If you are one of those who, when looking for a perfume, want something more original and exclusive than the typical fragrance of the moment, sign up for this address because this new shop, located near the Palau de la Música Catalana, has a selection of really exclusive perfumes.

In The Perfumery Barcelona the adjectives “commercial and popular” are not from home, one of its two founders has been working for 20 years in the sector of signature perfumery and with this shop wanted to do what most of the niche perfumeries are not really doing, to look for and sell different perfumes, original creations that are rarely found and almost never known.

The truth is that since the concept of signature perfumery has become fashionable, brands have taken advantage of the situation to take advantage of it by acquiring much more commercial facets, but when something becomes popular it can no longer be considered exclusive, it is like a fashion that is declared finished when everyone wears it.

We spoke with Thomas, the founder and one of the founding partners of this most purist “niche-boutique”, to learn more about the true essence of signature perfumery and to discover the most special creations on sale at The Perfumery Barcelona.

How was The Perfumery Barcelona born?

The Perfumery was born with the desire to offer extraordinary fragrances in a truly unique, contemporary, yet warm yet welcoming context. The display of our fragrances is totally unique and different from the conventional shopping experience.
We offer a true sensory experience at all levels where customers can establish a personal relationship with each and every one of our perfumes. The idea is not only to provide a unique and elegant decoration, but also to offer a fragrance sample with a totally innovative, aesthetically pleasing and, above all, functional olfactory system.

Who is behind The Perfumery Barcelona?

Thomas E. Dennis and Raul Falcón.

Thomas: I am from a very rural area of the United States in a town known as The Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens is located in southern New Jersey (in the center of the peninsula just between Atlantic City and Philadelphia). The town is known for its large, high-quality blueberry crops.

After getting to know Spain during my time as a student, I made the decision that as soon as I finished my degree at Rutgers College N.J. I would move to Spain and so I did. Once established in Barcelona I completed a master’s degree and then worked as an International Director in the first company in Spain that was dedicated to the importation of perfumes and cosmetics Niche. After many years of experience in the sector, I decided to leave the company and start my own niche perfumes import business, which later led me to set up The Perfumery Barcelona.

Raul: Also, as always, there is a love story behind it. I was looking forward to setting up a project with my partner and Raul also wanted to have his own business. Raul is a computer engineer and loves his work but he was also looking for something that would let him express his more creative side and with The Perfumery project he was able to do it.

Raul designed the store’s website and is in charge of all the store’s image and promotion, has an incredible organizational capacity and brings the most pragmatic part of the project.

How did this passion for perfumes come about?

The Pine Barrens has a microclimate and unique flora and fauna in the U.S. so I have always been surrounded by incredible nature. It was inevitable to become passionate about flowers and plants in general. In addition, my family owns a horticultural business and grows its own flowers and plants. I have always been surrounded by the world of the smells of pure, hard nature.

What is the big difference for you between a conventional perfume and the fragrances you can find in The Perfumery?

The Perfumery is dedicated more to originality and personalization than to marketing or advertising, we put all our effort into offering true works of art. And, unlike most other select perfumeries, The Perfumery is what I call “niche-boutique”. Over the last decade, I have observed how many niche brands have become almost as commercial as the perfume brands themselves. But of course, finding extraordinary and little-known perfumes is much more difficult. For this reason, I spend a great deal of my time searching and researching to find these unique perfumes that practically no one knows/has. More and more, I am looking for and offering a space for new and young talents who have just started and/or have only recently created perfumes. Unfortunately, this is something that, for commercial reasons, does not interest many of the conventional niche perfumeries. Finally, we also offer our own produced perfumes, an exclusive product by The Perfumery.

Any tricks to find the perfect perfume?

1. Have a lot of patience with each client. Sometimes it is difficult but it is essential.
2. Listen very carefully to the customer. It is very important to know the type of perfume a customer is looking for or thinks he is looking for.
3. Prepare/convince a client to have an open mind and not be afraid to experiment with new, rare and/or strange smells.

Is there counseling service at The Perfumery?

Yes, good service and advice is fundamental to us and we take it very seriously. For this reason there is always one of the partners in the shop.

Do you think there is a perfume for each person/personality or a perfume for each moment?
Both of us. First of all, there are people who are classic or modern perfumers. There are also those who prefer strong, medium or very subtle perfumes. Like perfumes, each person is a world with their own tastes/preferences.
Some customers identify themselves with a single perfume or scent, while others prefer to have a variety of perfumes that can be applied according to their mood or to a certain season or time of day.

The Perfumery Barcelona, a very exclusive niche perfumes shop with a very studied decoration.

The perfumes are aligned millimetrically with their corresponding glass funnels in front of each bottle. Glass funnels are not only aesthetically pleasing, they also keep each fragrance isolated from other smells. This prevents the perfumes from mixing with the atmosphere and interfering with the rest of the aromas. The neutral environment, carefully planned, was developed specifically to facilitate the choice of that special perfume that will set us apart from the rest without the interference of secondary aromas.

The items that can be found:

From 100% organic perfumes, pure perfume that comes in marvellous bohemian glass bottles, perfumes of our own production dedicated to Barcelona, perfumes made with compact and blood (synthetic of course) and even perfumes that carry 23k gold leaf. When you apply the perfume to your skin, you also apply the gold (it comes out as very fine pieces like glitter).

The most special perfume you can find in The Perfumery?

The truth is that each perfume has something special and is a VERY subjective theme. However, we must recognize that there are VERY particular perfumes. We have a perfume from the English firm Beaufort called 1805 TONNERRE.

The fragrance represents the moments within the Battle of Trafalgar between England and Spain. Its powerful chords of lime, gunpowder, blood (synthetic of course), amber, cedar, seawater and brandy combine with sea spray and a penetrating citrus note. The fragrance is uniquely bold in its composition, but ultimately refined, provocative and unique.

What is your favorite perfume or perfumer?

I have a few, but the truth is that, for day to day, my favourite is undoubtedly the first perfume we launched: The Essence of Saint Eulalia by our perfumer Daniel Josier.
The Essence of Santa Eulalia is dedicated to the ancient patron saint of Barcelona, who represents an interesting piece of the history of Barcelona/Spain. The fragrance represents the strong character of Eulalia during her spiritual/religious stance against the Roman Emperor Diocletian in Barcelona in 305. It is also a perfume designed for the type of climate we have in Barcelona – warm and often humid.

It is a strong, fresh, clean perfume, full of positive energy and at the same time warm and mysterious. Bergamot and green apple give it a very fresh and clean point. Its high ginger content gives it a very positive power/energy. Just apply the perfume and smell it, it enters the nervous system and gives you an incredible push/stop. But the perfume also has incense and vetiver in its background which then carries a warm and mysterious touch. Besides, luckily, it’s the most popular perfume in the store.

Any future projects or upcoming events in the pipeline?

Of course, of course! The Perfumery is pleased to announce that it offers courses and workshops on the various aspects of the world of perfume. Our aim is not only to be a niche-boutique perfumery that offers signature perfumes and self-made, but also to offer training on the various aspects of the world of perfume. To this end, we have set up our “workshop school” in a new space located in the same establishment. The courses will be conducted by leading national and international perfumers.

Thanks to bcncoolhunter and Daphne for this wonderful interview. You can see the original interview at bcncoolhunter.com