Aqualis

Aqualis is a London niche perfume house founded in 2015 by Steyn Grobler, a South African native who made London his home. Grobler came to perfume from the luxury trade and a business background, and built the house to show off exceptional raw materials in modern compositions. The name joins Aqua, for the perfume itself, with Qualis, the idea of personal experience, so that a scent is finished by the person wearing it.

The collection is made in collaboration with Robertet, the Grasse perfume and raw-materials group, and is built around high concentrations. The core line is a set of parfums at 25 to 30 per cent, with a lighter Eau de Parfum range alongside it. Several perfumers have signed the work: Amandine Galliano composed Canvas and Coda, Jean-Charles Mignon is behind Utopia, Kruger, Brenton and Fleur de Glace, Chris Maurice made the oud-led Egoli and Triptych, and Julie Lerendu composed Mother of Pearl.

The style is confident rather than quiet. Rose, jasmine, vanilla, amber and musk recur across the range, with oud in the richer parfums, and many releases pair a bright bergamot or pink pepper opening with a warm, woody or musky base. Some fragrances draw on Grobler's South African roots: Egoli takes its name from the Zulu word for Johannesburg, and Kruger from the Krugerrand. Others lean fresh, from the airy marine Brenton to the glacial florals of Fleur de Glace.

Aqualis sits in independent niche perfumery. It is a founder-led house with a focused range, sold through its own online shop and a short list of luxury stockists that includes Harrods in London and Skins Cosmetics in South Africa. It suits wearers who want a concentrated, richly built scent from a house with a clear point of view.