If even the best Nose says so…

You probably have heard about (and hopefully smelled) our new fragrance collaboration with our good friends from Zenology. Although it’s an exclusive collaboration, ‘Libri’ can be found in multiple stores worldwide. And not the least ones, if we may say so.You could even say the best ones. In Paris, for instance. Where ‘Libri’, among other Zenology products, has earned a desirable spot at Nose, one of the most renowned perfumeries in the world. Nose houses exclusive perfumes and offers a personalized fragrance experience. To celebrate the fact that ‘Libri’ made it all the way to Paris, we spoke to Nicolas Cloutier, president and co-founder of this candy store for perfume aficionados.

Hi Nicolas, could you tell us a little more about yourself?
I’m the president and co-founder of Nose. I was born in French Canada but I’ve been based in Paris since 2004. I have worked in management consulting in more than 20 countries around the world before I initiated the Nose project and brought the other six partners together. Right now, I am responsible for the strategy and all operations for Nose.

How did Nose originate
I set the basis for this innovative model back in December 2009, on the premise that the primary focus should be on the people rather than the fragrance products. I have initially approached Romano Ricci (founder of Juliette Has a Gun), Mark Buxton (perfumer and co-founder of Mark Buxton Perfumes) and Antoine Calmus (statistician and database expert).

What’s the idea behind it?
Nose was born out of a team of seven beauty professionals and enthusiasts consisting of myself, Silvio Levi (Cale Fragranze d’Autore), Romano Ricci (Juliette Has A Gun), Mark Buxton (Mark Buxton), Antoine Calmus, Claire Delahaye de Villers and Didier Negiar. Nose is a concept beauty store and an online shop, solely dedicated to creator brands, centered around a single idea: running personalized perfume diagnostics.

How does it distinct itself from other shops
Nose has the only perfume diagnosis that is working in the industry; there have been many trials, but Nose seems to have the only working technology. We also have a unique selection of more than 65 brands in perfumes, cosmetics and home fragrances. In these segments, we are the only shop to carry these brands all together in France and maybe even in Europe. Zenology is naturally one of those with their large Ambiance Triggers!
 
How is your relationship with Zenology?
We have Zenology products in our shop since the beginning. Philip Hillege, from Dutch cosmetic retailer Skins Cosmetics (also one of our partners that license our technology), told me I needed to smell these trigger sprays. They really got me with their Black Tea scent, a very unique scent. I met Jeroen from Zenology shortly after and he’s a great person, very square. He has an ‘’eye’’ and not only a nose, so I am not surprised he was interested to go beyond with this collaboration, as perfumes go beyond one’s sense dimension. 

What are your thoughts about ‘Libri’?
I like when collaborations really mean something. To me, it seems like Zenology could have a “book” fragrance of their own. Doing a collaboration like this means 1+1 = 3.
It brings authenticity and credibility to a fragrance project. The fragrance is very woody (modern) and musky with a smoky effect. For a Canadian lumberjack like me, it’s really appealing!

What else would you like to add? 
Next to the perfume diagnosis and our retail store in Paris, we plan to release our new website in September 2017 which might be something very special…