27 87: Perfumes for Wearing the Here and Now

“I wanted to break out of the existing framework and create something real, raw, and connected to the here and now.”
— Romy Kowalewski, founder of 27 87

Essential Information

• Founded: 2016
• Founder: Romy Kowalewski
• Based in: Barcelona, Spain
• Official website: https://2787perfumes.com/

The Founder and the Brand’s Origins

A Nose Trained as a Baker’s Daughter

Romy Kowalewski was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1987. Her family ran a bakery. Every day, whenever a new batch of bread came out of the bakery’s ovens, the whole family would take part in a blind tasting. It was a family custom to assess the bread through taste and smell alone, without being told beforehand which ingredients had been used.

“The tiniest nuances mattered. A love of detail, in other words, the smallest differences in flavor, was what determined whether a product succeeded or failed. The process of developing a perfume is exactly the same.”
— Romy Kowalewski

This training from an early age naturally sharpened Romy’s sense of smell. Her mother was also an avid collector of niche fragrances, so perfume had been “part of everyday life” for Kowalewski since childhood. By her school years, she was already wearing her own signature scent. She was deeply drawn to the feeling that “this scent belongs only to me and is associated with no one else.”

Barcelona and a Life-Changing Factory Visit

As a young adult, Romy moved to Barcelona to study business administration. While she was a student, a visit to a perfume production facility as part of her coursework became a turning point in her life. The moment she saw the production line, she became certain that she would create her own perfume brand.

The dream was now clear. But the road to making it happen was far from smooth.

At 26, Romy flew to Paris and began looking for investors. Convincing people to finance an “idea” that could neither be seen nor touched, and at that point could not even be smelled, demanded extraordinary powers of persuasion. Guided by the personal credo “Just do it, no risk, no fun,” she kept negotiating patiently for two years. During that time, she also took a marketing job to support herself while steadily laying the groundwork for her dream.

Born in Barcelona in 2016

With the necessary funding in place, design and production development began in earnest. Finally, in 2016, 27 87 launched.

The brand name 27 87 consists of intensely personal numbers drawn from Kowalewski’s date of birth: born in 1987, on the 27th day of the month. She adopted these numbers as “a symbol of my personality and uniqueness,” placing them at the heart of the brand’s identity. The choice of 27 ml and 87 ml bottle sizes was also deliberate, not coincidental. Departing from the industry’s standard 30, 50, and 90 ml formats, these sizes give tangible form to an attitude of “always standing outside convention.”

“The origins of 27 87 lie in the feeling of wearing a scent that is yours alone, a scent you feel belongs to no one but you.”
— Romy Kowalewski

From the very beginning, Romy also remained committed to working only with perfumers of the highest international caliber.

What Defines the Brand

A Philosophy of Giving the Present a Scent

27 87’s core philosophy is encapsulated in the brand’s tagline, “No Scent Like the Present.” For Kowalewski, perfume is not something that dresses the wearer in stories of the past or invented myths, but something that “translates the cultural and social reality of the present moment into an olfactory experience.”

“At 27 87, we believe in rewriting the rules of perfumery. Our philosophy is rooted in co-creation: inviting the person wearing the scent to become part of the process. Fragrance is not merely something you wear, but something you live, layer, and make your own.”
— Romy Kowalewski

The official website’s About page sets out 27 ideas, the “27 Mindset Rules,” including “Blank Canvas,” “Arhythmic,” “Ephemeral,” and “No Gender, No Age.” One passage quotes the German philosopher Byung-Chul Han, revealing an intellectual depth unusual for a perfume brand.

“Our sense of smell is the most powerful sense we possess. It connects directly to emotion and invisibly controls everything we do. In other words, smell does not obey reason.”
— 27 87 official website

Bottle and Packaging Design

The bottles were designed by Barcelona-based Ingrid Picanyol Studio. The studio was responsible for building a comprehensive, 360-degree brand identity, designing everything from the shape of the bottles to the packaging materials and website.

The bottle is a rectangle with softened corners, inspired by “contemporary technological devices.” Predominantly white, it is opaque to protect the liquid from light. This “blank canvas” also symbolizes an open space onto which users can freely project their own meanings.

Each fragrance’s outer box is individually created by an artist, serving as a tactile extension of the scent’s character. Genetic Bliss is an exception: its white bottle was turned black and enclosed in a monochrome, wood-grain box. Visually expressing its distinctive nature as a molecular perfume and the concept of “merging with the skin,” this packaging earned a nomination for the German Design Award.

“The design is intention itself. Clean, bold, pared back. It is designed to put the fragrance center stage. The simplicity of the bottle reflects our approach to scent: modern, impactful, and all about the experience itself.”
— Romy Kowalewski

A Commitment to Ingredients

All the perfumes are manufactured and bottled in Barcelona, with a strict commitment to formulas free of aluminum, formaldehyde, phthalates, gluten, mineral oils, parabens, silicones, SLS, sulfates, and toluene. Every product is vegan and cruelty-free. The natural agarwood oil used in rule of 72 is of the highest quality and comes from Thailand, while the Moroccan mint in Wandervogel is an ingredient tied to Kowalewski’s own childhood memories. New releases follow neither market trends nor seasonal demands, appearing only when the time feels right for the brand.

The Perfume Lineup

27 87’s perfumes are currently organized into four collections based on emotional concepts.

• NOW: Approachable scents that accompany everyday life
• GO: Scents for exploration, movement, and journeys to distant places
• WILD: Bold, powerful scents for special moments
• CALM: Scents that combine stillness with presence

Rather than simply presenting a list of all its creations, the brand consistently gives each perfume a social and cultural context. Below is an introduction to the structure and characteristics of some representative works.

#Hashtag

Perfumer: Daniela Andrier / 2016

A fragrance that translates “digitalized everyday life” into scent. Somali frankincense, Moroccan cedarwood, and iris from the Landes form its framework, with the metallic vibration of clean-smelling aldehydes added to the composition. It was one of the first perfumes to take the hashtag, a symbol of social media culture, as its brand name. At the time of its release, attempting to turn the very atmosphere of the internet age into a fragrance was a novel undertaking.

Genetic Bliss

Perfumer: Jordi Fernandez / 2018

One of 27 87’s defining creations, this fragrance symbolizes its pioneering approach to the category of “molecular perfume.” It is built around five molecules, including akigalawood, belambre, and creamy sandalwood. These molecular structures react with the wearer’s skin temperature and chemical composition, so the very same fragrance does not smell identical on two different people.

“Genetic Bliss pushes boundaries and redefines what fragrance can be. It was one of the first fragrances on the market to use akigalawood. Even today, I consider it one of the most progressive scents.”
— Romy Kowalewski

Sónar

Perfumer: Jacques Huclier / 2019

A fragrance dedicated to Sónar, Barcelona’s internationally renowned electronic music festival. Its composition deliberately departs from perfumery conventions, centering on Mediterranean bergamot, metallic woods, and amber, with added accords of burnt rubber and beer. Speaking about its creation, Kowalewski recalls, “The idea for a new scent came to me at a moment when I was surrounded by the smell of a barbecue.” It is also one of the fragrances to which Romy herself feels a particular attachment.

Flâneur

Perfumer: Mark Buxton / 2021

Created in Barcelona during the pandemic. The term “flâneur” is a nineteenth-century French concept describing someone who wanders through a city without a particular destination. In a time when travel had been taken away, absinthe, bergamot, almond blossom, and cashmere wood express the spirit of finding beauty in the everyday world immediately around us. It is a poetic fragrance with a slightly melancholy cast, yet a sense of being grounded somewhere within it.

Rule of 72

Perfumer: Gaël Montero / 2023

The “rule of 72” is a financial formula that estimates how many years an investment will take to double by dividing 72 by the annual interest rate. The fragrance evokes the spirit of businesspeople who confront an era of fluctuating economies, unstable financial markets, and rapidly changing technology through “independent thought and decisiveness.” Its notes are natural Thai agarwood, saffron, leather, patchouli, and vetiver.

“The development process took two and a half years, the longest so far. It was the first time I had a vision of what the fragrance should smell like first, and the concept emerged afterward.”
— Romy Kowalewski

Per Sē

Perfumer: Shyamala Maisondieu / 2023

Released to mark the brand’s seventh anniversary as its “olfactive logo,” this fragrance takes its title from the Latin for “in itself.” Composed of aldehydes, orris butter, violet leaf, bamboo, and a subtle touch of spicy pepper, it is an ambitious attempt to translate 27 87’s philosophy, the “experience of the present moment,” directly into scent.

“In creating Per Sē, I tried to capture the essence of the present moment itself. This fragrance is like no other: it ebbs and flows like the tide through the dynamics of change, yet its core remains remarkably constant. Just as time never stands still, neither does Per Sē.”
— Perfumer Shyamala Maisondieu

A Few More Details…

• Sónar is more than simply an homage to a music festival. On the philosophy page of its official website, the brand reveals that it created an accord called “Burned Wires” exclusively for this fragrance. Made up of “saffron, dry woody notes, and a hint of gasoline,” the accord is said to recreate the sensual experience of Sónar’s electronic music through scent.
• It is also worth noting that Per Sē was introduced through the concept of “the industry’s first olfactive logo.” Giving a fragrance the role of a corporate identity can be seen as a pioneering attempt in an age dominated by visual and sonic branding.
• Mark Buxton is a veteran perfumer who has worked with renowned brands including Givenchy, Versace, and Comme des Garçons. Shyamala Maisondieu is also an internationally recognized “nose,” known for working with cutting-edge brands such as Prada. Even as it collaborates with artisans of this global stature, the brand bases its decisions not on trends, but on whether a creation feels right for the present moment.