Heritage
A house, in its own words
Skins emerged from the Dutch beauty retail landscape in 2000, when founders Philip Hillege and Michiel Poelmann established their first store in Amsterdam's De 9 Straatjes district, a charming pedestrian area known for its boutique shops and artistic character. Over the following 25 years, the company expanded from a single location into a recognized chain serving Dutch consumers seeking beauty and fragrance products. The founders brought complementary expertise to the venture, with Hillege and Poelmann building the business around a philosophy of personal service and product discovery. By 2025, the company marked its silver anniversary by launching Layer+, its own fragrance house. This move represented a natural evolution from retail to creation, allowing Skins to control the product development process rather than solely stocking third-party brands. The Layer+ collection draws on what Skins describes as captive notes developed through collaboration with established perfume houses, suggesting partnerships with external expertise while maintaining brand ownership. The timing coincided with growing consumer interest in accessible luxury fragrances and personalized scent experiences across European markets.
Layer+ operates on the premise that fragrance should be buildable and personal rather than fixed and singular. The plus sign in the name signals both the layering concept and the brand's position as an extension of the Skins universe. Rather than presenting finished perfumes as complete statements, Layer+ constructs its four debut fragrances (Woody, Milky, Fruity, and Musky) around core notes that customers can combine according to their preferences. This approach reflects a contemporary shift in how consumers engage with scent, moving away from the idea of purchasing a predetermined olfactory experience toward active participation in creating their own. The brand's philosophy acknowledges that personal fragrance has always been about individual interpretation, and Layer+ makes this process explicit by offering structured options for combination. The Skins heritage informs this democratic approach, as the parent company has historically served customers seeking guidance and discovery in beauty. Layer+ translates that accessibility into a fragrance context, providing a framework within which customers can experiment while maintaining quality standards established through the collaboration with external perfume houses.