Esxence 2026, Part II: Discoveries, New Releases, and Memorable Encounters

Written by Eveline Nagajeva

My fifth visit to Esxence felt almost like a personal anniversary. In my opinion, it also turned out to be the best edition I have attended so far.

Eveline Nagajeva

The scale was impressive. More than 400 brands, including 108 making their Esxence debut, came from over 40 countries and occupied more than 20,000 square meters of exhibition space. Yet, despite welcoming more than 20,000 visitors over four days, the event somehow felt more spacious and manageable than in previous years.

There were no endless lines at the coat check, which had honestly been quite frustrating before, and there was less crowding around the booths. The general flow felt calmer, allowing more time to listen, smell the fragrances, and engage with the people behind them. Even the weather cooperated. Milan was warm and sunny, but not excessively hot despite the summery atmosphere.

One of the strongest impressions of this year’s Esxence was my growing curiosity about Asian perfumery. I can really feel interest in these houses growing, and it seems that Asian perfumery may soon become one of the industry’s major trends.

One of my greatest highlights was J-Scent, a Japanese house I had wanted to explore for a long time. The collection draws inspiration from Japanese culture, traditions, nature, and the distinctive smells encountered in daily life. There are so many fragrances to love. They feel interesting and some of the compositions are truly unique.

Images by Eveline Nagajeva

From South Korea, Villa Erbatium first attracted me with its distinctive presentation and bottle design. The cap of the bottle is shaped like a fig. I found several fragrances to enjoy, particularly Hotel Cotton, which brought to mind clean sheets, soft mimosa, and the comforting freshness of newly laundered linens. I was also drawn to the soapy character of Allegria.

Another South Korean fragrance house is UNVANISH, where memory lies at the heart of the brand. UNVANISH sees fragrance as more than simply something beautiful to wear. It can bring back forgotten moments, emotions, and even past versions of ourselves. The name reflects this idea of preserving memories and experiences that might otherwise disappear.

The house was completely new to me, and its presentation immediately felt luxurious, from the packaging to the smallest visual details. My favorites were Sea of Green, Pear Cascade, and the beautifully enveloping vanilla fragrance Long Last Vanilla.

Another house that stayed in my mind was Voice From the Sky, a Chinese perfume brand founded by perfumer Tianle Feng. He comes from a family that has worked in the fragrance industry for more than 30 years, but he created his own house as a way to express his personal ideas and tell stories inspired by his life. It was one of those discoveries that made me want to slow down, listen more carefully to the stories behind the creations, and spend more time with the fragrances themselves.

From Thailand, Perfumers’ Journey made a particularly strong impression. Especially Lamphun Gold, which is inspired by the smoked longans of Lamphun, where the fruit is traditionally smoked to preserve its sweetness and fragrance. On my skin, however, the fragrance created a highly personal association, first the smell of burning safety matches, which I have always enjoyed, and later something unexpectedly reminiscent of hairspray. It was specific, strange, and extremely memorable.

Some of the most interesting perfume moments of the week happened outside the official exhibition space, and Thai perfumery became the clear highlight of those encounters.

I had the opportunity to discover new releases from Siam 1928, a house that brings Thai traditions, legends, and imagination into dialogue with contemporary perfumery. Even its porcelain bottles reflect the brand’s connection to Thailand. Beyond their visual identity, they are designed to help protect the perfume from the country’s intense sunlight.

I also explored new creations by Prin Lomros, whose work continues to demonstrate how bold and uncompromising Thai niche perfumery can be. His fragrances tend to establish their own atmosphere, drawing on materials and references that can feel historical, animalic, or spiritual.

Another highlight among the Thai discoveries was NOMR, a new perfume house founded by perfumer Anunsith Wongkornvanich. The fragrances feel creative and deeply connected to everyday experiences. Thai milk tea, aromatic herbs, rice, and traditional flowers are transformed into modern compositions without losing their cultural character.

These encounters added another layer to my Esxence experience and once again confirmed how exciting and diverse Thai perfumery is, with its unexpected combinations.

Certain houses first captured my attention through their spaces and presentations before the fragrances even reached my skin.

The booth of AVAU, a new family-owned perfume house from Italy, was almost impossible to miss. The brand’s concept centers on the feeling of being at home, something familiar and warm. The fragrances also demonstrated why skin testing is so important. On mouillettes, I did not immediately fall in love with them, but they developed much more beautifully once worn. Silent Drift became my favorite, beautiful musky iris.

Fascent immediately caught my attention with its cool, laboratory-inspired booth. It is a young French perfume house founded by Fanny Fortin Descamps and Edwina Réthoré. The name combines facets and scent, reflecting the idea that both people and fragrances have many different sides. The fragrances feel lovely, playful, and easy to enjoy, while the colorful bottles perfectly match the brand’s cheerful personality. One of the cutest details is that the miniature bottles are just as charming and carefully designed as the full-size versions.

Another booth I really enjoyed was Créateur Olfactif, a perfume house from Switzerland. I loved the whole experience there: the concept, the atmosphere, and the fragrances themselves. There is something cinematic about the way the brand presents its world, placing it somewhere between reality, fantasy, memory, and imagination. It felt like a house that required more time than the pace of the exhibition could provide. I would gladly return to it in a calmer setting and explore the collection without the pressure of moving on to the next booth.

AVII, an independent perfume house from Barcelona, was another memorable stop. I had seen many recommendations encouraging visitors to discover the brand, and the experience lived up to those expectations. We had a lovely conversation with the founder, and it was immediately clear how inspired and passionate he is about the fragrances, which were created in collaboration with independent perfumer Céline Guivarc’h. That kind of energy is very important at an exhibition. It reaches visitors instantly and makes the whole encounter feel more personal.

I was also very curious to try Marrakech Impérial after hearing so many great things about the brand. The house pays tribute to Marrakech, and during Esxence it unveiled a new collection of three fragrances dedicated to the Moroccan Sahara, a region of deep cultural significance to Morocco. The collection was created by Christian Carbonnel. It was a pleasure to meet the founders, Kenza and Massimo, and hear them tell the stories behind the creations with so much spark, passion, and inspiration. The fragrances themselves made an equally bold impression.

One of my warmest encounters of the entire exhibition was with Elisire. I still cannot decide which left the stronger impression the fragrances themselves, which deserve all the love in the world, or my conversation with the brand’s founder and artist, Franck Salzwedel, whose sense of humor, personality, and openness made the encounter especially memorable.

Drawing on his background as a painter, he has built the brand around the connection between color, light, emotion, and scent. The fragrances are approached almost like paintings, each with its own shades, contrasts, textures, and luminosity. It was a beautiful way to end the second day of the exhibition, and I left feeling genuinely inspired.

Another beautiful moment came with Lorenzo Villoresi, the Florentine perfume house founded in 1990 following Lorenzo Villoresi’s years of travel, experimentation, and study of perfume materials.

Its Patchouli is stunning. The fragrance reveals multiple facets of the material: earthy, damp, woody, aromatic, dark, and almost chocolate-like. If you are searching for your perfect patchouli, this one is definitely worth exploring.

I was also pleased to finally discover Anthologie by Lucien Ferrero, the house of master perfumer Lucien Ferrero. C’est Mutine and C’est Rebelle were created in collaboration with Jean-Claude Ellena. My favorite was C’est Rebelle. Its bitter orange, cinnamon, and blue ginger create a fizzy, citrusy, and spicy opening that immediately stood out to me. It feels bright, sparkling, and energetic without feeling simplistic.

I also enjoyed many fragrances from the relatively new brand Neydo. The house collects real dream stories and uses them as inspiration for its perfume creations. I had previously known the brand through only one fragrance, which I really liked, so I was pleased to finally explore the entire collection. The compositions feel clean, clear, and effortlessly appealing.

In a calmer and more intimate setting, I had the opportunity to rediscover Réservation Parfums and hear about the inspirations behind its creations. The young perfume house was founded by Italian designer Francesco Ragazzi, the founder of the streetwear fashion brand Palm Angels. Its fragrances are inspired by a fictional Californian hotel. As I explored the collection, I immediately wanted to check into this imaginary hotel. One fragrance remained on my skin long after the presentation, and I found myself returning to smell it again and again. It was Riviera Californienne.

Esxence is always an important stage for launches and previews, and this year brought a considerable number of new compositions.

Jeroboam presented Eliksiro. It is bold, intense, and particularly suited to an evening or a special occasion. The fragrance is built around rose, oud, woods, leather, saffron, and raspberry, with a touch of sweet creaminess. It feels like the kind of fragrance that gives you an immediate sense of confidence.

I always enjoy returning to Les Indémodables, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The house presented Café Arabesque, created by Antoine Lie. My first impression was of a complex, spicy, resinous coffee fragrance with a creamy vanilla heart. It felt rich and was definitely one I would love to revisit properly, as it evolved so noticeably on my skin.

Another must-visit booth for me is Rubini, with its distinctive and unconventional fragrances. The independent Italian perfume house was founded by Andrea Bissoli Rubini, who presented its new release, L’Eau Très Mer. The fragrance imagines Commandant Cousteau returning to his boat after an underwater exploration, with his wetsuit still wet, salt on his skin, and the smoke of his pipe lingering in the air. It is aquatic at its core, but it is far from a typical marine fragrance. It feels very Rubini, unusual and atmospheric.

Jijide presented a lab sample of its upcoming release, Talea, which is scheduled for September 2026. The fragrance is built around chrysanthemum, a flower rarely explored in perfumery, which made the preview especially intriguing. Talea opens a new chapter for the brand and will be part of its upcoming Conversations collection.

State of Mind presented two fragrances from an upcoming collection inspired by Art Deco, the roots of the avant-garde, and the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. The collection is currently expected to be released in June 2027. Flapper’s Freedom is a chypre-aldehydic fragrance inspired by the fashionable women of the 1920s who embraced new forms of independence and a bold, carefree way of life. The composition seeks to express the freedom and changing feminine identity embodied by the flapper movement.

Sheik’s Delight, meanwhile, is a spicy tobacco and leather perfume. The “sheiks” were stylish young men associated with the Jazz Age, and the fragrance approaches their dandyism with a subtle sense of irony.

State of Mind also presented a limited edition of Secret of Success in elaborate Art Deco packaging. The Chrysler Building is embossed on both the bottle and the box, representing the ambition of a new age and the audacity to rise beyond what is expected.

The 1920s also remain central to the identity of the German house Mystikum, known for reviving the atmosphere of glamorous historical fragrances. Its latest release, Secret Fig Affair, explores fig through a darker and more mysterious perspective.

Nobile 1942 presented its new release, Sine Gloria, created by perfumer Kevin Mathys. The fragrance is dedicated to the anti-hero, someone imperfect and contradictory who does not seek fame or approval but remains true to themselves. It opens in a bold and quite provocative way, with hashish, petrol, cognac, rum, and ayahuasca. It is dark and full of contrasts, resinous, smoky, and boozy, with a touch of sweetness.

One olfactory direction was especially noticeable across the exhibition: milk. Numerous houses presented milky, creamy, or lactonic compositions, confirming that the appetite for them has not disappeared.

One of the most memorable examples came from The House of Oud (THoO), which introduced Amore in a charming presentation. To me, it smelled remarkably like mint ice cream resting on sandalwood.

Ella K presented its new release, Myrrh K, created by the house’s founder and perfumer, Sonia Constant, and inspired by her travels in Oman. It is a warm and vibrant floral gourmand interpretation of myrrh, with a beautiful combination of florals, Omani halwa, honeyed dates, toasted sesame, and roasted almonds on a woody base.

Versatile Paris also brought something new. We know the brand for its great gourmand compositions and adorable roll-on bottles, and at Esxence it presented its bestsellers in a new spray format. The new bottles are just as cute as the originals, still playful, still unmistakably Versatile, but now offering a different way to enjoy the fragrances.

My third day ended memorably with Anomalia Paris and its founder, Elena Spirina, who introduced us to what was new at the house. Anomalia will now also offer a travel format as unique as its flacons. The format, called Cigar, can carry either a single travel fragrance or several scents together, making it easy to experiment with layering.

The brand also presented Club 70, an exclusive collaboration with the Italian perfume boutique Campomarzio70. The name connects Club 55 in the South of France with the “70” of Campomarzio70, bringing together French and Italian references. The fragrance combines citrus notes with softly sweet, powdery florals, while its concept brings together Italian glamour and French savoir-faire. 

It was a fitting conclusion to a day in which the personal exchange around perfume mattered just as much as the compositions themselves.

Of course, there were many more new launches and houses to discover, ingredients to analyze, and trends to observe. This year brought the growing visibility of Asian perfume houses, a continuing appetite for milky accords, clean and minimalist compositions, numerous interpretations of fig, and new approaches to fragrance formats and layering.

But what stays with me most goes beyond the perfumes themselves. It is the energy exchanged with the people behind them, the stories that give each creation a deeper meaning, and the conversations with fellow perfume lovers.