“We bottle a moment, not just a smell.” - Gabby Milligan, Senior Product Development Manager

Ever notice how some body washes smell like chemicals and cologne… while others seem to transport you somewhere real?

That’s the goal behind every scent we develop.

When you pop open a new stick of EMJ deodorant, it should feel rugged, alive, and exhilarating. Like unzipping your tent on a mountain summit, or sinking into your beach chair on a Caribbean island.

So how do we actually build that feeling? Do we send an intern to the edge of the map just to scoop up a sample… or is there a smarter process behind every “real place” scent?

We caught up with Every Man Jack’s Senior Product Development Manager, Gabby Milligan, to learn how she turns outdoor inspiration into authentic scent experiences.

“Every scent starts with a specific outdoor experience,” Gabby says. “And a lot of that inspiration comes from the real adventures of professional athletes, ambassadors, and even our customers.”

“We listen to their stories… where they go, what moves them, and then we chase that feeling,” she explains. “It might be that first breath of air at a high elevation, or the way it smells after rain in the Pacific Northwest.”

Either way, the goal is the same: “We’re trying to bottle a moment, not just a smell.”

From there, Gabby and the team work with fragrance houses that specialize in innovation, bringing the latest technologies and trends in scent development, including ways to help a scent last longer (on your skin, under your arm, etc.) and ingredients that capture notes more authentically.

“These sessions are where outdoor inspiration meets science,” she says.

The process is part storytelling, part translation. Gabby might describe the sensation—like “the coolness of a mountain stream” or like “hiking through the Sierras during a rainstorm”—and the fragrance house responds with ingredient palettes, new compounds, and proprietary blends designed to recreate that feeling through scent.

Once the experience is clear and the technical path is feasible, they start building the scent structure: top, middle, and base notes.

“Top notes are that first impression; they’re usually fresh and bright,” Gabby says. “Middle notes are the heart, where you get complexity and character. And base notes are what linger and ground the whole fragrance.”

But a fragrance doesn’t live on a paper strip. It still has to work within the base formula that we use in our body washes, deodorants, and other products.

Then we test it – on skin, in the shower, after a workout. We also bring in feedback from the team, from testers, and from guys who actually use the product.

“Does it still feel authentic?” Gabby asks. “Does it clash with the product's texture or lather? Does it fade too fast or stick around too long?”

Finally, when it all comes together, we end up with a scent that transports you to one of the most exciting places in nature.

As Gabby puts it: “You get a scent that doesn’t just describe an outdoor experience, it recreates it.”