PARIS–It all starts in a narrow street at dusk, when the sweet neroli flowers fill the air. Then the saffron and the nutmeg are evidenced and carry us in the middle of a souk or open place market. The sensual fragrance of rose, artemisia and amber is all around us, spiced by the intriguing smell of styrax and sandalwood. What remains at the end, are the remnants of a magic of an electric night in the Orient, of which the memories are blurred by a smokey plume of incense. Does your last trip come to mind? No, the journey took place in rue Saint-Honoré. And the voyage came to life thanks to Stéphanie Royo-Martin’s art of story telling and her passion for perfume. Royo-Martin is the store manager of the exclusive perfume brand Ex-Nihilo, and she was describing their last creation Venenum Kiss, made by Quentin Bisch.
All the people working at Ex Nihilo are passionate about perfume and are real connoisseurs. It feels natural for them to take a long time in order to present the creations, the special ingredients that can be added to one of the formulas in order to highlight the original mixture or by giving it a new twist. As Benoît Verdier, co-founder, precises, speaking about perfume is something very intimate. “It is something comparable to a psychoanalysis,” confesses Verdier with a smile.
Exclusive raw materials
“When we can, we promote French traditional production like the Rose Centifolia Absolute”, explains Verdier. Smelling this luxurious ingredient, you are immediately transported in a rose field in Grasse at dawn. The absolute of Iris Pallida (80 000 euros kg), a very precious ingredient of the perfumery business, is surprising with its smell of green earth. “By making the customer discover the raw materials, we want to propose him a true experience and make him discover an alternative to stereotyped luxury products,” he said.
The shop delivers new rituals as the customer can see his own personalized perfume prepared in front of him, thanks to a machine coming straight from a Boris Vian novel like “The Osmologue.” This high precision machine blinks toward the traditional alembics with its highly-polished brass coating. Then, it is also possible to customize the bottle with a cap made of exclusive material like onyx or mother of pearl.
Rendez-Vous for Perfume Lovers
Only 6 months after the launch of the brand, Harrods promoted the perfumery’s products among the 11th most exclusive perfume brands of the world. Now they have two shops in Moscow and are also distributed in New-York.
In the Paris flagship, the team invites you to a free workshop on sensorial experiences. It is a real rendez-vous for all perfume lovers, where they are able to enrich their fragrances, culture, and exchange their passions.
“Et plus si affinités,” as the French say…
ALSO IN THE PARIS ISSUE: Video Special: Romain Brau and Kevin Auger’s Bygone Beauties, Donia Allegue’s House of Turban’s, Ex Nihilo’s Personalized Perfumes, BACO Style: French Blogger Typhaine Augusto, Marian Eeeckhout: Recycling with Style
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HOW MUCH: Perfume : Between EUR70 and EUR300
WHERE: 352, rue Saint-Honoré 75 001 Paris
WEBSITE: http://www.ex-nihilo-paris.
