For Paris-based perfume brand Ex Nihilo, it’s all about the juice. The liquids housed inside of its gold-capped glass bottles share a quality that begs for a second—or third or fourth—sniff. These are rich, rounded fragrances that demand to be noticed and leave a trail wherever they go. The notes in each may sound familiar, but the way each floral, wood, and spice note is balanced and layered is what makes them exceptional. In a word, they’re addictive, each in their own mesmerizing way. Here, we’ve highlighted six standouts that make the Ex Nihilo scents a forever favorite at the Conservatory.
Fleur Narcotique
A scent that’s as suggestive as its name. It’s impossible not to have a response to this explosive floral that gets its power from an overdose of peony bolstered by peach and woods.
The Hedonist
One whiff of this scent is a bit like dropping into gilded woods. This rich and textured composition centers on Akigalawood, a biotechnology ingredient that captures the natural scent of oak moss, vetiver and cedarwood in one molecule.
Lust in Paradise
Peonies, an Ex Nihilo hallmark, are beloved in bouquets and often less identifiable in fragrance. This feels like the olfactive expression of their delicate bundles, thousands of petals bolstered by just slightly acidic lychee and light musk.
Atlas Fever
A complex gourmand that plays with the rounded warmth of vanilla and tonka bean by splicing it with layers of incense, pink pepper and gaiac wood. You cannot stop smelling this one.
Vetiver Moloko
The much beloved Haitian grass vetiver usually brings an earthy, grounded element to fragrance. But here it undergoes a transformation, gently stirred out of its rooted structure by milky heart notes and Madagascar vanilla.
Sweet Morphine
There is the dichotomous name and the visual cue of hot pink juice. But the realization of this unabashedly feminine scent comes in its facets, blooming iris and mimosa absolute shining against a dark woody and vanilla background.
