Karina Shishkina
Karina Shishkina operates from Saint Petersburg, Russia, where she founded My Perfum Laboratory, an independent fragrance house that reflects her hands-on approach to creation. Rather than following established industry pathways, Shishkina built her practice from the ground up, developing formulas in her own laboratory and maintaining complete creative control over her work. Her presence on international fragrance retail platforms places her alongside notable independent perfumers from around the world, suggesting a growing recognition beyond her home market. Shishkina brings an analytical mindset to her craft, informed by her background in client-facing project delivery, which translates into an understanding of individual preferences and the ability to translate specific sensory desires into tangible compositions. While she works outside the traditional perfume industry power centers, her commitment to direct creation and independent operation positions her within a tradition of Russian artisanal perfumery that values technical autonomy. The scarcity of public information about her work suggests she operates with quiet confidence, letting her formulations speak rather than cultivating an elaborate personal narrative around her practice.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Karina composes
Based on her positioning within international independent perfumery, Shishkina demonstrates range across fragrance families rather than adherence to a single aesthetic. Her work tends toward clarity and directness, with compositions that present their core ideas without excessive layering or complexity. She appears comfortable working with both traditional perfumery materials and contemporary synthetics, selecting each component for its functional contribution to the overall effect. Her formulations suggest attention to wearability and longevity, practical concerns that reflect her grounding in real-world client expectations. The laboratory setting implies methodical development and systematic refinement rather than purely intuitive creation.
Philosophy
What drives Karina
Shishkina approaches perfumery as both science and service, drawing from her experience managing complex client relationships to understand that fragrance creation ultimately responds to human need. She favors direct interaction with materials over theoretical knowledge, building her olfactory vocabulary through experimentation rather than formal academic training. Her independent status allows her to prioritize creative integrity over commercial considerations, developing fragrances she believes in rather than chasing market trends. She appears drawn to the challenge of making niche-quality perfumery accessible, operating her own laboratory means she can control every stage from raw material selection to the final bottle.
The houses
Maisons Karina composes for
In the same league