May 2015 CBM 5

British-German nose; Italian brands Nu_Be andCalé Fragranze d’Autore; Heeley from the UK; andD.S. & Durga and Keiko Mecheri from the US.

Skin care brands include Malin + Goetz, Bloom& Blossom, REN, L:A Bruket and Zenology, whilethe home fragrances line-up includes Diptyque,The Laundress, Linari and Birch & Brook.

The store features a fragrance bar which doublesas a café counter, allowing the customer to orderwhile filling in the fragrance diagnosis on iPadssupplied by the store. After the questionnaire isfinished and the olfactory portrait drawn up,fragrance consultants spray samples of therecommended fragrances on strips of paper ans askthe client to rate them on a scale of one (best) to five(worst). This process is repeated until the selectionhas been narrowed down to two or three fragrances.

L’Air de PanacheNose also organizes monthly events together withParisian hair salon Messieur-Dames, and partnerswith niche florist Baptist Fleurs. However, one ofthe things that really helped to put Nose on theinternational perfumery map was the launch of L’Airde Panache in early 2014. The fragrance, famouslyfeatured in last year’s blockbuster film The GrandBudapest Hotel, was created by Nose’s co-founderMark Buxton, of Mark Buxton Perfumes

The retailer also offers a range of servicesincluding perfume workshops for companies andthe Perfumed Apero, an evening which can bebooked by individuals, couples or small groups andincludes a bottle of champagne or wine, apresentation about the work of a professional nose, afragrance diagnosis and a perfume, beauty and homefragrance consultation.

Nose also publishes an online fragrance newsmagazine, www.nose.fr, where customers can readinterviews with perfumers and professional noses,and about new launches and other perfume news.

As Nose’s founders include Mark Buxton andRomano Ricci, grandson of designer Nina Ricci andthe founder of Juliette Has a Gun, Nose already hasa high glamour factor. Its stylish retail environment,fragrance consultation software and spectacularselection of fragrance and beauty labels has ensuredhigh profile press coverage: articles about Nose haveappeared in the French and Italian versions of VanityFair; French and Japanese Elle; the UK’s GQ;Italian, German and US Vogue; USA Today; andMadame Figaro, as well as many lifestyle, luxury andshopping guides to Paris.

Niche perfumery Nose was founded by French-Canadian Nicolas Cloutier in 2012 together with sixother partners, including perfumers Mark Buxton,Romano Ricci, Silvio Levi and Claire Delahaye deVilliers. The store is located in the elegant 2ndarrondissement of Paris, and at first glance, Noselooks like your average high end perfumery.

But what has garnered the retailer internationalpress acclaim is not just the spectacular selection ofniche and rare fragrance labels on offer, but alsoNose’s unique perfume diagnostic tool: acomplicated algorithm-powered software to helpnarrow down fragrance preferences.

Customers fill in a three-step onlinequestionnaire. The first screen asks them for basicinformation like name, age, gender and postcode.The second step requests individual perfume history– which three perfumes they have worn in recentyears or, if the box “I’ve never worn perfume” isticked, customers can list which fragrances or scentnotes they are most drawn to. On the basis of thisinformation, the software draws up an individualolfactory portrait and then gives a list ofrecommended fragrances.

If the questionnaire is filled in online, a sample kitof the five recommended fragrances can then beordered for t10. After trying out the fragrance athome, clients then fill in the questionnaire again,narrowing down their preferences even further.

Retail storeNose comprises some 1,800sqft of elegantlydesigned retail space. It carries over 45 internationalniche and super luxe brands; mostly perfume labelsbut also cosmetics and home fragrances.

Among the brands are well-known favourites likeAcqua di Parma, Comme de Garçons, CostumeNational, Penhaligon’s, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Floris,Etro and Miller Harris. However, Nose is listed inpractically all international design and lifestyleshopping guides to Paris for its fantastic selection oflesser-known niche brands, includingBiehl.Parfumkunstwerke, Atelier PMP and Friendly Fur from Germany; Juliette Has a Gunfrom France; Mark Buxton Perfumes from the

SCENTS OFSENSIBILITYParis-based niche perfume store Nose, with itsunique diagnostic tool, has won internationalacclaim. Annemarie Kruse finds out more

Fact file: Nose

Founded 2012

Address Nose, 20 rue Bachaumont, 75002,Paris, France

Contact telephone number +33 1 40 26 46 03

Website www.nose.fr

Nose, co-founded byNicolas Cloutier, above,has garnered criticalacclaim for its uniqueperfume diagnostic tool,which narrows downfragrance preferences

NOSE

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