There are timeless classics, signature scents and iconic perfumes—and then there’s kai, the Malibu-born white floral with what might be the longest, most devoted unofficial list of celebrity fans in fragrance history.
As the story goes, creator and founder Gaye Straza spent her youth vacationing in Hawaii, where she developed a deep love for the lush, exotic white flowers of the region. After years of avoiding mainstream perfumes that never quite suited her, she was inspired to create a fragrance of her own—one that captured the essence of those treasured tropical blooms.
“I couldn’t wear regular perfume. It didn’t agree with me—it gave me really bad headaches,” Straza says.
That disconnect inspired Straza to create something uniquely her own. Drawing from her love of white florals, she spent months collaborating with a small fragrance house out of her Malibu fashion boutique. The result was what we now know as “kai”—an intoxicating blend of gardenia and exotic white blossoms that captures the essence of effortless beauty.
As visitors of her shop started asking for it, Straza would share it with them, but she didn’t have anything “official” to sell. It wasn’t until she was in New York when a beauty editor stopped her on the street to ask her where she could buy whatever she was wearing—that “aha” moment led her to make the bold decision to sell her boutique and officially launch kai as its own company.
It has since grown to include a multiproduct home fragrance, hair care and bath/body care line that boasts of being paraben-free, cruelty-free and vegan. In 2017 (20 years after it first came out), Straza expanded the original singular scent to include the kai*rose scent, which blends fresh Hawaiian blooms such as plumeria, pikake, gardenia, jasmine, with a touch of soft rose absolute. Most recently, the brand launched its limited-edition Mini Eau de Parfum ($50), available in both the signature and rose scent.
Case in point to its crazy-impressive success: The site has long list of celebs—including Cher, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Lily Collins, Naomi Watts, Eva Mendes, Gwyneth Paltrow and more—who count it as a favorite. When it come to the rose variety, Amy Adams, Rose Byrne, Anna Camp, Denise Richards and Allison Janney ring up as fans.
And perhaps the best accolade, according to Pamela Anderson: “I can’t go anywhere without someone saying, ‘What is that you are wearing?’ I love it.”
