Hermetica

People want to know whether what they put on their skin is safe for them and for the environment. That is why we had to use our creativity to challenge the conventions of the luxury perfume world.

Clara Molloy

Basic Information

Founded: 2018
Founders: Clara Molloy and John Molloy
Official website: English-language official website (Official Japanese distributor)

Founding History

Hermetica was founded in 2018 by Clara and John Molloy, the husband-and-wife founders of Memo Paris, whose arrival in Japan is eagerly awaited. They are also behind Floraïku, a brand inspired by Japanese haiku.

The spark for the brand came when perfumer Aliénor Massenet, who had long created fragrances for Memo, moved to Symrise in 2016. There, she encountered a technology called InnoScent, which Symrise had developed to make alcohol-free perfume, and showed John and Clara a fragrance using this technology. However, they did not want to alter Floraïku or Memo, whose formulas were already established, so they decided to launch an entirely new brand. It was created to offer an olfactory dance that brings nature and science together, with scents as close to the skin as possible.

When John and Clara started Memo, they wanted to create a perfume about Japan, because they loved the country. Aliénor Massenet composed a fragrance inspired by Japan and showed it to them, but it did not fit Memo’s atmosphere, so they created a new brand, Floraïku. Then, when Aliénor showed them a highly concentrated, alcohol-free perfume made using a new technology, it suited neither Floraïku nor Memo, and they decided to create yet another new brand.

PHILIPPE PAPARELLA-PARIS

The name Hermetica comes from the Corpus Hermeticum, a collection of manuscripts containing ancient mystical thought, also known as the Hermetic writings. These texts cover subjects such as astrology, philosophy, alchemy, and magic. The brand took its name from the idea that perfumers are living alchemists of the modern age.

The Brand’s Commitments

In 2020, Aliénor Massenet described Hermetica’s alcohol-free perfumes as moisturizing, clear in appearance and easier to sell in certain countries. She reported that their intensity six hours after application was 56% greater than that of alcohol-containing counterparts, and described the top, heart and base notes as being released together.

Hermetica presents its InnoScent-based formulas as a way to combine fragrance with moisturization. The 56% figure refers to the comparison Massenet discussed at the time; the interview does not provide details of the formulas compared or the test conditions. It does not establish identical performance across the current range or guarantee that every wearer will be free from irritation.

The formula uses a molecule made by a patented process from bagasse, the residue left after sugarcane is pressed. It is this bagasse-derived molecule that acts as a co-emulsifier and solvent. The brand also describes a light, smooth feel on the skin.

With commitments to being clean and green, GMO-free, cruelty-free (not tested on animals), and to planting one tree for every fragrance sold online, the brand aims to make sustainable, environmentally friendly fragrances. Its packaging uses repurposed plants and paper, and the bottles are refillable, with refills available.

With sustainability and future generations in mind, the brand also actively uses synthetic fragrance ingredients produced through green chemistry.

Clara Molloy has described the fragrances as containing up to 50% renewable ingredients. She explained that the lily-of-the-valley molecule in Jade888 came from orange peel left over from juice production, while some molecules used in Megaflower, Rosefire and Spiceair came from renewable materials recovered from paper-industry waste. She extended this approach to the packaging, describing bottles made with recycled glass and locally sourced sand.

Source¹: The Accord Shared Across the Collection

Source¹, the first fragrance created by Aliénor Massenet and Clara Molloy, is both a perfume in its own right and an accord incorporated into the other compositions. Its bright bergamot and warm amber and woody musk form the foundation of the house’s fragrances.

The proportion of this shared accord varies between compositions, with the brand giving a range of 20–60%. This refers to Source¹, rather than the fragrance concentration of the finished perfume. It can be worn alone or used for layering, adding bergamot brightness and amber warmth to another scent.

Working with this common foundation still requires a new approach to composition. Massenet explains that InnoScent brings the heart notes forward more quickly and strongly, while materials such as musks become less prominent. Rebalancing intensity, diffusion and lasting power makes it easier to compose a new fragrance from the outset than to adapt an existing formula simply by removing its alcohol.

At the 2018 launch, Source¹ accompanied four olfactory groups: floral, green, woody and oriental. Clara also introduced a way of exploring preferences through images, including flowers and warm colors, before trying the fragrances. She conceived it as an invitation to experiment and discover what felt right to each person, rather than a fixed judgment of their taste.

Floral Impulse: Reworking the Scent of Flowers

Floral Impulse gives roses, iris, orange blossom and other flowers a contemporary expression. Flowers may be treated individually, paired or assembled into a bouquet, with some scents reconstructed through aroma molecules. The compositions bring together materials obtained from flowers and accords that evoke them.

Jade888 imagines the dense green undergrowth of the Amazon, where leaves and vines intertwine. Lily-of-the-valley, ginger and iris concrete bring soft floral and green impressions together. Jade evokes the gemstone, while 888 is associated with good fortune in China; lily-of-the-valley also carries the symbolism of luck and renewal.

Rosefire starts from a different scene: red roses and Turkish delight. The sweetness of dates accompanies rose, with davana adding hay-like and licorice facets. Within the same floral collection, the green tangle of Jade888 gives way to the richer sweetness of roses and confectionery.

Fruity Energy: Fruits, Seeds and the Life of Plants

Fruity Energy draws on fruits and berries, but also seeds, spices and plants that symbolize the sources of life. Its subject extends beyond sweet fruit scents to the relationship between people and nature and the vitality of plants.

Figfever evokes a sunlit Mediterranean path and the shade of a fig tree. The freshness and green character of the leaves take precedence over the sweetness of ripe flesh. Blackcurrant and bergamot accompany them, leading through floral impressions to the warmth of amber and woods.

The second half of the name suggests stepping out of the shade into heated air. Cool leaves contrast with the density of fruit, flowers and wood. The fig-leaf scent is expressed through a Fig Leaf Accord.

Woody Bow: Rooted Strength and the Quiet of Tree Shade

Woody Bow explores timber, resins and their enveloping warmth. Cedar, sandalwood and other woods convey the strength of trees rooted in the earth and their warm presence. Here, wood is the subject of the fragrance rather than merely its supporting structure.

Cedarise builds around the depth and definition of Virginia cedar. Cardamom joins it, while the root-like, earthy facets of vetiver connect the wood to the ground in which the tree grows.

The “rise” in its name suggests elevation and growth. The composition brings the presence of a tall tree together with the quiet of sheltering beneath its branches. Cedar’s ability to harmonize with other woods is paired with vetiver to strengthen the vegetal character.

Ambery Move: Solar Heat and the Richness of Resins

Ambery Move takes the amber-colored sun, its heat and its aura as its subjects. Natural phenomena such as eclipses and nightfall also inspire names within the collection. Amber, vanilla and oud contribute smoothness, intensity and a rich trail.

Amberbee connects that warmth with a honey-colored image. Opoponax resin surrounds amber and vanilla, while bergamot adds brightness. Citrus light passes through the layered sweetness, giving the composition more than a uniformly heavy character.

The “bee” evokes an insect moving between flowers and carrying treasure back to its hive. Honey-colored light and the interior of the hive are images associated with the warm sweetness of amber, resins and wood.