The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Ex Latex began as XX ± Latex in the UERMI collection. In early 2025, UERMI relaunched it under a new name, Ex Latex. This was the house's first fragrance built without alcohol. Antoine Lie and Luca Maffei created the fragrance, keeping the latex accord central. The latex dominates throughout the development, giving the scent a distinctive character that evolves from opening to base. The aldehydic lift at the start gives way to a warm drydown where suede and sandalwood settle close to the skin. The scent's structure allows each layer to reveal itself gradually, creating a narrative that moves from crisp metallic opening to soft powdery warmth.
The latex accord is the structural tension here. Latex as a material is elastic, slightly sweet, and inherently synthetic, it doesn't behave like a natural ingredient. Blending it with aldehydes creates a push-pull effect: the aldehydes lift and brighten, while the latex anchors and materializes. Jasmine is the bridge, offering white floral sweetness that keeps the composition from reading as purely industrial. Oakmoss adds that classic mossy depth that roots the lighter materials. The result is a fragrance that smells like something manufactured but feels warm.
The evolution
The opening is aldehydes first, that cold, mineral lift that announces itself and then settles. Anise adds a faint licorice sharpness underneath, and the cade oil brings a smoky, juniper-like depth. Thirty minutes in, the latex becomes more apparent, but it's not the dominant rubber smell you might expect. It's present, consistent, like a thread running through the composition. Jasmine arrives next, softening the edges, and the oakmoss keeps everything grounded with that classic mossy bitterness. By the third hour, the drydown takes over: suede first, that soft powdery leather quality, then sandalwood settling warm and close to the skin. Solar notes add a faint warmth underneath. The next day, what's left is a faint suede-and-sandalwood trace on fabric.
Cultural impact
Ex Latex arrived in 2025 as UERMI's first alcohol-free fragrance. The aldehydic-latex combination creates a scent profile that stands apart from typical floral arrangements. The aldehydes provide a cold, metallic lift while the latex adds an industrial, material quality. The result is a fragrance that feels modern and distinctive, with a warmth that comes from the sandalwood and suede in the drydown rather than from florals.
