gaye straza spent her youth vacationing in the tropics. after years of avoiding mainstream perfumes because they did not agree with her, straza decided to create a scent for herself that embodied the exotic white flowers she loved. for several months she worked tirelessly with a small boutique fragrance house to develop what we now know as kai fragrance.

the first time straza wore kai, she was stopped mid-stride by a beauty editor on madison avenue in new york city, asking where she could buy the scent. this was a foreshadowing of events to come. straza soon thereafter made the fragrance available in her own upscale women’s fashion boutique in malibu .

kai took on a life of its own. there was so much demand for the fragrance that straza sold her boutique in 1999 to develop the line, launching kai as its own company.

today, kai is sold at exclusive boutiques and spas all over the world, with many devotees including jennifer aniston, julia roberts, charlize theron, reese witherspoon, jennifer garner, naomi watts and others.