Annayake
Where the best of East meets West.
Annayake was created in 1988 by the Japanese cosmetics group Pola as a separate brand intended for the European market, and the name was taken from a Japanese expression connected to the idea of living in the present moment. Skincare came first; the perfume line followed at the turn of the millennium. The first fragrances, Annayake Pour Elle and Annayake Pour Lui, launched in 2000 under the Italian-French Giraudi family, who acquired the brand from Pola. The compositions draw on Japanese cultural references — bamboo, cherry blossom, hinoki, yuzu — interpreted through French perfumery techniques rather than reproduced in a literal Japanese style. The house operates from Paris and develops its perfumes with French noses, distributing through European department stores and select Asian markets. Pricing sits at the upper accessible end, alongside other small Japanese-influenced brands like Issey Miyake and Kenzo.
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.
