How Orena Fragrances Founder Nabeelah Aminah Is Redefining Luxury Body Care –

by Selena Hill

March 6, 2026

The brand is helping to transform elevated fragrance and body oils into an everyday luxury

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Nabeelah Aminah’s journey in the beauty industry began with a simple observation — something was missing in the fragrance market.

As a fragrance enthusiast, she loved the elegance of luxury perfumes, but noticed that the body care market didn’t offer products that truly complemented them. The lotions and creams available were often lightly scented, short-lived, or diluted with alcohol. Because she couldn’t find a moisturizer that smelled like one of her favorite scents and lasted throughout the day, she decided to create the product herself.

Drawing from her perspective as a young Black Muslim woman, Aminah spent two years developing alcohol-free products that were long-lasting and luxurious. Her goal was to create products that felt sumptuous while still being inclusive and accessible to everyday consumers.

In 2023, at just 22 years old, she launched Orena Fragrances, a high-performance body care and fragrance brand inspired by luxury perfumery. Within its first year, Aminah said the brand began generating six figures a month. Today, Orena Fragrances boasts a growing online community of customers that includes beauty influencers who have helped the products go viral and repeatedly sell out. Inspired by deluxe designer perfumes like Kilian Paris Love, Don’t Be Shy and Bianco Latte by Giardini di Toscana, Orena Fragrances offers customers a fresh take on luxury scents at a fraction of the cost. Known for its alcohol-free formulas and powerful scent projection, the brand is helping to transform elevated fragrance and body care into an attainable and affordable luxury. Price points — which range from $48 for standard-size body oils and body butters to $72 for a full-size lotion — have enabled Orena to capture a broad market of fragrance shoppers.

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Aminah via email about how Orena began, the lessons she learned while building the business, and the legacy she hopes to create.

BE: What was the spark behind Orena Fragrances, and what gap in the beauty industry were you determined to fill?

Orena Fragrances started from a very personal place. I’ve always loved fragrance and the way scent can trigger memory and emotion. What I felt was missing in the luxury fragrance space was both accessibility and inclusivity, particularly when it came to body care.

The luxury fragrances I loved often felt exclusive, not only because of their price point, but because there was no real way to experience those scents beyond the perfume itself. Matching body care simply didn’t exist, which made the overall experience feel incomplete and out of reach for most people.

I wanted to change that. I believed everyone should be able to experience beautiful, elevated scents in a way that fits naturally into their everyday life. Orena was created to bridge that gap by bringing the essence of luxury fragrance into body care, allowing people to enjoy those scents more fully, more often, and without barriers.

BE: If Orena Fragrances were a feeling, not a product, what would you want people to experience the moment they encounter the brand?

If Orena Fragrances were a feeling, I would want it to feel like a memory in motion. Fragrance has always meant capturing moments and emotions for me, and I want Orena to create that same experience for others — something familiar, comforting, and emotionally grounding.

I want our scents to become part of someone’s everyday life and the memories they attach to it — getting ready in the morning, winding down at night, or taking a quiet moment for themselves. Orena Fragrances is meant to feel personal and comforting, creating an emotional connection that lasts beyond the product itself.

BE: What does “affordable luxury” mean to you, and why do you find it important?

To me, affordable luxury means access without compromise. It’s not about cutting corners or chasing price points— it’s about offering high-quality products that still feel special, intentional, and elevated without requiring a luxury budget.

I think luxury is really about experience and emotion, not just a price tag. People deserve products that make them feel good and confident without guilt. Affordable luxury allows people to fully enjoy what they buy instead of rationing it or treating it as untouchable.

BE: What challenges have you faced in the beauty industry as a Black woman founder?

One of the biggest challenges has been building credibility and trust in an industry where larger, more established brands often have access to significantly more resources. As a Black woman founder who started Orena at just 22 years old, I was entering a space where many of the brands I was competing alongside had decades of experience, teams, and infrastructure already in place. That meant learning quickly, making decisions in real time, and earning credibility through consistency and results rather than reputation or history.

Another challenge has been navigating how to position the brand authentically. While I’m proud that Orena is Black-owned, I’ve been intentional about ensuring the brand is loved for the quality of its products and the experience it delivers, not solely because of who founded it. Finding that balance of honoring identity without making it the sole narrative has been an important and ongoing part of building Orena.

BE: What were some early mistakes that became expensive lessons in building Orena?

Early on, I underestimated how important systems and operations are when you’re growing quickly. I was focused on product, branding, and customer experience — which are, of course, all important — but I learned the hard way that scaling without the right infrastructure can be costly.

I also learned to be more careful about where I invest time and trust. Not every opportunity is aligned, and not every “yes” moves the business forward. Those lessons forced me to become more strategic and disciplined, which has been crucial for long-term sustainability.

BE: What metrics matter most to you when measuring your brand’s success (revenue, reach, customer retention, etc.)?

Revenue is important, but it’s not the only thing I look at. Customer retention and repeat purchases matter just as much to me because they tell me whether people truly connect with the brand.

I also pay close attention to feedback — what customers say, how they describe the products, and how often they come back. Long-term success, to me, is about building something people trust and return to, not just chasing short-term growth.

BE: How do you hope Orena contributes to shifting narratives around Black women–owned beauty brands?

I hope Orena helps reinforce the idea that Black women–owned brands can exist at scale, in luxury spaces, without being boxed into a single category or narrative. I want the brand to be recognized for its quality, experience, and consistency first.

Being Black-owned is part of who I am, but it’s not the sole definition of the brand. I want Orena to show that excellence, longevity, and ambition can coexist naturally without explanation or justification.

BE: When you think long-term, what legacy are you building through Orena Fragrances — personally and generationally?

Personally, I’m building something that represents freedom, ownership, and self-belief. Orena is proof to myself that I can take an idea and turn it into something real, impactful, and lasting.

Generationally, I want to build a blueprint. I want people to see that it’s possible to create something meaningful from the ground up, and that building wealth, independence, and opportunity doesn’t have to follow a single path. It’s about normalizing ownership and ambition.

BE: What advice would you give to Black women who aspire to enter the beauty industry right now?

I would tell Black women founders to learn the business side early and treat it with as much importance as creativity. Branding and aesthetics matter, but margins, systems, and strategy are what keep a business alive.

I’d also say not to rush. Trends come and go, but building something sustainable takes patience, confidence, and a willingness to grow through mistakes. Trust your voice, but stay grounded in reality.

BE: How do you see the beauty industry evolving, and how is Orena positioning itself for what’s next?

The beauty industry is moving away from hype and toward connection. Customers are more informed, more intentional, and more interested in brands that feel authentic and consistent rather than viral.

Orena has always been rooted in that idea. We focus on building trust, community, and long-term relationships with our customers. Instead of chasing every trend, we’re focused on depth, quality, and creating experiences people want to return to—and that’s how we’re preparing for what’s next.