Ex Nihilo

House Summary

Ex Nihilo was founded in Paris in 2013 by three friends from very different backgrounds — Sylvie Loday, who had worked in astronautics engineering before moving into fragrance, and longtime friends Olivier Royère and Benoît Verdier, who quit their jobs together to start the house. The name, Latin for created from nothing, doubles as origin story and design philosophy, drawing on a French avant-garde sensibility. In practice that translates into a deliberately practical middle ground within niche perfumery — niche-tier materials tuned toward genuine everyday wearability rather than pure conceptual experimentation. A gateway house for people moving from designer into niche perfumery.