At Contes de Parfums, a renowned perfumer chooses a city that shaped their life and tells its story in fragrance, with complete freedom. From Sevilla to Tokyo, from Marrakesh to Reykjavik, the 13 creations in the Cities collection are waiting to be smelled at Sayhar, rue de Marignan, Paris 8th, or explored online.
The Contes de Parfums house
Contes de Parfums is a Spanish house founded in 2021 on a simple idea: giving perfumers back their names. In mainstream perfumery, noses usually work anonymously, to a brief. Here, the house hands them a blank page and asks for just one thing: to tell a personal memory. For its first collection, Cities, each perfumer chose a city where they lived through a particular moment and turned it into a fragrance, free of constraints, before signing their work. Anne Flipo tells the story of Tokyo and Dubai, Carlos Benaïm of Positano, Jean-Christophe Hérault of Sevilla, Julien Rasquinet of Salalah and Ramón Monegal of Sydney. The result reads like a travel diary in scent written by several hands, where every page has its own voice. A collection for anyone who likes to know who is behind a fragrance, and why it exists.
Contes de Parfums fragrances available at Sayhar
Agra: Caroline Dumur’s memory of India, a spicy burn that softens into heady white petals.
Bilbao: Ane Ayo’s Basque city, a herbal brightness mixed with a roasted grain, rugged and addictive.
Dubai: by Anne Flipo, a candied fruit tinged with red spice over a gourmand heart that recalls Arabic sweets.
Hydra: Ilias Ermenidis’s Greek island, a cool, green aquatic shiver from which a white flower opens.
Marrakesh: signed by Nelly Hachem-Ruiz, a gust of dry spices over a powdery, earthy, almost animalic heart.
Positano: Carlos Benaïm’s Amalfi Coast, a sunny zest crossed by a salty breeze and dry herbs.
Reykjavik: Delphine Lebeau’s Iceland, a peppery breath over a green, aromatic and austere heart.
Salalah: southern Oman by Julien Rasquinet, a dark, liqueur-like fruit over a heart of oud and saffron.
Salvador da Bahia: Alexandra Carlin’s Brazil, a spicy opening that cocoa makes deep and warm.
Sevilla: Jean-Christophe Hérault’s Andalusia in spring, clear citrus, then jasmine and orange blossom.
Shanghai: by Nicolas Beaulieu, an almost lacquered bite of fruit over a silky, rosy floral heart.
Sydney: clear waters as seen by Ramón Monegal, a sun-soaked salty burst over a floral, spicy heart.
Tokyo: Anne Flipo’s hanami, cherry blossom and rose steeping into warm tea.
Which Contes de Parfums fragrance should you choose?
For freshness and the sea: Hydra, Positano, Reykjavik or Sydney. For florals: Agra, Sevilla, Shanghai or Tokyo. For the Orient and dark fruit: Salalah or Dubai. For spices and woods: Bilbao, Marrakesh or Salvador da Bahia. Every Contes de Parfums creation is unisex and comes in 100 ml.
Where can I buy Contes de Parfums perfumes in Paris?
All thirteen cities are waiting for you in our Sayhar boutique, 27 rue de Marignan, Paris 8th, a stone’s throw from the Champs-Élysées, for a trip around the world in a few spritzes. Not sure which city to start with? The Scent Matchmaker will point you to the destination made for you.