Affinessence is a French perfume house founded in 2015 by Sophie Bruneau, who takes an unconventional approach to classic perfume construction. With over twenty-five years of experience in olfactory analysis and nurtured by an artistic background encompassing dance, music, and sculpture, Sophie Bruneau approaches perfume as a material to be worked and molded, rather than following a pre-established schema. Her approach is based on a simple yet foundational idea: to move beyond the traditional olfactory pyramid. Where perfumery organizes its creations into three stages—top, heart, and base notes—Affinessence chooses to isolate each level to make it the very center of the perfume. The first collection, Notes de Fond (Base Notes), explores deep and persistent materials such as woods, resins, musks, and spices. Each creation revolves around two main ingredients that interact and structure the entire composition. The Notes de Cœur (Heart Notes) collection focuses on more floral, gourmand, or spicy materials, treated with the same density and longevity as typically lighter notes. Finally, the Notes de Tête (Top Notes) collection applies this approach to fresher and brighter accords, designed to maintain a real presence on the skin.
