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Pairfum London: niche perfume, made in the UK

Pairfum London is an independent niche perfumery, founded by perfumer Huib Maat, whose fragrances are handmade in its studio in Greater London.

The twelve Pairfum London Eau de Parfum Intense bottles lined up on a black background — The Pairfum London collection of 12 fragrances. Photo: Pairfum London.

Why it began

Pairfum says it was created in response to a fall in creativity in niche perfumery, as established niche perfume houses were bought by multinational corporations. Its founder and in-house perfumer, Huib Maat, trained at the fragrance house Firmenich and has over 25 years' experience in perfumery, during which, by Pairfum's account, he has launched over 100 perfumes.

London in a bottle

Each fragrance is built around what Pairfum calls a London "micro-moment": not London as a postcard, but a scene. Spiced Coffee is The Coffee House, Scarlet Rhubarb is Shakespeare in the Park, and Spiced Rum is The English Library.

There are 12 in the collection, each an Eau de Parfum Intense, a stronger concentration than standard Eau de Parfum. In the words of Piers Johnson at Pairfum, they are "both powerful and projecting, and long lasting", and each "has a clearly defined fragrance journey, from its opening notes through its heart and base, offering a strong sensory story to share."

How they are made

Pairfum's fragrances are made with natural ingredients and are vegan and cruelty-free, and the alcohol in them is derived from renewable sugar molasses. The presentation is part of the gift: glass bottles with glass overcaps, finished with 24-carat gold print.

Two Pairfum London perfume bottles with gold smoke rising from them — Photo: Pairfum London.

A gift for someone who loves scent

If you're not sure which fragrance they'd choose, Pairfum's Perfume Experience Box is designed as a fragrance wardrobe: a way to try the collection and layer scents. The 30ml travel sizes are another good place to start, and Pairfum also makes home fragrance, for someone who'd rather scent a room than themselves.

The Pairfum London Perfume Experience Box, open, showing a row of sample vials — The Perfume Experience Box. Photo: Pairfum London.

Explore the full Pairfum London collection, or find more gift ideas chosen for one particular person.

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