“I have no interest in following trends or imitating existing creations.”
— Euan McCall (perfumer and co-founder; translated)
Jorum Studio is an independent fragrance house based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Working with memories of place, including plants, earth, wet stone, sea air, old timber, and folklore, it goes beyond merely reproducing “Scottishness.” It treats natural and synthetic perfume ingredients equally as materials, rearranging the very structure of scent. Supporting that approach are perfumer Euan McCall and Chloe Mullen, who oversees design and the creative side.
Basic Information
Brand name: JORUM STUDIO
Founded: 2019, Edinburgh, Scotland
Co-founders: Euan McCall and Chloe Mullen
Predecessor: Jorum Laboratories (began operating around 2009–2010)
Based in: Edinburgh; a store also opened in Marylebone, London, in 2025
Official website: https://jorumstudio.com/
Jorum Studio officially gives its founding year as 2019. Its technical foundation, however, lies in Jorum Laboratories, the fragrance formulation and manufacturing company Euan had been running for around ten years before that. Chloe joined the business as an equal partner in 2016, and it developed from a company working “behind the scenes” to create scents for others into a brand releasing creations under its own name.
The Founders and the Origins of the Brand
A Boy Raised in a Horticultural Family
The origins of Euan’s sense of smell lie in the horticultural business run by his grandparents. With grandparents who worked on gardens throughout Britain, he grew up surrounded by the smells of plants and earth, and was also influenced by his grandmother’s love of perfume. He says that at around eight years old, a family trip took him to Grasse, the perfume-producing town in southern France, where he first became aware of perfume making as a profession.
“Natural smells were plentiful from my earliest childhood. But until I visited Grasse at around eight, I did not know the perfume industry existed.”
— Euan McCall (translated)
At that time, Scotland offered almost no clear path to becoming a perfumer. Rather than following a single prescribed route through a chemistry degree or a renowned perfume school, Euan pursued independent study while exposing himself to the work of as many perfumers as possible. A major influence in that process was Dr. George Dodd, an Irish-born perfumer and biochemist. Dodd, who had moved to the Scottish Highlands, researched pheromones, whisky aroma chemistry, natural perfume materials, and other subjects. Euan learned a great deal from his work and, after Dodd died in 2020, took over stewardship of a collection that included rare perfume materials.
This background is important to understanding Jorum’s fragrances. Euan’s perfumery draws on established forms from perfume history while retaining a researcher’s approach to analyzing botanical specimens, extracts, and aroma molecules. Yet it is not simply the coolness of a laboratory. Memories of smells retained in the body, from childhood gardens, damp ground, timber, and fermented things, set that technique in motion.
Building an Industry in Scotland
Around 2009–2010, Euan established Jorum Laboratories and began designing formulas and manufacturing for brands, including those abroad, as a freelance perfumer and consultant. Looking back on that period, he says there was no internationally active fine-fragrance formulation and manufacturing company based in Scotland. For him, starting a business was not just a way to release his own creations, but also an attempt to put Scotland on the world perfume map.
“Our location does not define us. We simply thought that if no one else was doing it, why shouldn’t we?”
— Euan McCall (translated)
Early Jorum was a company designing fragrances to commissions from other businesses. For around ten years, Euan created formulas for brands large and small and accumulated manufacturing experience. Much of the work did not carry his name publicly, but this period established an integrated foundation spanning raw-material sourcing, formulation, maturation, filtration, filling, and quality control.
The Partnership with Chloe Mullen
In 2016, his partner Chloe Mullen became fully involved in running the business. With a background in design, Chloe handles creative direction, packaging, and business matters including raw-material sourcing and logistics for the current brand. Euan creates the framework of a scent; Chloe connects it with the world through visuals, words, and objects. It is more accurate to see Jorum as a collaboration between two people with different skills than as the brand of a solitary genius perfumer.
Chloe describes Jorum as a place where a passion for design meets a passion for scent. Their aim was not an image of Scotland reliant on symbols such as tartan, whisky, and shortbread, but a contemporary expression arising from the senses of people who live there.
2019: Stepping into the Spotlight
Having created scents for other brands, the pair eventually came to need a creative language of their own. In May 2019, they introduced their first collection, Progressive Botany Vol. I, and Jorum Studio was born. There were six debut fragrances. Rather than realistically reproducing nature, the series observed, expanded, and sometimes distorted natural phenomena, transforming them into new olfactory experiences.
“We want to show that perfumery is both a craft and a vocation.”
— Jorum Studio (translated)
In August that year, the brand held a pop-up at the historic department store Jenners during the Edinburgh Festival. It clearly expressed the view that contemporary Scotland is far broader than the image associated with traditional souvenirs.
Although the brand launched just before the COVID-19 pandemic, it opened its first directly operated store on St. Stephen Street in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge neighborhood in May 2021. The interior included not only a retail area but also a small laboratory and an archive of vintage perfume materials. Rather than simply selling perfume as a finished product, it was a place to show visitors the materials and creative processes behind it.
A second store opened in Marylebone, London, in November 2025. The space incorporated Nordic and Japanese elements alongside contemporary Scottish craft, demonstrating a brand that retains its local character without confining itself to regionalism.
The Brand’s Commitments
An Olfactory Sensibility Shaped by Northern Land
Euan says that perfumers in northern Europe have a different sensibility from those in regions surrounded by strongly scented flowers. Everyday Scotland contains cold, wet stone, restrained botanical smells, and dense humidity. Precisely because scents do not announce themselves clearly, one must bring the nose closer and seek subtle changes. This “landscape that does not give too much away” connects to Jorum’s distinctive earthiness, mineral quality, greenness, and rough botanical textures.
Jorum does not, however, champion the exclusive use of Scottish-grown plants. It also uses materials from around the world, including Italian orris and Omani frankincense, as well as synthetics. Place is not a rule limiting the origins of materials; it is a perspective from which to look at them.
From Mood Board to Formula
Creation begins by determining a subject or concept. The team then assembles a layered mood board from photographs, film scenes, music, furniture, architecture, typefaces, fabrics, material found online, and notes on new perfume ingredients. Early olfactory sketches develop at the same time, with the direction gradually narrowed through exchanges between visual material and formula.
This differs somewhat from beginning with an established top-middle-base note pyramid. Even when a tree is the subject, for instance, Jorum does not deal only with the abstract category “woody.” It constructs a whole scene incorporating bark, sap, fruit, sawdust, metal tools, damp ground, and even the skin of the people working there. The complexity found in Arborist is a good example of this method.
Making Everything In-House
At Jorum, conception, formulation, manufacture, maturation, filtration, bottling, and finishing all take place in Edinburgh. In an early interview, Euan described a production scale of roughly 100–1,000 bottles per fragrance, normally made several times a year. Because formulation and manufacturing are not outsourced to a major fragrance house, there is no need to fit a bestselling template, and concentrations and structures can be explored boldly. The other side is that inaccurate demand forecasts can readily lead to stockouts, leaving the brand itself to shoulder the difficulties of production management.
“Because we make everything obsessively in-house, there are zero constraints.”
— Euan McCall (translated)
This vertical integration is not merely a performance of being “handmade.” It is a system in which the perfumer remains responsible through manufacturing, preventing the formula’s intent from being diluted by the practicalities of commercialization. The frequently multilayered character of Jorum’s creations, and the rough-edged contours of their materials, may well be connected with that structure.
Not Dividing Natural from Synthetic
Although Jorum uses many natural materials, it does not adopt the simplistic equation “natural means safe and environmentally friendly; synthetic means bad.” Cultivation, harvesting, and extraction also impose burdens for natural materials, and synthetic molecules can sometimes have a lower environmental impact. The important questions, it says, concern not just a material’s origin, but who made it, through what process, and how efficiently and responsibly.
Materials are selected for their olfactory quality and the needs of the creation. Rather than treating only costly naturals as “luxurious,” the brand gives relatively inexpensive materials equal standing when they suit the expression. This pragmatic understanding of materials underpins Jorum’s experimental approach.
Packaging as Part of Creation
Chloe designs the packaging in-house and refines it in parallel with fragrance development. The bottles are sourced from a UK company and made of recyclable glass; boxes, inserts, and labels are also manufactured in the UK. The brand minimizes packaging wherever possible and chooses recyclable or biodegradable materials, while explicitly noting that chemical-resistance requirements mean the spray mechanism still contains plastic that is difficult to recycle.
Its willingness to acknowledge that no perfume has a completely clean footprint, rather than use “sustainable” as an all-purpose slogan, is noteworthy. Instead of using lavish decoration to stage a natural image, its discussion of where room for improvement remains reveals an ethic rooted in research and manufacturing.
The Perfume Lineup
The main permanent and seasonal collections are introduced below. In addition, the London store offers a London Collection bringing together six fragrances exclusive to that location.
Progressive Botany Vol. I
The debut collection of 2019 comprises six eaux de parfum expressing the brand’s basic philosophy. Using both natural and synthetic materials, it observes and expands plants and natural phenomena. The relatively approachable “Botany” is paired with “Progressive,” which deliberately departs from traditional perfume structures, with the two designed to complement or contrast with one another.
- Arborist: Imagines a day in the life of a woodland keeper, layering not just trees but fruit, sap, soil, tools, skin, and even distant spirits
- Medullary-Ray: Woodworking sawdust and Tuscan fruit; olive, fig leaf, pomegranate, and dry timber intersect
- Carduus: A dry herbal leather whose name means thistle, depicting the ritual density of herbs, seeds, bark, and tobacco
- Trimerous: Centered on fine orris butter, it treats the coolness, earthiness, and woodiness of iris root as three facets
- Phloem: Named after the botanical term for the tissue containing sieve tubes, an unconventional creation in which sweetness, greenness, and animalic suggestions collide
- Nectary: A “garden for the skin” containing equal parts flower, leaf, and soil; a floral scent recalling rose, fruit, nectar, sap, and thorns
For a first encounter, Arborist offers an introduction to the complexity of wood, resin, and soil; Trimerous explores iris as a material; and Nectary introduces Jorum’s characteristically daring florals. Each provides a different point of entry.
Selective Memory
A series of eaux de parfum retelling “memories that can be shared,” distorted and abstracted by time, through scent. Its three current principal creations are Athenaeum, Fantosmia, and Pentimento. Athenaeum suggests the paper, ink, beeswax, and woody warmth of an old library; Fantosmia uses spice and leather to blur the boundary between reality and illusion; and Pentimento, whose name refers to repainting in art, reveals hidden layers of boozy notes and flowers.
Where Progressive Botany observes landscapes from the outside, this collection turns inward into memory. The series is structured around the idea that a smell does not replay the past exactly, but returns with omissions and embellishments.
Scottish Odyssey
A series of extraits de parfum transforming Scotland’s land, folktales, culture, and humor into contemporary fantasies. Rather than beautifying famous sights like a geographical guide, it draws stories from an everyday world that is earthy, unsettling, and sometimes funny.
- Gorseland: Edinburgh’s rocky surfaces and vivid gorse flowering on rough ground; contrasts of chamomile, apple, neroli, and green grass
- Healing Berry: A concoction of crushed berries and herbs that might be medicine or poison
- Pony Boy: Depicts the waterside monster the kelpie through tart rhubarb, damp wood, and lotus
- Rose Highland: A thin, sharp rose exposed to salty sea air and rocky ground
- Firewater: Moves from black tea, grapefruit, and juniper to birch and peat smoke; a scent suggesting a seaside bonfire and charred citrus lingering on skin
- Spiritcask: Reconstructs the presence of casks and spirits without reducing them to a straightforward whisky scent
This series answers most directly the challenge present since the brand’s foundation: foregrounding regional character while avoiding tourist clichés.
Mainline
A line of extraits de parfum that, rather than being united by a single narrative, pursues technical accomplishment and new ways of treating rare, high-quality materials. Its breadth is demonstrated by Paradisi, layering greenhouse plants, damp earth, and grapefruit; Elegy, modernizing a classical floral; Askr, with the darkness of ink, marine notes, and woods; and Unspoken Gesture, turning rice and mimosa into a soft skin scent.
In 2026, the line was joined by Risso, creating bright cleanliness through pear, bitter orange, neroli, cypress, and other notes. For anyone who knows Jorum only through strong impressions of earth and resin, it offers a view of the brand’s technical range.
Time
Time is a collection of seasonal releases from the perfumer’s archive. Revisiting past formulas and presenting unreleased works, it reveals experiments with rare materials and high concentrations on a different timescale from the permanent lines. Vernus, Pluck!, and the frankincense-centered Boswellia Scotia, released in autumn 2024 in a limited edition of 597 bottles, illustrate its character well. As of October 2026, Boswellia Scotia is also listed in Mainline.
By the Way…
A Perfume Brand Supporting Craftspeople
In 2020, Jorum launched the Jorum Craft Award with Craft Scotland. Linking perfume with other craft disciplines through shared concerns with materials, handwork, and the refinement of skills, it supports makers’ research and production through small grants. For its debut collection, it also commissioned glass artist Juli Bolaños-Durman to create a freely interpreted response. The view of perfume not as an isolated product but as a field of contemporary craft has remained consistent.
Smelling the Fragrance Archive in the Store
The Edinburgh store houses part of the collection of vintage perfume materials, including those inherited from Dr. George Dodd. These serve both as research resources and as teaching materials through which visitors can learn about ingredients and the background of the perfume industry. Incorporating a small laboratory into the shop communicates not just the glamour of the finished product, but the fact that perfume emerges from blending, repetition, and manufacture.
What distinguishes Jorum Studio is less Scotland itself than a way of looking at the world from there. It brings the nose close to a landscape that may seem sparse in scent, seeking the density hidden within plants, stone, timber, and memory. What it discovers is then rearranged between natural and synthetic, tradition and experiment, poetry and manufacturing technique. Its creations are not necessarily easy to understand at a single sniff. But for those who enjoy the process by which a scent unfolds over time, it is a brand worth trying.
Additional Note
Sources differ on whether the predecessor, Jorum Laboratories, began in 2009 or 2010. Euan’s independent perfumery activity began around this period, while Jorum Studio was established as a consumer-facing brand in 2019.
References
- Interview with perfumer Euan McCall of Jorum Studio – https://www.perfumelounge.eu/scent-stories/spotlight-on-euan-mccall
- Jorum Studio: Supporting Scotland’s rising talent – https://www.craftscotland.org/journal/article/supporting-scotlands-rising-talent-with-jorum-studio
- JORUM STUDIO Brand Profile, Pitti Fragranze – https://fragranze.pittimmagine.com/23/exhibitors/J/jorum-studio
- Jorum Studio, The Perfume Society – https://perfumesociety.org/perfume-house/jorum-studio/
- Moss, Mushroom & Seaweed – 4 Perfumeries Making Scents Off the Grid – https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/niche-locale-perfumeries/
- In conversation: Chloe Mullen from Jorum Studio – https://www.codeofthecreative.com/p/june-2025
- Edinburgh Festival’s fragrant pop-up – https://perfumesociety.org/edinburgh-festivals-fragrant-pop-up-jenners-host-unique-scent-space/
- All the senses – Jorum Studio launch New Award – https://www.craftscotland.org/journal/article/jorum-studio-launch-new-award
- JORUM STUDIO to open first London store in Marylebone Village – https://www.a1retailmagazine.com/company-news/jorum-studio-to-open-first-london-store-in-marylebone-village/
- Jorum Studio First London Store Opens in Marylebone – https://broadsheet.com/london/articles/jorum-studio-marylebone
- Arborist, Jorum Studio official product page – https://jorumstudio.com/products/arborist-eau-de-parfum
- Ethics Policy, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/pages/ethics
- Progressive Botany Vol. I, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/blogs/journal/progressive-botany-vol-i
- Medullary-Ray, Jorum Studio official product page – https://jorumstudio.com/products/medullary-ray-eau-de-parfum
- Carduus, Jorum Studio official product page – https://jorumstudio.com/products/carduus-eau-de-parfum
- Nectary, Jorum Studio official product page – https://jorumstudio.com/products/nectary-eau-de-parfum
- Selective Memory Collection / Sample Set, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/collections/selective-memory / https://jorumstudio.com/products/selective-memory-sample-set
- Scottish Odyssey, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/collections/scottish-odyssey
- Scottish Odyssey Sample Set, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/products/scottish-odyssey-sample-set
- Mainline, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/collections/mainline
- Introducing: Unspoken Gesture, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/blogs/journal/introducing-unspoken-gesture
- Risso, Jorum Studio official product page – https://jorumstudio.com/products/risso
- Time – Limited Release, Jorum Studio – https://jorumstudio.com/collections/time
- Boswellia Scotia, Jorum Studio official product page – https://jorumstudio.com/products/boswellia-scotia
- Jorum official「TIME Autumn 2024: Boswellia Scotia」
- Perfume Lounge「Selective Memory sample set」
- Jorum official「Trimerous」
- Jorum official「Phloem」
- Jorum official「Athenaeum」
- Jorum official「Fantosmia」
- Jorum official「Pentimento」
- Jorum official「Gorseland」
- Jorum official「Healing Berry」
- Jorum official「Pony Boy」
- Jorum official「Rose Highland」
- Jorum official「Firewater」
- Jorum official「Spiritcask」
- Jorum official「Paradisi」
- Jorum official「Elegy」
- Jorum official「Askr」
- Jorum official「Unspoken Gesture」
- olfatto「JORUM STUDIO」official retailer in Japan
- Jorum official「Hello London! Jorum comes to Marylebone.」
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