We continue our mini-series of Meeting with Perfumers and this time our guest Antoine Lie, Maison Sybarite’s perfumer of choice and Annabel Dragan co-founder of Maison Sybarite - shared their story of creating Maison Sybarite perfumes, the idea behind the brand and what makes their perfumes so unique.
The idea of the brand name came from an ancient Greek city called Sybaris, an advanced city for its time where people took pleasure with work, loved arts, quality of life and had harmonious coexistence with nature.
Maison Sybarite was launched in 2019 with the aim to create safe and environmentally friendly products. Safe, innovative, and a conscious approach to the creation of the perfumes is the cornerstone of the brand.
“Our perfumes do not include any harmful chemicals and alcohol. We use Water-Plant Emulsion patented technology while creating our perfumes. It gives an opportunity to have a unique sensorial experience while using our products. They are multifunctional. Because there is no alcohol, you can use them on your skin and on hair” said Annabel. “We use the best ingredients. I am working with the lab in Italy to choose the best ingredients for our perfumes,” said Antoine. Prior the meeting, the participants received a discovery set with the full collection of the Maison Sybarite fragrance. Antoine Lie presented the story of each perfume to the participants. 720 Perfume is the signature fragrance of the collection. “I wanted to create a perfume which will be linked to the earth, associated with nature that gives birth to everything. This is the story about roots”, he said. This fragrance is intimate and sophisticated, which starts soft and reveals after you apply. Bed of Roses was challenging to create, but the result worth it. This scent is harmonic, sensual, and poetic. The rose combined with orris gives a sparkling effect and adds sensuality. Amber Gaze was created at the same time as the other fragrances but was not included in the collection. After testing again, they thought that it fits perfectly into the collection as it is much more sensual, provocative, rich, and classy. Opulent Wood is the Master Perfumer’s favorite. The idea was built around winery which was well developed at Sybaris. “While this is my favorite, it was really challenging to work with ingredients. This one is diffusive and unveils flavored grapes, fruit flavors, rich spices and seduces those who have a fondness for opulent smells”, said Antoine Lie Spicy Calabria is the only fragrance in the collection that was not created by Antoine Lie. Master Parfumer Laure Santantoni played with labdanum and patchouli and brought a grace tone to this unusual hybrid of woody and fresh. All the perfumes are unisex. As Antoine Lie mentioned he considers perfume genderless and said not to pay attention to the label but the scent. “If you like it, just use it”, he said.
Antoine Lie is working on a new project with Maison Sybarite and says that it will be unique using ingredients that have never been used in the world of non-alcohol perfumery.