Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes

Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes grew out of Olympic Orchids, an orchid plant nursery established by Dr. Ellen Covey in 2006 in the Seattle area of the Pacific Northwest. According to the brand's own site and multiple interviews, Covey began developing perfumes in 2010 as a separate business, using her background as a scientist and orchid grower to translate specific flowers and landscapes into fragrance.

All Olympic Orchids scents are composed, manufactured, bottled, and packaged in-house in small batches, with no outsourcing apart from the boxes. The brand states that it uses pure essential oils, absolutes, extracts, high-end aroma chemicals, and tinctures of natural materials in perfumer's alcohol, and that all releases are parfum or extrait strength, typically 20-30 percent concentrate. This focus on higher concentration gives many of the fragrances above-average staying power compared with mainstream perfumes.

Early creations such as Red Cattleya drew directly on orchid themes, and a number of subsequent releases reference particular orchid species or botanical settings. Over time the catalog has expanded to include darker, experimental work like the Devil Scent series, smoky resins such as Kyphi, and leathered, desert-inspired compositions like Salamanca. Covey was also the original perfumer behind Zoologist Bat, which she later reissued under the Olympic Orchids label as Night Flyer after Zoologist discontinued it.

The line is priced on the lower end for artisanal extrait, with historical pricing noted in reviews at roughly 15 USD for 5 mL and around 60 USD for 50 mL. Olympic Orchids has received multiple awards, including recognition from the Institute for Art and Olfaction, and remains a one-perfumer indie house with a strongly personal, experimental approach rather than a mass-market orientation.