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An interview with Nisha Jose
As a founder, working mother, and internationally minded entrepreneur, Kristina launched her bootstrapped company by entering the U.S. market first and building an international presence before expanding further across Europe. Today, Amazon serves as a key growth platform, helping The Heart Company connect with customers across multiple markets while remaining a founder-led brand built on emotion and human connection. By combining fragrances developed with master perfumers at Givaudan, Vegan Society certification, and a mission centered around optimism, kindness, and human connection, Kristina is helping shape the future of emotional fragrance.
In this exclusive, Kristina Rasmussen shares the story behind The Heart Company, how she captures emotion through fragrance, the ethical standards at the heart of her products, and more.
The idea for The Heart Company was born during the COVID period. Like many people, I saw how much uncertainty, stress, and isolation people were experiencing. At the same time, I became increasingly interested in positive psychology and the connection between emotions and everyday well-being. Fragrance has a unique ability to influence how we feel within seconds. That led me to a simple question: why do we choose fragrance based on trends, status, or celebrity endorsements instead of how we want to feel? That question became the foundation of The Heart Company. I wanted to build a brand that celebrates kindness, love, happiness, positivity, and human connection.
Most people already have different outfits for different occasions. I believe fragrance can work the same way. Some days you may need confidence. Other days, you may need calm, optimism, comfort, or joy. Our fragrance wardrobe concept encourages people to choose a scent based on the emotional state they want to create. It is a simple daily ritual that helps people reconnect with themselves in an increasingly busy and fast-moving world.
We start with the emotion, not the fragrance notes. When developing Kindness in a bottle, Love in a bottle, or Positivity in a bottle, we first discuss the feeling we want to evoke. We then work with experienced master perfumers at Givaudan to translate those emotions into fragrance compositions. It is a fascinating process because emotions are universal, yet everyone experiences them differently. Our goal is not to create a fragrance trend. Our goal is to create an emotional experience.
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We are not building another fragrance brand. We are building an entirely new way for people to choose fragrance. Instead of asking, “How do you want to smell?”, we ask, “How do you want to feel?” Every fragrance represents an emotion, making the brand infinitely expandable across fragrance, body care, home fragrance and everyday rituals.
I am actually very optimistic about AI and use it extensively in our business. However, I believe technology increases the value of human qualities rather than replacing them. AI can recommend a fragrance, analyze data, or create content. But it cannot tell you what love feels like. It cannot replace kindness, empathy, hope, or genuine human connection. Our heart-shaped bottle is a physical reminder of those values. It stands for the idea that as the world becomes more digital, our humanity becomes even more important.
For me, luxury should not only be beautiful. It should also be responsible. From the beginning, I wanted The Heart Company to reflect values that matter to me personally. That is why all of our fragrances are certified by The Vegan Society and are cruelty-free. Today’s consumers increasingly want transparency and authenticity. I believe premium quality and ethical standards should go hand in hand.
Living in New York had a significant impact on me. The city has an incredible entrepreneurial energy and encourages people to think globally from day one. It taught me to move faster, think bigger, and focus on opportunities rather than limitations. That mindset influenced my decision to launch internationally early and build The Heart Company with a global perspective from the start. Even as a founder-led company, we have always believed that great brands can be built from anywhere.
Do not wait until everything is perfect. Start before you feel ready. Build something you genuinely care about because passion creates resilience. Stay close to your customers, stay authentic, and do not underestimate the power of kindness. Many people think kindness and commercial success are opposites. I believe the opposite is true. Some of the most successful businesses are built on trust, relationships, empathy, and long-term thinking. In a world that often rewards noise, authenticity remains a competitive advantage.
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