Curating your scent wardrobe can be a personal—if slightly overwhelming—experience. Once ruled by familiar designer names, the industry now brims with niche brands, unisex scents, and multifaceted compositions. The desire for long-lasting wear and more intricate blends has introduced a new level of artistry and disruption, where notes evolve from top to base, and what begins as clean florals may settle into a smoky finish. No longer casually plucked off the shelf, choosing the right scent has now become an emotional investment and an act of self-expression.

So, in a market perfumed with excess, where does Matiere Premiere (French for ‘raw material’) stand on the fragrance map? The answer lies in radical simplicity. “My formulas are short,” says co-founder and perfumer Aurélien Guichard. “I want you to feel the natural beauty of the raw material at the centre of my perfumes. Our mission is in our name. My goal is to turn an ingredient into a perfume.” As its name suggests, the perfume house centres every creation around a single, commanding ingredient, such as rose centifolia, tuberose, vanilla, musk, sandalwood, incense, and neroli.

Together with co-founders Cédric Meiffret and Caius von Knorring, the house sources only the finest natural ingredients from across the globe. Two of its crown jewels, however, are grown in-house at its 6ha, Ecocert-certified organic flower farm in Grasse, France: rose centifolia for Radical Rose and tuberose for French Flower eau de parfums. Among the largest in the Grasse region, every petal harvested goes directly into the house’s fragrances.

Transparency is central to the house’s approach. All fragrances are composed of 85 to 92 per cent natural content, are vegan and phthalate-free, and contain no artificial colourants. “Like a rich and mighty wine, our perfumes are concentrates of exceptional natural materials,” Guichard explains. “I personally look after each stage of ageing, from maturation to maceration, to ensure they are of unique quality.”

Crafted for impact, each scent offers a sillage that’s as lasting as it is evocative—what the house calls an emotional imprint that never fades. “I work with high concentrations,” Guichard says. “A fragrance with a pulse, that diffuses and lasts, will forever be associated with milestone moments.”

Discover Matiere Premiere fragrances online and at escentials stores in Malaysia.