Esxence 2026, Part III: Through the Five Senses

Written by Sima Keijzers-Puodziute

When I returned from Esxence in Milan, people naturally asked me the same question: "What were your favorite perfumes?" The truth is that after four days surrounded by more than 400 brands, thousands of fragrance lovers, and countless scent strips, it's almost impossible to answer. Esxence is much more than a perfume fair. This year's theme, Sensing the World, encouraged visitors to experience perfumery beyond smell alone.

Sima Keijzers-Puodziute / Images from personal archive

Looking back, my memories of Esxence are not just olfactory. They are visual, physical, and even culinary. So instead of sharing a list of favorite perfumes, I'd like to take you on a different journey: Esxence through the five senses.

What I Saw

The first thing that struck me was the creativity of the exhibition spaces. Some booths felt like small art galleries. Others transported visitors into entirely different worlds through colors, textures, and carefully curated objects.

Here are a few booths that stayed in my memory:

Créateur Olfactif had one of the most sophisticated and theatrical presentations. When I approached the stand, I received a ‘Private Screening Pass’ — a beautiful little detail that immediately made the experience feel special. A brand representative guided me through the fragrances, which were displayed almost like a curated exhibition. After the smelling session, the pass could be used to participate in a small game where visitors had a chance to win a perfume sample. And yes… I won!

For me, Pills Parfums had one of the most unexpected and playful booths. The colorful design had a nostalgic, almost old-school feeling, but at the same time felt perfectly adapted to a younger Gen Z audience. It was fun, bold, and impossible to ignore.

Esxence itself also created several photo moments around the fair, and my favorite one was a beautiful bathtub installation surrounded by flowers. It was playful, slightly dreamy, and of course impossible not to have a picture in it!

Another stand that caught my eye was Fascent, with a beautiful laboratory-inspired design. I did not have the chance to interact with the team or smell their perfumes this time, but visually it was a very memorable space.

What I Heard

One of my favorite parts of perfume events is that there is always something interesting happening around you — conversations, lectures, unexpected comments, quick chats.

I was participating in Nobile 1942 new fragrance launch party – Sine Gloria. It was launched in a cool, dark local bar with psychedelic acid fuzz music, which is totally not my style, but somehow really matched the perfume and the packaging of it: a bit dark, resinous, leathery, with some hashish/cannabis facets.

Nobile 1942 launch party

I listened to fascinating discussions during lectures, including a session by Osmothèque, where we explored archived perfumes and smelled historical creations such as Hungarian Water (~1370), Eau de Cologne (1820), Houbigant’s Fougere Royal (1882), Guerlain’s Apres L’ondee’. It was a reminder that perfume is not only about new launches and trends. It is also about preserving stories from the past.

Osmothèque session

I also had a funny moment when an Italian assistant, who helped me with headphones, started speaking Dutch to me. He said that he loves this language! In a place where so many languages mix together, these small surprises make the experience even more memorable.

And then there were very unusual situations happening around the fair. This year I was very surprised on how bold some Gen Z content creators were. They just come to the brand representative without talking much and ask for a sample or a full bottle of perfume. I will probably sounds as an old lady, but I find it too direct, and slightly rude. That said, I also have to give them credit for their confidence and determination!

What I Touched

One of my favorite things about Esxence this year was the creativity around perfume marketing.

Rebel had a very sleek booth design, but I especially loved their beautiful blotters. They were too nice to throw away — I actually brought them home and now use them as reading dividers.

Avau surprised visitors with a very unexpected giveaway: branded pasta. A perfect example of how brands are trying to create memorable experiences beyond traditional perfume samples. My son really enjoyed eating it!

Another trend I noticed was that many brands moved away from traditional brochures. Instead, they created newspaper-style publications telling their stories, sharing interviews, inspirations, and fragrance information. It felt more unique, but I feel that too many brands were using it. I took a few, but unfortunately, similar to brochures, they are thrown away after a while).

What I Tasted

Even though Esxence is a perfume fair, Milan naturally added another sensory layer to the experience.

I discovered a tradition of Sicilian trattoria: getting a boiled egg before drinking. They used to give the boiled egg to guests so that they do not get drunk too fast. We ate the egg, had a lovely food with a few drinks and surprise, surprise: reached home in a perfect shape (getting into summer storm helped us well)!

There were also other enjoyable moments: morning coffee with pistachio brioche at a local bar, tasting local fresh figs, and sometimes replacing dinner with Italian gelato. These small rituals became part of the Esxence experience as the fragrances themselves.

What I Smelled

And finally, the sense that brought us all together: smell.

After hundreds of fragrances, some scents naturally disappear from memory, while others stay with you.

A few memorable discoveries:

Hellenist – I was finally able to explore the brand and smell its creations. My favourite was À L’Ambre d’Artémis, a beautiful composition of fig, black currant, and rose. It reminded me a little of Diptyque’s L’Ombre dans l’Eau, but with a softer character and, in my opinion, a more balanced composition.

Perfumer’s Journey: I was really happy to finally discover their scents. I could not try all of them, but the ones that stood out to me were Ampawa and Lamphun Gold. I really appreciate that their scents are very unique, interesting, different (in a good way), but also very wearable.

It is not a secret that I am a huge fan of Racyne brand. They finally released a new scent: Sun Impression. I had a chance to try it in Paris Perfume Week, but now I finally tried the final version with a name. It is a beautiful, airy, elegant scent perfect for summer vacation. It opens citrusy and quickly settles into velvety orange blossom and then into soft musks and woods.

The award for the most unexpected and crazy scent experience definitely goes to Pills Parfums – Padel Balls. A perfume inspired by the smell of opening a can of padel balls is not something you encounter every day. I must admit I would not wear it, but the concept and idea were really cool!

There were also several brands and releases that I would love to explore further, including SW19, Voice from the Sky, Anthologie, Pesade, Jillian, and the upcoming Lolita Lempicka Niche Collection.

Another highlight was participating in the workshops by Bravanariz, which offered a more hands-on olfactory experience to understand and appreciate scent. A brand owner Ernesto Collado creates only natural perfumes and he organizes scented retreats, which sounded so appealing!

Instead of staying inside the convention hall, Ernesto took us outside and encouraged us to smell whatever was around us: the soil, crushed leaves, weeds growing between the pavement, the flowers... anything, really. At one point, we even walked through a crowd of teenagers, trying to catch their scent. It felt a little awkward, but it was also hilarious. I don't think the teenagers had any idea they had become part of a perfume workshop.

The idea that stayed with me the most was Ernesto's philosophy that there are no good or bad smells, only interesting and boring ones. After spending hours smelling hundreds of perfumes inside the convention center, this workshop felt like a proper reset.

Events like Esxence remind me why I love exploring perfume in the first place. Fragrance is never only about what's inside the bottle. It's about the people behind it, the places where we experience it, and the stories we attach to every scent.