ELECTIMUSS: A London Niche Fragrance House Wearing the Glory of Rome

“Electimuss means ‘to choose the best,’ and for us that is not simply a name but a mission statement. It means a commitment to using the finest ingredients, working with the most talented perfumers, and creating truly outstanding perfumes. When customers choose an Electimuss fragrance, they are choosing the best every time.”

— Luke Granger (Co-Founder)

Essential Information

Founded: 2015
Founders: Luke Granger and Jason Collison
Creative Director: Claire Sokell Thompson
Based in: London, United Kingdom
Official website: https://www.electimuss.com

The Founders and the Brand’s Origins

A First Encounter with Fragrance

The story of Electimuss begins with a British boy’s childhood experience. Years later, Luke Granger described the origins of his brand this way.

“My journey with fragrance began with my Italian-American grandfather. He introduced me to the magic of scent when I was young. I can still vividly remember being allowed to smell the caps of his cologne bottles. Those early experiences, my grandfather’s stories about Italy, and my honeymoon in Rome with my wife, where I was deeply drawn to the history and art, all formed the foundation of what would later become Electimuss.”

— Luke Granger

This anecdote could be said to encapsulate the DNA of the Electimuss fragrance brand. Scent was imprinted on Granger’s life not merely as something to enjoy, but as a medium carrying memories and stories.

From a Dream in the Early 2010s to the 2015 Launch

Electimuss has a somewhat complicated early history.

Its first stirrings date back to around 2011.
The starting point was a concept developed by British hairstylist and perfumer Michael Boadi, the creator of Illuminum and Boadicea the Victorious, for a new brand translating the splendour of ancient Rome into fragrance. On 16 January 2012, the British company ELECTIMUSS PERFUME LIMITED (company number 07911114) was incorporated, with Boadi himself appointed as a director, and its first creation reached the market in 2013. Black Caviar, one of its signature fragrances, also emerged from this early line.
However, these activities did not last long. Shortly after the first release, Boadi ended his involvement in the brand, and Electimuss disappeared from the spotlight for a time.

The trajectory leading to today’s Electimuss began a few years later. Luke Granger, who had been a brand manager at Boadicea the Victorious, and his close associate Jason Collison took over the brand in 2015, effectively rebooting it.

In their official account, 2015 marks the “founding” of Electimuss, and its journey as a British luxury fragrance house born of a passion for ancient Rome is told from that year onward. However, records at Britain’s Companies House show that the new entity listing the two men as officers, ELECTIMUSS LIMITED (company number 11589984), was actually incorporated on 26 September 2018, indicating that establishing a corporate structure separate from the former company took several more years. Claire Sokell Thompson joined as Creative Director in 2019, completing the current three-person leadership team.

Electimuss therefore has two “beginnings.”
One is Michael Boadi’s original venture, conceived in 2011 and bringing its first perfume to the world in 2013.
The other is the fresh start in 2015, when Granger and Collison took over the brand and, following the corporate reorganisation of 2018, rebuilt the line that continues today. The current official website tells only the latter story, and today’s Electimuss, with its motifs of ancient Roman splendour, has been woven from this “second starting point.”

The Arrival of a Creative Director and a Transformation

Electimuss began attracting rapid attention in the fragrance community after Claire Sokell Thompson joined the team as Creative Director. She joined around 2019–2020, bringing experience as the original Creative Director of Thameen London, and her arrival helped refine the brand’s creative direction into something more cohesive.

Claire describes the Electimuss concept this way.

“Electimuss was born in 2015, inspired by the Romans’ passion and appetite for perfume. I joined in 2019 and helped develop that passion into a contemporary yet timeless fragrance brand with the grandeur and ambition of the Roman Empire. We see perfume as an invisible thread running through history, and our big idea is to create fragrances that empower and enrich people.”

— Claire Sokell Thompson (Creative Director)

Roles Within the Team

Today’s Electimuss is run by the trio of Luke, Jason, and Claire. Luke handles logistics, warehousing, and supply, while also contributing to product innovation; Jason oversees business development and sales; and Claire manages creative direction, fragrance development, communications, and digital. Luke himself says, “We are not a corporate environment; we are a family,” stressing that the brand was born from passion, not simply business.

What Defines the Brand

Ancient Rome as a Source of Inspiration

The name Electimuss derives from Latin. Meaning “to choose the best,” it lies at the heart of the brand’s philosophy. The ancient Romans were deeply captivated by perfume. Fountains were filled with rosewater, and scent was woven into purification rituals, celebrations, banquets, seduction, and worship. They followed the Silk Road from east to west, gathering rare fragrant materials from across the empire. Electimuss seeks to revive this spirit of “the Romans as perfume connoisseurs” for the modern age.

Claire puts the brand’s concept into these words.

“The concept of Electimuss is to explore creativity in a dramatic, unapologetic way. Rich, sensual, opulent, decadent, daring, challenging: those are the adjectives that describe the brand.”

— Claire Sokell Thompson

An Uncompromising Pursuit of Fragrance

Electimuss presents its fragrances as Pure Parfum / Extrait de Parfum.

Claire makes clear that this commitment to concentration is non-negotiable.

“We do not compromise on that at all. Our brand name means ‘to choose the best’ in Latin, and that belief runs through everything we do.”

— Claire Sokell Thompson

Among her favourite ingredients, Claire first names rose, which might be called “the goddess of perfume,” followed by patchouli. She also speaks of Sicilian bergamot and natural oud as indispensable materials.

An “Equal Partnership” with Perfumers

Electimuss creates its fragrances in collaboration with independent perfumers around the world. Its distinguished roster includes Julien Rasquinet, Christian Provenzano, Kevin Mathys, John Stephen, Marco Genovese, Céline Barel, Sofia Bardelli, Cécile Zarokian, and David Chieze.

Luke describes the relationship with perfumers this way.

“We work with master perfumers as true creative partners. We give them the freedom they need to do their best work.”

— Luke Granger

When preparing a brief, Claire first chooses a muse, or source of inspiration, and explores its many dimensions through mythology, literature, art, music, and other fields. Her briefs contain paintings, music, colours, stories, and references to fragrant materials, but she says she is careful not to be overly prescriptive: they are only “anchors for the concept and creative exploration.”

Claire also says, “I like perfumers with bold personalities, not only in the fragrances but also in the perfumers who create them.”

A Design Philosophy for Bottles and Packaging

The bottle design embodies the brand’s entire world. Luke describes its design philosophy this way.

“The design philosophy was to create something timeless, luxurious, and powerful. The bottle is designed as a contemporary interpretation of Roman architecture. The fluted glass sides and substantial metallic cap give it a sense of presence and quality in the hand. We wanted the bottle itself to be a work of art that people would want to keep on display even after the perfume was gone.”

— Luke Granger

The base of the bottle is etched with a sunburst, said to symbolise “vitality, energy, and strength.” Colours differ by collection: the Emperor Collection, for example, is housed in “imperial purple” bottles, while the Lustrous Collection features golden constellations on midnight-blue glass. The substantial sculpted glass and metal caps are “references to Roman architecture and symbolism,” projecting a commanding presence from the moment they are held.

Electimuss draws on Roman life and mythology in fragrances ranging from bright citrus and flowers to dense combinations of oud and resins. As of November 2026, Eternal, Nero, Emperor, Lustrous, and Consort are joined by Explorer, which explores trade and taste; Auras, inspired by daily fragrance rituals; and Noir, which gives existing creations a more concentrated expression.

Eternal Collection

Eternal begins with Rome, the Eternal City, and the fragrant habits woven into its inhabitants’ lives. Citrus, flowers, woods, and amber combine in compositions intended for different everyday occasions.

Imperium, a representative creation by Sofia Bardelli, takes ancient Roman power and the intelligence and presence of those who wield it as its theme.

Bardelli began with a strong amber foundation. She added a little Madagascan vanilla, white flowers including neroli and jasmine, saffron, then bergamot and coriander. Bright citrus and substantial amber serve her aim of a refined fragrance that a wide range of people could wear. Guaiac wood, patchouli, and oud sit behind the flowers.

Marco Genovese conceived Trajan as a journey eastwards from Rome. Mandarin, lemon, bergamot, and blood orange lead into lavender, sage, and saffron, settling on cedar, oakmoss, and ambergris. It moves through citrus orchards, herb fields, and wooded shade, bringing together materials encountered on a trading journey.

Among the mythological subjects, Genovese’s Aurora depicts the rosy light of the dawn goddess. Rose and sandalwood soften saffron, clove, oud, and cardamom before ambergris and white musk. His Silvanus, named for the guardian of forests and wild places, instead centers on clean woods: sandalwood, cedar, and rosewood with lily of the valley. Shared touches of spice and musk frame two different natural scenes, warm rose and clear forest air.

Nero Collection

Nero explores the art, pleasure, and extravagant luxury associated with the emperor. Woods, amber, and spices give the scents a theatrical richness. Even food-inspired compositions can use salt, herbs, and bitterness rather than rely on sweetness alone.

Marco Genovese’s Black Caviar translates the luxury of caviar and the idea of a Roman banquet into scent. A salty caviar impression meets oud and cedar, followed by the orderly herbal character of lavender, sage, and rosemary. Vetiver, patchouli, and oakmoss support a composition recalling the herbs and woods of a classical fougère.

Genovese explains: “In Black Caviar we wanted to capture that sense of timeless luxury”. Caviar here is an olfactory expression, not a claim that fish roe is an ingredient. The product is presented as vegan.

In Vanilla Edesia, Cécile Zarokian explores two sides of vanilla through Edesia, goddess of feasting. Soft, creamy sweetness contrasts with a darker side suggesting resins, spices, and leather. Bitter almond, milky notes, and flowers meet cumin, coriander, and powerful woods. Richness and excess guided Zarokian’s choices, including the extensive palette of materials. Vanilla becomes both soft and forceful rather than simply a confectionery scent.

Emperor Collection

Presented in imperial-purple bottles, Emperor uses rare woods, resins, flowers, and spices to express imperial dignity. Rose and oud, smoke, leather, and dry spices give the collection depth and a powerful trail.

Octavian, by Christian Provenzano, takes as its subject Rome’s first emperor, later known as Augustus. Taif rose, rose attar, and Bulgarian rose meet Iranian oud at its center. The oud’s spicy structure supports the softness of rose petals, introduced by saffron and pink pepper. Frankincense, amber, and leather develop a portrait combining intelligence, power, and beauty.

In Gladiator Oud, Julien Rasquinet translates the gladiator’s physical presence and the arena into specific smells. Saffron and cumin suggest leather and dry heat; cardamom and Egyptian geranium evoke cold steel. Hay and immortelle recall sunlit arena sand, with honey softening the dryness. Oud, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver form the foundation, crossed by the saltiness of ambergris.

The creative brief also drew on Maximus, played by Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. The intended warrior combined physical strength with courage, judgment, and dignity.

Lustrous Collection

Lustrous explores connections between the stars and nature on earth. Flowers, fruit, woods, and resins express stars guiding navigation and harvests, daylight turning to dusk, and colors deepening at night. Some creations focus on constellations; others connect celestial movement with plant life.

Julien Rasquinet’s Aquila Absolute takes inspiration from the eagle of the Aquila constellation. Raspberry and Guatemalan cardamom meet Turkish rose absolute and Egyptian geranium. Leather and violet leaf introduce contrasting textures around the flowers before white oud, patchouli, and labdanum. Leather and wood support the vivid fruit and floral character.

Astrum Nova begins with the image of ancient farming guided by the stars for planting and harvesting. In building the scent, David Chieze focused on oud’s fruity facet.

“But to me there is also a fruity facet in it,” Chieze explains of oud. Ripe mango develops that facet, while osmanthus, with both fruity and animalic qualities, connects mango to oud. Bright citrus and dark fruits meet orris, vanilla, and soft woods that temper oud’s stronger animalic character.

Consort Collection

Consort explores combinations of contrasting qualities, including light and shadow or delicacy and strength. A pair of patchouli fragrances demonstrates its origins: two perfumers interpreted the material through the story of Pluto, king of the underworld, and Persephone.

Christian Provenzano’s Persephone’s Patchouli follows Persephone’s return to earth and the abundance of nature from spring into summer. He chose a clean-smelling patchouli heart, opening with Guatemalan cardamom and combining Bulgarian rose, Egyptian jasmine, and plum. Honey and sandalwood add softness. Plum extends rose’s fruity side towards patchouli’s warmth. The “six pomegranate seeds” in the note list also refer to Persephone’s story.

Kevin Mathys’s Patchouli of the Underworld descends into Pluto’s realm. He imagined patchouli as dark and richly textured as a black panther’s fur. Black and pink pepper add a cool bite; mate and birch create a suede-like accord; cade and smoky woods deepen the darkness. Resins including cistus and labdanum smooth its force. Where Persephone’s fragrance explores earthly flowers and fruit, this one emphasizes soil, smoke, and leather.

Consort also includes two fragrances inspired by the garden frescoes at the Villa of Livia. Marc Daniel Heimgartner’s Reverie Haze depicts dawn in an imagined garden, combining tuberose and rose with tropical fruit, saffron, patchouli, and oud. Heimgartner describes observing tuberose’s green stems, the waxiness of closed buds, and the creamy, honeyed smell of the open flowers, seeking a close-to-skin white-floral sensation.

Arturetto Landi’s Vesper Reverie depicts dusk in the same garden. Blackcurrant, peach, and mango meet green tea, moving through flowers towards oud, vanilla, amber, and musk. Landi’s personal starting point was a tea ceremony he experienced in Tokyo: the delicate smell of brewed tea mingled with kyara incense smoke. That atmosphere became the heart of the composition.

Explorer Collection

Explorer translates encounters made through Roman journeys and trade into contemporary gourmand perfume. Its subjects include spices and leather carried along rivers, fruit and sweets at banquets, and dates growing in desert oases. Bright orange bottles evoke the sun rising over a new horizon and anticipation of the unknown.

Céline Barel began Spice D’Arno with Florence and the river Arno. Leather associated with the city meets resins such as myrrh and labdanum, with iris woven into the composition. The fresh bite of pink pepper and cardamom contrasts with vanilla warmth. Bran absolute adds a soft cereal texture, thyme an herbal outline, and leather and oud remain in the trail.

Kevin Mathys’s Caspian Cherry imagines a Roman banquet as a contemporary dessert. Black cherry meets amaretto, dark chocolate, and coffee. Earthy patchouli and sandalwood restrain the sweetness of honey and cinnamon.

Mathys says of the cherry: “I wanted it to be dark, ripe, not overly sweet.” A pastry chef’s balance of sugar and tartness guided him. Tonka bean extends the cherry impression, while white chocolate and sandalwood make the later stages creamy.

Marco Genovese’s Moroccan Medjool joined as the collection’s third fragrance. Dates, the oases where they grow, and trade between ancient Mauretania and Rome provide its subject. Bright citrus meets rose and jasmine, while vanilla and caramel sustain the honeyed sweetness of dates. Cashmeran and ambergris suggest the texture of dry desert heat.

Auras Collection

Auras translates Roman habits of using fragrance into modern daily life. Light, salt, and warmth evoke an invisible atmosphere around the body, combining freshness with a soft trace on skin.

Its first fragrance, Amber Bloom, appeared in June 2026. David Chieze imagined Mediterranean orchards at dusk, touched by salty air from the sea.

Chieze began with deliberately generous quantities of passion fruit and tangerine, adding wood and salt to keep the fruit vivid without becoming too sweet. Grapefruit and bergamot meet lily of the valley, raspberry, and passion fruit before the warmth of ambergris, tonka bean, and musk. Bright citrus gives way to a lingering impression of the day’s heat on skin.

Noir Collection

Noir deepens established Electimuss fragrances, preserving their character while seeking greater concentration and longevity. Instead of beginning with a new myth or person, it develops the qualities of an existing composition.

The first release is Trajan Noir, based on Eternal’s Trajan. Marco Genovese retains the original contrast between bright citrus, clean herbs, and a warm foundation. Its note list runs from mandarin, lemon, bergamot, and blood orange through lavender, sage, and saffron to cedar, oakmoss, and ambergris. A higher fragrance concentration is intended to give the original’s outline greater richness and persistence.

Incidentally…

“Reborn Like a Phoenix”: The brand’s early history is said to have involved twists and turns before Electimuss became known worldwide in its current form. Among fragrance reviewers, the establishment of its present beautiful bottle design and world of high-quality scents is sometimes described as a “phoenix-like revival.”

Granger’s Grandfather: The brand’s entire world, its love of Italy and Rome and its memories of scent, actually traces back to Luke’s Italian-American grandfather. It is a rather fascinating anecdote that this personal memory is the origin of a niche perfume brand with the potential to reach a scale of several billion yen.