Initio

Founded 2015 · Paris, France

Initio Parfums Privés builds its argument on molecules: it claims to work with ingredients of physiological effect and organises its catalogue by what it means to provoke rather than by olfactory family. Side Effect and Oud for Greatness are its two big names.

History

The house appeared in Paris in 2015, in the same corporate orbit as Parfums de Marly, with a different brand proposition: biology rather than history and lineage. Its catalogue is ordered into collections — Absolutes, Carnal Blends, Hedonist, The Magnetic Blends — with names pointing at an effect on whoever smells it. The scientific claim should be taken as marketing rather than fact, but the compositions are good and the house won a loyal following very quickly. Oud for Greatness, from 2018, is its most-discussed and best-selling name.

Iconic models

Oud for Greatness (2018)
Oud, nutmeg and lavender. The house's best seller.
Side Effect
Tobacco, vanilla and rum; among the densest gourmands in niche.
Paragon
A spiced woody; the most restrained card in the catalogue.

Worth knowing

The house's talk of molecules with physiological effects is advertising, not established science. Worth knowing: what holds Initio up is its formulas, not its claims.