Stay A Scent Ahead with These Indie Fragrances

Named after a Latin expression meaning ‘out of nothing’, Parisian indie fragrance label EX NIHILO creates fragrances without previously known references, making for distinctly unique scents. Inspired by avant-garde styles and French refinement, EX NIHILO offers both predominantly unisex scents, with a few created specifically for women. Sweet Morphine is a delicate yet luscious feminine scent featuring subtle florals with a dark, woody vanilla base.  

Los Angeles-based fragrance house Dedcool creates unisex, non-toxic, vegan scents for the conscious consumer. Dedcool Velvet (Monroe) features a deep accord of woody smoke and mimosa flower, with a hint of fresh ambrette seeds to create a rich, warm, sensual fragrance.  

Cult indie fragrance brand Le Labo has made a name for themselves creating unique, genderless scents that spark conversation and leave a trace long after you’re gone. While the New York-based label’s ever-popular Santal 33 has been co-opted by everyone from soccer moms to boutique hotels, Le Labo Thé Noir 29 brings something new to the table. Combining depth with freshness and softness with strength, Thé Noir 29 features notes of bergamot, fig, and bay leaves contrasted with cedarwood, vetiver, and musk. The combination is encased in black tea, making for an intoxicatingly sensual scent. 

While not a new label by any means (they’ve been around since the 1870s), UK-based Penhaligon’s create authentic, creative formulas. Part of their Portraits collection, Heartless Helen is a seductive scent with notes of tuberose, mandarin, and wood. 

If eccentricity and maximalism is your thing, indie fragrance label Nasomatto is the fragrance house for you. Meaning ‘crazy nose’ in Italian, Nasomatto is helmed by Alessandro Gualtieri, an eccentric scent creator with a knack for creating unpredictable fragrances. Sexy and sensual, yet primitive and carnal, Nudiflorum is an exploration of desire; the result of a quest to find the vanishing point in nature, the translucent of our senses. Rich in abstract florals and woody notes, Nasomatto Nudiflorum is intimacy in a bottle, evoking feelings of liberation and tranquillity through the exploration of touch. 

New York-based Vilhelm Parfumerie thinks of scents as different narratives, housed in identical bottles, all of which make up an olfactory library. Vilhelm Parfumerie Peony Couture is a bold scent, with notes of black pepper and aniseed making way for French peony and Turkish roses. Perfect for making every day a special occasion.

Defined by the art of chemistry, each fragrance is produced in binary pairs, exploring a particular compound through scent; one ‘Escentric’ and one ‘Molecule’. While the Escentric fragrance showcases the notes that make the scent unique, the Molecule fragrance is pared back, providing no odorants other than the aroma-molecule in its pure form. Our pick? Escentric 03, which focuses on vetiveryl acetate combined with three core perfumery roots; vetiver, ginger, and orris. 

Australian fragrance house Goldfield & Banks merge centuries of French perfumery expertise with native Australian botanicals, making for a definitively opulent olfactory experience. Goldfield & Banks Southern Bloom pays homage to the rare boronia flower, a flower that blooms during September in Australia’s Bruny Island. Floral and woody, Southern Bloom is smooth and velvety, with green and fruity notes; a refined, feminine fragrance with a playful side.

Los Angeles-based indie fragrance label Heretic Parfum explores natural scents, creating non-toxic fragrances based on flower and plant essences. Heretic recently collaborated with GOOP on the notorious The Candle Smells Like My Vagina candle. For a more safe for work olfactory experience, we’d recommend Heretic Parfum Holi Water. Inspired by India’s annual Holi festival, this fragrance is for the romantic at heart. Striking a balance between crisp and easy, and exotic and alluring, Holi Water features vibrant top notes of bergamot and lime, rich heart notes, and base of warming spices like tonka bean, vanilla, and patchouli, in a nod to the country that inspired the scent.