Aether
French molecular perfumery built one captive at a time.
Nicolas Chabot launched Aether in Paris in 2016 as a molecular perfumery project with a single governing constraint: no natural materials whatsoever. Every composition in the catalogue is built exclusively from laboratory-created molecules — captives and aromatic chemicals selected for precision and character rather than nature-identical approximation. The concept borrows its language from chemistry: the house name evokes the ancient Greek designation for pure luminous air, and the fragrance naming convention assigns each composition a molecular-sounding label (Carboneum, Oxyde, Muskethanol) that positions the product as much in scientific nomenclature as in perfumery convention. The compositions themselves are made by Amélie Bourgeois and Anso Benhage, working at the Flair studio in Paris, with the cylindrical brushed-aluminium bottles designed by the Dinand grandfather-grandson duo. Chabot also directs Le Galion, the revived French vintage house, and Headspace — a markedly different project in temperament — making Aether the most forward-looking of his three creative platforms.
Releases
DNA over time
Each column is an era. Each colored band shows that family’s share of accord weight across every perfume the house released in that window. Bigger band = the house leaned harder on that family.
