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 happened very naturally. When we launched Fascent in 2023, being as conscious and responsible as possible wasn’t a trend for us, it was simply common sense.
As consumers ourselves, we wanted to create the kind of brand we would love to buy from: transparent, modern, creative and aligned with our values. That’s why sustainability, cleaner formulations and transparency became part of Fascent’s foundations 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 changing fragrances depending on our mood, the season, where we’re going or simply how we want to feel that day.
The problem is that building a true fragrance wardrobe can quickly become very expensive, especially in niche perfumery. We felt there was room for a brand that offered the creativity and quality of niche fragrances, but in a more accessible and fl
After nearly eight years spent in the beauty and fragrance industry, this idea gradually took shape and ultimately became the foundation of Fascent’s DNA: creating perfumes that people can collect, combine and wear according to their mood, rather than committing to a single signature scent for years.
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 people have just one personality, so why should they have only one fragrance? We all have multiple facets depending on our mood, our environment, 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. Other days you want confidence, comfort, sensuality or energy. Fragrance can become a powerful tool that accompanies those moments.
We like to say that our perfumes are not just scents, they’re 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 build an olfactive style the same way they build a fashion style. You can create something that feels uniquely yours rather than wearing exactly the same fragrance as everyone else.
We love the playful aspect of it. Perfumery has often been presented as something very serious, almost untouchable. 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, a visual, a food experience or simply a feeling we want to translate into scent.
What’s interesting is that when we find the right idea, it often feels obvious almost immediately. There’s a moment where we both look at each other and think: “Yes, this is a Fascent concepts.”
Then comes the long part. Developing the scent, refining the concept, adjusting every detail, finding the right name, the right visuals, the right emotional territory. That process can honestly go on forever.
At some point, you need to stop perfecting and trust your instinct. Learning when to listen to your gut feeling is probably one of the most important parts 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 fragrance can actively influence how you feel.
There’s growing research around aromachology and the emotional impact of scent, but even without scientific studies, we’ve all experienced it. A scent can comfort us, energize us, calm us down or instantly transport us to a memory.
When we create a fragrance, we don’t start by thinking about trends or categories. We start with an emotion, a state of mind or a feeling we want to create.
Every Fascent fragrance is designed around an emotional intention. We want our perfumes to do something for the wearer, not simply 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 beginning, we wanted sustainability and design to coexist.
We didn’t want to create sustainable products that felt compromised aesthetically. We wanted beautiful, desirable objects that people would genuinely want to keep and reuse.
That’s why we’re particularly proud of our refillable ampoule system. It feels both retro and innovative at the same time, which perfectly reflects our vision.
On the formulation side, we also established a strict charter 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 preserving the creative freedom needed to make exceptional 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 started with a conversation about summer and nostalgia.
We wanted to create a fruity fragrance, but with a completely unexpected twist. During development, an incredible popcorn accord emerged, and everything suddenly clicked into place.
The fragrance became a celebration of simple pleasures: funfairs, amusement parks, warm summer evenings, open-air adventures, first crushes and carefree moments.
It’s playful, nostalgic and a little bit irreverent, which is 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 precisely what attracted us to it. Popcorn is surprisingly complex. It’s sweet, salty, buttery, roasted, comforting and addictive all at once. It felt like the perfect ingredient to express the neo-gourmand territory we wanted to explore.
The challenge was finding the right balance. We didn’t want a fragrance that smelled literally like popcorn. We wanted the sensation and emotion of popcorn translated into a contemporary fragrance with a lot of facets to experience: 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 textured all at once. The seaweed essence brings a beautiful marine dimension, 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 material that continues to fascinate us is orris.
It’s one of the most precious and complex ingredients in perfumery. We love the contrast it offers: it can feel elegant and sophisticated, yet also powdery, mysterious and almost unsettling.
We particularly enjoyed working with iris in Red Flag, where we explored a darker, more underground interpretation of the material thanks to a crazy beetroot accord. Creating that earthy, rebellious iris accord 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 love to see more people realize that they don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy exceptional perfumery.
For too long, quality has often been associated with increasingly high prices. Of course, craftsmanship has value, but we believe there is room for beautifully made, original and emotional fragrances that remain accessible.
If we could change one thing, it would be making great perfumery feel 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?
There are several exciting things coming. One project we’re particularly excited about is the launch of our new 10ml format, the perfect fragrance companion to take everywhere with you.
We’re also exploring new ways to make fragrance even more personal, textured and easy to integrate into everyday life.
And perhaps most excitingly, we’ve just started developing a new fragrance with an incredible perfumer we’ve never worked with before. It’s taking us into an olfactive territory we’ve never explored as a brand.
That’s all we can say for now … but stay tuned.
Dear Fanny, dear Edwina, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.
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