Papillon Artisan Perfumes Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying

Papillon Artisan Perfumes is one of the most consistently excellent small houses in British niche perfumery and one of the most underappreciated. Liz Moores launched the house in 2014 after years studying with master perfumers and the entire range - currently seven fragrances - reflects a commitment to natural materials and classical perfumery technique that is increasingly rare at any price point.

What distinguishes Papillon from other niche houses at a similar price bracket ($200-280 for 50ml) is specificity. Every fragrance in the line has a clear identity that cannot be mistaken for anything else in the market. Anubis does not smell like any other incense fragrance. Salome does not smell like any other rose-leather fragrance. This is harder to achieve than it sounds.

This guide covers every fragrance in the current Papillon line, explains what each is trying to do, and gives honest assessments of projection, longevity, and who each fragrance suits.

The House Behind the Fragrances

Liz Moores founded Papillon with a background in art and a deep interest in the materials that make classical perfumery distinctive - in particular the natural materials that are rarely used in mainstream fragrance because of cost, regulatory pressure, or difficulty of sourcing. Animalic materials, genuine musks, high-quality naturals. The house uses more of these than almost any other indie British operation.

The line is small by design. Seven fragrances, each a statement rather than a range extension. No flankers. No seasonal exclusives. This is not a strategy for growth; it is a statement about what the house values.

All Papillon fragrances are made in small batches in the UK. They are available direct from the website and through selected stockists. Prices run from around $200-280 for 50ml.

The Papillon Fragrances: A Complete Guide

Anubis

Notes: Saffron, rose, leather, incense, frankincense, labdanum, benzoin
Best for: Evenings, formal occasions, cold weather
Price: Around $260 for 50ml

Anubis is the fragrance most people encounter first from Papillon and the one that establishes the house’s identity most clearly. The saffron and rose combination in the opening is rich and immediately warm; the leather and incense middle is deep and complex; the frankincense and labdanum base is one of the finest resinous bases in current niche perfumery.

This is a challenging fragrance in the best sense. The saffron can read as metallic and sharp in the first fifteen minutes before the rose softens it. The leather is genuine - not the vague woody-leather of most mainstream fragrances, but actual leather character. The incense is clean and religious rather than smoky.

Longevity is exceptional, 14-16 hours on fabric, 10-12 on skin. Projection is significant in the first hour and settles to a medium trail thereafter.

Anubis is the fragrance to recommend to anyone who has worn mainstream incense fragrances (Dior Fahrenheit, Thierry Mugler A*Men) and wants to understand what the material is actually capable of.

Salome

Notes: Rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, labdanum, civet, leather, musk
Best for: Evenings, special occasions, signature wear
Price: Around $260 for 50ml

Salome is the rose-leather fragrance for people who think they do not like rose-leather fragrances. Named for the biblical figure, it is explicitly designed to be animalic, slightly transgressive, and very beautiful. The rose here is big and present but routed through ylang-ylang (which adds an almost banana-like richness) and jasmine (which adds indolic warmth) before the labdanum and civet take over in the dry-down.

The civet in Salome is real and present. This will not appeal to everyone. It adds a warm, slightly bodily quality to the dry-down that some people find addictive and others find excessive. If you are comfortable with animalic notes in your fragrances, Salome at hour three is one of the most interesting things happening in contemporary niche perfumery.

Longevity is 12-14 hours. Projection is strong. This is not a discreet fragrance.

Testing before buying is genuinely essential here. A decant is the only way to know whether Salome’s animalic register works on your chemistry. Fraghead’s marketplace occasionally has Papillon decants from collectors.

Dryad

Notes: Green oakmoss, black pepper, geranium, galbanum, violet leaf, vetiver, cedarwood
Best for: Year-round, daily wear, unisex contexts
Price: Around $230 for 50ml

Dryad is the woods-and-green fragrance in the Papillon line and arguably the most wearable for daily use. Named for the tree spirits of Greek mythology, it is an outdoors-in-cool-weather fragrance: black pepper, green oakmoss, galbanum, and violet leaf creating a cold green freshness that is almost herbal. The vetiver and cedarwood base grounds it with dry wood warmth.

This is the most unisex fragrance in the line and the best gateway into Papillon for people who do not wear heavily animalic or oriental fragrances. It shares some DNA with the great green chypres of the 1960s and 70s but is clearly a contemporary composition.

Longevity is 8-10 hours. Projection is moderate.

Bengale Rouge

Notes: Bergamot, cardamom, cinnamon, rose, geranium, leather, patchouli, labdanum
Best for: Autumn, evenings, cold weather
Price: Around $260 for 50ml

Bengale Rouge is the spiced rose in the Papillon line - a warm, oriental rose with cinnamon and cardamom creating heat in the opening, leather and patchouli creating depth in the base. It shares some structural similarity with Anubis (the labdanum base, the leather thread) but is significantly warmer and more approachable. The rose here is warmer and less sharp than in Salome.

The cinnamon in particular is handled carefully - present and warm without going sweet or dessert-like. This is the fragrance that the house recommends for people who find Anubis or Salome too intense as an introduction.

Longevity is 10-12 hours. Best in cool weather.

Tobacco Rose

Notes: Turkish rose, tobacco leaf, leather, cedarwood, vetiver, musk
Best for: Evenings, cooler weather, signature occasions
Price: Around $250 for 50ml

Tobacco Rose does what the name promises: Turkish rose and tobacco leaf in close proximity, with leather and cedarwood supporting each. The tobacco note here is dry and slightly smoky rather than sweet - it functions more like a dark wood note than a gourmand ingredient. The rose is softer and warmer than in Salome.

The combination is unusual and very good. Rose and tobacco should fight for space and they do not here. The leather thread that runs through most of the Papillon line appears as a drydown note rather than a structural element, making this more accessible than Salome or Anubis.

Hera

Notes: Neroli, bergamot, jasmine, iris, benzoin, labdanum, amber, sandalwood
Best for: Year-round, elegant daytime occasions, office
Price: Around $230 for 50ml

Hera is the most conventionally beautiful fragrance in the Papillon line - floral and warm rather than challenging. Neroli and bergamot in the opening are bright and citrus-fresh; jasmine and iris in the heart are classic and well-executed; benzoin and sandalwood in the base are warm and clean. This is a fragrance that would not be out of place among the great classical florals of the 20th century.

Named for the queen of the Greek gods, the composition has a formal dignity that makes it appropriate in contexts where Salome or Anubis would be too much. The most wearable Papillon for daytime and office contexts.

Spell 125

Notes: Rose, iris, labdanum, woody notes, amber, musk
Best for: Evenings, intimate wear, cool weather
Price: Around $280 for 50ml

Spell 125 is the newest fragrance in the line and the most focused on the dry-down. The rose and iris opening is softer and more abstract than in other Papillon roses; the labdanum and amber base is where the fragrance reveals its character. This is an intimate fragrance - close-wearing, skin-warm, designed to be experienced at close range rather than broadcast.

Named for the alchemical number of minutes in a working day, Spell 125 is Moores’ most personal composition. It rewards patience and close attention.

How Papillon Compares to Other Niche Houses

At $230-280 per 50ml, Papillon occupies the upper-mid range of niche perfumery - below Amouage and Tom Ford Private Blend, roughly level with Diptyque Eau de Parfum and Le Labo, above most indie niche at $150-180.

The comparison that comes up most often is Ormond Jayne - another British niche house focused on quality naturals and classical technique. The similarity is real: both houses prioritise material quality and construction over trend. Papillon is generally darker and more animalic than Ormond Jayne’s more restrained palette.

The house that Papillon most resembles in spirit is Serge Lutens - both have a commitment to unfashionable materials (animalics, heavy resins), both produce compositions that require more than one wearing to understand, and both reward loyal wearers who stay with the line.

Where to Buy Papillon

Direct from the Papillon website offers the full line and is the most reliable source. Selected stockists in the UK include Liberty London and Les Senteurs.

Decants from the Papillon line appear periodically on Fraghead’s marketplace from collectors who own the full bottles. Given the price point and the challenging nature of some fragrances, testing via decant before committing to a full bottle is strongly recommended.

The Short Version

If you are new to Papillon: - Start with Dryad if you prefer green, herbal, or woody fragrances - Start with Hera if you prefer floral or classic styles - Start with Bengale Rouge if you like warm oriental fragrances and want an accessible entry into the house’s darker signature

If you already know the house well: - Anubis for the benchmark incense fragrance in British niche - Salome for the greatest rose-leather fragrance currently in production - Spell 125 for the most intimate and personal composition in the line

All seven fragrances are worth owning if the house resonates with you. This is one of the few lines where the entire catalogue represents a consistent, uncommising point of view.