The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Ruby arrived as part of Piper & Perro's steady catalog expansion, composed by Tom Jansen, the brand's owner and perfume maker. The fragrance sits firmly in leathery-woody territory, a genre built on contrasts between supple animalic warmth and the dry architecture of wood. Ruby reads as a deliberate turn toward something warmer and more indulgent, an offering that commits to its richness rather than pulling back. The name itself does a lot of the storytelling work: Ruby suggests something precious, a gemstone worth holding up to the light and turning slowly between your fingers. The fragrance rewards that kind of attention.
What makes Ruby's structure interesting is the conversation between Bulgarian rose and cherry liqueur in the top notes. Rose carries a dry, almost papery elegance, the kind of floral that doesn't dissolve into powder or soap. Cherry liqueur brings the sticky, boozy warmth of something poured from a decanter, and setting them up together creates a pairing that feels both familiar and slightly off-kilter.
The evolution
The first ten minutes belong to cherry liqueur and Bulgarian rose, and the combination reads almost cocktail-like, boozy and floral in the same breath. There's a fruit-forward sweetness that announces itself clearly without shouting. By the half-hour mark, the leather begins to surface, smoky and dry, bringing the rose down from its lifted, airy register into something more grounded. The cherry softens but doesn't disappear. It shifts from the foreground to a warmer undertone, more like the memory of a drink than the drink itself, settling into the composition with less sparkle and more weight. Through the next stretch of wear, Palo Santo and cashmere wood take over the architecture, giving the composition a clean, almost sacred-wood quality that counterbalances the fruit without erasing it.
Cultural impact
Ruby has drawn attention for the way Bulgarian rose and Palo Santo anchor its cherry and leather structure, giving the composition a quieter, more contemplative register than compositions that lean harder on sweetness or smoke. Some wearers describe it as distinctive within Piper & Perro's catalog, noting that the interplay of fruit and wood creates something more nuanced than a straightforward gourmand. The fragrance fits as a warmer, more indulgent option next to the house's earlier compositions, a scent for evening rather than afternoon, for occasions that call for a little richness.
The House
Piper & PerroPiper & Perro is a Canadian perfume house founded by Tom Jansen and Amanda Buhse. The brand operates from a core belief that fragrance carries no gender, no borders, and no expectations. This philosophy shapes every decision, from scent composition to bottle design. The house creates unisex fragrances meant for people, not categories. Tom Jansen serves as perfumer and founder, bringing a storytelling approach to the atelier where intimate blending experiences allow guests to create their own signature scents. The house launched its first fragrance in 2018 and has since expanded to offerings like Arid, Ruby, Lepus, Vine, Bound, Zest, Bon, Froth, Berg, and Balm (2025). The brand maintains a presence across social platforms and offers its Atelier experience as a complementary service for those seeking a hands-on fragrance creation process.
The Creator
Tom JansenJansen's training in Grasse gave him a foundation in classical French perfumery, but his work spans well beyond tradition. He brings commercial fluency to his creative practice, understanding what makes a scent function in real-world contexts alongside pure artistic expression.
