The Scenturies FW26 - Five Niche Perfumes

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The Scenturies Fall/Winter 2026

What the Formula Remembers

LE MILE

The silk in The Scenturies was conceived as a material of preservation — a thin boundary between past and present. What came before is not necessarily erased; age can soften contours, deepen character and leave something recognisable, yet changed. The fragrances in this story exist within that same idea.

Years ago, strangelove set aside part of the original perfume oil used for lostinflowers. Rather than reformulating the fragrance for lostinflowers Reserve Extrait de Parfum, the house has now bottled what remained from that original production. There was enough for just 140 individually numbered bottles. As the perfume matured, the red champaca developed a darker, almost golden warmth and a creamier texture, while the oud lost some of the separation it once had from the floral heart. Flower and wood now seem to sit closer together, with fewer hard edges between them, giving the Reserve a deeper, more intimate character without changing the original identity of lostinflowers. Nothing was added to create that effect; the years themselves gradually altered the balance of the composition. Each of the 140 numbered 100ml bottles is housed in a handcrafted burl-wood box with an engraved plaque bearing its individual number, giving physical form to the singularity of the reserve. Only a small amount of the original oil remained, enough for 140 bottles. Once those are gone, this particular version of lostinflowers is gone with them.

lostinflowers Reserve, Extrait de Parfum
/ STRANGELOVE

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Before creating THE NIGHT, Frédéric Malle and Dominique Ropion travelled to Dubai, spending time with a perfume culture in which rose and oud belong to a much older vocabulary than the contemporary fascination with either material might suggest. The name emerged from that world as well. Within the Desert Gems story, night begins with sundown, when the intensity of the day gives way and the streets come alive again. Ropion translated that change of atmosphere into a fragrance of unusual scale, built around Turkish rose and an extraordinary quantity of natural oud, with saffron, frankincense and sandalwood deepening the composition. Malle has spoken openly about allowing the formula to develop without letting the cost of the materials determine how much of them could be used.

No two pieces of the material are quite alike, and its character can move between wood, smoke, leather, warmth and an almost animalic darkness. Used in the quantity found in THE NIGHT, those facets are given enough room to unfold rather than appearing as a distant trace in the base of a fragrance. The rose has an equally important presence, its richness holds against the oud instead of disappearing into it, creating a tension that gives THE NIGHT much of its intensity. The experience is dense and enveloping, yet there is something strangely intimate about the way the two materials remain recognisable within the darkness around them. More than a decade after its release, THE NIGHT still carries the same sense of scale and conviction. Rose and oud remain fully present, neither softened into the background, giving the fragrance a depth that reveals itself gradually rather than all at once. There is something almost ceremonial in that persistence — a darkness with warmth inside it, and a richness that feels removed from trends or seasons.

The Night, Editions de Parfums
/ FRÉDÉRIC MALLE

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When the Royal Opera House Muscat commissioned Amouage to create a fragrance for its first original opera, Pierre Negrin was asked to imagine the scent at the centre of Sindbad’s journey. In the story, the sailor leaves the security of home to rescue Princess Hayat, confronts a sorceress and eventually discovers the mysterious “Fragrance of Life” before returning home. Negrin translated that movement into the perfume itself, beginning with warmth and familiarity, passing through darker, more enigmatic territory, and finally settling into something grounded and comforting again. Originally released in Oman as Sindbad, the same composition later reached an international audience as Elsewhere, giving the fragrance’s story of travel and return an unexpectedly fitting second chapter. The concentrate spends six months infused with Australian sandalwood chips, while the alcohol matures for the same period in handcrafted French oak barrels before the final maceration. Amouage calls the effect a “patina” — a subtle change in texture and depth that develops gradually rather than appearing as a distinct note. The idea feels particularly fitting here: a fragrance conceived around departure, discovery and return is itself given time to develop before its story is complete.

Elsewhere, Essence de Parfum
/ AMOUAGE

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Kurkdjian’s idea for OUD velvet mood by Maison Francis Kurkdjian took shape during a night in the Liwa dunes, where the sand left a particularly strong impression on him — warm from the day, constantly reshaped by wind and light, and unexpectedly soft to the touch. He associated that sensation with velvet. Silk and satin had already given the Maison’s OUD mood collection its tactile vocabulary, each fabric suggesting another way of approaching the same precious wood. Velvet continues that idea with more warmth and intimacy, bringing oud closer to the body and to the physical memory of touch. Kurkdjian has long looked to fashion and fabric for ways of making scent feel physical, and here velvet gives oud a warmer, more intimate presence, almost like a texture on skin.

OUD velvet mood, Extrait de Parfum
/ MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN

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From the beginning, Rouge Smoking was BDK Parfums’ interpretation of Pigalle, a part of Paris long associated with nightlife, freedom and a certain refusal to behave conventionally. The name also nods to Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking, bringing another Parisian idea of emancipation into the fragrance. Rouge Smoking Extrait revisits that character without simply making the original louder. The cherry shifts from the slightly almond-like impression of the stone towards the fruit itself, fuller and more sensual, while the surrounding warmth becomes deeper and more enveloping. Pigalle remains recognisable, but the mood has changed enough to create that strange familiarity of returning to something known and finding it subtly altered.

Across these five perfumes, something survives while something else changes: an archival oil deepens over years, a centuries-old pairing of rose and oud retains its force, one precious wood is understood through another texture, a composition matures before release, and a familiar scent returns with greater depth. Beside the classical figures in the photographs, the bottles belong unmistakably to the present. What they contain has taken a much longer route to get there.

Rouge Smoking, Extrait de Parfum
/ BDK

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all images (c) lemilestudios
/for LE MILE DÉJÀ-VU ISSUE, Autumn/Winter Edition 2026, Nr. 41, 02/2026

off script - Three New Oud Fragrances by Elizabeth Gaynes

Elizabeth Gaynes introduces off script through three new expressions of Cambodian oud

off script Starts With Oud

written + interview SARAH ARENDTS

After twelve years of strangelove, Elizabeth Gaynes is launching a second perfume house with the same non-negotiable at its centre — real, sustainably sourced oud. off script begins with three fragrances built around Cambodian Oud Al Safi, used at different levels across the collection. Gaynes describes the material as softer, rounder and naturally sweeter than the Indian oud used at strangelove.

off script
HEAVENSPOT, DOUBLETAKE + WALLFLOWER

WALLFLOWER, developed as the lightest expression, places oud alongside neroli, muguet, peony, orris and sandalwood, giving the fragrance the clean familiarity of freshly laundered fabric without losing the depth of the material underneath. HEAVENSPOT pairs it with coconut, mango, sea salt, jasmine, labdanum and vanilla, while DOUBLETAKE carries the highest level of oud, alongside raspberry, dates, mint, mate and leather.

The three fragrances were developed with Julien Rasquinet and Céline Herbette and are formulated at 25 percent concentration. WALLFLOWER proved the most difficult to finish because Gaynes wanted real oud to remain present within something fresh and clean. For Gaynes, off script is for people curious about oud but unfamiliar with the natural material itself. “off script is the way in,” she says. The collection makes its New York debut on September 14 with an event during Fashion Week in collaboration with R13, presented alongside a scent lookbook.

Sarah Arendts
What made you build off script as a separate brand after twelve years of strangelove?

Elizabeth Gaynes
The thing both brands have in common, and the thing that sets them apart from almost everyone else, is that we use real, sustainable oud. Pure oud. It's rare to find a brand that does, because it's one of the most expensive ingredients in the world, so most of what's sold as oud is a synthetic version of it. But once you've tried the real thing you can't go back. Real oud is alive. It changes on your skin, it changes with you, and it does something to your soul that nothing else in perfumery does. It's a magical ingredient, but only when it's real.

strangelove was built for people who already knew that and wanted as much of it as I could possibly put in a bottle. And I love those people. But for twelve years I've also been meeting people who smell it on someone else, love it, and then tell me they could never wear it themselves. Or they're curious about oud but don't want to jump into the deep end on day one. I didn't want to water strangelove down for them, it is what it is and that's why it works. So I built them their own brand. Still real oud, a different oud, used with a lighter hand and a very different attitude. off script is the way in.

Before WALLFLOWER, HEAVENSPOT and DOUBLETAKE had names, what did the first brief actually ask Julien Rasquinet and Céline Herbette to do?

The brief was intense. I know what I want and I put it all in there. I always knew what kind of scent I wanted at each level of oud, so I built the brief around that. For each one I gave them the ingredients I loved and the mood I wanted you to be in when you wore it. They weren't starting from nothing, they were starting from a very clear picture in my head, and the job was getting it out of my head and into a bottle without losing the oud along the way.

I should say it wasn't just me and the perfumers in a room. I have an amazing team who worked with me on all three scents, every one of them passionate about it and every one of them with their own point of view, which they were not shy about sharing. That's how you get it right. You need people around you who'll tell you when a sample is beautiful and when it's just fine.

Why Cambodian Oud Al Safi for all three fragrances?

strangelove uses Indian oud, which is the deep, dark, smoky end of the spectrum. Leathery, intense, the stuff the purists chase. Cambodian oud is a different animal. It's softer and rounder, there's a sweetness and a bit of fruit in it, and it's a much easier first love. But it's still the real thing, sustainably sourced, and that's not negotiable for me. Using one oud across all three also gives you a baseline. You can compare them, see what the same material does with different company around it, and figure out how you like to wear it. That's the whole point. off script is meant to be played with.

off script
DOUBLETAKE

off script
HEAVENSPOT

Do you remember a mod that changed the direction of the collection?

We worked hard on the mods for all three scents. Every round we'd move the ingredients around the oud to see what happened, and none of them came easy. But the one that changed everything was the WALLFLOWER mod that finally worked. That was the day I knew the whole idea worked. You can put real oud in something light and fresh and still feel it. People didn't think I could do it until they smelled it.

Which one took the longest to finish?

None of them were easy, but the most challenging was WALLFLOWER. Think about it. A light, fresh, clean laundry scent built on one of the most powerful, deeply intense ingredients in the world. Most people in this industry would tell you that's a contradiction. I knew we could do it, I just didn't know how many samples it would take. Julien was fantastic, he worked through every single one with me, changing the ingredients until it landed where I wanted it. I think it's a perfect everyday oud. Fresh and clean, but with real substance and longevity, which is not a sentence you usually get to say about a fresh fragrance.

At what point did you know WALLFLOWER needed less oud and DOUBLETAKE more?

From the beginning, honestly. Each one was built around a level of oud before it was anything else. WALLFLOWER was always going to be the one you wear close, where someone has to lean in to notice it. DOUBLETAKE was always going to have the oud right out front, because the name is a promise. If people don't actually turn around, I've named it wrong. The brief set the levels and the development was about making each one feel right where it sat.

What does 25% concentration give these fragrances that you weren't getting at a lower concentration?

Real oud needs room. At a lower concentration you get a hint of it in the opening and then it's gone and you're left with a nice fragrance and a slightly disappointed feeling. At 25% you get the whole story, the way it shifts over hours on your skin, and you get the longevity that makes real oud worth what it costs. There's less oud in off script than in strangelove, but what's there gets to do its job.

Why does a fragrance brand made for a new audience interested in oud look so deliberately pre-digital?

There is a whole new audience for oud right now. People are curious, they're doing their research, and oud has become very popular. But it's not a fad. Oud has been around for three thousand years. What's new is that the Western world is finally discovering it and finding out what the real thing can do. off script is for those people, anyone who's curious about oud and wants something they can actually wear out of the house.

As for the look, the name is the answer. off script means you don't listen to what's going viral, you don't listen to anyone else, you do what you believe in. It's honest and it has integrity. That's what strangelove has stood for since day one and it's what off script stands for too. A brand like that shouldn't look like it was designed to be scrolled past at 2am. It should look like something you want to hold.

After living with all three throughout development, which one do you reach for most yourself?

It depends on the day. WALLFLOWER is every day, it's my white t-shirt. HEAVENSPOT I wear for dreaming. And DOUBLETAKE is for fabulous nights out, the kind where people look twice and think, I want that.

off script
HEAVENSPOT, DOUBLETAKE + WALLFLOWER

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WALLFLOWER, HEAVENSPOT and DOUBLETAKE are available now at Harrods and at offscriptnyc.com
— follow the brand at @offscriptny

Inside BDK Parfums Vanille Caviar - David Benedek and Alexandra Carlin

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BDK Parfums Vanille Caviar

*A conversation on scent, texture, and the quiet architecture of desire

written + interview ALBAN E. SMAJLI

The afternoon opened inside a suite at Château Royal in Berlin. The rain pressed against the windows, the city somewhere below, blurred and slow. The air in the room carried a scent that felt immediate, dense, deliberate. David Benedek and Alexandra Carlin sat on a sofa, both dressed entirely in black, her blond hair catching the only light.

On the table, a single vanilla pod and the new perfume, radiating its presence before anyone spoke. The conversation began in that atmosphere, unhurried, shaped by the perfume itself, expanding through pauses and silences that smelled of warmth and depth.

They spoke about texture, about the way matter finds rhythm, about Pierre Soulages and the color black when it starts to behave like light. Vanilla, for them, is not an ingredient but a substance that carries memory, a kind of living pigment. The dialogue moved with a certain discipline, each idea unfolding as if sculpted. The perfume followed every word, invisible yet precise, marking the air with the same structure that defines the formula. Hours later the day continued at The Feuerle Collection. The city had dissolved into night, and the bunker-turned-museum seemed built for this scent. Antiques glowed beside a table that extended into darkness, lined with bottles of Vanille Caviar—glass bodies filled with golden liquid. The dinner stretched into conversation, the perfume still present, subtle, constant, shaping the mood of the room. But before language fails to describe what still lingers from that evening we return to where it began, the interview and the visuals that carry its echo.

BDK Parfums
Vanille Caviar, 100ml

Alexandra Carlin and David Benedek
at Feuerle Collection

David, you speak about Madagascar and Pierre Soulages. How did those two worlds meet in Vanille Caviar?

David
I’ve always been passionate about art since I was very young — as Alexandra has been too. When we first met, it was supposed to be just a lunch, but it lasted all afternoon. We discovered that we share the same love for art. One of my favorite artists is Pierre Soulages, but I also admire Rothko and all artists who work deeply with texture, color, and abstraction.
The first time I went to Madagascar, I witnessed a vanilla harvest and saw what we call the “caviar” of vanilla — the black grains inside the pod. When I shared this idea with Alexandra, she immediately understood what I meant. That sparked a conversation between us. From there, the project evolved — first through the idea of the smell and texture of vanilla caviar, and then into the visual and tactile world of Soulages, his play of light, depth, and the richness of black.

Alexandra
I also had Soulages in mind when I saw the vanilla fields. When the pods are laid out to dry under the sun, they create this incredible surface — sometimes matte, sometimes glossy — that truly looks like a Soulages painting. Vanilla is such a luxurious ingredient; it takes months to reach that perfect color, scent, and taste.
So, while David expressed his vision through emotion and imagery, I translated those impressions into ingredients. Each ingredient is like a word in my language as a perfumer. My goal was to recreate the sensual, dark texture of this “vanilla caviar.”.

David
It’s really a dialogue between us. I don’t only bring emotions, and she doesn’t only bring raw materials. It’s an ongoing conversation. We share both feelings and technical reflections, building the perfume together over time.

Alexandra, when you first heard David’s vision for Vanille Caviar, how did it take shape for you as a perfumer?

Alexandra
For me, it began with a visual impression — the texture of the vanilla pods drying under the sun and the depth of color, like Soulages’ blacks. I imagined translating that into scent. I used my vocabulary of ingredients to express what we both felt: warmth, sensuality, and complexity. Each raw material became a word in that story.

If you could describe the scent without using the word “vanilla,” what would you say?

David
I’d use three words: dark, enigmatic, and unexpected. It’s not the typical gourmand vanilla we often smell in perfumery. We wanted to show the darker, more leathery side of vanilla — something mysterious that draws you in.

Alexandra
I’d add “umber,” “spicy,” “balsamic,” and “addictive.” It’s warm and rich, but never sticky or overly sweet. There’s a refined sensuality to it.

“The perfume moves like emotions do. It opens fresh and spicy, then becomes warmer and deeper. Vanille Caviar carries the rhythm of life.”

David Benedek

Ann-Christin Witte, Nobilis Group
at Feuerle Collection

Fav Falone
at Feuerle Collection

When you work with something as raw as vanilla, how do you make it breathe on skin?

Alexandra
I wanted to bring the “caviar” of vanilla to life. I used an overdose of two types of vanilla extracts — the CO₂ extract and the absolute — each for different purposes. The goal was to create a texture that feels slightly oily, but in a beautiful way: rich, dense, warm, and balsamic, with a hint of leather.
It’s very much a skin perfume. We paid close attention to strength and sillage — that warm vanilla aura that feels natural, woody, spicy, and true to the raw material, without being overly sweet.

What’s the most human part of this perfume?

David
For me, it’s the evolution of the scent throughout the day. The perfume moves like emotions do. It opens fresh and spicy, then becomes warmer with the vanilla CO₂, the absolute, and the cocoa. It’s like experiencing different moods — the calm of morning, the sensual encounters of the day, the intimacy of evening. Vanille Caviar carries that rhythm of life.

And do you think of Vanille Caviar as tender or restless?

Alexandra
Definitely restless — even rebellious. It was a statement to create this kind of vanilla. The materials we used have strong personalities; they are not quiet ingredients. The perfume asserts itself.

Is there a part of Vanille Caviar you prefer not to explain and keep to yourself?

David
Not really. I wanted to share my full vision of vanilla with everyone — nothing hidden, no secret meaning behind it.

Alexandra
For me, there’s always a little secret in the formula. I keep a few ingredients to myself — elements I use for a very specific purpose. Even David doesn’t know them. Every material I include has meaning, and if it doesn’t, I remove it. That’s my secret: the invisible part of creation.

photographer: Daniel Graf
location: Feuerle Collection, Berlin

thanks to BDK Parfums and NOBILIS Group

Seoul’s New Perfume Vanguard

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SEOUL’S SCENT SCENE
*Inside Korea’s Rising Scent Scene

written LAURA DUNKELMANN

New notes. Untold stories. Visionary visuals. The world’s most restless perfume concepts are now rising from Seoul. To reduce them all to K-pop gloss would be a mistake: these young brands play in different registers – some eccentric, some tender, some unapologetically avant-garde. Always authentic. Always alive. A scent compilation of the city’s new vanguard.

On a small hill, tucked between housing blocks and the Leeum Museum, a thick red upside-down “U” pulses with bass – and base notes. Step through and you’re inside Borntostandout’s flagship, part gallery, part funhouse, part provocation. In one corridor: paintings, porcelain, sculpture. In another: mirrored walls, from whose ceilings hang matte-white flacons like ghostly fruit. The mood is loud, the gestures are bold. With creations like Fig Porn and Dirty Rice founder Jun Lim, once an investment banker, insists on friction. “Inspiration comes from the everyday. Sometimes from something as banal as old chewing gum,” he says. The vibe? More bar-night than boutique. Perfume as an attitude, not flattering accessory. It works – even the branded bags have become covetable objects. Founded in 2022, Borntostandout is already backed by L’Oréal and available in niche perfumeries globally.

Borntostandout, Hannam Flagship Store

Borntostandout
Black Guava

A short walk from Borntostandout down the hill, a different frequency: the dreamlike Pesade, with its hazy unisex blend Blue Eyeshadow and the London-inflected SW19, complete with gelato bar serving flavors that echo the scents, are nestled between internationally known names in the era most dense with scent stores. Few metres further, there’s minimalist Nonfiction, whose in-store-only Odorama Cities channels Korean herbs into an olfactory postcard. And then the city’s scent icon: Tamburins.

Its best seller Chamo is everywhere. A code, a secret handshake. Seoul’s answer to what Santal 33 once was in New York: understated but unmistakable, raw yet soft, a cult in the air. To leave Seoul without a Tamburins bag is almost impossible. Hand cream, balm, eau de parfum – they’re souvenirs as much as scents. Founded in 2017, part of the Gentle Monster universe, Tamburins now runs multiple flagships and pop-ups, Haus Nowhere being the latest dependance. But perfume is only half the story: retail is theatre. Abstract electronic art-pop plays, K-pop stars front the campaigns. In summer, Silent Beach filled a warehouse with sand, performance art, and a limited-edition vinyl tied to the scent. Perfume as gesamtkunstwerk.

From a Western gaze, such staging feels almost alien. And yet, despite the radical packaging and spectacle, most Korean brands still collaborate with French perfumers. The labels may read Made in Korea, but the tradition lingers in the base notes.

Tamburins Store Seoul, new space at the recently opened Haus Nowhere

Not so at Sarangheyo. Here, founder Sung composes with Korean collaborators only. His collection is a memoir in molecules – journeys, encounters, stories refracted through a Korean lens. There’s nothing trendy here, the brand is a reflection of class and timlessness. His studio, hidden in a 1960s office block and far away from any shiny shopping area, it feels like an echo chamber of that heritage: oils he uses to experiment with, glass vials, a vintage hi-fi he implemented into the showrooms soundsystem, humming soft jazz. “My perfumes are a link to my origin,” he explains while putting on his iconic canvas apron. Clients can visit the space for intimate consultations as well. After years at LVMH, Sung left and launched Sarangheyo in 2020. “Everything I do now feels authentic,” he says, showing a traditional korean hanko ink pad – the smell of which inspired his next launch. Once conceived as men’s scents, his range now floats unisex: sweet-bitter contrasts in Chocolatic Nchnt; fragile florals in Flower, inspired by a painter living deep in the Seorak forest, where pine and musk drift together like mist.


Saranghaeyo
91. CHOCOLATIC NCHNT

Saranghaeyo
Founder Sung in his showroom 

Also, Sisiology, founded by Nicole Park – a third-generation insider of South Korea’s beauty world – turns away from spectacle and toward the analogue. The language of the 2022 found brand is quieter, circling around moments of emotion and connection, like photographs held in scent. The perfumes feel like intimate captures, soft as memory. Nicole herself reflects that sensibility: her store sits inside a futuristic building whose architecture, from afar, resembles the silhouette of a face. Inside, the atmosphere is hushed. When she sprays Overflown onto delicately illustrated blotters, she doesn’t ask which notes I detect, but which emotions surface. With this clean, floral, luminous fragrance, a sense of enthusiasm and comfort rises — less a perfume, more a feeling suspended in air.

In contrast, CGS presents the avant-garde in its purest form. The 2025 perfume debut of avant-garde photographer Gi Seok Cho. The most niche of all – and the most otherworldly. A secret showroom above his studio in Gangnam. Appointment only. “How did you find this place?” asks the man at the door. Inside, you step into a surreal topography: photographic collages, sculpture fragments, brutalist concrete pierced by circular shafts of light. Flacons displayed like trophies from a parallel planet. On the rooftop, a massive white statue – fallen angel, street fighter, both. The perfumes themselves? Softer than the world they inhabit. Bad Dreams, one of the three perfumes, with its smoke of tobacco and cinnamon, is strangely tender against visuals of thorned hands and butterfly-winged heads.

Sisology
Overtlowing

Creativity. Authenticity. Otherness. That is the essence. And while these houses could be imagined in Paris, in London, in Tokyo – it makes absolute sense that they flourish here, now, in Seoul. A young city, in a country actively forging its identity, investing fiercely in its culture.
Through sound. Through scent. Through everything in between.

Sisology
Photoenthusiast and Sisology founder Nicole Park

CGS sculpture at the showrooms rooftop terrace 
seen by Cho Gi-Seok

CGS
Love and Hate

Brioni - Les Extraits Collection

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BRIONI Les Extraits
*Bottled Obsessions, Hammered Glass

written AMANDA MORTENSON

Brioni insists on elegance as if it were oxygen. The house has been tailoring Rome’s whisper of power since 1945, and now it has chosen to let that whisper linger on skin, in air, in the memory of whoever dared to stand too close.

Les Extraits de Parfum is not a collection in the ordinary sense, more a disciplined experiment conducted in glass and essence, four variations on purity staged like chapters of a book that doesn’t explain itself.

Iris Exquis is iris stripped of politeness, set against lavender, suede, and a shadow of black tea that behaves like a sly accomplice. Encens Minéral glows with incense that refuses to play temple, green edges cut with pepper, a molecule named Mystikal humming like neon behind a curtain. Labdanum Brut moves in velvet, rose liquored up, musk that knows the language of skin better than its owner, a suggestion of vanillin running through it like a signature you can’t quite forge. Papyrus Éternel wears its black tea like a dinner jacket still warm from last night, papyrus rising like smoke, cardamom and vetiver drafted in to remind everyone that refinement also knows how to smolder.

Brioni
Les Extraits Collection / Iris Exquis

The bottles are less containers than geological events, heavy, octagonal, faceted like minerals that decided they preferred couture to caves. A block of glass beaten with hammer-texture until it catches light like a restless pool, ready to sit on a shelf as if permanence were still possible. They are too solid for vanity, too sculptural for bathroom clutter, designed to exist as much as to hold.

Brioni calls the project a symphony of purity and elegance, but it feels more like a private performance never intended for applause, four compositions sealed in silence until released by the warmth of skin. The perfumes breathe in their own tempo, neither asking nor offering permission. They simply are, and that is the luxury.

The house still speaks of sustainability, though here it arrives without the megaphone of trend. Vegan, cruelty-free, responsibly sourced, recyclable—words that have been stripped of their PR costume and pressed back into service as part of the tailoring. Nothing about Les Extraits performs morality; it wears it, like a lining you only notice when you run your hand inside.

Brioni has always operated as if style were less an act than a condition, and Les Extraits extends that condition into air. A suit might command presence, but a scent occupies absence. It lingers where the body has moved on, in the folds of an evening, in the silence after the door closes. Four fragrances, four monuments, four ways of saying the same thing: elegance leaves evidence. Enjoy yourself!

Available from 1 November in Brioni boutiques and select stores, each 80 ml flacon of Les Extraits de Parfum is offered at EUR 290.

Brioni
Les Extraits Collection / Iris Exquis

BDK Paris - IMPADIA

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IMPADIA by BDK Parfums
*Rose Parade, Paris Bottled, Ego Included

written Monica de Luna

There are mornings in Paris when the light arrives late, hungover and still dressed for last night’s vernissage, spilling rosé and orange across rooftops as if trying to distract the city from whatever existential crisis it’s currently plotting.

BDK Parfums, always one step ahead and never underdressed, walks into this glowing mess and presents IMPADIA—one hundred milliliters of pure Parisian theatre, rehearsed, bottled, and capped like a miniature monument, ready to colonize wrists from Saint-Honoré to the last seat at Café de Flore.

(c) BDK Paris

Jordi Fernández, the nose with the hands of a botanist and the heart of a poet, assembles Bulgarian and Turkish roses, plucked at the peak of drama, flown in like VIP guests to a garden party where the guest list includes mandarin, bergamot, a pear who claims to have summered in the Marais, and vanilla who refuses to sit still. The result is a floral spectacle that does not whisper, does not hide behind a curtain, does not RSVP—simply arrives, luminous and overdressed, dripping with honeyed sunlight and edible secrets.

David Benedek, founder, ringmaster, and possibly Paris’s most enthusiastic fan, claims every sunrise as a personal gift and every sunset as a brand collaboration. He wanders the Palais-Royal and the Tuileries, collecting light as others collect receipts, then promptly instructs the world’s perfumers to bottle the entire scene. The bottle glows, the cap preens, the city sighs—IMPADIA enters the chat, leaving every garden in Paris checking its own scent profile in a pocket mirror.

A spritz of IMPADIA promises transformation; stone turns silk, pigeons turn art critics, lovers discover poetic purpose, and every passing stranger grows suddenly convinced you own the deeds to at least one Haussmann apartment. Rose, in this scenario, is queen, president, and maître d’, commanding attention with every breath, assembling fruit, blossom, praline, and wood as accessories. Each note is a handshake, a double-take, a well-timed shoulder pad in the crowded metro of olfactory ambition. Paris, with its manic energy and inability to ever be subtle, demands a perfume that lives as loudly. IMPADIA obliges, stepping out every day as if the city invented golden hour, layering sunlight over skin, rewriting the myth of the French garden in every atomized plume. Each bottle is a ticket to the performance, and every wearer a cameo in this endless, rose-colored parade. Experience yourself!

(c) BDK Paris

(c) BDK Paris

(c) BDK Paris

—follow BDK Parfums

The 10 Greatest Scents for *Spring/Summer 2025

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PERFUME MONOLITHS
*10 Fragrances That Hold Space for SS25

written MONICA DE LUNA

Perfume creates presence. Each scent marks a place, a body, a moment. For Spring/Summer 2025, LE MILEpresents ten fragrances. The selection focuses on construction and atmosphere.

The presentation follows a sculptural approach. Photographer Maciek Miloch captured the bottles within structures by Studio Cuze. The layout avoids interpretation. Each perfume is given space. Each scent is described as it appears. The selection includes established houses and independent creators. The focus remains on composition and persistence.

NISHANE – EGE

An impression built from fennel, violet leaf, and basil. The notes drift across air and settle without weight. EGE evokes clarity. It speaks through rhythm and breath, not story.

NEANDERTAL – LIGHT

A scent that opens on sharpness. Citrus, mineral, resin. The structure is deliberate, with each layer shaped by trace materials. There is no blur. LIGHT remains steady, with a dry and clean finish.

FILIPPO SORCINELLI – HAC DIES

Incense, myrrh, and dry stone. The air cools around the core. HAC DIES does not alter. The scent stays as it is first found.

AMOUAGE – PORTRAYAL WOMAN

Gardenia dominates the top. Below it: tobacco, vanilla, and quiet warmth. The scent is built with attention to density. PORTRAYAL WOMAN holds its line without variation.

LOEWE – UN PASEO POR MADRID

Green fig and peony open this structure. Cypress follows without rush. Each element holds space, unforced. UN PASEO POR MADRID moves in even intervals.

ORMAIE – PAPIER CARBONE

Rooted in iris and benzoin. Powdered tones meet a touch of wood. The air is dry. PAPIER CARBONE does not shift. It remains close, without expansion.

NASOMATTO – FANTOMAS

Synthetic edges. A note of rubber. A suggestion of candy. The finish is brief, but the structure is intact. FANTOMAS operates on impulse and exits without trace.

BOTTEGA VENETA – ALCHEMIE

Ambrette opens the composition. Metallic elements follow. Amber closes the arc. The balance remains internal. ALCHEMIE is constructed without noise.

COQUET – VAUDOU

Patchouli sets the tone. Smoked wood and spice arrive next. The base stays low. VAUDOU carries weight without disruption.

STORA SKUGGAN – MISTPOUFFER

MISTPOUFFER begins in stillness. Soft florals, earthy undertones, distant spice. The atmosphere is thick, but never opaque. There is movement, though the frame stays intact.

photographer MACIEK MILOCH
set designer NINA LEMM c/o Liganord
set design assistant KRISTIN JAKUBEK
Retouch NITTYGRITTY
ceramic artist (Bottega Veneta + Stora Skuggan) STUDIO CUZE

Spring/Summer Selection 2025

The 5 Greatest Scents for *Spring 2025

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The Scent Edit
*5 Fragrances Defining Spring 2025

written MONICA DE LUNA

Spring 2025 ushers in a renaissance of fragrance, where heritage houses and avant-garde perfumers alike unveil compositions that capture the season's essence. From the dewy freshness of blooming gardens to the intimate warmth of sun-kissed skin, these five standout scents redefine luxury and olfactory artistry.​

Bottega Veneta
Alchemie

Nishane
Favonius

Bottega Veneta's "Alchemie" is a testament to the brand's commitment to craftsmanship and innovation. Under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy, this fragrance marries Brazilian pink pepper with precious Somali myrrh, creating an opulent and exhilarating blend. The scent unfolds with a spicy warmth, reminiscent of sunlit Venetian palazzos, and settles into a resinous embrace that lingers on the skin. Housed in hand-blown Murano glass bottles, each piece is unique, resting on a Verde Saint Denis marble pedestal—a true objet d'art. ​

Originally an exclusive for Harrods, Nishane's "Favonius" is now available worldwide, offering a narrative steeped in Roman mythology. Named after the god of the west wind, this extrait de parfum (35% concentration) tells a tale of eternal love between Favonius and Flora. The fragrance opens with bergamot, pink pepper, and incense, leading to a heart of rose, geranium, cypriol, artemisia, and clary sage. The base is a rich tapestry of oud, cedarwood, Indonesian patchouli, and sandalwood, resulting in a scent that is both timeless and profoundly romantic. ​

Loewe
Prado

Creed
Eladaria

Part of LOEWE's "Un Paseo por Madrid" collection, Prado is a unisex fragrance that encapsulates the cultural essence of Madrid. This scent offers a unique blend of aromatic and fruity notes. The composition opens with the freshness of chamomile and clary sage, intertwined with the juicy sweetness of blackcurrant (cassis) and lychee. This harmonious blend creates an aromatic, woody, and ambery profile that is both refreshing and sophisticated. Prado serves as an olfactory tribute to the historic Paseo del Prado, inviting wearers on a sensory journey through one of Madrid's most iconic boulevards.

"Eladaria" by The House of Creed is a luminous ode to the classic rose, reimagined for the modern woman. Inspired by a paradisiacal garden at dawn, it opens with vibrant notes of mandarin and bergamot, accented by the subtle spice of pink pepper. The heart reveals a luxurious trio of roses, intertwined with peony and lily of the valley, evoking a soft, powdery bouquet. Anchored by a base of musk, vanilla, ambroxan, and cashmere wood, Eladaria envelops the wearer in an ethereal, sensual aura.

Van Cleef & Arpels
Musc de Soie

"Musc de Soie" from Van Cleef & Arpels' "Collection Extraordinaire" is an elegant exploration of texture and scent. Inspired by the softness of silk, it features top notes of aldehydes and neroli, transitioning into a heart of white musk, cashmeran, and iris. The base of sandalwood and benzoin imparts a creamy, powdery finish that is both fresh and enduring. This fragrance offers a clean, soapy allure, reminiscent of fine French soap, making it a perfect choice for those seeking understated sophistication.

all visuals (c) lemilestudios for LE MILE Magazine
Spring Selection 2025

Augustinus Bader Cosmetics

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.selected
AUGUSTINUS BADER
*The Intelligence of Skin

written Ginevra Valente

Augustinus Bader approaches skincare as applied science. Decades of regenerative research converge into TFC8®—a patented compound that supports the skin’s own renewal code.

The method is biological. The result is cumulative. Every application reinforces structure, function, resilience. Developed for precision around the orbital zone. The Eye Cream activates skin’s renewal signals using a complex matrix of amino acids, high-grade vitamins, and synthesized molecules. Signs of fatigue soften. Energy returns to the skin’s surface. Hydration builds from within, held by an architecture designed to protect. The texture is engineered for absorption—light in weight, dense in function. With consistent use, the skin barrier becomes more stable. Movement, light, time—everything interacts with a stronger foundation.

all visuals AUGUSTINUS BADER PR

The Face Cream works at the level of cell communication. It delivers structured hydration, supports repair pathways, and aligns with the skin’s natural rhythm. TFC8® feeds the skin precise signals for renewal, with effects visible across tone, texture, and elasticity. The formula integrates into any routine. Day and night, it provides continuity—a constant supply of active support, guided by the needs of the skin in real time.

Created by Professor Augustinus Bader, TFC8® is rooted in medical research on wound healing and tissue regeneration. It carries critical ingredients to the site of need, optimizing conditions for repair. This is not topical care—it is targeted intervention. The skin responds with clarity, strength, and coherence. 
Each formula holds intention. Each result is earned through repetition, discipline, and biological intelligence.

discover www.augustinusbader.com