“Ten years of freedom,” Loday says of her independent brand, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, “trying to be this Tesla of the world of beauty.”

Moreover, the brand’s futuristic flagship looks more like a cutting-edge scientific laboratory and less like a traditional perfume store. The company has paved the way for creative collaborations and inventive machinery in the industry – way ahead of the curve when it came to making groundbreaking innovations in the increasingly blurry grey zone between beauty and tech.

The cornerstone of the brand’s identity – a research-driven personalisation programme that allows customers to customise their own scents in-store – barely scratches the surface when it comes to why the house remains one of the hottest perfumeries on the market amid a field of much larger players.

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The Paris-based fragrance house also released Blue Talisman – a scent specially created to celebrate its 10th anniversary – made in collaboration with self-made perfumer Jordi Fernández of Spain.

Loday tells us how the brand built its devoted cult following around the globe and why Hong Kong is its next frontier.

Tell us about the story behind Ex Nihilo’s name. How does it exemplify the brand’s identity to this day?

One day we took everybody by surprise opening our first store. This resonates well with our ethos, as Ex Nihilo means “created from scratch” in Latin – because we started it all from a blank page. It was really an entrepreneur adventure since day zero!

Ex Nihilo is all about the 360-degree, multisensory experience – long before major luxury brands, particularly fragrance houses, caught on to this trend. How did that start?

Surprisingly, not being perfumers helped us a lot to think out of the box and bring fresh and disruptive ideas about the fragrance experience as a whole 360-degree journey. The experience is very holistic; it starts in-store around the discovery of materials and the Osmologue (Ex Nihilo’s customisation device).

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We found this classic image of the omnipotent creative director quite outdated because you are more creative and efficient when you work with people who complete your own skills. Collaboration is in our DNA, and we draw our inspiration from many fields in the artistic community, such as fashion, architecture, industrial design and photography.

How does Ex Nihilo epitomise this growing relationship between beauty and tech?

I love to [call us] the “Tesla” of fragrances because disruption is at the heart of our brand DNA. The Osmologue, the hi-tech robot we have specifically developed, is the link between traditional craftsmanship and hi-tech. It will weigh, blend and create your own composition only in a few minutes in front of you, so you will be able to leave with your own scent without waiting weeks to get the result.

When we started Ex Nihilo, before we opened our first store, we worked one full year on the brand concept alone and how we were going to design the store experience. We are also always investigating and imagining what could be the future of personalisation. This idea of never-ending innovation is something unique to the brand. We want to push the limits and provide the best of the two worlds.

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Also long before major brands made collaborations commonplace, Ex Nihilo dedicated itself to practising perfumery as an art, including collaborating with artists. How do you identify the emerging talents you work with to create new scents?

How does Hong Kong’s multicultural landscape, with its hustle and bustle, reflect Ex Nihilo’s own ambitions and brand identity?

How has your own multicultural background been translated into specific scents, designs and/or values that you’ve brought to the brand? What ideas, sensibilities and other unique characteristics have your co-founders brought to the table?

My diverse olfactory memories, from the US where I was born, to France where I live now, have been instrumental in shaping Ex Nihilo’s essence. This rich tapestry of experiences and travels has translated into scents like Fleur Narcotique or Lust in Paradise, store designs that celebrate a new French touch and business values rooted in inclusivity, innovation and a commitment to global inspiration. Our fragrances are a fusion of the world’s best aromas selected trough a Parisian taste: from the most beautiful naturals to the most advanced biotech ingredient.

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In essence, the combination of my engineer background, Olivier’s international perspective and Benoît’s creativity and communication skills has allowed Ex Nihilo to stand out in the world of perfumery, offering fragrances that are not only masterfully crafted but also resonate with a global and diverse clientele. It’s a collective work to elevate our brand to be not just about fragrances, but also about the experiences and emotions they evoke!

The new boutique is reminiscent of Hong Kong’s neon lights and electric skyline, contrasted with expansive harbour views and beautiful nature. Why do you think having each boutique’s design identity reflect its surroundings, providing a unique retail experience, is so important in the beauty industry?

Each Ex Nihilo store is a unique destination place by essence, with a focus on comfort, experience and exclusivity. The store conveys the “French touch” with scenography like an art gallery and has the ambition to be a cultural hub for all the fragrance lovers. The design reflects the Ex Nihilo codes by respecting the characteristics of our home in Paris, at 352 Rue Saint-Honoré, originally designed by French star designer Christophe Pillet and today by our in-house team.

The creative challenge for Hong Kong was to integrate the codes of 352 Saint-Honoré into the city’s aesthetics: keeping the luxury and using local architectural details to sublimate its identity. The usage of noble materials such as white marble, wood and brass, brings texture and adorns the space. Pantone 293 Blue, the signature colour of Ex Nihilo, cohabits perfectly with the most refined details. It is all about providing the greatest sensorial discovery, playing with Calacatta marble and blue frosted resin reflecting light. The mirror ceiling is an homage to the Parisian boutique, inspired by the waters surrounding Hong Kong Island with futuristic maritime aesthetics!

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What made Hong Kong the right next step for Ex Nihilo’s expansion and why was this the right time?

Hong Kong presented itself as the perfect next step for Ex Nihilo’s expansion due to its dynamic and sophisticated fragrance market. The city’s discerning clientele appreciates luxury and has a strong affinity for exclusive scents. Furthermore, Hong Kong serves as a gateway to the Asian market, which has shown immense potential for growth. We’re excited to bring our brand to this vibrant city at just the right moment to meet this growing demand!