Philip Hillege Interview: The Skins Co-Founder On 25 Years Of Niche Retail

Philip Hillege

I’m sure many of us have fantasised some time or another about owning our own perfume store. The ambience, the brands we’d stock, how we’d do things differently… Well, Philip Hillege did just that in 2000 with Skins Cosmetics (shortened to Skins in 2024) when he and his business partner at the time, Michiel Poelmans, pioneered niche fragrance and skincare in the Netherlands.

Twenty-five years later, the original store in the “9 Streets” shopping area of Amsterdam’s Runstraat is well on its way to expanding to 16 in the Netherlands, three in Belgium and two in Germany. This major spurt in expansion is thanks to an injection of capital from Vendis Capital.

Philip Hillege - Skins Amsterdam Runstraat
FIRST IN STORE: The OG Skins in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. IMAGE: Skins NL.

I’m based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I’ve got to know Skins through its franchise deal with African Sales Company. Starting out with one store in Sandton City shopping mall in 2016, the local Skins tally now stands at six stores, with another four to five to follow in the future, according to Philip Hillege.

Skins Signage Sandton City

I got to see creative director Philip Hillege when he was in Johannesburg last year as part of the local contingent’s Meet the Creators event. But as it was all a bit of a whirlwind, we set aside time at a later stage for a proper interview.

Philip Hillege
FOUNDERS: Philip Hillege at the Skins Meet The Creators event in Johannesburg in 2024.

Here, Philip Hillege talks about 25th anniversary plans, how the market has changed in the last quarter century, how they select brands for the Skins portfolio and why large investment was necessary for the growth of the business.

AS IF ROLLING OUT MORE STORES THIS YEAR ISN’T ENOUGH, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE PLANNED?

In what has become a tradition over the last five years, every year we launch a collaboration with a brand creating our own product, which also carries the Skins name.

Philip Hillege - Skins x Salle Privee
IMAGE: Skins NL.

So, in June, we will be launching a collaboration with Juliette Has A Gun. We’ve been involved with this brand from day one. Now, they are a very big brand. The previous perfume collaborations have been with relatively smaller brands. So, yeah, a very ambitious project. It’s a matter of trust and friendship that we do this kind of thing.

Romano Ricci
COLLABORATION: The Skins and Philip Hillege relationship with Juliette Has A Gun founder Romano Ricci goes back almost 20 years. IMAGE: Say Who.

Also, we’re planning to launch body, home and fragrance products under our own Skins name, since the collaborations with Skins have been so successful and people trust us.

We’ve set up a separate team for that. I’m not sure if we will launch this year because a lot of testing must be done with stability tests, etc. We’re still in a process of developing the perfume.

YOU DON’T WANT TO RUSH INTO SOMETHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT OBVIOUSLY WILL CARRY THE SKINS NAME. SO YOU WANT IT TO BE AS GOOD AS IT CAN POSSIBLY BE BEFORE YOU LAUNCH…

Exactly, because we don’t make concessions. We will develop these products together with great perfumers of brands in our network. We will never take some formula off the shelf, so working on the formula and the texture is a big process.

“We will never take some formula off the shelf, so working on the formula and the texture is a big process” – Philip Hillege

GOING BACK TO WHEN YOU LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 2000, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MARKET THEN?

The market was very saturated, and still is, especially in our small country, the Netherlands, with department and drug stores selling the same brands and all about discounts.

Laura Mercier
IMAGE: Laura Mercier.

We were ambitious and I shall always make a little joke that the word “disruptor” was invented in 2001. We were a disruptor at the time in 2000, and it was our plan to shake up the market with brands which were all new to the Dutch market.

Aesop from Australia was one of the first of the seven brands of our portfolio. Laura Mercier was a few years on the market in the US. We made a list of cool brands with dedicated founders on board, which had a different mission and distribution. For example, Frédéric Malle.

Philip Hillege - Aesop

We saw a new movement starting, also on service. In the Netherlands, all shops closed at six o’clock, and I was in my first job after studying at the Dutch company Herome Cosmetics.

When you wanted to go shopping, it would have to be on the weekend, because you worked from nine to six during the week. So we said we will open seven days a week, which was, at that time, rare, and until eight o’clock in the evening.

BUILDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE RETAIL ENVIRONMENT. HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT THAT?

Salespeople working in a cosmetics store are pushed by targets for brands. Every week, there’s a different promotion. If you walked into a perfumery store, you would be pushed to that brand. So I knew that people would never get honest advice. And we always said from day one to all our team members, give personal advice, see what the customer likes.

The Grey

Give them samples if they want to test it first, no pressure to buy because the buying pressure in our market was always buy now, get this discount or whatever.

“The customer loyalty from honest advice is one of the key factors in our service”

The customer loyalty from honest advice is one of the key factors in our service. Sometimes brands want to send a promotion girl for the weekend from Paris. But we don’t do that because it will send a wrong message to our customers, of pushing only that brand.

The thing we do in our stores are the events with the brand founders. These founders sometimes visit us for a weekend and then they are in the shop. Yeah, that’s fine. Even when we grow bigger and 25 years later, we really want to stay close to our DNA.

BENOIT ET MOI: Me and Ex Nihilo co-founder Benoît Verdier at the brand’s event in the Skins flagship store in Sandton City, Johannesburg.
IN THE 25 YEARS YOU’VE BEEN IN BUSINESS NOW, WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN THE MARKET?

When we started niche was so small and the brands in our portfolio sometimes had 150 to 200 points of sale globally. Now maybe they have 1 000 points of sale globally, but I would say Chanel has 3 000 in France. So still very small.

The biggest change is the shift in the consumer’s mind. People really want something different from the well-known brands. If I look at youngsters, you have girls and boys of 15 years of age in our shop looking for cool perfumes, like a status symbol similar to sneakers 10 years ago. People are more and more open to brands with a real story. You see that with everything.

Philip Hillege - Widian

If I look at the beer market 25 years ago in our country, it was Heineken and a few other big brands. Now, there’s 80 different small beer brands.

“There’s a picture of the farmer on the cheese. It’s like Frédéric Malle who started with a picture of the perfumer in the year 2000”

Even look at cheese. In the Netherlands, we’re a cheese country. There were always little artisan cheese shops. And in the supermarket, you had the supermarket cheese. But now in our supermarket, there’s a picture of the farmer on the cheese. It’s like Frédéric Malle who started with a picture of the perfumer in the year 2000.

Philip Hillege - Frederic Malle

THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF BLURRING BETWEEN NICHE AND DESIGNER BRANDS IN RECENT YEARS. DO YOU THINK “NICHE” STILL HAS MEANING OR IS IT NOW MORE ABOUT “LUXURY”?

The word “niche” is not at this moment the right word anymore.

I always talk now more about artisanal perfumery because there’s so many big groups in the sector. If you go to the Esxence perfume fair in Milan, where I’m a member of the selection committee, there’s 600 applications and 400 places available.

NAME GAME: Philip Hillege thinks the term “niche” is outdated with all the changes in the sector.
TALKING ABOUT SELECTING, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING BRANDS FOR YOUR SKINS PORTFOLIO?

We have a committee of six people analysing new options from 60 to 70 brands every month. We really try to get down to the founders and if the brand story is good.

”We have a committee of six people analysing new options from 60 to 70 brands every month”

And if the passion of the founder is there, because the counter reaction is that you see so many brands without a soul and with an empty concept. Luckily, there’s every year new founders from whom we do see the real passion. But it’s getting increasingly difficult.

Sometimes, a bigger group can buy the brand. But if the soul of the brand is still there and if they don’t go, suddenly, mass distribution, then we will keep the brand.

HAVE THERE EVER BEEN TIMES WHEN YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE SURVIVAL OF THE BUSINESS?

No, luckily not. Because we’ve always had growth, even there was a big economic crisis in Europe in 2008 and 2009 and we saw many customers losing their jobs. But we also saw new customers in our shop every day.

The hardest thing sometimes is cash-flow management, though. Because when you’re a growing company, the business requires a lot of capital. And the stock of a new brand, you always must prepay first. Our collection of brands is always expanding.

Building a new store, we never choose any cheaper alternatives. It’s almost a one-million-euro investment for one new store.

Now we have a very good structure with very smart financial people. And I have the nicest cash-flow sheets in Excel. But in the early days, it was my little notes and I had to do the financial planning myself without a good CFO. And it could happen sometimes that I could not pay myself a salary for three or four months. Because first is the staff, then the suppliers, then the landlords and tax.

So, of course, there have been moments sometimes when I had to hold my breath.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO MENTION NAMES, BUT THERE MUST BE QUITE A FEW EXAMPLES OF BRANDS THAT YOU THOUGHT WOULD DO WELL IN SKINS BUT DIDN’T SUCCEED IN THE END?

Yeah, of course. Every brand we select and launch, we want to always be in our collection, because our goal is long-term partnerships, like Diptyque, Aesop, Laura Mercier or Creed.

But sometimes you launch a brand, do a press day, activities, all the stuff from your marketing calendar and training, and you see after, say, two years, the customer’s not buying it in the end.

Then it’s very difficult to call the brand owner to say, “Sorry, you know, I like you as a person, we’ve tried everything, but the brand is not selling.” That I would say is the most difficult thing and is a learning along the way.

AND THEN YOU GET EXAMPLES OF BRANDS THAT DO WELL IN SKINS IN THE NETHERLANDS BUT NOT NECESSARILY IN SOUTH AFRICA…

Yes, for example, our Skins Boxes are a huge success both in the Netherlands and South Africa. People love them.

To buy these boxes with all the gift-with-purchase sizes and with a good deal of value, we always see a lot of traction after we launch them, with certain perfumes hitting the charts in the Netherlands and doing nothing in South Africa.

Philip Hillege - Skins Boxes
BEST-SELLERS: The Skins Boxes are hugely popular in the Netherlands and South Africa and reveal different preferences in these markets, according to Philip Hillege. IMAGE: Skins NL.
YOU’VE HAD MAJOR INVESTMENT RECENTLY IN THE BUSINESS. AT WHAT STAGE DID IT BECOME NECESSARY TO GO THAT ROUTE?

I started the business with Michiel Poelmans as a 50-50 partnership in terms of shares. After 10 years, he moved to America with a new wife and to start a new life, then I had another investor, a friend whose father invested the first loan into Skins. And along the way, until 2023, I was lucky in my network to have five friends who were also entrepreneurs and had cash to invest.

“I wanted to go to Germany because brands in our portfolio were all saying we have such a hard time finding the right partners there”

I saw so much potential in the market of opening more than one store per year. We needed more cash to go faster. I wanted to open five or six stores a year, and I wanted to go to Germany because many brands in our portfolio were all saying we have such a hard time finding the right partners there.

Philip Hillege - Skins Amsterdam Gelderlandplein
IMAGE: Skins NL.

As mentioned previously, building one new store takes, like, a million euros, cash, and then it’s dead cash because part stock and part just your interior, it takes a long time to earn it back.

I started thinking, how should we do this? We needed growth money, but retail and banks are a difficult mix, because retail is about bankruptcy in the news in the last few years, with many chains going bankrupt because of the Internet and changing consumer behaviour.

Philip Hillege - Skins Antwerp Belgium
EXPANSION: The new store in Antwerp, Belgium, is part of the growth partnership with Vendis Capital, says Philip Hillege. IMAGE: Skins NL.

The only thing was to find an investor partner, so we worked with a speciality firm who seek investors. We had a good interest of 20 parties, which was a lot, even to the surprise of the advisory company.

We had many, many talks and really had the luxury of choosing the right partner, Vendis Capital, who we’ve worked with now for over a year. In the past we could only open one store per year. Since the entrance of Vendis as partner, our goal is eight to 10 stores per year divided over the Netherlands (the plan is around 20 in this country), Belgium and Germany.

Philip Hillege - Skins The Hague
IMAGE: Skins NL.

Vendis also provide us with lots of people. The right people.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

You have to imagine that all these 25 years, I was the one standing on the construction floor with the construction company [laughs], realising the show.

Really time consuming. Now we have a team of experienced builders to help with this. Also on finance, software development.

Philip Hillege - Skins Laren
IMAGE: Skins NL.
ARE YOUR PREVIOUS INVESTORS STILL INVOLVED?

In the end, investment companies only want shareholders on board who work in the company, not shareholders with a passive role. They cannot carry too many silent investors. So my friend investors had to exit, too.

Now we have Vendis, Claudia Pouw-Dullaart the CEO, me and the management team as the shareholders. South Africa is a separate entity.

DO YOUR STAFF HAVE SHARES IN THE BUSINESS?

Yes, we have a separate part of the shares for staff, so they can also invest with their own personal savings.

It’s all very strict with tax rules, so we cannot give them any bonuses. It must come from their own savings. It’s a great way to have staff involved beyond obviously getting paid well or that kind of thing.

Philip Hillege - Skins Amersfoort
OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Staff celebrate the opening of the Skins store in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, in February 2025. Philip Hillege says staff have the opportunity to buy company shares too. IMAGE: Skins NL.
YOU SAID AT THE START OF OUR CALL YOU’RE GOING ON A BREAK TOMORROW WITH YOUR FAMILY. WILL YOU SWITCH OFF PROPERLY, OR ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE WORK WITH YOU?

I always carry my laptop, which I don’t mind. It’s my rhythm for the last 25 years. I have a nice holiday when I don’t open my laptop with a thousand emails [laughs]. So I just keep up a little bit. One hour a day maximum.

See more on the Skins Netherlands and Skins South Africa websites.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg: Skins Cosmetics, Luminance, Dis-Chem Bedford Centre

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Nasomatto Absinth

This post has been on my must-do list for several months since the opening of the Dutch niche brands retailer, Skins Cosmetics, in Johannesburg. As I am a bit of a Christmas Grinch, I didn’t want this post to be specifically about Christmas gifting (naff!). This is not a comprehensive list of all the fragrance shopping options in the city, but it’s a start for locals and visitors alike. I will update it over the course of 2018, with other South African cities to follow, too.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Skins Cosmetics

Suffice to say, fragrance shopping in Johannesburg is an increasingly mixed bag. While designer fragrances still dominate the scene, niche fragrances are at last getting the attention they deserve in the economic capital of South Africa.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Penhaligon's Much About The Duke
PERFUME PORTRAITS: Penhaligon’s Much Ado About The Duke is one of the niche fragrances available at Skins Cosmetics. You can read my review of this EDP here: https://fragroom.com/2017/09/08/niche-fragrances/

We’ll start in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. As this is the wealthy part of the city, most of the fragrance shopping is to be found here, particularly in shopping malls. Oh, we do love our malls in Johannesburg!

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Luminance
DELUXE DESTINATION: Armani Privé, Tom Ford and Frédéric’ Malle are some of the perfume brands to be found at Luminance in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs. All store pics supplied. Fragrance pics my own.
Luminance

Don’t be put off by the intimidating shop front. Once inside this store, you will find top perfume brands among the designer clothing, including Tom Ford, Armani Privé, Frédéric’ Malle, Comme des Garçons and Diptyque. As far as I know this is the only place in South Africa that stocks the venerable Santa Maria Novella range, since the dedicated store closed in Cape Town. These fragrances caught my eye and nose during my most recent Luminance visit.

Frédéric’ Malle Carnal Flower

An exceptional take on tuberose (and other white florals) from Dominique Ropion that casts a sensual (but never suffocating) spell. It also features an utterly gorgeous coconut note.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Frederic Malle Carnal Flower

Comme des Garçons Black EDT

A smoky (almost burnt) composition that intrigues from start to finish. Black pepper, incense, olibanum, leather, liquorice, pepperwood and vetiver are among the stand-out notes.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Comme des Garcons Black

Armani Privé Rose d’Arabie EDP 

Damask rose, oud, patchouli and vanilla get the Middle East treatment. Even if oriental perfumes are not your thing, this top-notch scent is one to be explored and adored.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Armani Prive Rose D'Arabie

Luminance, Hyde Park Corner, William Nicol Drive, Hyde Park, Johannesburg. Tel: 011 325 4765. https://www.luminanceonline.com

Skins Cosmetics

The Dutch niche brands retailer is the newest addition to the Johannesburg fragrance shopping scene. It stocks an impressive selection of heritage and experimental brands. With 36 fragrance brands, it’s easy to get greedy here (guilty as charged).

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Skins Cosmetics

You’ll find the following fragrance brands here: Abel, Aether, Antonia’s Flowers, Atelier Cologne, Boellis, By Kilian, Comme des Garçons, D.S. & Durga, Diptyque, E. Coudray, Escentric Molecules, Ex Nihilo, Floris, Frédéric’ Malle, Heeley Parfums, Keiko Mecheri, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Le Labo, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Memo, Nasomatto, Nomenclature, Orto Parisi, Penhaligon’s, Sabé Masson, Terry de Gunzburg, 27 87 Perfumes, Vilhelm Parfumerie, Widian and Yvra 1958. Roja Dove recently arrived in the store, so even more choices, choices…

“The staff are very helpful and enthusiastic. For serious buyers a personal consultation, refreshments and a generous supply of samples are part of the package.”

The staff are very helpful and enthusiastic. For serious buyers a personal consultation, refreshments and a generous supply of samples are part of the package. It’s also home to a variety of niche beauty and homeware brands, including Marie-Stella-Maris, Algenist, Eve Lom, Fornasetti, MenScience, Molton Brown, Susanne Kaufmann and Verso.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Skins Cosmetics

With so many brands to explore, Skins Cosmetics demands several visits. These are just some of the fragrances I sniffed out during my expedition earlier this month.

Floris Patchouli EDP 

Hmmm… Curious! Although whisky is not an officially listed note, the opening is drenched in it. When the whisky runs dry, notes of coconut milk, iris, patchouli, cedar, amber and myrrh come to the fore.

Widian Delma EDP 

A soft floral (jasmine, freesia, geranium) and spicy (nutmeg) scent from this Abu Dhabi perfume house founded by Ali Aljaberi. Although on the sweeter side (peach and marshmallow notes alert!), it’s surprisingly subtle.

Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi EDP By Kilian

I tried this one because of its ooh-la-la name and seductive notes (ylang-ylang, tuberose, Bulgarian rose, gardenia, sandalwood, cedar). While it doesn’t quite live up to the promise of it name, it’s still a well-executed Alberto Morillas creation.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi EDP By Kilian

Orto Parisi Brutus EDP

Perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri turns up the ante with three notes – bergamot, mandarin orange and patchouli. It’s potent, statement-making stuff.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Orto Parisi Brutus

Nasomatto Absinth Extrait De Parfum

Another Alessandro Gualtieri creation. Deliciously deep and earthy, with wormwood, vetiver and green notes, it’s one of those love-or-hate fragrances. Either way, you’ve got to admire its chutzpah.

Fragrance Shopping In Johannesburg - Nasomatto Absinth Extrait De Parfum

Skins Cosmetics, Sandton City, 163 5th Street, Shop U80, Upper Level, Sandton, Johannesburg. Tel: 011 883 1350. https://www.skins.co.za

Dis-Chem Bedford Centre

Let’s not forget mass market retailers for fragrance shopping in Johannesburg. This branch of the nationwide pharmacy chain is my local spot where I go for a catch-up on all the new designer fragrance releases. What I like most about this store is the friendliness and knowledge of the staff. They actually want your business and don’t treat you like a potential shoplifter if you’re just browsing!

Dis-Chem, Bedford Centre, G6 & G7, Bedford Gardens, Bedfordview. Tel:  011 417 2600. http://dischem.co.za/storefinder/164

 

Finding Your Niche Fragrances

Niche Fragrances - Penhaligon's Much Ado About The Duke

The fragrance market ain’t what it used to be and niche fragrances are on the rise. The steady decline of the celebrity fragrance category is gathering pace. Designer fragrances that used to fly off the shelves are increasingly being discounted.

The numbers below speak for themselves. These figures are for the world’s largest fragrance market, the USA. But these are international trends, according to industry analysts NPD Group, The Business of Fashion and Perfumer & Flavorist. Amid all the number-crunching, there’s a discernible shift to niche fragrances. They have added almost $250 million to the fragrance market since 2014.

66%  the decline of the celebrity fragrance market in department stores from 2011-2014

6% – the drop in overall fragrance sales from 2015 to 2016

 1%  – the sales growth of prestige fragrances

The rise of niche fragrances - Boss Bottled Tonic
RETAIL BLUES: Designer fragrances aren’t the guaranteed hits they used to be.

Even South Africa, a land of mass market and designer fragrances, is not immune to these changes. Hence the recent arrival of Skins Cosmetics, the renowned Dutch niche beauty and fragrances retailer, in Johannesburg (www.skins.co.za). Skins Cosmetics strikes a good balance between big-name niche fragrances and more experimental niche fragrances. You’ll find everything from Aqua di Parma, Creed, Diptyque, Floris, L’Artisan Parfumeur and Penhaligon’s to Aether, Escentric Molecules and Le Labo at this upmarket store.

While it’s pointless to get bogged down in definitions, it’s always good to know what we mean when we use a buzz-phrase like “niche fragrances”. And why exactly are niche fragrances showing such growth. I asked two of my favourite bloggers for their thoughts on the above and this is what they had to say.

DEFINING THE VALUE OF NICHE FRAGRANCES

“If I were being really ‘black and white’ about this, the only honest, accurate answer is ‘nothing’. ‘Niche’, as a descriptor, does not signify any particular style or aesthetic. If the term has any value, it is only as a method of describing limited and/or independent production/ distribution. I would concede that the best so-called niche perfumes possess a clear reflection of the visions of their creators.” – Dariush Alavi of Persolaise (http://persolaise.blogspot.co.za)

Niche Fragrances - L'Artisan Parfumeur Au Bord de L'Eau
THE ARTISTRY OF NICHE FRAGRANCES: L’Artisan Parfumeur Au Bord de L’Eau, inspired by Claude Monet.

“Niche perfumery is a very creative arm of the industry. Most of the trends that have become prolific in commercial perfumery started in niche. It’s an important place for generating and testing new ideas. Niche is a good incubator for creativity. Its audiences are genuinely interested in unusual or forward-thinking fragrances. They don’t want to smell like every second person on the street.” – Clayton Ilolahia of What Men Should Smell Like (http://whatmenshouldsmelllike.com)

BEWARE! THE SNOBBERY OF NICHE FRAGRANCES

These insights from Clayton and Dariush pretty much sum up the role and nuances of niche fragrances. I would also like to add that we need to beware the snobbery of niche fragrances. Just because it’s a designer/mainstream/commercial fragrance doesn’t mean it’s inherently crap. I have come across a fair amount of that snootiness online. Equally, just because it’s a niche fragrance doesn’t mean it’s better quality or more deserving of the cash you’re about to splash.

Niche Fragrances - David Liss Fabulous Men
DAVID WHO?: The joy of new fragrance discoveries.

For me, perfumery should always be about the joy of discovery. The joy of discovering the classics of perfumery. The joy of discovering new variations on seemingly exhausted themes. And also the joy of discovering cheap and cheerful bargains. Ultimately, niche fragrances should increase our options, expand our knowledge and pleasure. So yes, be a discerning and savvy consumer, but snobbery is so self-limiting.

“Perfumery should always be about the joy of discovery. So yes, be a discerning and savvy consumer, but snobbery is so self-limiting.”

Niche Fragrances - Budget Buys Have Their Place Too
BARGAIN SHELF: Budget buys have their place too.

Clayton offers very useful advice to those who are just starting their discovery of niche fragrances: “Buy from a retailer who specialises in niche fragrances and let them help guide you in the beginning. With experience, most people will see common threads, maybe an ingredient or note they like, or a perfumer whose work they like, which begins to influence their buying.”

Niche Fragrances - Nasomatto fragrances at Skins Cosmetics
GOING DUTCH: Let Skins Cosmetics introduce you to Nasomatto fragrances.

Fragrance is such a personal and mood-influenced choice, so I hope niche fragrances bring you much joy. These are are some of my favourite niche fragrances:

Penhaligon’s Much Ado About The Duke EDP (2016)

British heritage brand Penhaligon’s has been in the fragrance biz since the 1870s and is one of the most celebrated companies in niche fragrances. From its recent Portraits collection, Much Ado About The Duke is an unapologetically sparkling rose, with notes of pepper, leather, wood, gin and tonic adding to its irreverent appeal. It was created by Daphne Bugey, the nose behind Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal, Le Labo Bergamote 22, Mugler Aura and Valentino Valentina Pink.

Niche Fragrances - Penhaligon's Much Ado About The Duke

Etat Libre d’Orange Like This EDP (2010)

While the company founded by South Africa-born Etienne de Swardt is sometimes better known for its shock-and-awe tactics, it also produces top-notch niche fragrances. You can read my interview with Etienne de Swardt here (https://fragroom.com/2017/04/20/etat-libre-doranges-etienne-de-swardt/). This collaboration with Tilda Swinton captures the English actress’s idea of home, with cosy and comforting notes of ginger, immortelle, pumpkin, tangerine, vetiver and heliotrope. Created by Mathilde Bijaoui, it won the Fragrance Foundation France Award for Best Niche Fragrance in 2011.

Niche Fragrances - Etat Libre d'Orange Like this

L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea For Two EDT (2000)

One of the best tea fragrances around. It conjures up spicy-aromatic intimacy with notes of tea, tobacco, cinnamon, honey, ginger, star anise, gingerbread and vanilla. This treat from L’Artisan Parfumeur, one of the pioneers of niche fragrances since the 1970s, was created by Olivia Giacobetti. This nose also created Diptyque Philosykos, Frédéric Malle en Passant, Hermès Hiris and several other L’Artisan Parfumeur beauties. This is a vintage bottle below. So if you’re looking for Tea For Tea, it’s to be found in the company’s newish grey bottles.

Atelier Cologne Vetiver Fatal (2012)

Founded in 2009, this Paris-based company has made its mark in the niche fragrances industry with its cologne absolues. These cologne absolues combine the traditional citrus character of eau de colognes with longer-lasting natural materials. I am a big fan of vetiver fragrances and Atelier Cologne Vetiver Fatal is a gentler interpretation of the usually earthy theme. It features notes of Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian lemon, Tunisian orange blossom absolue, fig, Grasse violet leaves and Texan cedarwood. A super-fresh summer in a bottle!

Niche Fragrances - Atelier Cologne Vetiver Fatal