The Heritage
The Story of Matiere Premiere
Matiere Premiere is a French niche fragrance house founded in 2019 by seventh-generation master perfumer Aurélien Guichard. Based in Grasse, the historic heartland of French perfumery, the brand takes its name from the French phrase for raw material, signaling a philosophy built around the purity and provenance of individual ingredients. Matiere Premiere stands apart as the only fragrance house whose founder cultivates his own botanical ingredients, growing Rose Centifolia, Tuberose, and Lavandin on his land in the Grasse region under organic farming conditions. The house has grown from its initial six-fragrance collection to 19 perfumes, spanning core eau de parfum lines and the more concentrated Extrait de Parfum collection introduced in 2024. Distribution has expanded to over 50 countries through approximately 400 retail partners including Harrods, Liberty, and Saks Fifth Avenue. In 2024, Kering Beauté acquired a minority stake in the company, though the founders, including Guichard, Cedric Meiffret, and Caius von Knorring, retain majority ownership. Each Matiere Premiere fragrance centers on a single exceptional natural material, expressed at high concentration to reveal its true character and create a distinctive sillage.
Heritage
The Matiere Premiere story traces to Grasse on the French Riviera, where the Guichard family has been rooted in perfumery for seven generations. Aurélien Guichard grew up surrounded by the craft, absorbing both the technical knowledge and the cultural heritage of French fragrance production from an early age. Before establishing his own house, Guichard worked as a perfumer for major international brands, creating fragrances for Burberry, Issey Miyake, Gucci, and Narciso Rodriguez. The decision to launch an independent house in 2019 stemmed from a desire to work differently, away from the constraints of industrial production. Guichard felt that mass-market fragrance manufacturing compromised quality and diluted the authentic character of raw materials. With 1.3 million euros in seed funding, he partnered with industry professionals Cedric Meiffret and Caius von Knorring to establish Matiere Premiere. The name itself announced the brand's ethos, positioning raw materials as the starting point and ultimate focus of every composition. The initial collection presented six fragrances, each organized around a single hero ingredient, a structure that has remained consistent through subsequent releases. The brand gained international traction rapidly, establishing retail partnerships with prestigious department stores and specialty retailers across Europe, North America, and beyond. By 2024, the house had grown to 19 perfumes and secured a minority investment from Kering Beaute, the beauty division of the luxury conglomerate that also counts Creed among its holdings, positioning the brand for continued international expansion while preserving founder control.
Craftsmanship
The foundation of Matiere Premiere's craftsmanship lies in cultivation. Aurélien Guichard is the only perfumer in the world who grows his own fragrance ingredients, a practice that connects the house directly to the agricultural origins of its materials. On his organic farms in the Grasse region, Guichard cultivates Rose Centifolia, Tuberose, and Lavandin, crops that form the basis of signature fragrances like Radical Rose and French Flower. This vertical integration allows complete control over cultivation methods, harvest timing, and quality assurance from seed to bottle. The choice to farm organically reflects a broader commitment to ethical production and environmental responsibility. When the house sources ingredients externally, it prioritizes ethical producers and maintains strict quality standards. The extraction and blending processes preserve the natural character of each material, avoiding techniques that might strip away nuance or introduce artificial characteristics. The Extrait de Parfum collection, launched in 2024, elevated concentration levels and expanded the palette of high-quality naturals, with each formulation designed to achieve deeper comfort and more profound texture while maintaining the signature transparency of the brand. Every Matiere Premiere fragrance bears Guichard's personal signature, a mark of direct accountability for the quality and character of each composition.
Design Language
Matiere Premiere presents an aesthetic of refined minimalism that communicates confidence through restraint. The brand's visual identity prioritizes clarity and directness, allowing the fragrance itself to serve as the primary statement rather than elaborate packaging or ornamental design. Bottle presentations employ clean forms, muted color palettes, and generous negative space, conveying sophistication without relying on decorative excess. This approach aligns with the brand's broader philosophy of transparency and ingredient-focused perfumery. The visual language extends across retail environments and digital presence, maintaining consistency in conveying the house's values of authenticity and quality. Typography remains understated, chosen for legibility and elegance rather than visual drama. The overall effect is an aesthetic that appeals to consumers who equate true luxury with substance rather than spectacle, positioning Matiere Premiere within a segment of niche perfumery that values sincerity and restraint.
Philosophy
Matiere Premiere operates on the conviction that exceptional fragrance begins with exceptional raw materials, treated with respect and expressed transparently. The philosophy centers on singularity rather than complexity, building each fragrance around one hero ingredient rather than layering multiple notes into an abstract composition. This approach demands both honesty and clarity from the materials themselves, requiring them to perform in their most authentic form without掩饰 orartisticcamouflage. The brand rejects the historical French approach of heavy sillage, instead pursuing scents that project gently but leave a lasting impression. Guichard has described his goal simply: turning an ingredient into a perfume, which means letting the material speak rather than overwhelming it with compositional technique. The Extrait de Parfum collection, which launched in 2024, represents an evolution of this philosophy, seeking to balance olfactory richness with edginess, creating textures that feel palpable and quality that runs deep. This commitment to directness extends to the brand's overall aesthetic, which prioritizes understanding over intellectual puzzling, inviting wearers to experience the material rather than decode the composition. The result is fragrances that function as accessible yet sophisticated sensory statements, approachable for newcomers yet rewarding for connoisseurs.
Key Milestones
2019
Matiere Premiere founded in Grasse by Aurélien Guichard, Cédric Meiffret, and Caius von Knorring with €1.3 million in seed funding. Initial collection of six fragrances launched.
2019
First retail partnerships established with major European department stores including Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.
2020
Radical Rose introduced, built around rose extract from the house's own organic farms in Grasse.
2021
Oud Seven released, expanding the collection with an oud-focused composition.
2024
Kering Beauté acquires a minority stake in Matiere Premiere as the brand expands its international retail and e-commerce presence.
2024
Extrait de Parfum collection launched with five new highly concentrated fragrances including Radical Rose Extrait, Crystal Saffron Extrait, and Falcon Leather Extrait.
At a Glance
Brand profile snapshot
Origin
France
Founded
2019
Heritage
7
Years active
Collection
2
Fragrances released
Avg Rating
3.9
Community sentiment
Release Rhythm