Discover Olibanum – Simple, Conscious, Committed
Published January 5, 2024
Olibanum is a French perfume house founded in 2021 by Gérald Ghislain, the nose behind Histoires de Parfums. Storytelling is at the center of Histories de Parfums. In the same way, raw materials are the heart of Olibanum. The house strips away everything but the most fundamental – the heart – of their scents. The result? Simple, committed, and conscious fragrances made to be combined. Because Olibanum is a house centered around the playful act of layering: to combine scents in different ways to explore and create your own uniquely customized scent experiences.
The perfume house gets its name from the raw material Olibanum. Gérald Ghislain describes rediscovering the note during a trip to Salalah, Oman: “It was love at first – or maybe second – sight,” he laughs, adding, “I understood clearly why that mineral resin was used to communicate with gods in the history of mankind. I became instantaneously fascinated by its delicacy, brightness, and sumptuousness: mineral, slightly lemony, woody, mysteriously balmy. I immediately knew it would be the touchstone of a new great adventure of mine!”.
Traveling becomes a way for Gérald to find – and share – inspiration. He describes the trips as fuel for his creativity, which shines through in the scents he creates. If he were to describe himself as a scent, he says it would be Irreverent, Outrecuidant, and Prolixe from Histoires de Parfums En Aparté-collection. They are “the ones that best describe my complex personality. As for choosing among the 18 fragrances from the Olibanum collection, one would have to layer them all to begin deciphering an aspect of my personality. Long live layering! But I must confess that Olibanum is undoubtedly my iconic raw material.”
The most underrated fragrance note, according to Gérald, comes easily to him: the violet. The Olibanum founder was born in Toulouse – often called the city of Violets. “I inevitably think of the violet, which is a “silent” flower. On the other hand, I will always be inexhaustible when it comes down to discussing its leaves!”
When asked if he has a favorite among his creations, the answer is: “I love all my perfumes; they are like my babies! It’s impossible for me to favor one over the others […] Regardless of what happens, my “babies” make me happy every day, everywhere in the world.” And we are just as happy to introduce this house to you!
Discover the scents of Olibanum here:
