The ‘power of three’ concept has earned a rep for good reason; time and time again, the act of bringing a trio of creative minds to the proverbial table proves to be the fast track to genius. 

Parisian maison Ex Nihilo is a recipe of three ingredients – a banker, an engineer and a marketing specialist – all united by their aspirations and perfumery passions, cementing the adage that three really is the magic number… Particularly in the world of fragrance!

The latter portion of the triptych, Benoît Verdier, sat down with Because Magazine to talk the brand’s new vegetal poison-inspired scent, Viper Green – and surreptitiously embarked on a journey into his earliest olfactory memories.

‘Ex Nihilo’ means ‘out of nothing’ in Latin. Is the choice of that name intentionally symbolic? 
Very much so. The name ‘Ex Nihilo’ is a statement of the brand, and it has been since day one. Nobody was expecting us back when we created the house; we came out of nowhere, and we were born out of nothing! It’s really a tale of entrepreneurialism… We quit our jobs, meaning we had no salary for a year. We embodied a ‘sleep is for the weak’ mentality.

Is that collective philosophy where the strength of the brand originated? Or, is there something to be said for each individual?
We all brought a different skill set and specialist knowledge to the table, which collectively put us in a strong position to drive the business forward.

What is it about fragrance that unites you all?
Scent is the most poignant sense; scientific studies have confirmed that a smell can instantly transport a person back to a specific place and time. In just a few seconds, a whiff of aftershave might bring memories flooding back of your ex-lover from over a decade ago.

If you had to describe the overarching smells of your life then, what would they be?
My childhood was spent between the mountains and sea in Provence, filled with aromatic smells like fresh lavender, and figs, and natural notes of earthy soil. Paris, where I live now, is quite the contrast. There are the boulangeries in the suburbs with their sweet, delicious smells; then, there’s the juxtaposition of the metro and the sometimes-rotten smells of the city.

Join Ex Nihilo on a journey into the world of scent. Shop Viper Green and more in the collection, here: