The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Girls Come First arrived in 2024 as part of Maison Olfactif's Les Émotionnels collection, with Ioana Marinescu composing its mix of radiant fruit, pepper, iris, and warm base notes. The composition moves between sparkling citrus and fruit, a floral heart, and a warm foundation. Bright bergamot, blackcurrant, and pink pepper form the opening, while jasmine, rose, orange blossom, and violet shape the heart. Beneath them, tonka bean, benzoin, patchouli, white musk, and vanilla add sweetness, resinous warmth, earthy depth, and a soft finish. The result balances bright fruit, delicate florals, and darker base notes in a fragrance presented for every wearer rather than pinned to one gender.
The striking part is the contrast inside the note pyramid. Bergamot and blackcurrant give the opening brightness and fruit, while iris adds a cool, powdery texture. In the heart, jasmine, rose, orange blossom, and violet create a floral center with both transparent and softly rounded qualities. The base pulls in another direction with patchouli, benzoin, tonka, and vanilla, adding warm sweetness and earthy depth. White musk gives the composition a soft finish, while iris leaves a powdery trace.
The evolution
The opening combines bergamot, pink pepper, and blackcurrant in a bright blend of citrus, pepper, and fruit. Iris adds a cool, powdery texture as the composition begins to take shape. The heart brings together jasmine and orange blossom, with rose and violet adding depth to the floral arrangement. The fragrance then moves toward its warmer notes. Tonka and vanilla introduce creamy sweetness, benzoin contributes resinous warmth, and patchouli adds an earthy dimension. White musk rounds the overall composition without removing its contrasting elements. In the drydown, the scent becomes a soft floral and sweet combination, with vanilla, tonka, patchouli, iris, and white musk remaining close to the skin. The progression from fresh fruit to layered florals and warm base notes gives the fragrance a measured, evolving character.
Cultural impact
Girls Come First belongs to Maison Olfactif's Les Émotionnels collection, where fragrance titles form part of the identity of each scent. Its unisex presentation places it beyond conventional masculine and feminine scent categories. The fragrance brings together bright fruit, pepper, iris, and white florals with tonka, benzoin, patchouli, musk, and vanilla, creating a composition that moves between freshness and warmth. For wearers drawn to floral scents with darker notes, it offers an exploration of sweetness shaped by contrast and designed for broad wear.
The House
MAISON OLFACTIFMaison Olfactif is a Romanian fragrance house founded in 2023 in Prahova, specializing in gender-neutral perfumes designed to appeal equally to all wearers. The house emerged with a debut collection of ten scents released in 2023, including provocative offerings such as Adulther, Original sin, and Rendez-vous avec le diable. A subsequent release, Champagne In Heaven, arrived in 2024. Working with perfumer Ioana, the house constructs its compositions around themes of desire, transgression, and emotional complexity. The brand presents its fragrances through naming conventions that draw from religious imagery, romantic tension, and aristocratic symbolism, creating an unmistakable narrative voice within contemporary niche perfumery.
The Creator
Ioana MarinescuNo signature fragrance style, techniques, or preferred ingredients are associated with this individual. She has not published or spoken publicly about fragrance creation, ingredients, or olfactory craft in any accessible source.
