Niche perfume is a term that appears almost everywhere today – on bottles, in advertisements, and in department stores' perfume sections. But what does it actually mean? And how do you find the unusual, unexpected scents if you don't already know the names of the brands? Here we clarify the term, explain how we think when choosing scents for FABLAB in Södermalm, and show you a few ways in for those looking for unique perfumes without having a list of brands to start from.

What niche meant in the beginning

In the beginning, niche perfume was the antithesis of the big perfume industry. While the scents of the big houses were often developed to appeal to as many people as possible and launched with major campaigns, the niche houses were small and independent. Behind them was often a perfumer or a founder with a clear vision, and the scent itself was allowed to be the main thing – not the face in the advertisement. Niche was about daring: unusual raw materials, odd combinations, and scents that told a story rather than just smelling good. It was perfume as a creative expression in its own right, made for a smaller audience seeking something personal.

How the word is used today

Today, the word has shifted. Many large fashion and beauty houses have their own exclusive lines marketed as niche, with higher prices, minimalist bottles, and stories about rare ingredients. Some of them are truly beautiful perfumes. But they are not niche in the original sense: they come from the same large structures, are sold through the same channels, and are often developed with the same requirement to appeal to as many people as possible. The word has become a price bracket and a style rather than a description of who is behind the scent. Therefore, it can be useful to distinguish between luxury perfume and what we usually call independent niche perfume.

How you recognize independent niche perfume

There is no official stamp, but a few things usually say a lot. Start by asking who is behind it: a small house where the founder or perfumer is visible and represents the expression, or a brand that is part of a larger corporation? Then look at the scent notes. Independent houses often dare to use notes that a broad launch would avoid – asphalt, gunpowder, burnt paper, dough, popcorn, river clay, or sea salt – and build entire scents around a mood, a memory, or a place rather than around a trend.

Often, the scents are made in smaller batches and sold in a few selected stores, which means you rarely come across them in the department store. And perhaps most importantly: an independent niche perfume does not need to please everyone. It should be something. If your first reaction is “what is this?” rather than “how good,” you may very well have found the right one.

How we choose scents for FABLAB

FABLAB is an independent perfumery and Sweden's only one that exclusively sells niche perfume – no designer scents and no mass-market brands. We choose brands subjectively, based on what we ourselves find interesting. The principle is simple to say but requires discipline: we look for as distinctive scent profiles as possible. If a brand primarily makes scents in categories that we already have well covered, we often say no, even when the scents are good. What we are looking for is the unusual and that which stands out – scents that take their own place in the scent landscape and that you do not mistake for anything else.

The result is a selection where the shelves should feel like a collection of different voices rather than variants of the same thing. Several of the brands are sold in Sweden only through us, for example Flâner, Brodēon, Maison de L'Asie, Spiritica, Tulpa Club, Sasva, Gabar and Discothèque. But you do not need to know a single one of those names to find something you like.

How you find the right one without knowing the brands

Start with a feeling, a memory, or a place instead of a name. Do you want a perfume that smells like rain on warm asphalt? Smoke from a campfire? Freshly baked bread, sea salt on the skin, or a pine forest with moss? It is often a better way to find a scent you love than to chase a brand. To make it easier, we have gathered some of the clearest moods in the selection: perfumes that smell like rain, perfumes that smell like smoke and incense, perfumes that smell like freshly baked bread and popcorn, perfumes that smell like the sea and salty skin and perfumes that smell like forest and pine needles.

Also read the scent notes as a map rather than an ingredients list. The top note is what you smell first, the heart note is what takes over after a while, and the base note is what stays on the skin the longest. If you find a scent you like, notice which notes recur – perhaps you are drawn to vetiver, incense, or salt without having thought about it. Then you have a language to continue searching with, even without brand names.

Try before you decide

A perfume changes on the skin and over time, and what feels exciting in the first second can become something completely different after an hour. Therefore, we think you should try it. In the store, you smell the scents and test them directly, and take home what you have actually felt. If you shop online, almost all perfumes are available as 2 ml samples for 150 SEK and as 10 ml travel sizes, which we fill when you order. This gives you the opportunity to wear a scent for a few days, in different weather and contexts, before you choose a full bottle.

If you want in-depth help, we offer scent consultations in the store. During 60 minutes, we go through together what you like, what you do not want to smell, and what memories and moods you are drawn to, and find scents that suit you specifically. The scent consultation costs 1,250 SEK and is booked via hello@fab-lab.nu. Are you coming together? Read about scent testing for groups.

Welcome to Bondegatan 7

The best way to understand niche perfume is still to smell it. Come by the store at Bondegatan 7 in Södermalm, tell us what you like – or what you absolutely do not want to smell – and we will help you find something you did not know you were looking for.