Ridgefield man launches men’s fragrance line
RIDGEFIELD — Ridgefield High School graduate Mark Galione said he’s always wanted to explore how fragrances were made.
Fast forward about five years and Galione has a cologne line, which he founded and launched last sprin while wrapping up his business studies at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass.
The fragrance, Gali, is sold at several Connecticut shops, including Hutton's Fine Menswear and Adam Broderick Salon & Spa in Ridgefield, and in perfume stores at the Danbury Fair and Westfarms malls.
Galione felt inspired to delve into the fragrance world while learning about marketing and advertising in college. He was intrigued by the “growing market” within the men’s beauty industry and decided to dive in.
“I kind of wanted to break some of the barriers in terms of men being open about beauty and talking about products they use,” he said.
Initially, Galione wasn’t interested in developing fragrances, but rather producing an “automatic spraying” device for one — similar to those used by air freshener companies. But the concept was short-lived when Galione realized the market was saturated with plenty of patents.
When his brother bought him a fragrance-making kit, Galione shifted to the creative side of the business during his junior year at Bentley. “If I (wasn’t) able to make the ... sprayer, I kind of wanted to make my own cologne,” he said, “(so) I just started messing around, making my own fragrance.”
Galione learned how to layer different fragrant notes and researched the scents he liked. While interning with L’Oreal he honed in on “smaller men’s beauty products” and natural ingredients. By the end of his senior year at Bentley, he had perfected the Gali scent — a blend of sandalwood, bergamot, sage, coconut and freshwater essential oils.
“It’s not something when you walk into the room (you’re) like, ‘Oh, I can smell that person right away.’ It lasts a very long time,” he said. “It’s almost an everyday fragrance, a clean and strong scent” you can wear at home or to the office.
The line’s launch was momentarily interrupted when Galione was sent home from school last spring, but he treated the pandemic as “a blessing in disguise.” The time at home allowed him to focus on the launch, and after seeing how hard small businesses were being hit, he chose to “leverage” local suppliers, he said.
“It’s not only ... handmade by myself, but also we’re really unique to utilize local suppliers ... and really benefit them while we look to grow,” he added.
Gali’s materials are sourced from small businesses in Danbury, New York, New Jersey, Indiana and California, and Galione doesn’t have plans to change that. “A lot of these small businesses give back to the community,” he said. “Supporting local people is always a great thing to do to uplift the local economy.”
Salon owner Adam Broderick said the line would be an “excellent new addition” to his store. He described Gali as a “light” scent that resembles an afterthought rather than being “overpowering.”
“Fragrance is like art,” Broderick said, “it’s something you feel and gravitate toward.”
Broderick has known Galione’s family as clients for years, and described him as a young, passionate entrepreneur that he’s “rooting for.”
“His story is as compelling as the fragrance,” he said.
Adam Broderick Salon & Spa is located at 89 Danbury Road in Ridgefield.