Bespoke to every individual and tailor-made for any occasion in life, prestigious Parisian perfume house Maison 21G Singapore launches its breakthrough brand on the Little Red Dot, with high-tech creations and astounding quality at its core. Folks who seek distinction and personalisation, Maison 21G’s unique offerings allow you to embark on an enlightening journey of discovery through scent without compromising on authenticity.
Maison 21G Singapore has removed all manufacturing intermediaries from the traditional perfume industry, and for the first time are selling perfume concentrate direct to customers, made with the finest natural ingredients. The creativity of the individual, combined with the team’s perfume design knowledge will allow everyone to craft their own fragrance in total freedom. A revolutionary concept that democratises highest quality tailor-made perfumery. Everything is freshly made by you, for you!
Maison 21G Singapore – What’s In The Name?
The number 21 sits at the heart of their brand. Based on the MacDougall study published by the NY Times that equated the weight of the human soul to be exactly 21 grams, Maison 21G promises to guide customers in creating a unique fragrance that speaks to every corner of their soul.
Armed with a wealth of knowledge from her 20 years in perfumery, working with various powerhouses such as Firmenich and IFF, Ms. Johanna Monange, Founder and CEO of Maison 21G aims to revolutionise bespoke scents by welcoming everyone and anyone into her maison, appropriately located in the heart of Singapore’s multicultural neighbourhood on Duxton Road. Although Monange hails from a corporate background, her approach to this craft is far from conventional!
The origins of perfume, ‘per fumum’ (through smoke) can be traced back over 5000 years to the Egyptians. The first-ever perfume, Kiphy, was crafted to communicate with the gods. The art of perfumery has evolved throughout history – from its original focus towards heritage and artisanal scent to the introduction of multi-brand stores developing mainstream perfumes that have now overcrowded the market.
“I want to revive perfumery by bringing the soul it has long needed back into the scents we create through an immersive experience. Customers can develop their fragrances for any different mood or intimate desire they may have without being afraid to let loose and explore. Developing your very own perfume should be expressive, informative, and evoke discussion amongst friends. Your only limit should be your imagination!”
To Johanna, scent is much more than a mere sense. She explains, “Scent is a magical spell that brings us together with its mysterious powers. We want to share and thrive with other artists that celebrate the true power of the senses. Now, more than ever, we need our senses to connect with reality. The industry has been saturated with a “one smell fits all” approach due to mass production by big brands. At Maison 21G, we are bringing authenticity back to perfumery by removing these middlemen, thus allowing us to invest in higher amounts of perfume concentrate at 21 percent in every bottle (well above the industry average of 12 percent) and in the best quality natural extracts – all with an added personal touch.” At Maison 21G, everyone walks away with an Eau de Parfum, and never anything less!
Maison 21G Singapore – Your Soul Decoded
1. Solo Scents
Maison 21G sources its perfume concentrates from various sustainable, natural and cruelty-free sources to ensure customers get nothing but the best. All of these single-ingredient Solo Scents cost S$69 no matter which of the 33 you choose from.
Each perfume concentrate is a simple concoction of natural and iconic ingredients made by the renowned noses at IFF using only the purest natural oils from Monique Remy Laboratory (LMR) located in Grasse, France.
True to nature, consumers then dilute this into alcohol to create a 21% concentrate perfume, which can be used as-is. Every perfume is free from phthalates, CMRs, NGOs, formaldehydes, and is at least 90 percent biodegradable. All ingredients from Maison 21G are also cruelty-free and a large majority of them are vegan-friendly*.
In addition to this, all scents are unisex. Maison 21G doesn’t adhere to the societal standards imposed by usual perfumery brands. For example, rose can fit a gentleman just as well as vetiver would suit a lady and vice versa. With Maison 21G, customers are always free to fully express themselves the way they prefer. Johanna affirms that everyone deserves to be the master of their own “scent style”.
2. Your Signature Perfume
Maison 21G utilises the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values** to create a targeted personality quiz which can be accessed via its website to help customers on their aromatic journey. From these data points, the artificial intelligence suggests combinations of scents for three different occasions. For the same S$69 price tag as a Solo Scent, you can blend two ingredients and become a real scent designer with a creation of your own.
Johanna goes on to explain: “There are a total of five profiles, however, no two people are alike. They can have the same profile, but the recommended mix of scents differs due to the smaller nuances in their lives, how they value certain things or even their skin tone, for instance. With our algorithm, we can transform anyone into a scent designer! There are over 600 possible combinations, there are endless blends to explore and play around with.”
The unique “carré galbée” style bottle was crafted by two French designers from Aida. It’s sleek, medium- size makes it ideal for travelling and switching up fragrances for every feeling, event, or destination on any day, month, or moment. The unique bottle can last up to a full month with around 365 generous sprays inside.
Creators have the option of taking customisation to the next level by personalising their bottle with Maison 21G’s advanced UV printing technology. This innovative technology enables customers to choose any photo, design, or text to have laser printed directly onto the glass. At Maison 21G, your perfume is fully customisable from start to end, and from top to bottom.
The process of creation can take place from the comfort of home with the Maison 21G Soul Case (S$69). After taking the personality test and choosing the two scents recommended by the algorithm, a beautiful faux-leather case with two miniature droppers of your chosen fragrance’s concentrates and a bottle pre-filled with alcohol will be delivered.
3. The Scent Style Kit
For the undecided, Maison 21G also offers The Scent Style Kit (S$150) that comes with a selection of three Solo Scents for clients to learn about themselves and scent styles in total autonomy.
- The Energiser– Bergamot Blast, Ginger Game, and Rhubarb Rhapsody
- The Outstanding– Patchouli Power, Tuberose Tribute, and Oud Outshine
- The Hot & Sexy– Vanilla Venus, Amber Affair, and Terrific Tonka
- The Romantic– Musk Mirage, Rose Ritual, and Orris Opera
- The Zen Attitude– Tea Time, Ocean Odyssey, and Cannabis Cloud
- The Elegant– Neroli Nude, Sleek Sandalwood, and Sage Supreme
4. The Solid Perfume
For sensitive skin, non-alcoholic versions of Maison 21G’s refined scents are also available in a convenient wax format (S$35). Packaged with style in a beautiful Zamak nomad case made of solid metal filled with natural beeswax, shea butter and virgin almond oil – allows the user to carry their favourite scent anywhere in a pocket-friendly format.
5. Roll-Ons
Customers who wish to sample the scents before purchasing a bottle have the option of purchasing a roll-on bottle of single scent at S$15 before committing to a full-sized Maison 21G.
Maison 21G Singapore – La Source, The Tech Behind The Scent
Previously only available in B2B arenas, Maison 21G tailor-makes fragrances for the consumer by distilling them into recyclable capsules of concentrates that fit into “La Source”, a revolutionary machine that dispenses the capsules into perfume bottles with precision in just under 30 seconds, thus making bespoke perfumery accessible.
“We worked very hard on this revolutionary machine with Singapore Polytechnic and Flex International for over three years. La Source is created and patented by Maison 21G and there is no other brand on the market that currently makes bespoke fragrances on demand in such a technologically advanced, yet simple, manner,” expresses Johanna.
La Source sits both in Maison 21G boutiques and with its luxury hotel partners for customers to easily dispense and refill their perfume creations at their convenience to save on wasteful re-packaging.
Maison 21G Singapore – The Duxton Boutique
Designed by the two French architects of Aida (Thibault Etcheverry and Romain Gaillard), a sense of calm and belonging washes over the visitor when they step inside the Maison 21G boutique. The highly experiential space encourages all the senses to come out and play: touch and smell the ceramic strips under glass bells and settle on a beautiful alcove bar while applying the aromas of the beautiful alembics.
“At Maison 21G, you take the time to date your scents before choosing to marry the right one. I wanted to re-invent the discovery of scent away from the traditional retail universe. Our unique signature boutiques will always be warm and inviting, with a brilliant feel-at-home impression from the second you step through the door! Everyone is welcome into my Parisian maison, whoever you are and wherever you come from. I want to encourage and spark conversations between people about their scent choices. Bergamot and vetiver or ginger and vanilla? Varied combinations bring forth individual taste and character resulting in a scent that speaks true to your soul,” says Johanna.
Aside from walk-in guests, the store also holds private Ateliers for corporate events, bridal parties, love ateliers for couples or small groups of friends and family. Atelier Appointments are available by appointment only, via Maison 21G Singapore website.
