Ex Nihilo is the Parisian house that helped popularise bespoke, personalised perfumery — founded in 2013 by Sylvie Loday, Olivier Royère, and Benoît Verdier, and known for pairing hyper-realistic fruit and florals with clean, modern musks. We interviewed co-founder Benoît Verdier; start with these.
I studied with Olivier back in the day and we always wanted to create our own company.
The Best Ex Nihilo Fragrances
Fleur Narcotique (2014)
Key notes: lychee, bergamot, white peach, peony, jasmine, orange blossom, musk, sheer woods, oakmoss
The cult hero — a holographic fruity-floral that became a modern niche classic, with orange blossom and jasmine over clean musk.
Blue Talisman
Key notes: pear, litchi, elemi, peony, ginger, musk
A bright, juicy pear-and-litchi opening with a sparkle of ginger — fresh and instantly likeable.
Cologne 352
Key notes: citrus, neroli, aromatic musk
A crisp, sparkling modern cologne — effortless citrus freshness with a soft musky base.
Vetiver Moloko
Key notes: vetiver, milky accord, woods
Exactly what the name promises — earthy vetiver smoothed with a creamy, milky softness.
Ex Nihilo FAQ
What is Ex Nihilo’s most famous fragrance?
Fleur Narcotique (2014), a fruity-floral that became one of the most popular niche fragrances of the last decade.
What is Ex Nihilo known for?
Pioneering in-store personalisation and bespoke perfumery, alongside polished, high-impact fruity and floral scents.
Larissa is the founder of Everfumed which she started based on her love of fragrances and perfumery. She's worked in the beauty and fragrance industry for 15+ years starting in New York with Coty designer fragrances such as Calvin Klein, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, and Cerruti.
