Maya Njie

Maya Njie is an independent niche perfume brand founded by Swedish-Gambian perfumer, photographer and designer Maya Njie in 2016. Born in Västerås, Sweden and later based in London, she began blending fragrances as a way to extend her visual work in surface design and photography into the realm of smell. Early experiments were created for her own use and worn in creative spaces such as The Laundry arts centre in London Fields, where interest from visitors and local boutiques led to the formal launch of her eponymous line in 2016.

The brand is rooted in autobiographical storytelling. Many compositions are built from memories linked to Maya's dual Scandinavian and Gambian heritage and to specific family photographs from the 1960s and 1970s. Scenes such as a Swedish summer house near the forest, Sunday visits to her grandparents' apartment, or a family wedding are translated into accords that mix Nordic references like cardamom, rhubarb and vanilla with warmer, more exotic nuances. Nordic Cedar, one of the key fragrances and the first she composed, showcases this approach with woody, earthy, musky facets lifted by cardamom and patchouli.

All formulas are developed in-house and produced in small batches in her East London studio. The blends use a mix of natural materials and aroma chemicals, with animal-derived ingredients such as musk and ambergris replaced by synthetic alternatives. The perfumes typically have an oil concentration around 30%, placing them in eau de parfum territory. Hand-filling and filtering are part of the process, reinforcing the artisanal character of the brand and its focus on intimate, memory-driven compositions rather than trend-led launches.