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 (in Japanese), who had long created fragrances for Memo, moved to Symrise (in Japanese) 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 as a proposal for Floraïku. 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 Perfume Collection
Free of alcohol, which dries the skin, these fragrances are moisturizing, clear in appearance, easier to sell in certain countries, and, above all, more powerful than formulas containing alcohol. Six hours after application, Hermetica fragrances have been shown to be 56% more intense than their alcohol-containing counterparts, as well as more moisturizing and softer in scent. Another feature of the formula is that the top, middle, and base notes are released simultaneously.
Aliénor Massenet
As mentioned above, Hermetica uses InnoScent, developed through Symrise’s latest scientific technology, to create alcohol-free, clean fragrances that also last, overcoming a previous weakness. They can also be rubbed into the skin (in fact, rubbing them in is recommended) and provide moisture without stickiness, placing them somewhere between skincare and fragrance.
What made this possible was a new generation of green molecules manufactured by a patented process from ethically and responsibly sourced bagasse, the residue left after juice is extracted from sugarcane stalks. This bagasse-derived material acts as a co-emulsifier and solvent, giving the formula a more sensual feel. When applied, it is also light and smooth on the skin, moisturizing it while imparting a velvety scent.
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.
Aliénor Massenet and Clara Molloy first created Source 1, the inaugural fragrance that would become the brand’s DNA. It is included as one of the elements in every Hermetica perfume and can also be used for layering (in Japanese).
With sustainability and future generations in mind, the brand also actively uses synthetic fragrance ingredients (in Japanese) produced through green chemistry.
Hermetica fragrances contain up to 50% renewable ingredients. The lily-of-the-valley (in Japanese) molecule in Jade888 was made from orange peel left over from orange juice production. Some of the molecules in Megaflower, Rosefire, and Spiceair also come from renewable sources recovered from paper-industry waste. Giving new life to something that was treated as waste is another way to be clean. This approach extends to the packaging: the bottles are renewable and made from recycled glass and locally sourced sand.
Clara Molloy
