The Heritage
The Story of Sylhouette Parfums
Sylhouette Parfums emerged from a modest workshop in Romania in 2018, offering a curated line of niche scents that blend Eastern European sensibility with contemporary flair. The house quickly attracted collectors with its debut Bespoke Perfume, a personalized fragrance service that let clients shape a scent around their own memories. Since then, Sylhouette has released a series of dark‑toned compositions—La Peau d'Or (2024), Romance Noire (2024) and Molotov Cocktail (2023)—that showcase a willingness to explore shadowy accords while maintaining a clear sense of place. The brand now ships to a handful of specialty retailers across Europe and Asia, positioning itself as a quiet but determined voice in the modern perfume landscape.
Heritage
Sylhouette Parfums was founded in 2018 by two Vietnamese‑born perfumers, Truong Chieu Sy and Nhan Ngoc Bao Tran, who had previously worked in the fragrance industry in France and Vietnam. Their partnership began over a shared admiration for fine ingredients and a desire to create scents that responded to individual stories rather than market trends. The first offering, a Bespoke Perfume service, allowed clients to submit personal narratives, which the duo then translated into a custom olfactory portrait. This approach resonated with a niche audience seeking intimacy in fragrance, prompting early placements in boutique retailers such as Ataraxia in Romania, announced on the brand’s Instagram in early 2022. In 2023 Sylhouette introduced Molotov Cocktail, a bold composition that combined smoky birch tar with spicy pink pepper, signaling a shift toward more confrontational storytelling. The following year, the house launched a cluster of releases under the “Noir” banner—La Peau d'Or, Romance Noire, Poème Noir, Desir Noir and BIBLE NOIRE—all exploring the interplay of dark florals, amber, and animalic notes. These launches were supported by limited‑edition discovery sets, which quickly sold out on platforms like Luckyscent, confirming a growing collector base. 2025 saw the debut of two celestial‑inspired scents, La Lune Errante and L'Etoile Mourante, each pairing luminous citrus with deep, mineral accords, suggesting the brand’s expanding palette. Throughout its first decade, Sylhouette has remained privately held, avoiding large‑scale investment and retaining control over ingredient sourcing and production methods. The house’s modest size allows it to maintain a hands‑on approach, with Sy and Tran still overseeing formulation, testing, and final approval for each batch.
Craftsmanship
Production at Sylhouette takes place in a small laboratory in Bucharest, where the founders personally supervise each step. Raw materials arrive from certified farms in the Carpathian region, including Romanian oakmoss and wild lavender, while exotic absolutes such as Bulgarian rose and Indian sandalwood are procured through Fairtrade‑certified distributors. The house blends these naturals with high‑purity synthetics—such as iso e super and ambroxan—chosen for their ability to extend scent life without over‑relying on scarce botanicals. Formulation follows a rigorous three‑stage testing protocol. First, a scent sketch is created on blotter paper and evaluated by the founders and a small panel of trusted perfumery professionals. Next, a pilot batch is produced in a 100‑ml scale, allowing the team to assess evaporation curves and stability over a six‑month period. Finally, the fragrance undergoes a quality audit that checks for batch‑to‑batch consistency, allergen levels, and compliance with EU cosmetics regulations. Packaging reflects the same attention to detail. Bottles are hand‑blown glass sourced from a workshop in the Czech Republic, featuring a matte black finish that mirrors the house’s nocturnal aesthetic. Caps are machined from brushed aluminum, and each label is printed on recycled paper using soy‑based inks. The entire assembly is performed by a single artisan team, ensuring that every bottle carries the same tactile experience. Sylhouette also offers a limited‑run Bespoke service, where clients provide a written narrative, a scent mood board, or even a piece of music. The perfumers translate these cues into a custom formula, which is then produced in a single batch of 30 ml. This service underscores the house’s commitment to craftsmanship that is both artistic and technically precise.
Design Language
Visually, Sylhouette Parfums embraces a restrained, nocturnal motif. Bottles appear as dark silhouettes against a matte backdrop, often capped with brushed metal that catches light only at certain angles. The brand’s logo—a stylised feather rendered in thin silver line—appears on the front of each label, hinting at the idea of a fleeting memory. Typography is set in a clean, sans‑serif typeface, reinforcing a modern minimalism that lets the scent story take centre stage. Marketing materials favor monochrome photography, frequently depicting the perfume beside objects that suggest personal rituals—a handwritten letter, a vintage compass, or a dimly lit candle. Seasonal campaigns have incorporated subtle color accents—deep indigo for La Lune Errante, muted amber for BIBLE NOIRE—yet always within a restrained palette that maintains brand cohesion. Retail displays echo this aesthetic, using dark wood plinths and soft spotlights that highlight the bottle’s silhouette. In boutique settings, the brand often provides a small, leather‑bound booklet that outlines the fragrance’s narrative, ingredient origins, and suggested occasions, encouraging a tactile interaction that aligns with the house’s emphasis on personal storytelling. The overall visual identity thus mirrors the olfactory experience: elegant, understated, and designed to invite contemplation.
Philosophy
Sylhouette’s creative vision centers on narrative intimacy. The founders believe a fragrance should act as a personal diary, recording moments that cannot be written down. To that end, the house prioritises ingredient transparency, disclosing the primary accords in each launch and inviting wearers to interpret the scent in their own context. Sustainability informs the brand’s values; both founders have spoken about sourcing natural absolutes from small‑scale farms in Vietnam and Romania, while also integrating synthetics that reduce pressure on endangered botanical resources. The house rejects mass‑market trends in favor of a measured release schedule, allowing each perfume to breathe in the market and gather genuine feedback. This restraint reflects a belief that quality outweighs quantity, and that a scent’s longevity in a collector’s cabinet is a better measure of success than sales volume. Sylhouette also embraces collaboration, inviting guest artists to design packaging or curate music playlists that accompany new launches, reinforcing the idea that scent lives alongside visual and auditory art. The brand’s philosophy therefore weaves together personal storytelling, responsible sourcing, and interdisciplinary partnership, all aimed at creating fragrances that feel both timeless and deeply personal.
Key Milestones
2018
Sylhouette Parfums launches with a Bespoke Perfume service, founded by Truong Chieu Sy and Nhan Ngoc Bao Tran in Bucharest, Romania.
2022
Ataraxia retailer in Romania announces official partnership with Sylhouette, expanding distribution to physical boutique locations.
2023
Molotov Cocktail releases, marking the house’s first bold, smoky composition and gaining attention on niche fragrance platforms.
2024
Series of ‘Noir’ fragrances debut—La Peau d'Or, Romance Noire, Poème Noir, Desir Noir and BIBLE NOIRE—solidifying the brand’s dark, narrative-driven aesthetic.
2025
Celestial collection launches with La Lune Errante and L'Etoile Mourante, expanding the palette to luminous, mineral accords.
2025
Major Tom and Chanson Noire release, showcasing the house’s continued exploration of storytelling through scent.
At a Glance
Brand profile snapshot
Origin
Romania
Founded
2018
Heritage
8
Years active
Collection
1
Fragrances released
Avg Rating
4.0
Community sentiment
Release Rhythm