Smell Stories

What Smell Stories does

Smell Stories is a Brussels-based niche perfumery operating a single physical boutique and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store. Founded in late 2019 by co-founders Kurt and Stéphane as a Belgian private limited company (Smell Stories BV), the business curates a catalog of more than 35 independent perfume brands that are not available elsewhere in Brussels or Belgium, organized across 15 fragrance families ranging from Gourmand and Floral to Leather and Chypre. The core offering spans extrait de parfum and eau de parfum concentrations priced between approximately €44 and €250, curated discovery sets at €42–€50, body care products (soaps, deodorants, hair sprays) starting around €20, and home fragrance items including candles, diffusers, room sprays, and incense. The company carries no proprietary technology; its retail platform is a standard hosted webshop and PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing.

The business operates a dual-channel DTC model. The flagship store at Rue des Teinturiers 15 occupies an Art Nouveau building in the Saint Jacobs neighbourhood near the Brussels Grand Place and functions as both a retail point of sale and an experiential venue, hosting monthly perfume tasting sessions for up to six people, private consultations, and meet-and-greets with named perfumers such as Olivier Cresp, Lauriane Guignon, Tom Hidvégi, and Isabelle Larignon. The e-commerce storefront extends reach across 27 European countries, with shipping governed by EU VAT rules. Marketing is content-driven rather than performance-led, relying on an educational blog covering fragrance families, perfumer profiles, and event recaps, an email newsletter, local Brussels event participation (MAD Parcours, Local Friday), and a strong Google review profile of 4.9/5 across 125 reviews. The company differentiates on curation, storytelling, and a gender-neutral approach to fragrance selection, and commits 5% of profits to the Brussels-based social organisation DoucheFLUX.

Name

Smell Stories

Legal name

Smell Stories BV

Website

https://smellstories.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smell Stories is a Brussels-based niche perfumery founded in 2019 by Kurt and Stéphane, operating a single boutique and e-commerce store that curates 35-plus independent perfume brands for individual fragrance enthusiasts across the European Union.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Niche Perfumery

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Niche & Artisan Fragrance (CRABADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays) (CRABADAE), Fragrance Gift Sets & Discovery Kits (CRABADAI), Air Care & Home Fragrance (Air Fresheners, Candles, Plug-ins, Diffusers) (CRADAKAI)

Keywords

• Niche perfumery
• Independent fragrance brands
• Discovery sets
• Artisan body care
• Home fragrances

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail perfume and fragrance sales: Smell Stories generates revenue through the sale of niche perfumes, discovery sets, body care products (deodorants, hair sprays, soaps), and home fragrances (candles, diffusers, room sprays, incense) through both their physical Brussels boutique and e-commerce website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smell Stories is a niche perfumery that curates and retails independent perfume brands unavailable elsewhere in Brussels or Belgium. It sells niche perfumes (extrait de parfum and eau de parfum), curated discovery sets, artisan body care products, and home fragrances through a physical boutique in Brussels and an e-commerce website serving the EU. The business is complemented by in-store perfume tasting sessions and educational events with perfumers.

Product overview

Smell Stories is a niche perfumery in Brussels and online, offering a curated collection of independent perfume brands organized by 15 fragrance families (Gourmand, Floral, Woody, Fresh, Chypre, Leather, Animalic, Fougère, Aquatic, Green, Fruity, Amber, Spicy, Powdery, Citrus). The core product offering includes perfumes (extrait de parfum and eau de parfum concentrations), discovery sets (theme boxes and brand boxes), body care products (soaps, deodorants, hair sprays), and home fragrances (candles, diffusers, room sprays, incense). Services include in-store perfume tasting sessions and educational blog content. The company carries over 35 independent niche brands including Notes de Bas de Paje, Brodēon, Pernoire, AKRO, Francesca Bianchi, Cépages Parfums, Hiram Green, Agatho, and Savonneries Bruxelloises. Products range from €20 to €250, with unit prices from €1,800 to €5,250 per liter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Niche Perfumes Curated collection of niche perfumes from independent perfume houses sold in extrait de parfum and eau de parfum concentrations, organized by fragrance family. Targeted at individual perfume enthusiasts seeking unique, story-driven fragrances unavailable in mainstream retail.
• Discovery Sets Curated discovery sets including Theme boxes organized around a fragrance theme and Brand boxes focused on a single brand's collection, priced around €42-50 to enable low-commitment exploration of niche fragrances.
• Body Care Products Body care products from artisan producers, including deodorants, hair sprays, mouth care products, and soaps, complementing the perfume offering for individual consumers.
• Home Fragrance Products Home fragrance products including candles, diffusers, room sprays, and incense, extending the boutique's scent offering into the home environment.
• Gift Vouchers Gift voucher cards available for purchase to give as presents, redeemable against the boutique's range of perfumes, discovery sets, body care, and home fragrance products.
• Perfume Tasting Sessions In-store perfume tasting sessions organized every second Saturday of the month for up to 6 people, with private or online sessions available by appointment, providing guided fragrance discovery.
• Notes de Bas de Paje Collection Independent perfume brand offering an extrait de parfum collection including Discovery Set, Carambolage, Towédé, Olatua, and Prolégomènes, each fragrance telling a distinct story.
• Mmoire Steel Rose Eau de parfum from the Mmoire brand offering a modern, crisp, green and earthy rose interpretation.
• Savonneries Bruxelloises Lavender Soap Artisan lavender soap from Brussels-based Savonneries Bruxelloises, handmade using traditional methods.
• Noème Bleu de Bleu Eau de parfum from Noème Paris blending crystalline freshness with mineral depth, evoking an infinite horizon.
• Manos Gerakinis AMANDUS Eau de parfum from Greek perfume house Manos Gerakinis featuring almond, caramel, and soft flowers.
• Cépages Parfums Initiale Collection Eau de parfum collection from Cépages Parfums, founded by perfumer-winemaker-flower grower Lauriane Guignon, inspired by fruits, flowers, and the richness of the earth.
• Brodēon Fragrance Collection Artistic perfume collection and discovery set from Hungarian perfumer Tom Hidvégi's house Brodēon, with fragrances designed to be layered and combined.
• AnoQ Mana Diffuser Handmade decorative ceramic diffuser vase with sola flower that slowly diffuses scent, from the AnoQ brand.
• AKRO Fragrances Perfume brand inspired by everyday pleasures, with fragrances such as Awake (coffee), Bake (lemon cupcakes), and Crush (rose macarons).

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DoucheFLUXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial impact partnership where Smell Stories donates 5% of profits to DoucheFLUX, a Brussels-based organisation that makes basic hygiene accessible to people in difficult situations. This aligns with the company's values of social responsibility and doing good through business.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First in Fragrance: German online niche fragrance retailer carrying many of the same independent houses (e.g., Francesca Bianchi, Hiram Green). Closely comparable e-commerce-led niche fragrance distribution model in the EU.
• Beautyhabit: US online retailer with a curated niche fragrance and beauty assortment, including discovery sets from independent houses. Comparable online-led niche fragrance curation targeting enthusiasts.
• Osswald NYC: Historic New York perfumery combining a flagship boutique with online distribution of niche and artistic fragrance brands. Comparable hybrid physical-plus-DTC niche perfumery concept with strong storytelling emphasis.
• Luckyscent: US-based online niche fragrance retailer offering curated independent brands and discovery sets. Comparable product range, curation philosophy, and discovery-set-as-on-ramp business model.
• Aedes de Venustas: NYC-based niche fragrance boutique and e-commerce destination for independent and avant-garde perfume houses. Comparable curated assortment, experiential retail, and editorial brand voice.
• Bloom Perfumery: UK-based niche fragrance boutique and online retailer specialising in independent perfume houses. Similar mix of curated artisanal brands, discovery sets, and education-led content.
• Jovoy Paris: Paris-based independent niche perfumery with a flagship boutique and online store, curating rare and artistic fragrance brands. Directly comparable to Smell Stories in curation model, storytelling-led positioning, and discovery-set driven DTC.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty London: Iconic London department store with a renowned beauty hall carrying niche fragrance brands. A broader incumbent that overlaps with Smell Stories in the niche fragrance assortment and gifting use case, but within a much wider luxury retail portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smellstoriesbrussels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smell-stories

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smell Stories