Finance to Fragrance: The Story of Snif’s Phil Riportella ’11
By Faith Reis ’25
After graduating with a major in finance, Phil Riportella ’11 kicked off his career in banking, pivoted to startups, and finally decided to start something of his own in 2020. This was the birth of Snif — a modern fragrance brand that strives to make high-quality and clean scents easy, accessible, and fun.
Since then, Snif has seen incredible momentum and growth, expanding its products from fine fragrances to scented candles and laundry detergent. Aside from premium ingredients and an accessible price point, Snif aims to enhance the fragrance shopping experience. They offer the first ever try-before-you-buy program, bringing a new level of accessibility to the fragrance industry.
Riportella credits much of Snif’s success to the vibrant community they have cultivated. Carrying with him the importance of community he learned from Friartown, he has built strong relationships with customers, vendors, partners, colleagues, and beyond. “We’re proud of the team we built and the people we surround ourselves with,” he said. This strong sense of community sets Snif apart in an industry that values exclusivity.
With their core values guiding them, Snif attracted top partners such as Ulta Beauty, alongside a robust network of influencers who help them convey their brand story. Content creator Monet McMichael — who has amassed over one-million followers on social media — saw the most successful launch of a Snif fragrance in 2024 with her collaboration on Rose Era. This storytelling has been another key to their success, and something they invest in with each product launch. From the unique product packaging to the well-developed marketing campaigns, the creativity of the team truly shines.
“We have a lot of fun with our launches — one of our best-selling fragrances being Crumb Couture, a croissant-inspired scent,” Riportella said. Crumb Couture is available on Snif’s secret menu — NoNoses — a trailblazing sub-brand of Snif that offers unconventional fragrances such as gasoline and pizza.
As an outsider to the beauty and fragrance industry, Riportella and his longtime friend turned co-founder spent their entire first year researching the nuances of fragrance. He explains that figuring out where to start was the hardest part of the journey.
“I think early entrepreneurs get overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes,” he said. “My advice would be to keep going, be determined, and set small goals you can focus on so you don’t overwhelm yourself.”
His story is not all that he had to share with current PC students. He also provided a student discount so you can try these fragrances yourself! Use the code Prov20 for 20% off any order at https://snif.co and support a fellow Friar.
