The following is a list of 10 houses I would recommend to those wanting to dip their toes into the world of niche perfumery. I’ve based my selection on affordability, quality and accessibility. I’ll include a short description of the house and include a few key fragrances to check out from each.
Acqua Di Parma
Acqua Di Parma began as a small factory in Parma. The first fragrance, Colonia was released in 1916 and became a cult favourite amongst the fashion elite in Europe and the United States. Citrus colognes dominate the collection but in recent times they have introduced an ingredient series that focuses on a note or accord such as leather or amber.
Key Fragrances
Colonia – The fragrance that started it all. Citrus notes such as lemon and lavender up top give way to a clean musky dry down. Barbershop style, eau de cologne fragrance. Reportedly worn by Cary Grant as his signature. Never goes out of style.
Cedro di Taormina – Acqua Di Parma citruses combined with cedar. Simple, understated and natural smelling. The addition of pepper provides a nice spicy touch. The Sicilian coast in a bottle.
Rosa Nobile – Fresh rain soaked rose. Particularly delightful opening. Part of the feminine range of fragrances.
Website:
https://www.acquadiparma.com/en-ww
Atelier Cologne
Much like Acqua Di Parma, Atelier Cologne are citrus centric. This US company offers its fragrance in cologne absolute concentration. They also offer handy discovery sets that include 16 fragrances to try before committing to a full bottle.
Key Fragrances
Pomelo Paradis – Grapefruit dominated scent. Perfect for hot summer days. Up there with Guerlain’s Pamplelune as one of the best grapefruit scents.
Gold Leather – Rum soaked plum. One of the longer lasting heavier fragrances in the range. Quite a tame leather, despite the name.
Figuer Ardent – Green fig leaf and fig fruit are prominent in the opening. A spicy heart of cardamom and anise adds body. Closing in on gourmand territory.
Website:
https://www.ateliercologne.com/
Diptyque – French house founded in 1961 by a painter, set designer and textile designer. Original focus was on fabrics, before they produced their first scented candle in 1963. Candles are still a focus of their business. They released their first scent in 1968 and below is a list of key fragrances to check out for the niche newbie.
34 Boulevard Saint Germain Edt- Named after the street address of the original Paris boutique. This fragrance captures the scent of a walking into and smelling everything in a Diptyque store. It is a melange of woody and resinous notes, with a lot of clove. The perfect winter comfort scent.
Tam Dao Edt- Sandalwood lovers rejoice. Tam Dao is milky creamy sandalwood intermingled with cypress. Perfectly unisex.
Do Son Edt – Creamy white, almost shampoo like tuberose. Wearable, fresh but soft spoken and fleeting.
Website:
https://www.diptyqueparis.com/en_us/
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle
Founded by French businessman, Frederic Malle in 2000. Malle works as an ‘editor’ and works in conjunction with a perfumer to create each fragrance in the line. Many of the world’s top perfumers, including Jean-Claude Ellena, Maurice Roucel, Carlos Benaim and Sophia Grojsman have worked with the house. The fragrances in the Malle line are a little more expensive than others in the list, but discovery sets, and mini spray bottles are available.
Cologne Bigarade – A citrus by Jean-Claude Ellena was always going to be good. It’s orange juice in a bottle. Uplifting and life affirming. Linear, but that doesn’t matter when it’s as good as this.
French Lover – Pierre Bourdon’s fragrance for Frederic Malle can be worn in any season. A green scent of galbanum, woods and angelica with a hint of incense. A masculine masterpiece.
Portrait of a Lady – If French Lover is a masculine masterpiece then Portrait of a Lady is the feminine counterpart. This composition by Dominique Ropion reveals a powdery sherbet-like rose /patchouli and a touch of cinnamon and incense that lasts forever. A true classic.
Website:
https://www.fredericmalle.com/
Etat Libre d’Orange
Translates as free state of Orange, Etat Libre d’Orange was founded in France by South African, Etienne de Swardt in 2006. A truly avant-garde house with daring compositions and provocative names. One of their most famous perfumes, Secretions Magnifique, is a mix of blood, sweat, sperm and saliva. It didn’t make this list.
Fat Electrician – Whipped cream, candied chestnuts and vetiver are an unlikely combination that creates a gourmand vetiver like no other. Those that are averse to vetiver may like this.
Remarkable People – The fizzy champagne of the fragrance game. A grapefruit candy like sweetness lingers throughout. Cardamom adds a touch of spice to the composition. Perfect for spring and summer days.
Fils de Dieu du riz et des agrumes – Filipino cuisine in a bottle. Ginger, lime, coconut and rice are the main notes. A unique composition for someone who wants to stand out from the crowd.
Website:
https://www.etatlibredorange.com/
Fort and Manle
An Australian house founded by self-taught perfumer Rasei Fort. I recommend this house not because I’m Australian, but because they’re some of the best scents I’ve gotten my nose on for many years. It’s a house everybody should check out. Currently, at time of writing there are only 10 scents in the collection and each one could have been included in this list, but I’ve narrowed it down to three. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on a discovery set.
Amber Absolutely – I’m not the biggest amber fan, but I love Amber Absolutely. A rich resinous plum infused amber that never gets cloying or overbearing. Great for a cold winter day.
Fatih Sultan Mehmed – Apple, salty ambergris and rose with woody nuances in the base. Can be worn year-round but might work best in cooler weather. A finalist in the 2017 Art and Olfaction Awards, this masterful blend is a must try.
Harem Rose – A soft dewy rose with a musky vetiver base. Simple in construction but it works so well. I find it similar to Dior Ambre Nuit, but the vetiver brings out a subtle earthiness and depth not seen in the Dior. Tremendous work, and my favourite from the house.
Website:
https://fortandmanle.com/
James Heeley
English born designer James Heeley is the nose behind this eponymous brand. The independence of owning and running his own house allows much more creative freedom to produce one of a kind scents that leave a lasting impression. James Heeley is based in Paris.
Menthe Fraiche – Exactly what it says on the bottle, fresh mint. Not artificial mint but mint as though it has been freshly picked from the garden. Green tea and woods provide an elegant dry down to this Eau de Parfum. The tea and woods stick around longer than the mint which is rather fleeting, at least on my skin.
Cardinal – Soft gothic incense. The rose and linen note at the top of Cardinal provides a lightness, not seen in other incense fragrances. There is a fizz to the fragrance that might remind some of a carbonated beverage. Heavenly.
Sel Marin – Vetiver aquatic. As the dry down progresses salty notes appear and you can almost imagine you’re sailing the seven seas. Light, fresh and clean.
L’Artisan Parfumeur
A true French pioneer niche house that first established its footing in the fragrance world in the 1970’s. A company that is particularly exclusive, choosing their distribution channels judiciously.
Al Oudh – Any niche list required an oud and this offering from L’Artisan Parfumeur may be challenging but most ouds in the niche world are challenging. Like a walk around a Tunisian or Moroccan spice market. Try and get an older formula as I recall the newest reformulation is a shadow of its former self.
Timbuktu – Venturing into a little safer territory is Timbuktu. Vetiver, incense and mango whisks the wearer away to Mali in ancient Africa. Resins, incense and vetiver envelop around, to illicit the illusion of distant lands and to create the desire for long distance travel. A green incense that is unisex and can be worn year-round. Essential.
Tea for Two – Spicy, cinnamon infused smoky black tea. The ginger and honey sweeten the composition, but this is primarily a tea-based fragrance. Longer lasting, deeper and smokier than Gucci Pour Homme II, another great tea scent. Calming, soothing and cosy to wear, Tea for Two is one of L’Artisan’s best.
Website:
https://global.artisanparfumeur.com/home.html
Olfactive Studio
Celine Verleure created Olfactive Studio in 2011. The brand fuses modern art photography and perfumery. The creative process begins with the naming of the perfume, photographers then provide their interpretation of the name in image. These images are then given to the perfumer to compose the fragrance.
Chambre Noire – Photographer Clemence Rene-Bazin combines with perfumer Dorothee Piot on the leather scent Chambre Noire. Plum adds sweetness and incense adds mystery and intrigue. Leans on the masculine side.
Woody Mood – Photographer Roger Steffens and perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour link up on Woody Mood. Dark oak like boozy wood sprinkled with spicy chocolate dominate up top. As the fragrance dry’s down a smoky incense settles on the skin. Beautifully blended this fragrance is a top choice for the colder months.
Panorama – Olfactive studio’s library includes some unique fresh offering. I have gone with Panorama. Miguel Sandhina and Clement Gavarry fuse a wasabi accord with fresh cut grass and fig leaf to create a green fragrance indicative of the juice colour inside the bottle. Light and airy, Panorama conjures up the image of long hot summers sitting at the top of a hill overlooking a freshly mown green meadow.
Website:
https://www.olfactivestudio.com/
Serge Lutens
Frenchman Serge Lutens is a multi-talented, photographer, filmmaker, hair stylist and in 2000 released his first perfume onto the market. Working in conjunction with Christopher Sheldrake, he has created a brand that is unique and innovative and never derivative. In the perfume world Serge Lutens is truly on the cutting edge.
Gris Clair – It occurred to me that this list did not include a lavender dominated scent. Until now. The Serge Lutens take on lavender came out in 2006 and is a real contrast between clean, sweet and dark notes. The lavender is clean like fresh ironed linen, iris, tonka and amber add an almost soda like sweetness and the incense adds a smoky touch. All in all, one of the best lavender based fragrances on the market.
Un Bois Vanille – Un Bois Vanille is a coconut vanilla with a liquorice anise twist. Beeswax adds a honey sweetness. A warm, inviting gourmand fragrance that lasts and lasts. Perfect for the cold of winter.
Chergui – Chergui is creamy honey tobacco. Strangely enough I get cinnamon on my skin, but it isn’t listed in the note pyramid. Sweet and smooth, but never cloying, Chergui is another winter workhorse.
Borneo 1834 – Ok, so I cheated here and added an extra, but this is a fantastic patchouli fragrance from Serge Lutens. Dry and earthy but sweetened by cocoa. Comparisons can be made to Chanel Coromandel, but no doubt Borneo 1834 is darker and dustier. Long lasting with mega sillage.
Website:
https://www.sergelutens.com/eur/
Well there it is 10 fragrance houses and 31 fragrances to get you started on your niche journey or even some recommendations for well-established niche heads. It is by no means a definitive list but certainly a good starting point. Get yourself some samples and get sniffing.
Over to you guys what are some niche houses you would recommend to those starting out? What are your thoughts about my selections?