me was putting myself first. I’m still learning to do this. It’s easy to help other’s manifest their dreams and we forget to pursue our own. Take the time to check in with yourself and realign with what’s best for you.

No, you can’t make everyone happy. There will be people who disagree with your vision and others who will support it. Only you know your vision and capabilities. Do your due diligence, fact check, create your own path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rubiahoma.com/
• Instagram: rubia_homa and hurofragrances
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hurofragrances
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJMHhREFNyA

Image Credits
Main Photo: MENACreatorClub/Assad Shalhoub
Others: @yasmeenroundtree, @watermelonproductions310