“The shop we wanted to shop in ourselves.”
Christianne Mediaa Aamodt, co-founder (translated excerpt from Norwegian)
When faced with an unfamiliar perfume name, what encourages us to reach for the bottle? Founded in Norway’s capital, Oslo, in 2008, Heaven Scent has brought people both fragrances selected from abroad and the knowledge of those who explain them.
Byredo, Diptyque, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian: as a multi-brand specialist offering fragrances by different creators, it now operates three Oslo stores and an online shop. Its starting point was the wish of two childhood friends to introduce their own city to shops and products they had encountered abroad.
Essential Information
- Name: Heaven Scent
- Opened: Spring 2008, Oslo, Norway
- Co-founders: Ingvild Toft Wæhler and Christianne Mediaa Aamodt
- Business: Multi-brand perfume and beauty specialist, with an online shop
- Official website: Heaven Scent
The Shop Two Founders Wanted to Create in Oslo
From Work and Study Abroad to Opening in 2008
Christianne had been interested in scent since childhood. Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrien, which she encountered in the 1990s, was her first “niche perfume.” She later worked in different parts of the world and, at 30, decided to leave her work in aid to start a perfume shop. Her childhood friend Ingvild became her partner.
Both had spent many years working and studying abroad. Alongside their passion for products and brands, shops outside Norway inspired them to start a business. After a long period of planning and preparation, they opened their first shop on Jacob Aalls gate in the Majorstuen district in spring 2008.
Most of the brands they introduced were still unknown in Norway at the time. They had chosen a business that could not succeed simply by stocking established names. They needed to introduce the perfumes, explain their differences, and help people choose.
“We had strong faith in our concept.”
Christianne Mediaa Aamodt and Ingvild Toft Wæhler (translated excerpt from Norwegian)
Discussing the business’s beginnings, the two explain that they chose to remain independent of outside investors so that they could determine its management and direction themselves. Doing so meant building step by step and setting strict priorities. The freedom to introduce new names from abroad was inseparable from the decisions required to keep a small shop in business.
From Eger to a Streetfront Shop: Expansion in 2020
After the first shop, Heaven Scent moved to the central shopping destination Eger, where it operated for more than eight years. The next turning point came in 2020. Leaving a sales floor it had outgrown, it moved to a streetfront location on nearby Øvre Slottsgate. That same year, it opened another shop at Valkyrien in Majorstuen, the district where the business began.
While enlarging the central shop, the founders envisaged Valkyrien as a smaller, more experimental sister shop. Rather than simply duplicating the same sales floor, they sought to give the shops different roles according to their locations and scale.
Pandemic trading restrictions followed soon after this expansion. In 2021, while running two shops and the online store, Ingvild also advised customers by telephone, FaceTime, SMS, and email. The aim was to provide the help people needed even when they could not smell the perfumes in person.
“We do our utmost to ensure that old and new customers receive the help they need.”
Ingvild Toft Wæhler, 2021 (translated excerpt from Norwegian)
For a shop sustained by sampling and conversation, shipping products during closures was not enough. Moving fragrance explanations and individual consultations to other channels showed how central personal service was to the business.
Historical Timeline
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| Spring 2008 | Ingvild and Christianne open their first shop on Jacob Aalls gate in Oslo. |
| Subsequently | Moves to Eger in the city center. By the announcement of the 2020 move, it has traded there for more than eight years. |
| 2020 | Moves the central shop to larger premises on Øvre Slottsgate and opens at Valkyrien. |
| 2021 | Provides advice by telephone, FaceTime, and other channels during trading restrictions. |
| Checked October 2026 | The official information lists three shops: the central main store, Valkyrien, and Oslobukta. |
Fragrances From Around the World, and Service That Broadens Tastes
Established Perfume Houses Alongside New Creators
Heaven Scent’s selection does not revolve around a particular perfume of its own. The official perfume section includes creations across brands, such as Byredo’s Blanche and Gypsy Water and Diptyque’s Philosykos and Tam Dao. Alongside Frédéric Malle and Maison Francis Kurkdjian, it carries names including Maison Crivelli, D’Orsay, and Ormaie.
Both founders remain directly involved in the selection, citing ingredients, craftsmanship, a brand’s approach, and a product’s distinctive qualities as their criteria. The range extends beyond perfume to home fragrance, skincare, haircare, and makeup, but increasing the number of products is not an end in itself.
Nordic creators are also part of the selection. Team member Henia Gamborg Kjørsvik has worked at the shop since 2010 and has also launched her own perfume brand, Kalit. The shop carries those fragrances while introducing other Norwegian creators, such as Son Venïn. Visitors can discover international houses and new local perfumes in one place.
Introducing Unfamiliar Fragrances Rather Than Pushing Bestsellers
The founders value taking enough time to find a fragrance that suits the individual. In their conversation with Oslobukta, instead of pushing bestsellers, they explain how fragrance tastes develop by comparing the process to food and wine.
“At first your palate may be rather limited, and you may not like everything. But your taste develops over time.”
Heaven Scent’s founders (translated from Norwegian)
Introducing unfamiliar fragrances and slightly widening the range people try: this is the shop’s idea of guidance. Ingvild has also said that, whereas many customers initially wanted a single signature fragrance, more people gradually began alternating between several scents as they would clothes. Years spent working in the shop have also revealed changes in the role customers want perfume to play.
Online, too, there are starting points for exploring personal preferences. Alongside fragrance families and ingredients, the category Handle etter nese lets visitors browse products by perfumer. The layout encourages people to explore not just by brand name, but through the kind of scent and the person who created it.
The Three Current Shops and Their Different Selections
According to the official information as of October 2026, the three shops are not identical in size or range. The central main store carries all the brands, while Valkyrien offers carefully selected products within a smaller space. The Oslobukta shop also carries Frédéric Malle, D’Orsay, and Ormaie, among others.
| Shop | Officially Listed Address | Selection |
|---|---|---|
| Main store | Øvre Slottsgate 27, Oslo | The central store carries all brands. Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Maison Crivelli are among those listed. |
| Valkyrien | Valkyriegata 3, Oslo | The smallest shop, with selected products and seasonal suggestions from Diptyque, Byredo, Santa Maria Novella, Aesop, and others. |
| Oslobukta | Operagata 75C, Oslo | Carries Diptyque, Byredo, Frédéric Malle, D’Orsay, Ormaie, and others. |
These are the individual shops’ selection policies, not guarantees of stock or testers for every product on the day of a visit. If you have a particular creation in mind, consult the official store information beforehand.
Heaven Scent’s motto is “Buy less, choose well”: the idea of buying fewer things and selecting them carefully. From its beginnings bringing unfamiliar international names to Oslo to its present role introducing multiple houses, providing the knowledge and time to “choose well” has remained the shop’s work.
References
- Report on Heaven Scent’s relocation and expansion — Melk & Honning, January 8, 2020
- Questions and answers with Heaven Scent’s two founders — Oslobukta
- Heaven Scent A B C — Christianne’s life and encounters with perfume
- Om oss — founders, team, and selection policy
- Report on retail service during lockdown and the 2020 expansion — Melk & Honning
- Byredo parfyme — current perfume selection
- Diptyque parfyme — current perfume selection
- Skjulte skatter hos Norges beste parfymerier — Helt Krem, interview with Henia
- Conversation with the founders about service and fragrance preferences — Oslobukta
- Heaven Scent — official shop organized by scent and perfumer
- Kontaktinfo og åpningstider — current shops, addresses, and shop-specific selections
