Meet Anne Zacharias, Founder of Haven Scent

Meet Anne Zacharias

Haven Scent started with a smell.

I've always been sensitive to fragrance — strong and synthetic scents have always given me headaches, even as a child — so when I discovered an all-purpose cleaner that smelled incredible it stopped me in the middle of cleaning my kitchen. The scent was warm, sophisticated, grounding, enticing. I didn't want to stop wiping down my kitchen.

Somewhere in that moment, a question sparked: what if I could make my own?

I've spent most of my career building companies and bringing new ideas to life, but developing a cleaning formula was an entirely new challenge. With no chemistry background, I started the way I start most things: a notebook, my signature purple pen, and a lot of trial and error. My early lab was a glass tabletop and a jar of spaghetti sauce.

Eventually I had a formula that cleaned beautifully, didn't streak and smelled exactly right. Then came the next problem: most premixed cleaners are largely water — heavy and expensive to ship. That's how Haven Scent's concentrate model was born.

The name Haven Scent came to me on a walk in the woods with one of our rescue dogs — which is where most of my best ideas happen. People warned me it would be hard to trademark. Nine months later, it was approved.

I live by one rule: if it's not a "Hell yes!" it's a "No." Haven Scent is a very loud Hell yes!

Born and raised in Pittsburgh — I am Black and Gold through and through. Outside of Haven Scent, I'm with my family, in the woods with the dogs, playing Wordle, or on the Pilates reformer.

I'd love to hear from you.
anne@havenscent.com

- Anne