Les Nobles Essences: a Parisian house, two Mirages, extraits at 25%

Some houses launch a collection. Les Nobles Essences has released two perfumes in three years, and stands by them.

Founded in Paris in 2023, this independent house composes nothing but extraits de parfum. No eau de toilette, no flankers, no body line: two creations, two Mirages, and a rather clear way of stating what it refuses — trends, and compromises on materials. Both join the PlanèteBeauty catalogue today.

A house that does not compose its own perfumes — and says so

Les Nobles Essences works with two French fragrance houses, FLAIR and COSMO International Fragrances. It is the model most niche houses follow; few say so as plainly. It also names its perfumers, which is still not the rule: Margaux Le Paih-Guérin for Mirage Gourmand (2024), Céline Perdriel for Mirage Exotique (2025).

Its formulas are vegan and cruelty free, with no ingredient of animal origin. Its extraits are concentrated at 25% and macerated for two to three months before bottling.

Mirage Gourmand — a financier, and what keeps it from turning sticky

Signed by Margaux Le Paih-Guérin, a graduate of the École Supérieure du Parfum and a perfumer at FLAIR, Mirage Gourmand starts from an idea that is simple and difficult at once: to fit an almond financier into a bottle without sliding into syrup.

The top opens on powdery notes, the financier accord and pistachio — the powder arrives before the sugar, and it is the powder that sets the tone. The heart moves on to almond, hazelnut and tonka bean. The base settles vanilla, white musks and guaiac wood — it is the last of these, dry and smoky, that closes the pastry on something other than a dessert.

“I imagined Mirage Gourmand with Les Nobles Essences as an interpretation of an almond financier, addictive and gourmand. Its powdery lift gives it elegance and contributes to its singularity. Alongside, notes of hazelnut, tonka bean and vanilla add a gourmand aura and create a unique trail.” — Margaux Le Paih-Guérin, perfumer

Mirage Exotique — the sun, held in place by wood

Signed by Céline Perdriel, a perfumer at COSMO International Fragrances, Mirage Exotique takes the opposite course. Passion fruit, mandarin and saffron open in full light — here it is the spice that keeps the fruit from turning to candy. The heart thickens with mango, coconut and rose, then sandalwood, cedar, amber and vanilla close on a dry, warm base that keeps the coconut well away from sun cream.

“I imagined Mirage Exotique as a cocktail of sun-drenched fruits: joyful, sparkling, generous. A concentrate of escape to colour a sunny day, awaken the senses and make summer last…” — Céline Perdriel, perfumer

What 25% means — and what it does not guarantee

The name “extrait de parfum” is governed by no regulation: we explain this in our article on what the percentages really say. A stated concentration of 25% indicates a high load of fragrance materials; in itself, it says nothing about the quality of those materials or the balance of the formula. On these two Mirages, it shows above all as a dense material and a slow evolution, where the wood appears only after everything else.

Maceration follows the same logic: letting the concentrate rest for two to three months before bottling gives the materials time to bind. It is a cash-flow delay that not every young house accepts.

Where to place them

The two meet on a woody edge and part ways on everything else: Mirage Gourmand is an almond gourmand for autumn and winter, worn in the evening; Mirage Exotique is a sunlit fruity for spring and summer, worn by day. If you are unsure what these families cover, our guide to olfactory families maps them out. Both are unisex.

The two Mirages at PlanèteBeauty

• LES NOBLES ESSENCES Mirage Gourmand Extrait de Parfum 100 ml — almond gourmand, by Margaux Le Paih-Guérin
• LES NOBLES ESSENCES Mirage Exotique Extrait de Parfum 100 ml — woody sunlit fruity, by Céline Perdriel

Both exist as a Try Me 2 ml: an extrait is chosen on skin, and a sample costs less than the wrong bottle. The house is on the Les Nobles Essences page.

Sources: Les Nobles Essences official site — the Mirage Gourmand and Mirage Exotique product pages, and the “Notre Histoire” page. The quotations from Margaux Le Paih-Guérin and Céline Perdriel are translated from the French as they appear there. No wear time is stated here, in line with our editorial rule.