Nissaba

The story

Nissaba was born in Geneva from an idea of Sébastien Tissot. After a long career leading the sustainable sourcing of natural ingredients at DSM-Firmenich, one of the world's largest fragrance houses, Tissot imagined a perfume brand founded on a concrete commitment to those who grow and harvest perfume plants. In 2021 he met Eric Stucky de Quay, who brought his expertise in distribution to the project, and in 2022 the first collection made its debut. The name comes from the Sumerians: Nissaba was the goddess of grain, who later became the patroness of writing.

The idea is simple and radical: each perfume tells the story of a single land, with the natural extracts that come from it. The house gives its perfumers complete creative freedom: no budget limits on natural ingredients, no competition between perfumers, no consumer testing, no olfactory family and no gender decided in advance. The formulas contain at least 90% ingredients of natural origin and are made of only three elements: fragrance concentrate, organic alcohol from French wheat and a little water. No colourants, stabilisers or additives, and no ingredients of animal origin.

The first collection, in 2022, is a journey around the world in five stops: Chaco, the Paraguay of Alexandra Monet; Sulawesi, the Indonesia of Nicolas Bonneville; Grande Île, the Madagascar of Frank Voelkl; Provence, signed by Sébastien Cresp; Tierra Maya, the Central America of Ilias Ermenidis. In 2024 came Berbera, the incense of Somaliland according to Fabrice Pellegrin and Coralie Spicher, and Malli Nadu, the white flowers of South India, again by Ermenidis. In 2023 Grande Île won the Responsible Innovation prize at the FiFi Awards of The Fragrance Foundation France, in the category dedicated to the rising stars of perfumery.

The object follows the same logic. The bottle weighs 88 grams and carries the brand engraved by laser instead of a label; the name of the fragrance is written on a ribbon of upcycled polyester, and paper and wood are FSC-certified. Above all, Nissaba dedicates 5% of its sales to farming projects: it supports young entrepreneurs who grow perfume plants with sustainable techniques, together with agricultural schools in Paraguay, Madagascar and India. The name already says it: the goddess of agriculture and writing was also the patroness of the world's first schools. Nissaba perfumes are made in France.

The fragrances

• Grande Île (2022, Madagascar): amber spicy, with black and pink pepper, Bourbon vanilla, clove and woods. Nose: Frank Voelkl.
• Provence (2022, Haute Provence): aromatic with a fougère soul, with spearmint, Diva lavender, clary sage and hyssop. Nose: Sébastien Cresp.
• Tierra Maya (2022, Guatemala and El Salvador): amber woody, with cardamom, cypress, Damask rose and Peru balsam. Nose: Ilias Ermenidis.
• Chaco (2022, Paraguay): aromatic citrus, with yerba mate, bergamot, petitgrain, tea and palo santo. Nose: Alexandra Monet.
• Sulawesi (2022, Indonesia): woody spicy, with nutmeg, benzoin, clove, patchouli and vetiver. Nose: Nicolas Bonneville.
• Berbera (2024, Somaliland): amber woody, with incense, elemi, myrrh and opoponax. Noses: Fabrice Pellegrin and Coralie Spicher.
• Malli Nadu (2024, South India): floral fruity, with davana, mandarin, tuberose, jasmine sambac and sandalwood. Nose: Ilias Ermenidis.

All the fragrances are Eau de Parfum in 100 ml. OUD Profumeria Artistica is an authorised Nissaba retailer, online and in its shop in Nettuno (Rome).

Frequently asked questions

What kind of brand is Nissaba?
Nissaba is a niche perfume house from Geneva, founded by Sébastien Tissot and Eric Stucky de Quay, which made its debut in 2022. Each fragrance is dedicated to a land and its perfume plants, is composed by a great perfumer in complete freedom and contains at least 90% ingredients of natural origin. 5% of sales funds farming projects with agricultural schools in Paraguay, Madagascar and India.

Which Nissaba perfume should I choose?
It depends on what you love. Grande Île is the spicy amber with vanilla from Madagascar, warm and enveloping. Provence is lavender in a modern key, aromatic and luminous; Chaco is the freshest, between citrus, mate and tea. If you are looking for warmth and character, try Tierra Maya, with cardamom, rose and Peru balsam, Sulawesi, woody and spicy with patchouli, or Berbera, built on incense. Malli Nadu is the white floral, with tuberose and jasmine sambac.

Which is the vanilla perfume by Nissaba?
It is Grande Île, dedicated to Madagascar: black pepper and pink pepper in the opening, a heart of Bourbon vanilla and clove, a base of cedarwood, patchouli, guaiac wood and vanilla planifolia. It is signed by Frank Voelkl and in 2023 it won the Responsible Innovation prize at the FiFi Awards of The Fragrance Foundation France.

What does Provence by Nissaba smell like?
Provence is an aromatic eau de parfum from 2022 signed by Sébastien Cresp, a contemporary fougère dedicated to Haute Provence: spearmint, coriander seeds and black pepper in the opening, a heart of Diva lavender, clary sage and lavandin, a base of hyssop, sandalwood and cedarwood.

What does Tierra Maya by Nissaba smell like?
Tierra Maya is an amber woody eau de parfum from 2022 signed by Ilias Ermenidis, dedicated to two raw materials of Central America: cardamom from Guatemala and Peru balsam from El Salvador. It opens on the hot-cold contrast of cardamom and cypress, has a heart of Damask rose and centifolia rose and a base of Peru balsam and amber.

What does Berbera by Nissaba smell like?
Berbera is an amber woody eau de parfum from 2024, signed by Fabrice Pellegrin and Coralie Spicher and dedicated to the resins of Somaliland. The same incense is extracted in three different ways and runs through the whole pyramid, with elemi, nutmeg and black pepper in the opening, myrrh in the heart and opoponax in the base. The brand declares a 22% concentration.

Where can I buy Nissaba perfumes?
At OUD Profumeria Artistica, an authorised Nissaba retailer: online, with free shipping in Italy on orders over €60 and 10 free samples on orders over €100, and in our shop in Nettuno, in the province of Rome.