Essential Parfums

The story

Essential Parfums was born in Paris in 2018 from an idea by Géraldine Archambault. She has known perfume all her life: her parents worked at Rochas before founding Parfums Aubusson, and she came to her own brand with thirty years of experience in the industry. She started from a few uncomfortable questions: “Why are creative fragrances so expensive? Why do the talents of perfumers remain hidden behind brand names?” The answer is in the name. Returning to the essentials means putting the fragrance and its creator at the centre, and removing what is not needed: unnecessary packaging, marketing, intermediaries. The stated aim is to offer “exceptional sustainable fragrances at fair prices”.

That is why, on the label of every bottle, under the name of the perfume, there is the signature of the person who composed it: “by Quentin Bisch”, “by Anne Flipo”, and next to it the formula code and the concentration. The perfumers work, the house says, with “the freedom of a blank canvas”. The first five fragrances came out in 2018: Nice Bergamote by Antoine Maisondieu, Rose Magnetic by Sophie Labbé, Mon Vetiver by Bruno Jovanovic, Orange X Santal by Natalie Gracia-Cetto and The Musc by Calice Becker. Divine Vanille by Olivier Pescheux arrived in 2019, Fig Infusion by Nathalie Lorson in 2022, Patchouli Mania by Fabrice Pellegrin in 2023, Néroli Botanica by Anne Flipo in 2024, Velvet Iris by Dominique Ropion in 2025 and Ambre Latte by Jordi Fernández in 2026.

The turning point came in 2020 and is called Bois Impérial. Quentin Bisch built it around Akigalawood, “a precious and extraordinary wood” obtained from patchouli through a biotechnology process, and lit it up with Thai basil and Timut pepper. It became the house's signature perfume: on Fragrantica it is by far the brand's most voted fragrance. The Extrait version arrived in 2024, concentrated at 32%, twice the Eau de Parfum; in 2025, for its fifth anniversary, came a Collector Edition in black and silver. That same year Nice Bergamote also got its own Extrait, more nocturnal and gourmand.

The other half of the project is sustainability, without fanfare. The 100 ml bottle is refillable with a 150 ml aluminium refill; since 2024 it has had a new design, by Alnoor, presented with Néroli Botanica. The box is a sleeve of FSC-certified cardboard, with no glue or cellophane, closed by a chequered band in the colours of the fragrance. The alcohol comes from beetroot, there are no colourings, and every product page states the share of ingredients of natural origin, up to 93% for Bois Impérial. Everything is “Designed & Made in France”, with 98% of the components manufactured in France and Italy. Today Essential Parfums has two boutiques in Paris, in the Marais and Saint-Germain, and one in Bordeaux.

The fragrances

At OUD Profumeria Artistica you will find the Eau de Parfum and the Extraits by Essential Parfums. We list them by family; next to each name are the notes that make it recognisable.

• Woody: Bois Impérial (Thai basil, vetiver and Akigalawood), Bois Impérial Extrait de Parfum (black pepper, rose and Atlas cedar), Bois Impérial Collector Edition (the same Eau de Parfum in the black and silver fifth-anniversary bottle), Patchouli Mania (green hazelnut, cocoa and patchouli).
• Citrus: Nice Bergamote (Calabrian bergamot, jasmine and cedarwood), Nice Bergamote Extrait de Parfum (bergamot, bitter orange and ambered sugar), Orange X Santal (bitter orange, basil and Australian sandalwood).
• Floral: Rose Magnetic (grapefruit, Turkish rose and vanilla), Néroli Botanica (ginger, orange blossom and vetiver), Velvet Iris (pink pepper, iris and Saffiano leather).
• Amber and gourmand: Ambre Latte (almond milk, caramel and amber woods), Divine Vanille (cinnamon, incense and Madagascar vanilla).
• Aromatic, fruity and musky: Mon Vetiver (gin accord, juniper and Haitian vetiver), Fig Infusion (fig, black tea and sandalwood), The Musc (ginger, beeswax and musk).

OUD Profumeria Artistica is an authorised Essential Parfums retailer, online and at the store in Nettuno (Rome).

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Essential Parfums?
Essential Parfums was founded in Paris in 2018 by Géraldine Archambault, after thirty years of experience in the perfume industry. The idea is to return to the essentials: put the fragrance and the perfumer who signs it at the centre, strip away the superfluous in packaging and marketing and offer haute parfumerie at a fair price. Today the house has three boutiques, two in Paris and one in Bordeaux.

What are the best Essential Parfums perfumes?
The best loved is Bois Impérial by Quentin Bisch, the aromatic woody scent that made the house known: on Fragrantica it is by far the brand's most voted fragrance. For us the three to start from are Bois Impérial, Nice Bergamote, a luminous, floral Calabrian bergamot, and Patchouli Mania, a patchouli made gourmand by cocoa. Among the most voted there are also Divine Vanille and Fig Infusion; the newcomer is Ambre Latte, the house's gourmand.

What are the notes of Bois Impérial?
Bois Impérial opens with Thai basil leaves and Nepalese Timut pepper, with its grapefruit facets; in the heart there are Haitian vetiver, Georgywood and Petalia; in the base Akigalawood, Indonesian patchouli and Ambrofix. Quentin Bisch built it around Akigalawood, which he calls “a precious and extraordinary wood”. It is an Eau de Parfum concentrated at 16%.

Is Bois Impérial for men or for women?
It is unisex, like all Essential Parfums fragrances: the house does not divide its perfumes by gender. The aromatic freshness of basil and the woody depth of vetiver and patchouli make Bois Impérial work for everyone: it is chosen by men and women alike.

What is the difference between Bois Impérial Eau de Parfum and Extrait?
Bois Impérial Extrait de Parfum has a 32% concentration, twice that of the Eau de Parfum, and comes in a 30 ml bottle. It is not just more intense: the scent changes too. The house presents it as the nocturnal side of Bois Impérial, “darker, richer, stronger”, with black pepper, rose absolute, Atlas cedar, leathery notes, fir balsam and labdanum.

What does Ambre Latte smell like?
Ambre Latte is the Essential Parfums gourmand, signed by Jordi Fernández and released in 2026. It opens in a cloud of almond milk with roasted tonka bean, continues with dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, benzoin and white musks and rests on a base of amber woods: Ambrofix, Georgywood, Akigalawood and white sandalwood. It is an Eau de Parfum concentrated at 18%.

How does the Essential Parfums refill work?
The 100 ml bottle is refillable: when it runs out you fill it again with the recyclable 150 ml aluminium refill, enough for one and a half times. That way you keep the bottle and buy only the perfume. At OUD you will find the 150 ml refill for eleven of the house's Eau de Parfum, from Bois Impérial to Velvet Iris.

Where to buy Essential Parfums perfumes?
OUD Profumeria Artistica is an authorised Essential Parfums retailer: you will find the Eau de Parfum, the Extraits and the refills online and at our store in Nettuno, in the province of Rome, where you can try them in person. Shipping is free in Italy over €60, and over €100 we add 10 free samples.