Ex Nihilo – A Parisian perfume house, created out of nothing
Ex Nihilo was founded in Paris in 2013 by three friends: Sylvie Loday, Olivier Royère and Benoît Verdier. The Latin name means “out of nothing” and stands for a contemporary French house with an eye on the avant-garde. Here, classic haute parfumerie meets natural extracts and modern synthetics. At SNUD in Vienna's Josefstadt you can smell and test the fragrances and take a sample home with you.
What makes Ex Nihilo special to us?
We love the interplay of craftsmanship, technology and design – a brand that breaks with tradition and works with the finest raw materials in the industry. The fragrances are opulent and modern at once, from the floral Fleur Narcotique and the fresh Blue Talisman to the seductive Lust in Paradise Extrait.
Who are Ex Nihilo fragrances for?
For anyone who loves opulent fragrances with a modern twist. If you like it fresh, start with Blue Talisman, The Hedonist or Cologne 352. If you love flowers and fruit, try Fleur Narcotique, Lust in Paradise or Gold Immortals, and if you're after something warm and woody, go for Santal Calling, Atlas Fever or Outcast Blue. Many of the classics also come as Extrait.
Three friends, three roles
Sylvie Loday, an MIT aerospace graduate who once worked at NASA, leads strategy and innovation at Ex Nihilo, Olivier Royère the business and Benoît Verdier the creative side. The house's first fragrance, in 2013, was Fleur Narcotique.
From that first scent a broad range has grown. At SNUD you'll find Ex Nihilo as Eau de Parfum, five classics also as Extrait de Parfum – Fleur Narcotique, Blue Talisman, The Hedonist, Lust in Paradise and Gold Immortals – plus the Lait d'épices candle. In selected boutiques of the house, the fragrances can even be personalised with the Osmologue system.
Changing signatures
Ex Nihilo doesn't work with a single in-house perfumer but with changing signatures. The idea is born in-house, the olfactory answer comes from the perfumer: Quentin Bisch composed Fleur Narcotique, Jordi Fernández Blue Talisman and The Hedonist, Louise Turner Lust in Paradise and Spiky Muse, Dalia Izem Iris Porcelana and Antoine Maisondieu Santal Calling.
The list grows with every new fragrance: Shyamala Maisondieu created Atlas Fever, Gaël Montero Chandigarh Express, Guillaume Flavigny Vetiver Moloko, Nadège Le Garlantezec Vesper Glitz and Generation(s), Olivier Pescheux Amber Sky and Natalie Cetto Honoré Delights. The range therefore stretches from citrus-fresh like Cologne 352 to leathery-spicy like Chandigarh Express.
