Son Venïn: Alluring as Venom, Nordic Fragrances from Oslo

“Scent memories, Nordic heritage and the democratic spirit inherited from Scandinavians: these are what move and inspire me.”

— Dag Solhaug Laska, founder of Son Venïn

Contents

Essential Information
The Founders and the Origins of the Brand
What Matters to the Brand
By the Way…
1. What Is the “Scent of Oslo”?
2. The Pronunciation and Meaning of the Brand Name

Essential Information

Year founded: 2016
Place founded: Oslo, Norway
Founders: Dag Solhaug Laska and Svein Haakon Lia (according to Bleed’s official introduction). Some retailer materials also include Kjell Reenskaug, but his role could not be confirmed in official brand information.
Official website: https://sonvenin.com
Headquarters: Dronningens gate 15, 0152 Oslo, Norway

(For the pronunciation of the brand name, see “The Meaning of the Brand Name” below.)

The Founders and the Origins of the Brand

The Ability to Show and to Evoke, Refined in a Design Studio

To understand the background to Son Venïn, we must begin with a design studio called Bleed. Founded jointly in Oslo in June 2000 by Dag Solhaug Laska and Svein Haakon Lia, Bleed is a multidisciplinary design consultancy. Covering a wide range of fields, including brand identity development, art direction, packaging design and interactive design, it has won numerous awards in Norway and internationally.

Dag Laska spent around 21 years at Bleed, from 2000 to 2021, as creative director and founding partner. Fellow founding partner Svein Haakon Lia also has numerous international design awards to his name, including honors from the Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, European Design Awards and Red Dot Award. Bleed later opened an office in Vienna and has worked with an impressive roster of clients, including NRK, the Norwegian broadcaster, Hermès, Sony PlayStation and the National Museum of Norway.

A Brand Born from a “Creative Playground”

Bleed’s project record identifies Son Venïn as a brand born at the studio.

Asked about the brand in a Tom Wood interview, Dag Laska says:

“Son Venin is my creative playground turned into a workplace.”

In the same conversation, he names the smell of his two children at birth among his most powerful memories.

A Journey to the South of France and Encounters with Perfumers

According to a 2017 interview in Kosmetikk (pp. 22–23), advice from Malbrum founder Bjørn Kristian Hilberg led the team to seek collaborators in Grasse.

Their brief drew on moods and places, but suppliers wanted existing perfumes as reference points. Seeking an original scent with Nordic references, the team worked through several perfumers’ trials before choosing a collaborator.

One documented collaboration is Posthume, composed by Sozio perfumer Rosine Courage.

2020: The Moment the World Took Notice

In 2020, Son Venïn reached an important milestone in the fragrance industry. Its perfume Posthume won Gold in the Independent Category at the Art and Olfaction Awards, organized by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Institute for Art and Olfaction. Judged blind, these awards honor excellence in international artisan, experimental and independent perfumery and are regarded as one of the most prestigious forms of recognition for independent brands.

Bleed’s project record describes the now-independent brand as stocked by specialist boutiques from Tokyo to New York.

What Matters to the Brand

A Philosophy of Fragrance: Democracy and Individuality

Son Venïn’s official website sets out the thinking at the brand’s core in simple terms: “Our roots are grounded in Scandinavian thought and culture. Inspiration comes from all over the world, based on memories, places and visual connotations, with an approach to creating contemporary scents inspired by the democratic spirit of Scandinavians.”

The word “democratic” is essential to understanding this brand. Its first manifestation is that all the perfumes are unisex, scents for any gender. The idea that “gender certainly matters, but what is more important is to see people as individuals; people should decide for themselves how they want to smell” embodies the egalitarian outlook of Nordic culture.

The brand also has its own thinking about complexity in fragrance. Even its simplest perfumes contain around 30 components, while the most complex have at least 70. “We treat a perfume as a child. They are all different and will lead different lives. But they will always be members of the family.”

Bottles and Packaging: Embodying Nordic Minimalism

Bleed’s visual work brings restrained typography, bottles and packaging together as a consistent series.

An Approach to Sustainability

Son Venïn also takes a clear position on the ethical aspects of its products. All spray perfumes are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, with no animal testing. No colorants are added (“what you see is simply what it is”), and additives are kept to a minimum through an approach combining synthetic and natural materials. The brand also states a policy of reducing plastic and mixed materials and prioritizing local development wherever possible. All products are registered in the CPNP, the EU cosmetics safety-regulation database, and comply with EU regulations. It also openly discloses that its solid perfumes use beeswax and are therefore not vegan.

The Fragrance Lineup

Son Venïn offers 50 ml eaux de parfum and refillable 3 g solid perfumes. Both formats follow the same principle: fragrances are not divided by gender, and each person chooses what suits them. The individual compositions draw on different subjects, from Mediterranean sunsets and snow-covered woods to young skin and the warmth of bread.

Posthume: Nordic Memories in Scent

Posthume explores Nordic life shaped by long periods of cold and harsh natural surroundings. It translates the tar used in sacred buildings and the textures of the surrounding landscape into scent, tracing a sensory connection to the brand’s origins.

Composed by Rosine Courage, it opens with cinnamon, followed by clove and tobacco, then leather, a smoke accord and vetiver. Vanilla and tonka bean bring warmth to the smoky, leathery impression. Posthume won in the Independent Category of the Art and Olfaction Awards in 2020.

0905 and 3007: Fragrances Worn by Two People

0905 takes its name from May 9, the birthday the two founders happen to share. 3007 refers to July 30, the birthday of one founder’s wife. The two fragrances have different characters, but their bases are designed to mingle pleasantly after time on the skin when the people wearing them come close.

In 0905, lively ginger, cardamom and sagebrush meet the calm of leather and amber. Dried lavender and pine sap lead towards cedar and dry woods. 3007 layers neroli and orange blossom with a bouquet of white jasmine and a powdery texture. White musk, sandalwood and cedar support the softness of vanilla.

PUR 01 and PUR 02: A Mediterranean Sunset and Snow-Covered Woods

PUR 01 evokes a warm sunset in a Mediterranean country. Rose, lavender and thyme are joined by the freshness of eucalyptus and bergamot and the spice of saffron and cardamom, leading into labdanum, guaiac wood and patchouli. Laska recommends it as a first encounter with the brand. For him, its woody rose feels like an extension of the wearer and their skin, quietly present rather than assertive.

PUR 02 suggests a winter forest wrapped in silence and white snow. A sheer accord of white jasmine and white woods forms its center, softened by white musk. Mandarin and bergamot are joined by elemi, mint and aquatic notes, moving through basil towards patchouli, cedar and vetiver.

SANTAL SUPER and AMBR SUPER: The Warmth of Wood and the Intimacy of Skin

SANTAL SUPER aims for an embracing warmth that can be worn throughout the day. Sandalwood and cedarwood are combined with ISO E-Super. Pepper, bergamot and green notes open the fragrance, followed by eucalyptus, incense, cardamom and jasmine. Within the warm woody composition, the bite of pepper balances the clean impression of jasmine, while white musk supports the drydown.

AMBR SUPER began with the skin of young Scandinavians and the positive mood and confidence of young people gathering together. Laska associated that atmosphere with HBO’s Euphoria and “Got 2 Let U” by the Swedish group The Knife. He sought to bring the intimacy of clean skin together with the strength of warm amber.

In February 2023, before the launch, Laska discussed the difficulty of balancing the composition with a restrained touch of orris. At that stage, he was exploring a combination of cardamom, woody materials, musk, Ambrox and ISO E-Super.

The finished AMBR SUPER opens with cardamom, moves through plum, ambrette and tonka bean, and settles into Ambrox, cedar, white oak, sandalwood and musk. ISO E-Super helps balance the intimacy of a skin scent with the warmth of amber.

Le Voleur

With a title meaning “the thief” in French, this elegant fragrance brings together a white bouquet, the freshness of modern iris, and sensual incense and guaiac wood. Saffron and pink berries in the top notes lead through nutmeg, incense and iris in the heart to sandalwood, amber and dry woods in the base.

Pain Nouveau: Bread Reimagined as Contemporary Perfume

Introduced in 2025, Pain Nouveau means “new bread” in French. It reconsiders this familiar food as a contemporary perfume, combining the earthy warmth of cereal bread with the sweetness of ripe figs and the grounding character of woods.

Fig leaves, black pepper and bergamot open the composition. Cereal bread, mimosa and orange blossom form the heart, followed by sandalwood, Ambrox and Bourbon vanilla.

Solid Perfume: A Refillable 3 g Capsule

The solid perfumes come in a refillable capsule containing 3 g of fragrance, with refills sold as a pair of 3 g units. AMBR SUPER, for example, is available both as a 50 ml spray and in this capsule format. The solid formula uses beeswax and is applied to warm pulse points such as the wrists and neck. The spray perfumes are vegan-friendly, but the beeswax-based solid perfumes are not. Even when the fragrance name is the same, the base and method of application differ.

By the Way…

What Is the “Scent of Oslo”?

In the same interview, Laska associates Oslo with water, jasmine, cedar and optimism.

The Pronunciation and Meaning of the Brand Name

“Son Venïn” is the brand’s spelling, using an “ï” with a diaeresis. Its authorized Japanese retailer introduces it as “Son Vēn.” There are several interpretations of the meaning. The French word “venin,” transcribed in Japanese as “vunan,” means “venom,” while “son,” transcribed as “son,” means “his” or “her.” Together they mean “his/her venom,” from which one can also read an idea of seduction. It is a name that condenses the brand’s essence into a single phrase: fragrance that holds people captive, like venom.

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