Bastille Parfums: A Revolution in Fragrance and Freedom

“We were even told that consumers wouldn’t buy without Julia Roberts’s smile. Even so, we decided to create Bastille.”

— Marie-Hortense Varin (Founder of Bastille)

Essential Information

Founded: 2019 (brand concept and launch preparations); formally launched in 2020
Founder: Marie-Hortense Varin
Current CEO: Sophie Maisant, since February 2022
Official website: bastilleparfums.com

The Founder and the Brand’s Origins

From Consultant to “Perfume Revolutionary”

Bastille began with a question asked by a young woman entrepreneur. After graduating from Sciences Po Paris in 2012, founder Marie-Hortense Varin spent around two and a half years from 2013 as a strategy consultant at the major consulting firm Bain & Company. She then moved to Partech, the venture-capital firm known for investing in technology and digital start-ups, embarking on a new career as a principal.

As she later put it, “I was an outsider in every field. Sciences Po graduates were rare at Bain, and a woman who wasn’t an engineer was unusual in tech venture capital too. I wanted to remain an outsider in the perfume industry and change the status quo.” This outsider spirit would shape the heart of Bastille.

“Why Is Perfume Alone Kept Secret?”

Marie-Hortense grew up in a family of Champagne winegrowers, absorbing from childhood the belief that “to bring out the best in nature, it is important to respect its rhythms and honour the people who cultivate it.” As a regular user of natural cosmetics, she felt a growing sense that something was wrong. Ingredient disclosure and sustainability were becoming commonplace in food and cosmetics, so why was the perfume industry alone clinging to its old secrecy?

In 2019, Marie-Hortense approached several perfumers with a question: “Couldn’t we make a natural, transparent perfume?” The responses were uniformly sceptical.

“Making perfume with natural fragrant ingredients alone is expensive and extremely complicated.”
“Synthetic ingredients will continue to be used unless disclosure becomes mandatory.”
“A brand needs an enormous marketing budget to succeed. Without a face like Julia Roberts, consumers won’t buy.”

— The perfumers’ words, as recalled by Marie-Hortense Varin

These voices saying “it can’t be done” only strengthened her resolve. “That was precisely why I decided to create Bastille,” she says.

Meeting Anne and Moving Toward the First Collection

The brand concept began moving forward through a meeting with perfumer Anne Flipo. Based at IFF, International Flavors & Fragrances, Anne is a veteran with at least 35 years of experience and an accomplished creator of numerous celebrated fragrances, including Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle and Paco Rabanne’s Invictus.

True to her statement that she “loves a challenge,” she accepted the unprecedented task of “creating perfumes with 95% natural ingredients and fully disclosing the formulas.” Working with IFF-LMR Naturals, IFF’s specialist natural-ingredients division, around 50 prototypes were developed, from which five finalists were selected. Every fragrance, without exception, was polished through dozens of revisions.

“Making a perfume with 95% natural ingredients means playing a game with completely new rules. You have to adapt and find new materials. It’s like a different kind of gymnastics.”

— Anne Flipo

And so, in 2020, Bastille made its debut in Paris in the midst of the pandemic.

Passing the Baton to Sophie Maisant

The brand attracted attention immediately after its establishment. In October 2020, less than six months after its debut, it became the inaugural winner of the Responsible Innovation Award, established by the Fragrance Foundation France. The award honours the perfume industry’s most innovative initiatives in environmental and social responsibility, and the winning creation was the flagship-like fragrance Bataille.

In 2021, founder Marie-Hortense began looking for someone to take over, driven by a desire to “embark on a new adventure.” A fateful meeting followed. Sophie Maisant, who had spent 20 years in brand building, product development, and marketing at prominent luxury beauty brands including Chanel, Shiseido, and Huda Beauty, contacted Marie-Hortense to learn about entrepreneurship.

“At first, I reached out only to learn about entrepreneurship. But as we continued talking, we discovered shared values: a passion for transparency and sustainability. She wanted to embark on a new adventure, and I loved Bastille. The stars aligned.”

— Sophie Maisant (Fragrance Foundation France interview, 2022)

In February 2022, Sophie Maisant became Bastille’s new owner and CEO. That September, Pascal Hyafil, a former colleague from her Chanel days, joined as General Manager. The strengthened structure paid off, with sales in 2023 reaching five times the 2022 figure. In addition to Europe, the brand has expanded into East Asia, including Japan and Taiwan, and is also considering a full-scale entry into the US market.

What Defines the Brand

The Revolution of “Transparency”

Bastille advocates transparency down to the individual fragrance ingredients. Its product pages present the natural and synthetic fragrance materials, allowing readers to see what goes into each scent.

“It’s a daily battle, because there are deeply ingrained assumptions not only within the industry but also in consumers’ minds. But we need to redefine what luxury and sustainability mean. It isn’t an easy challenge, but it is a very interesting one.”

— Sophie Maisant (Wallpaper* interview)

In September 2023, Bastille also partnered with labelling giant Avery Dennison to begin fitting its bestseller Pleine Lune and new release Paradis Nuit with RFID tags and serialised QR codes. This “digital twin” system lets users simply scan a QR code with a smartphone to see ingredient origins, bottling dates, olfactory profiles, and supply-chain tracking information.

A Formulation Approach: 95% Natural and 5% Synthetic

The brand describes its formulation approach as 95% natural ingredients and 5% synthetic ingredients. It uses alcohol derived from organic wheat and says that it selects the synthetic fragrance materials it includes. The 95% figure describes the brand’s formulation policy. ISO 16128, which addresses definitions of natural and organic ingredients, does not cover product claims or human safety.

Natural ingredients are sourced principally through Grasse-based IFF-LMR Naturals. The brand also focuses on ingredient traceability, using materials such as Fair for Life-certified fair-trade vanilla.

Packaging: Bringing Environmental Care and Beauty Together

The bottles use recyclable glass and aluminium, with plastic kept to a minimum. The outer packaging was changed from the original rigid box to a sliding, “matchbox-style” folding carton made from FSC-certified paper. The change reduced packaging weight by 39%, helping minimise shipping costs and waste. Through membership in 1% for the Planet, the brand donates 1% of sales to support Surfrider Foundation, an NGO working against marine plastic pollution.

Bastille’s fragrances evoke moments away from everyday routines: childhood games, a day spent doing nothing, or a celebration after dark. The product pages checked in November 2026 present eight eaux de parfum, all genderless and available in 15 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml sizes. Different perfumers brought their own ideas to the range. The first five creations and those that followed reflect its release history, rather than separate named collections.

Core Collection (The First Five)

The first five fragrances were Pleine Lune, Bataille, Hors-Piste, Demain Promis and Un Deux Trois Soleil. Rayon Vert joined them in 2022. Flowers, woods, citrus, milk and almond give each a different starting point, while the perfumers describe considerable freedom in composing their scents.

Pleine Lune, meaning full moon, was created by Anne Flipo and Paul Guerlain around tuberose. Neroli, orange blossom and jasmine form a white-floral bouquet, joined by matcha, mate, bergamot and pink pepper. Benzoin, tonka bean, sandalwood and cedar form the base. The contrast between green tea notes and the richness of flowers shapes the composition.

Flipo recalls the considerable freedom of expression she was given. Tuberose retains its sensuality, while matcha adds softness. Delicacy and boldness sit together, giving the fragrance more than the dense character of a conventional white floral.

For Bataille, Nicolas Beaulieu imagined Burning Man in the United States. The atmosphere of an artistic, unconventional and inclusive gathering suggested a spicy patchouli that could feel warm and cool at once. Ginger, saffron and pink pepper meet sage, Virginia cedar and patchouli. Its name, meaning battle, echoes the tension between these notes.

Beaulieu recalls that working with 95% natural ingredients was new to him at the time and required him to rethink how he built a formula. The woody composition sets the body of woods and patchouli against vivid ginger, rather than relying on the bite of saffron alone.

Hors-Piste is an eau de parfum with the freshness of cologne, proposed by Domitille Michalon-Bertier. Its name suggests leaving the marked trail. Mandarin, sweet orange and juniper lead into mate, ginger and pink pepper, followed by cedar and Ambroxan. Herbs and spices extend the brightness of the citrus opening.

The fragrance did not begin with a specific brief. Michalon-Bertier felt that its vivid freshness would suit the collection and proposed a modern cologne, which the brand accepted. Here, the work grew from a perfume the perfumer brought to the brand, rather than beginning with a story supplied to her.

Demain Promis suggests a familiar promise to put things off until tomorrow: stop watching videos and read a book, or start the morning with meditation. The fragrance sets those resolutions aside to enjoy doing nothing. Caroline Dumur evokes a chai latte through cinnamon, cardamom and milk notes, introducing lavender and sage into its warmth.

A heart that includes rose leads to patchouli, tonka bean, sandalwood and vetiver, extending the sweetness of milk towards flowers and woods. Dumur describes seeking the feeling of an embrace. The herbs give definition to the comforting image of relaxing with a warm drink.

In Un Deux Trois Soleil, Michalon-Bertier explores childhood games and carefree afternoons. What stayed with her from the images in the brief was the warmth and innocence of childhood. Bitter almond, heliotrope, vanilla and tonka bean create a sweetness reminiscent of a treat eaten in secret.

Incense joins bergamot, grapefruit and pink pepper, expanding the almond and vanilla into an amber fragrance with citrus and smoky facets. In contrast to the cool freshness of Hors-Piste, the same perfumer turns here to the warmth of an afternoon in the sun.

Later Creations

The first five were followed by Rayon Vert’s exploration of green notes, Paradis Nuit’s nocturnal light and intimacy, and the festive fireworks of 14 Juillet. Each takes a different scene as its starting point.

Released in 2022, Rayon Vert is another creation by Caroline Dumur, the perfumer behind Demain Promis. An image of a mirror ball placed in nature inspired her to explore the variety of green notes.

Basil, aniseed, blackcurrant buds and neroli lead into angelica, caraway, fennel and chamomile. Green leaves and anise-like herbs meet immortelle, sandalwood and cedar. The warmth of immortelle enters a scene of walking barefoot on spring grass. Where Demain Promis evokes relaxing indoors, Rayon Vert moves into morning light and contact with plants.

For Paradis Nuit, Nicolas Beaulieu drew on Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. Cassie flowers became points of starlight, combined with New Caledonian sandalwood and bitter cacao. His night has warmth and floral brightness as well as darkness.

Neroli, petitgrain and a Marseille-soap accord sit above cassie flowers, cedar, patchouli, cacao, sandalwood and hay. Cassie here is the flower of an acacia species, not the blackcurrant known as cassis. The bright impression of soap meets the depth of woods and cacao to suggest the intimacy of skin against skin. It is a different expression of night from the taut patchouli of Beaulieu’s Bataille.

Launched in 2024, 14 Juillet was composed by IFF perfumer Meabh Mc Curtin around the celebrations of 14 July. Bright tangerine and cassis lead into labdanum, violet leaf and cinnamon, followed by Madagascan vanilla, benzoin and tonka bean. At its centre is a smoky fireworks accord.

The composition takes the moment of striking a match as its starting point, combining smoky, leathery and faintly sulphurous impressions. Warm-rubber and caramel-like facets bring fireworks together with the atmosphere of a travelling fairground. These are impressions of sparks and gunpowder created by combining fragrance materials. Enveloping vanilla softens the sharpness of the sparks and the suggestion of smoke.

Incidentally…

• The name Bastille derives from the storming of the Bastille prison, a symbol of the French Revolution. The name directly overlays the image of “breaking old powers for freedom” onto the transformation of the perfume industry. Another elegant touch is the use, for 14 Juillet’s packaging, of the verdigris colour of the bronze July Column, the Colonne de Juillet, standing in Paris’s Place de la Bastille.
• Marie-Hortense Varin was 30 when she founded Bastille. After a seemingly unrelated career in strategy consulting at Bain & Company and venture capital at Partech, she brought a “revolution” to an entirely different industry.
• Bastille also participates in PETA’s Global Beauty Without Bunnies programme, officially confirming that all its products are certified vegan and made without animal testing. PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.