Ever since my first post about Fascent, this young French brand has continued to surprise me. Whether it’s Sel à Vie, Milky No Way, Crème Brûlante, Red Flag, or, most recently, Corn Star —each creation embodies its own unique concept and demonstrates just how versatile, modern, and accessible niche perfumery can be.
Now that I’ve gradually introduced you to the fragrances, today I’d like to shift the focus away from the scents and onto the people behind them. The two founders, Fanny Descamps and Edwina Réthoré, took the time to answer my questions for the Fragrance Diary. In our interview, they talk about how Fascent came to be, why they believe you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one fragrance, what their active perfumes are all about, and how an idea eventually becomes a new creation. I hope you enjoy reading it!
Dear Fanny, dear Edwina, Fascent positions itself as a modern, accessible, and transparent fragrance brand. How did the idea come about to found a perfume house that deliberately challenges some of the industry’s traditional conventions?
To be honest, it just happened naturally. When we founded Fascent in 2023, acting as consciously and responsibly as possible wasn’t a trend for us. It was simply common sense.
As consumers, we wanted to create a brand that we ourselves would enjoy shopping at: transparent, modern, creative, and in line with our values. That’s why sustainability, cleaner formulas, and transparency became cornerstones of Fascent from day one.
Interestingly, this isn’t something we talk about in detail. Of course, it’s an important pillar of the brand, but we don’t view it as a marketing point. It’s simply who we are and how we believe a modern perfume house should operate.
Before you founded Fascent, you both gained experience in various areas of the beauty and fragrance industry. Was there a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to approach perfumery differently than more established brands?
We’ve always loved switching up our fragrances depending on our mood, the season, the occasion, or simply how we want to feel that day.
The problem is that building a true fragrance collection can quickly become very expensive, especially in the niche perfume market. We felt there was room for a brand that offers the creativity and quality of niche fragrances, but in a more accessible and flexible way.
After nearly eight years in the beauty and fragrance industry, this idea gradually took shape and eventually became the foundation of Fascent’s DNA: to create fragrances that you can collect, mix, and wear depending on your mood, rather than committing to a single signature scent for years on end.
Yet many people do exactly that: they wear the same perfume for years. You advocate for a much more flexible approach. Why do you think a fragrance should be used as an expression of mood, occasion, or personality?
This idea is at the heart of Fascent. We don’t believe that people have just one personality. So why should they have just one scent? We all have many facets, depending on our mood, our surroundings, the season, the people we’re with, or even the version of ourselves we want to express that day.
Some mornings, you want to feel calm and grounded. On other days, you long for self-confidence, a sense of security, sensuality, or energy. A fragrance can be a powerful companion during these moments.
We like to say that our perfumes are more than just scents. They are moods, attitudes, and little emotional companions for everyday life.
Layering is a central component of the Fascent concept. What fascinates you about combining scents, and what creative possibilities does it offer the wearer?
What fascinates us most is the freedom that this creates.
Layering allows people to develop an olfactory style, just as they develop a fashion style. You can create something that feels uniquely personal, rather than wearing the exact same fragrance as everyone else.
We love the playful aspect of it. Perfumery has often been portrayed as something very serious, almost unapproachable. Layering invites experimentation. It encourages people to trust their instincts, have fun, and become part of the creative process.
Ultimately, it’s all about self-fulfillment and individuality.
The collection now includes eight fragrances with very different characters. How do you develop new fragrance concepts, and what makes an idea unmistakably “Fascent”?
Ideas can come from absolutely anywhere: a memory, a place, a conversation, a cultural trend, an image, a culinary experience, or simply a feeling that we want to capture in a fragrance.
The interesting thing is: When we find the right idea, it often feels completely natural almost immediately. There’s that moment when we look at each other and think, “Yes, that’s a Fascent concept.”
Then comes the tedious part: developing the scent, refining the concept, tweaking every detail, and finding the right name, the right images, and the right emotional appeal. To be honest, this process can take forever.
At some point, you have to stop striving for perfection and trust your instincts. Learning when to listen to your gut is probably one of the most important aspects of our creative process.
You describe your creations as “active perfumes.” What does this term mean to you, and how do aromachology and the emotional impact of scents influence your creative process?
We call them “active perfumes” because we believe that scents can actively influence how you feel.
There is a growing body of research on aromachology and the emotional effects of scents, but even without scientific studies, we’ve all experienced this firsthand. A scent can comfort us, energize us, calm us, or instantly transport us back to a memory.
When we create a fragrance, we don’t start by thinking about trends or categories. We begin with an emotion, a state of mind, or a feeling that we want to evoke.
Every Fascent fragrance is designed with an emotional purpose in mind. We want our perfumes to have an impact on the wearer—not just to smell good.
Refillable bottles, bio-based materials, and transparent formulations are part of Fascent’s DNA. Which sustainability aspects were most important to you from the very beginning?
From the very beginning, we wanted sustainability and design to go hand in hand.
We didn’t want to create sustainable products that felt like a compromise in terms of aesthetics. We wanted beautiful, desirable objects that people would truly want to keep and reuse.
That’s why we’re especially proud of our refillable ampoule system. It has a look that’s both retro and innovative, which perfectly reflects our vision.
We have also established strict guidelines regarding our formulations from day one. We know that perfume will never be a skincare product, but we always strive to make our creations as thoughtful and responsible as possible while maintaining the creative freedom necessary to develop extraordinary fragrances.
“Corn Star” is your latest release and also one of your most playful creations. How did you come up with the idea of translating memories of fairs, amusement parks, and childhood experiences into a fragrance?
“Corn Star” came about from a conversation about summer and nostalgia.
We wanted to create a fruity fragrance, but with a completely unexpected twist. During the development process, an incredible popcorn accord emerged, and suddenly everything fell into place.
The fragrance was created as a tribute to life’s simple pleasures: fairs, amusement parks, balmy summer evenings, outdoor adventures, first crushes, and carefree moments.
It’s playful, nostalgic, and a little irreverent—exactly what we wanted.
Popcorn remains a rather unusual note in modern perfumery. What drew you to this accord, and how challenging was it to make it feel contemporary, wearable, and authentic?
That’s exactly what appealed to us. Popcorn is surprisingly complex. It’s sweet, salty, buttery, toasty, comforting, and addictive—all at once. It seemed like the perfect ingredient to express the “neo-gourmand” territory we wanted to explore.
The challenge was to find the right balance. We didn’t want a fragrance that literally smelled like popcorn. We wanted to translate the feeling and emotion of popcorn into a contemporary fragrance that offers many facets to discover: sweet pear, musky marshmallow, coconut water… That’s when the creative work really got exciting.
If you had to choose a Fascent fragrance that best reflects who you are right now—which one would it be, and why?
Without a moment’s hesitation: Sel à Vie. It’s the fragrance that perfectly embodies one of our favorite beliefs: Summer isn’t just a season. It’s a way of life.
We love how multifaceted it is. It’s salty, floral, sunny, and complex all at once. The seaweed essence gives it a wonderful maritime note, while the driftwood adds depth and warmth.
Every time we wear it, it reminds us: Life is a beach. And that’s a philosophy we’re more than happy to embrace.
Is there a particular raw material or fragrance note that has fascinated you throughout your career and continues to inspire you today?
One raw material that continues to fascinate us is iris.
It is one of the most precious and complex ingredients in perfumery. We love the contrast it offers: it can come across as elegant and sophisticated, but also powdery, mysterious, and almost unsettling.
We especially enjoyed working with iris in Red Flag, where—thanks to a chord of wild beets—we explored a darker, more underground interpretation of the ingredient. Creating this earthy, rebellious iris chord was an incredibly rewarding creative challenge.
If you could make a wish for the future of the perfume industry, what change or development would you most like to see?
We would be delighted if more people realized that they don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy exceptional perfumes.
For too long now, quality has often been associated with ever-higher prices. Of course, craftsmanship has its value, but we believe there is room for beautifully composed, original, and evocative fragrances that remain affordable.
If we could change one thing, it would be to make great perfumery less exclusive and more inclusive.
Finally, a look into the future: What are you currently working on, and what can Fascent fans look forward to in the coming months?
We have some exciting things coming up. One project we’re especially looking forward to is the launch of our new 10-ml size—the perfect fragrance companion to take with you wherever you go.
We are also exploring new ways to make fragrances even more personal, multifaceted, and easier to incorporate into everyday life.
And perhaps most exciting of all: We’ve just begun developing a new fragrance in collaboration with an incredible perfumer we’ve never worked with before. This is taking us into olfactory realms that we, as a brand, have never explored before.
We can’t reveal any more than that at the moment… but stay tuned.
Dear Fanny, dear Edwina, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.
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