Chandler Burr
Chandler Burr is an American journalist, author, perfume critic, and curator whose work has helped frame fragrance as a subject of cultural and artistic analysis.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Chandler Burr is an American journalist, author, curator, and specialist writer on perfume and olfactory art. Although the supplied industry classification points to skincare, the authoritative subject is an individual rather than a skincare or fragrance product brand. Burr became known first for journalism on science, public health, and sexuality before developing a major body of work on scent, perfumery, and the cultural meaning of fragrance. Born in Chicago and raised in Washington, D.C., Burr graduated from Principia College and later earned a master's degree in international economics and Japan studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He began his journalism career in 1987 as a stringer for The Christian Science Monitor's Southeast Asia bureau and subsequently contributed to U.S. News & World Report and The Atlantic. His 1993 Atlantic cover story, "Homosexuality and Biology," became the foundation for his first book, A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation, published in 1996. The book argued that sexual orientation has biological roots and became the focus of a public controversy involving calls by Southern Baptists to boycott Disney films and theme parks because the book was published by Hyperion, then associated with The Walt Disney Company. Burr's later career moved increasingly toward olfactory culture. His 2003 book The Emperor of Scent examined the theories of scientist Luca Turin concerning the biological and chemical mechanisms of smell. The book brought Burr to the attention of The New Yorker, for which he documented the creation of Hermès's Un Jardin sur le Nil by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. That reporting became part of The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris & New York, published in 2008. The book follows Ellena's work for Hermès in Paris and Sarah Jessica Parker's development of Lovely with Coty in New York, presenting perfume as a combination of artistic practice, technical formulation, commerce, and brand management. From 2006 through 2010, Burr served as perfume critic for The New York Times. In that role he treated perfumes as designed cultural works rather than merely luxury accessories, helping bring critical vocabulary and broader public attention to contemporary perfumery. In December 2010 he founded the Department of Olfactory Art at New York City's Museum of Arts and Design and left The New York Times to curate The Art of Scent: 1889–2011. The exhibition presented historically influential scents and emphasized the olfactory work itself rather than conventional packaging or bottle design. In 2014 Burr established the Department of Scent Art, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization based in New York. The organization has produced scent-related exhibitions, including Hyper-Natural: Scent from Art to Design at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Burr has also written fiction: his novel You or Someone Like You was published by Ecco in 2009. His public profile therefore spans journalism, nonfiction, literary writing, perfume criticism, museum curation, and nonprofit cultural production. Available reference material does not establish a conventional consumer-products company, product line, ownership structure, or corporate parent operating under the Chandler Burr name.
History
Chandler Burr's career developed across journalism, nonfiction, perfume criticism, museum work, and arts nonprofit administration. He was born in Chicago and grew up in Washington, D.C. After graduating from Principia College, he pursued graduate study at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, receiving a master's degree in international economics and Japan studies. Burr entered journalism in 1987 as a stringer for The Christian Science Monitor's Southeast Asia bureau. He later wrote for U.S. News & World Report and The Atlantic, covering subjects including epidemiology, public health, and sexuality. His 1993 Atlantic cover story on the biological origins of sexual orientation became the basis for A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation, published in 1996. The book's argument that sexual orientation is inborn generated political controversy, particularly because Hyperion, its publisher, was connected to Disney. Southern Baptists responded with calls to boycott Disney properties. Burr's intellectual focus later shifted toward scent. The Emperor of Scent, published in 2003, explored scientist Luca Turin's theory of olfaction and introduced a wider audience to disputes about how smell works. The New Yorker then commissioned Burr to report on the development of a perfume. His 2005 article followed Jean-Claude Ellena's creation of Un Jardin sur le Nil for Hermès during work conducted in Paris and Grasse. Burr expanded that reporting into The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris & New York, published in 2008. The book also described the creation of Lovely, developed by Sarah Jessica Parker with Coty. From August 2006 until the end of 2010, Burr was the perfume critic of The New York Times. His criticism treated fragrance as a form of composition and authorship, rather than limiting discussion to fashion, celebrity, packaging, or retail positioning. During this period he also continued literary work, publishing the novel You or Someone Like You in 2009. In December 2010 Burr founded the Department of Olfactory Art at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. He left The New York Times around the same period to curate The Art of Scent: 1889–2011. The exhibition presented notable works by perfumers including Jean-Claude Ellena, Ernest Beaux, and Jacques Cavallier, and was organized around the idea that the scent itself—not the bottle or visual identity—should be treated as the artwork. Burr continued this institutional work in 2014 by establishing the Department of Scent Art as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in New York. The organization produced exhibitions including Hyper-Natural: Scent from Art to Design at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Burr's documented activities do not indicate that Chandler Burr is a conventional incorporated beauty brand or that he sells a standardized consumer product range. The name is better understood as a personal professional identity associated with writing, criticism, curation, and advocacy for olfactory art.
- 2014
Establishes the Department of Scent Art
[1]He created an independent New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to scent-related arts programming.
- 2010
Founds the Department of Olfactory Art
[1]Burr founded the department at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and curated The Art of Scent: 1889–2011.
- 2009
Publishes You or Someone Like You
[1]Burr's novel was published by Ecco.
- 2008
Publishes The Perfect Scent
[1]The book documented perfume creation at Hermès and Coty in Paris and New York.
- 2006
Joins The New York Times as perfume critic
[1]Burr began a four-year period as the newspaper's perfume critic.
- 2005
Reports on the creation of Un Jardin sur le Nil
[1]The New Yorker published Burr's account of Jean-Claude Ellena's development of the Hermès fragrance.
- 2003
Publishes The Emperor of Scent
[1]Burr's nonfiction book explored Luca Turin's theory about the functioning of smell.
- 1996
Publishes A Separate Creation
[1]The book examined research into the biological origins of sexual orientation and became the subject of a boycott controversy.
- 1993
Publishes Atlantic cover story on sexual orientation
[1]His Atlantic article on homosexuality and biology became the basis for his first book.
- 1987
Begins journalism career
[1]Burr began working as a stringer for The Christian Science Monitor's Southeast Asia bureau.
Products and positioning
An interdisciplinary cultural authority who presents perfume and scent as serious forms of artistic, scientific, and design practice.
Book · 1996
A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation
Burr's first book developed from his Atlantic reporting on homosexuality and biology. It examined scientific research concerning the origins of sexual orientation and argued that orientation is biologically determined. The book also became notable for the public controversy surrounding its publication by Hyperion, then associated with Disney.
Book · 2003
The Emperor of Scent
This nonfiction work follows scientist Luca Turin and his theory about how the sense of smell functions. It helped establish Burr as a prominent writer on olfaction and connected scientific questions about smell with the history and practice of perfumery.
Book · 2008
The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris & New York
The book presents a behind-the-scenes account of perfume development. It follows Jean-Claude Ellena's work on Hermès's Un Jardin sur le Nil in Paris and the creation of Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely with Coty in New York, combining reporting on creative process with observations about the commercial perfume industry.
Novel · 2009
You or Someone Like You
Burr's novel was published by Ecco in 2009. It represents his move from journalism and nonfiction into literary fiction.
Controversies
2011
Colombian adoption proceedings
The Colombian family-welfare authority reportedly halted adoption proceedings involving Burr and two orphans over an alleged lack of candor about his sexual orientation. Burr disputed the allegation, and later reporting stated that the adoptions were finalized.
1996
A Separate Creation boycott controversy
Southern Baptists called for a boycott of Disney films and theme parks after Hyperion, a Disney-associated publisher, released Burr's book arguing that sexual orientation has biological origins.
Brand decisions
2014
Creates an independent scent-art nonprofitStrategyBackground
Burr continued to build institutions devoted to scent beyond his earlier museum department.
Action taken
He established the Department of Scent Art as an independent 501(c)(3) organization in New York.
Aftermath
The organization produced further scent-focused exhibitions, including Hyper-Natural: Scent from Art to Design at the National Gallery of Victoria.
2010
Moves from newspaper criticism into museum curationStrategyBackground
After several years as The New York Times perfume critic, Burr pursued a broader institutional role for scent as an art form.
Action taken
He left the newspaper, founded the Museum of Arts and Design's Department of Olfactory Art, and curated The Art of Scent: 1889–2011.
Aftermath
The move expanded his work from reviewing commercial perfumes to developing exhibitions and cultural frameworks for olfactory art.
Sources2 sources
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