Etat Libre d’Orange was founded in 2006 in an odd corner of the lively artisanal quarters of Paris – Le Marais, by the rebellious Etienne de Swardt. With a background in the beauty industry, Etienne has also experienced the cynical shadow that falls behind it. His perfume house is a statement and a soft apology. In his own words: “Le parfum est mort, vive le parfum!” (Perfume is dead! Long live perfume!).

With these words as their motto, Etat Libre d’Orange has quickly gained a reputation for being rebellious with daring unique scent compositions and controversial names. At Sniph, you can find some of the brand’s previosu best sellers such as Hermann a Mes Cotes Me Paraissait Une Ombre and She Was An Anomaly, plus the new favourite – Frustration EdP.

Etienne shares how he thought of the astounding name of his latest launch, through a revelation that came to him while walking along the streets of Barcelona.

During a summer a few years ago, while walking on the Ramblas in Barcelona, I listened to a song by Rare Bird, an English band of progressive rock from the 70s. The song was called Sympathy, and the chorus was 

“And sympathy is what you need my friend, and sympathy is what you need my friend cause there’s not enough love to go ‘round, No, there’s not enough love to go ‘round…”

And there, suddenly, with the richness of a whole psychoanalytical past (according to Lacan), this same past which sometimes foists my strength on others or sometimes my great weakness on myself, there emerged from the refrain a word stronger than sympathy. It planted its black flag of melancholy in the heart of my mind, and issued forth a word more correct, more vast, more true, more sincere, more useful since forged in the experience of life: Frustration.  And then to sing again in my head the substituted refrain 

“…And frustration is what you need my friend, and frustration is what you need my friend”

A rebellious scent from a rebellious perfume house. Frustration EdP is a fireplace of cumin, cinnamon and chestnut to awaken your inner child and let the fiery fingers lick your skin with sparks of vanilla and tickling rum. Or as Etienne describes it:

“So take a vanilla bean, a garden rose with swollen red petals, some old rum exploding with amber woods, a bourbon vetiver, bring each of these materials to your senses. Frustration.”