The Niche Fragrance Houses You Need To Know About

Despite my ongoing and undying love for a number of mainstream perfumeries (Tom Ford Black Orchid and Narciso Rodriguez For Her were my first “real perfume” purchases), niche fragrance houses take pride of place in my perfume collection.

Put simply, “niche fragrances” encompasses anything that isn’t manufactured by a mainstream, designer brand. The scale of production is smaller (although there are a few exceptions which I’ll talk about below), the creation process tends to be more artisanal and boutique and their presence in department stores is little to none.

Let’s start with the niche fragrance hit list- whether you’re a designer fragrance devotee or an all-round perfume rookie, chances are you’ve smelt a scent by one of these perfumeries.

Le Labo are one of the aforementioned exceptions to the rule, as the company was acquired by Estée Lauder towards the end of 2014. Founded in New York in 2006, each Le Labo fragrance is hand blended and custom labelled (you can spot my name on the label in the image above), favouring an olfactory approach to bottling scents. Le Labo are also famous for their range of “city exclusives”- fragrances inspired by and sold exclusively in Le Labo stand alone boutiques around the world.
My pick: Despite the cult following that Santal 33 has garnered Le Labo, I’m more partial to Thé Noir 29 which fuses bergamot, fig, black tea and bay leaves with cedar, vetiver musk and tobacco.

Similarly well-known and founded in the same year is Byredo, which came to be in Stockholm but is heavily influenced by India, the birthplace of founder Ben Gorham’s mother.
My pick: Bal D’Afrique. With top notes of neroli, bergamot and African marigold and a base of amber, musk, vetiver and cedar, Bal D’Afrique is inspired by “Paris in the late 1920s and its infatuation with African culture.”

Diptyque is something of an icon as far as French perfumerie, founded in Paris at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain (an address emblazoned across all of their packaging and which I was lucky enough to visit a few years ago) with their first perfume landing on shelves in 1968 and the company continues to favour the olfactory production method they developed that year.
My pick: Eau Duelle, a spicy cocktail of vanilla, cold spices and frankincense.

Escentric Molecules debuted Molecule 01 in 2006 and reached cult status almost immediately. The frangrance contains only one note, Iso E Super, which claims to enhance your natural pheromones so that no two people wearing the fragrance will smell the same. Iso E Super is actually a synthetic compound that smells dry, woody and with a hint of pachouli, so regardless of wearer these elements will be present.
My pick: The fragrance they are most famous for- Molecule 01.

A few lesser-known, much newer fragrances houses have entered my world of late, one of which is Nomenclature. Nomenclature released their line as recently as 2015 based on the idea of an “overdose” of popular synthetic ingredients, including Iso E Super.
My pick: Orb_ital, which is based on Orbitone which is a compound of Iso E Super, and contains notes of amber, spicy pepper, cedar, violet, coffee and tobacco.

IIUVO also came to be in 2015, the brainchild of Tomi Ahmed and Leo Gibbon, who produce fragrances in the south of France based on memories and experiences. IIUVO began as a line of candles following a chance meeting by the pair in London’s Dover Street Market, while 2017 saw the duo launch their first trio of unisex perfumes.
My pick: Gilot, a blend of grapefruit, bergamot, neroli, nutmeg, musk and white mallow.

Based in Brooklyn and created in 2009, D.S. & Durga sees husband and wife duo David and Kavi Moltz celebrate their own creative skill sets- David (D.S.) is the nose behind the brand, while Kavi (Durga) is the company’s designer.
My pick: Radio Bombay, with woody top notes, mid notes of sandalwood, iris and peach and a base of musk mallow, balsam fir, musk and coconut.

Conceived by New York Times beauty columnist and Vogue contributor Bee Shapiro in 2015 is Ellis Brooklyn. Based in Williamsburg, NYC, Shapiro’s history as a beauty writer has shaped the brand, as has a commitment to sustainable production practises and the use of natural ingredients.
My pick: Myth, a second-skin musk featuring notes of cedar, patchouli and orchid.