The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Richard Herpin doesn't chase perfection, he chases the moment. His process starts with an emotional sketch: capture the feeling first, then layer in the details like color on canvas. You? emerged from that spontaneity, built around the idea that fragrance should mirror the wearer rather than impose itself on them. The brand's collaborative development process, over 500 customers contributing feedback during creation, kept the composition tethered to how it actually feels on different people, not just how it reads on paper. The result is a fragrance that refuses to sit still the same way twice.
The structure is unusual in how deliberately it refuses to commit. Bergamot and pear open clean, almost soapy, then milk and white chocolate slide in sideways, shifting the register from crisp to creamy without a hard pivot. It's the lactonic note that makes this work: fig and milk together create a skin-warmth effect that reads as intimate rather than gourmand, which is a narrow line to walk. Tonka and sandalwood anchor the base with enough warmth to extend the wear without pushing into heavy territory. The fougère undercurrent, coriander, cedar, a whisper of something aromatic, keeps the whole thing from becoming purely dessert.
The evolution
Bergamot hits first, bright and clean, almost mineral. Pear arrives within minutes and softens everything, adds a watery sweetness that makes the opening feel like morning light through thin curtains. Then the milk comes. Not cream, not vanilla, actual milk, the lactonic note doing the heavy lifting. White chocolate follows, and this is where it gets interesting: the chocolate doesn't sweeten the composition, it deepens it. Jasmine and freesia arrive quietly in the heart, floral but not loud. The drydown belongs to sandalwood and tonka, they linger the longest, warming against skin for hours after the florals fade. By the end, it's just skin and wood and a ghost of something sweet.
Cultural impact
You? sits comfortably in the current moment, fig-forward, lactonic, skin-close, joining a wave of fragrances that trade projection for intimacy. The independent niche positioning gives it room to be quieter than the market without apologizing for it. Wearers who gravitate toward this tend to have a specific relationship with fragrance: they want it to feel private, personal, earned through proximity rather than announced from across the room.
The House
House of DastanHouse of Dastan is a US-based independent niche fragrance house founded in 2024 by siblings Hamed and Sonia Arefian. The brand draws from Persian heritage and decades of experience in New York's fine fragrance industry, creating scents that function as narrative vehicles. Each fragrance in the collection draws inspiration from real-life events, ancient myths, and shared memories, positioning storytelling as central to the brand's identity rather than incidental marketing language. The house operates with a collaborative development model, engaging customers during the creation process for certain releases. Notable fragrances include Unseen (2025), Game of Joy (2024), Love Flame (2024), Five Senses (2024), Light Breeze (2024), and You? (2024). The brand was established in 2024, making it one of the newer entrants in the independent niche fragrance segment.
The Creator
Richard HerpinHis style tends toward carefully constructed accords, often with a grounding base that allows brighter top notes to shine. He's not afraid to use synthetics alongside naturals, blending them seamlessly to create textures and effects that are both modern and timeless.























