Most French perfume brands are steeped in history and heritage, but there are also some newer aromas on the block.
Fragrances are one of life’s little luxuries and every true connoisseur will have at least one scent hailing from France – considered by many the spiritual home of perfume – in their bathroom cabinet. While many French perfume brands are well established – some dating back centuries – there are also more recent additions to the nation’s fragrancy landscape. We’ve picked out 5 emerging French perfume brands that you might not have heard of, but probably soon will.
Memo Paris
With the tagline “perfume as travel diary”, Memo Paris has earned a stellar reputation for creating scents that are centred around the concepts of places, memories and journeys. That storytelling angle, along with its mix of luxurious presentation and unisex compositions, is a major selling point among its growing band of loyal patrons. Last year the brand launched Leather in 2025 and this year Cap Camarat, proving it still knows how to keep things fresh.
Maison Crivelli
Founded by Thibaud Crivelli in 2018, Maison Crivelli have rapidly built a reputation for creating scents around vivid, unexpected experiences, all designed to give their perfumes a more textured, emotional feel. Fragrances such as Oud Maracujá have gained a dedicated fanbase, and the brand’s growing presence at major luxury retailers shows they are moving at a rapid rate of knots. As it stands, it’s still relatively niche, but you can bet that’s not for too much longer.
Matière Première
This raw-material-focused house has one key UPS: adding a single hero ingredient into each of its scents. Founded by perfumer Aurélien Guichard in 2019, its ingredient-led rather than overly abstract, which gives the fragrances a polished but distinctive quality. Vanilla Powder in 2025 and an Extrait de Parfum collection in 2026 are among the brand’s latest releases, both of which are the kind of statement scents that have made Matière Première a fragrance player with burgeoning appeal.
Hellenist Paris
Hellenist Paris is a fragrance brand that has built real momentum since launching in Paris in 2024. Its Greek-myth-inspired concept may have a theatrical spin, but the scents themselves are never less than low key in their elegance and wearability. The house has also been expanding its collection in recent times with a flurry of new launches, including Les Dieux aux Bains and La Nuit des 300, adding to a sense that this is a brand that’s going places.
Liquides Imaginaires
Liquides Imaginaires hit the shops back in 2012, but still remains a relatively under-the-radar brand, despite its efforts to stand out from the crowd with its use of storytelling and symbolism. indeed, that’s a big part of its USP — an artistic, almost mystical identity, with rich unisex fragrances. Recent launches include Blanche Bête Limited Edition in 2025 and Âme de Fleur, released in 2026. It’s house that appeals to niche perfume lovers and less obviously crowd-pleasing, which is perhaps why it remains a a cult favourite rather than a mainstream name – for now.