OUAI

OUAI is a Los Angeles based beauty brand created by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin in 2016. Multiple interviews and brand materials note that Atkin initially focused on haircare, aiming for straightforward, effective products that felt easy to use at home. The name comes from the casual French expression “ouais” meaning “yeah”, which the brand highlights on its website as a nod to a laid-back Parisian attitude.

From the outset, scent was central to OUAI’s identity. Articles in Allure and People document how Atkin worked with a French perfumer to develop distinctive fragrances for the hair range, and how intense customer demand via DMs and social media for “bottled” versions of those scents led directly to standalone fragrances. In 2017, OUAI released a limited-edition trio of rollerball perfumes named Rue St Honore, Mercer Street, and Melrose Place, all referencing favorite streets or neighborhoods tied to Atkin’s travels. In November 2018, fashion and beauty outlets reported the launch of four full-size eau de parfums - Melrose Place, Mercer Street, North Bondi, and Rue St. Honore - inspired by the brand’s existing hair and body product scents.

Originally independent, OUAI was acquired by Procter & Gamble; industry coverage of the deal notes that Atkin stayed on as founder and chief creative officer to guide creative direction. Since then, the brand has expanded from haircare into a broader lifestyle positioning, adding body care, fine fragrance and home-adjacent products while keeping fragrance continuity across formats (for example, Melrose Place in both hair and eau de parfum). OUAI’s perfumes tend to sit in an accessible price bracket and are often framed in press as “cool-girl” scents that mirror the aesthetic and aromas fans already know from the hair line.