The second annual edition of Paris Perfume Week began on a glorious pre-Spring day. As I made my way to the Bastille Design Center I ran into friends and colleagues who were all eager to gather once again at an event where the love of fragrance is the common bond that brings us all together. I had a full schedule of workshops, meetings, lectures and launch events along with time blocked out to investigate brands and smell fragrances I had not yet discovered.

Before the main event even started, the organizers launched a week-long program “outside the walls” dedicated to revealing the behind the scenes world of perfumery. Brands such as BDK, Frédéric Malle and Nicolai Parfumeur Créateur opened their doors for masterclasses. Cécile Zarokian invited professionals into her lab to experience some of her best-known creations. I had a fun morning at Cinquième Sens who created a blind sniffing session of the candidates for the 2025 Fragrance Foundation France Awards. Beautifully organized, if not a bit overwhelming, I had over 30 entries to evaluate from the category of niche brands over five years old. The room was silent as we all diligently smelled and made notes before making a final choice of our winning entry. Which fragrances did we recognize and which were unfamiliar? Which one would we vote for? I’ve kept my worksheet so I can compare it with the award winners who will be announced on 11 June 2025.

Exhibiting Brands

But I digress from the opening day which was Thursday, 20 March. As I entered the maze of stands I immediately saw Luc Gabriel, founder of the Different Company and Cherigan, a brand which has always enchanted me with its retro, Art Deco esthetic and storytelling that evokes the glamourous era of the 1930’s. The newest fragrance, Shanghai Le Soir, is a juicy cocktail where lychee and cassis tickle the nose before the floral heart of rose, orris and violet blooms forward. You can just imagine Marlene Dietrich walking off the Shanghai Express train leaving this exotic sillage in her wake.

My next stop brought me to Atelier Materi where I ran into Anne-Sophie Hennegrave, Head of Marketing and Communication, and a former colleague. She presented the extrait de parfum collection (Ambre Papier, Néroli Hasbaya and Burgundy Oud), as well as the newest fragrance, Vanille Carbone which struck me like a volcanic explosion tempered by sweet gourmand notes. The brand deftly blends luxury with the eco-conscious ethos of fair-trade, ethical sourcing and respect for the planet.

Jorum Studios was a completely new discovery for me. Started in 2019, co-founders Euan McCall and Chloe Mullen have created a challenger brand comprised of several collections which pay tribute to their native Scotland. Disruptive and original, they have succeeded in identifying key ingredients evocative of the rugged Scottish landscape. Firewater transported me to a craggy beach where the wind whips through your hair as you warm your hands over a bonfire. Perhaps it was the interplay of ginger and juniper berry in a woody base that made me feel that way?

Another brand that truly transported me to another place and time was Angelos Creations Olfactives. Greek Indie perfumer Angelos Balamis has written an olfactory ode to his native Thessalonika with scents like Angeliki, an opulent white flower dedicated to his grandmother, Karikia, an earthy scent with sweet nuances evocative of tobacco fields or the newest creation, Narkissos, heady, lush and nectar-like, a celebration of the self-admiring flower.

At this point I made my way up to the mezzanine level where I had an a-ha moment of, “why have I never smelled this brand yet?” Tanguy Le Baud, founder of Art Meets Art, patiently explained the concept and the stories behind his collection which blends music, art and scent. It was a multisensory moment discovering olfactive renditions of well-known songs such as Besame Mucho, Like a Virgin, and my personal favorite, Sexual Healing. At PPW the brand presented Like a Virgin Unplugged, where Fabrice Pellegrin has crafted a scent exalting Moroccan orange flower in a milky infusion with a kiss of vanilla.

At the next stand I reconnected with the lovely Katerina Vel’menko, who’s eponymous line of fragrances bears the tagline “No stories to tell, only fragrances to love.” As she reminded me, her idea is not to tell the consumer what to think but rather to let them create their own story around the fragrance. I must say I’m partial to Good Mood is Loading, a feel-good mood lifter with a shot of Aperol.

So many fragrances, so little time…..In fact, this year we really needed to be the masters of time management since the entry tickets to the event had a time restriction: there was a morning and an afternoon session, with a lunch break during which the venue closed. No lollygagging or staying late as the organizers made the rounds to remind people of the hours. I’m sure this was greatly appreciated by the exhibitors, especially the ones who come solo and never get to leave their stand.

In addition to the brands already mentioned I was able to make quick “drive by” stops.

Sacré Français, who’s boozy, leathery Sleep No More has become the brand’s cult product.

Isabelle Larignon, the gracious and humble brand founder overcame a scratchy throat and the time monitors to present her fragrances to me when I mentioned that Brooke Belldon of Sainte Cellier suggested I stop by.

Stereotype, an interesting brand that champions quirkiness and lets “uniqueness reign supreme”.

Ajmal, to see and smell the Untold Stories Collection.

Les Destinations, an interesting brand from the Maurer & Wirtz group, the scents are representations of locations revealed by their coordinates. Madagaskar, a celebration of vetiver, was fresh and earthy. Kudos for the blotter cards that look like boarding passes!

SmellTalks and More

Although PPW is a relatively small event, it brought together some of the most prestigious individuals in the perfume world. The Smell Talks program offered a rich assortment of lectures, discussions, and masterclasses which included the likes of perfumers Delphine Jelk, Dominique Ropion and Jean Claude Ellena. Since Amouage was a sponsor I made a point of attending the workshop in which the brand’s Creative Director, Renaud Salmon, was interviewed by author Dominique Roques, about the history and the heritage of Omani ingredients. Salmon recalled his first impressions of the country and how he was captivated by the smell of the mountains. Having arrived in Oman around the beginning of the pandemic, he actually felt the lockdown period allowed him to discover the country, the landscape and the ingredients in a very peaceful, contemplative manner. He talked about going on long hikes during which he found inspiration in the trees, the soil and even the rocks. Indeed he feels that the ingredients take on the personality of the place where they grow.

As a complement to the workshop, Amouage also had a small exhibition “Wadi Dawkah, the Valley of Frankincense” which offered an olfactive journey into the UNESCO protected valley where over 5000 frankincense trees grow.

Later that same day I attended a panel discussion entitled Exploring the American Niche Perfumery Market. One of the panelists, François Duquesne, founder Maison Duquesne, who had been on one of my panels at Esxence, along with two other American retailers, shared his thoughts on the US market today.

After-Hours

Paris was in fragrante delicto as the after-hours events crisscrossed the city. Thomas de Monaco hosted a cocktail party for the reveal of three new fragrances that will join his collection in the Fall. Bertrand Duchaufour was present at the new L’Entropiste boutique in the Marais to open the debate on the mystery of life and to pay homage to beauty found in chaos. My last event on Friday brought me out to a quiet neighborhood near the Arc de Triomphe for the launch of Le Jardin Retrouvé’s Immortelle Babylone. Credited as the first fragrance in perfume history to have been composed by four hands across time, the scent is at once spicy and woody. The original formula made by Yuri Gutsatz in the last century was never finalized or brought to market, and the challenge was taken up by perfumer Maxence Moutte to bring it back to life, just in time for the brand’s 50th anniversary.

Closing Thoughts

PPW was definitely a successful event. Over the four day exhibition, 50 fragrance brands received 4000 visitors including 70 retailers(from Italy, Romania, Poland, the US and Lithuania) and 90 journalists and content creators, so clearly the show still skews B2C as noted last year. Some of the brands had also been present at Esxence in February, although the majority didn’t exhibit at both fairs. For the most part the brand booth space was democratic although event sponsors, such as Coty, Cartier, Amouage, Granado and Une Nuit Nomade had larger installations.

The rich program of week-long events added to the experience and, on the upside allowed so many non-exhibiting brands and boutiques to participate. Next year I will clear my calendar and block out the entire week to take greater advantage of opportunities for fragrance-related encounters. This year the Smell Talks were streamed live, so even if you couldn’t attend in person you could be there virtually, or you can wait for them to be diffused on the Podcasts by Nez channel. Although the bulk were in French, some were in English.

The biggest change at this year’s event revolved around the ticketing which was time stamped with a morning session from 10:00 – 14:00 or an afternoon session from 15:00 – 19:00. This strategy helped in terms of crowd control, although it was challenging to take in the Smell Talks and visit the stands in the allotted hours. It was most appreciated by the exhibitors who got a much-needed midday break.

The show has clearly outgrown the space and indeed next year’s event will move to the Palais Brogniart, the former Stock Exchange in central Paris, for a three-day event, April 9 – 11, 2026. But that's not all....organizers are currently looking into a Shanghai Perfume Week in partnership with Notes Shanghai to take place October 16 - 19. And then there are other continents, like Africa and South America....stay tuned.