Parle Moi de Parfum

Parle Moi de Parfum is a French niche perfume house based in Paris and Grasse. It was founded by Benjamin Almairac together with his brother Romain and their father, the perfumer Michel Almairac [9]. The house is built around a single idea: to show fragrance being made in public. Its Paris boutiques double as working laboratories, open to the street, where a perfumer composes scents in view of passers-by.

Most sources date the launch to 2016, when the first shop opened on Rue de Sévigné in Le Marais with a debut of eight eaux de parfum [9]. The brand remains active, with a full webshop, two operating Paris boutiques, and distribution through international niche retailers.

According to the company, the project began with Benjamin Almairac, who grew up surrounded by his father's work. "I was steeped in perfume when I was a boy," he says of the concept's origin. Michel Almairac had long wanted a house of his own: he describes it as "an old dream," recalling that when his son proposed the idea, "I told him: 'That's super! Because it's my dream'" [10].

Michel Almairac was born in Grasse, the traditional centre of French perfumery. He trained at the Roure Perfumery School and later joined the fragrance company Robertet, where he also taught [8]. Alongside his own house he has composed fragrances for larger fashion labels including Chloé, Dior and Bottega Veneta [10].

The brand launched on 10 September 2016 with the opening of its Le Marais boutique, presenting an initial range of eight eaux de parfum [9]. The catalogue has since grown; the current collection lists eighteen eaux de parfum, produced in France.

There is some ambiguity over the founding date. Independent retailers and reference sources place the launch in 2016 [9], and the operating company's business registration (SIRET 820 363 927) is consistent with a registration around that year [5]. The brand's own legal notice, however, carries a site copyright of ©2020 [5] — a website date rather than a stated year of founding. This encyclopedia follows the 2016 launch date supported by the external sources.

The house presents perfume-making as something to be watched rather than hidden. Each of its two Paris locations contains a laboratory visible from the pavement, fitted with a workbench, scales, beakers and more than 200 raw materials arranged on translucent shelves. The company describes this openness as a matter of confidence: "no more secrets; it's all on show."

A distinctive convention runs through the range: the number attached to each perfume's name records how many trials it took to finalise the formula [9]. Michel Almairac frames his method as deliberately restrained, saying he has "always sought to ensure that each ingredient I use has a purpose." The brand positions its scents as stories tied to their ingredients rather than mass-market products, and states that its perfumes are made and packaged in France.

The collection spans woods, musks, florals and citrus, with hero notes including musk, sandalwood, rose, oud and orange blossom. A representative scent, Milky Musk / 39, is described by the house as "rare wood in a pool of musk," where "musk and sandalwood hug the skin." Other named creations include Une Tonne de Roses / 8, built on rose essence, and Totally White / 126, a reconstruction of syringa (lilac) that the perfumer says took more than ten years to develop [10]. The line also features Papyrus Oud / 71 and Chypre Mojo / 45.

Bottles are sold in 50 ml and 100 ml sizes, alongside discovery sample sets and a line of scented candles, the latter listed as sold out. The perfumes are sold directly through the brand's boutiques and website and stocked by niche fragrance retailers abroad, including Luckyscent in the United States [9].

Parle Moi de Parfum is an active, family-run business. Its website operates as a full webshop with worldwide shipping and its current perfume line in stock, and both Paris boutiques remain open with active contact numbers. The company reports no parent owner and continues to operate independently.