Candora

What Candora does

Candora (operating as Parfumerie à la Carte SAS) is a Paris-based bespoke perfume house founded in 2011 that designs and runs in-person perfume creation ateliers. The company maintains a curated collection of 22 soliflore Eaux de Parfum across five olfactory families (Fresh, Floral, Woody, Fruity, Spicy), developed by two named perfumers, Isabelle Ferrand and Mélanie Leroux. During a 2-hour workshop, participants blend 2 or 3 of these fragrances using Candora's proprietary 'Jeu de l'Assemblage' (Assembly Game) methodology, producing a unique 50ml scent whose formula is recorded digitally for future reorder. The company also sells a children's 90-minute atelier (ages 6-11), branded scented books (La Bibliothèque des Senteurs at €17-€69 and Inspecteur Nezfin at €42), gift cards, and accessories.

Revenue is generated through five streams: open ateliers at €98 per participant, privatized ateliers at €480 for 1-2 people, bespoke-priced corporate team-building events for groups of 8 to 150+ (with named clients including Chanel, Swiss Life, and Veuve Clicquot), e-commerce sales of Eaux de Parfum and accessories via candora.fr and the English-language candora-fragrance.com, and gift cards (physical and electronic). Distribution comprises two physical Paris locations (the flagship Maison des Parfums Candora at 1 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, opened 2017, and Espace Candora at 6 rue Charles V, opened 2021), an e-commerce storefront using Stripe and La Poste Colissimo for delivery, and mobile onsite corporate delivery across France. The go-to-market relies on walk-in traffic, TripAdvisor reviews, word-of-mouth, and SEO rather than paid digital marketing.

The company is privately held, founder-controlled with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors, operating with a small 1-10 employee team and €61,200 SAS share capital. Emmanuel Frossard serves as responsible for publication and author of the Inspecteur Nezfin book. Geographic reach is concentrated in Paris with international visitors served via the English-language site and corporate events extending across France; no international expansion beyond tourist acquisition is evidenced.

Name

Candora

Legal name

Parfumerie à la Carte SAS

Website

https://candora.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Candora is a Paris-based bespoke perfume house founded in 2011 that runs 2-hour perfume creation workshops blending its 22-fragrance soliflore collection, serving individual consumers, families, and corporate team-building clients through two Paris boutiques and e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bespoke Perfumery

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Niche & Artisan Fragrance (CRABADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fine Fragrance (Women’s/Men’s/Unisex) (CRABADAA)

Keywords

• Custom perfume workshops
• Bespoke fragrance creation
• Artisan perfumery house
• Fragrance team building
• Scented book products

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Atelier / Workshop Experiences: Candora runs in-person perfume creation workshops (ateliers) lasting 2 hours, available in open (public) and privatized formats. Participants create a bespoke 50ml fragrance. This is a one-time experience revenue stream. Workshops are priced at 98€ per person (50ml included), with premium options (engraving, nomad bottle) adding incremental revenue.
2. E-commerce Sales (Eaux de Parfum & Accessories): Sale of pre-made Eaux de Parfum (individual 50ml bottles), custom creation refills and bottles, fragrance reagent kits, scented books, and gift cards through the candora.fr e-boutique.
3. Corporate / Team Building Events: B2B team-building events where companies hire Candora to facilitate perfume creation workshops. Pricing varies by group size and customization level.
4. Gift Cards: Physical and electronic gift cards for Atelier experiences, sold at 98€ and 480€ price points.
5. Scented Books and Games: Sale of scented books ('La Bibliothèque des Senteurs') and scented game books ('Inspecteur Nezfin') accompanied by mini fragrance vials, priced at 17€ to 69€.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Candora is a Paris-based boutique perfumery that runs 2-hour in-person fragrance creation workshops (ateliers) where customers blend 2-3 of 22 soliflore Eaux de Parfum into a personalized 50ml signature scent via its proprietary 'Jeu de l'Assemblage' methodology. The recorded formula can be reordered indefinitely through the e-boutique. The company also sells the individual Eaux de Parfum, scented candles, scented books, gift cards, and offers corporate team-building versions of the workshop across France.

Product overview

Candora is a Paris-based custom perfume house offering a modular perfume experience centered on 22 soliflore Eau de Parfum fragrances that customers can wear individually or blend in assemblies of 2-3 scents during workshops. The core offering combines in-store perfume creation workshops (Atelier de Création de Parfum, Atelier Privatisé, Atelier Entreprise, Atelier Enfants) with an e-commerce platform for reordering custom formulas and purchasing gift cards. Supporting products include La Bibliothèque des Senteurs and its special edition with 21 mini fragrance bottles, the Inspector Nezfin activity book with scented mini bottles, and the Comptoirs des Parfums pop-up counter animations for events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Maison des Parfums Candora: The flagship perfume house and workshop location at 1 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, Paris
• Espace Candora
• Inspecteur Nezfin
• La Bibliothèque des Senteurs

Products and services

• Atelier de Création de Parfum (Open Perfume Creation Workshop) A 2-hour hands-on workshop at Maison Candora where participants learn about perfumery, discover fragrance families, and create their own custom perfume by blending 2-3 of Candora's 22 Eau de Parfum collection. Participants leave with a 50ml bottle of their creation. Open to individuals and small groups at €98 per person.
• Atelier Privaté (Private Perfume Workshop) An exclusive 2-hour private workshop at a date and time of choice with dedicated expert attention, for 1-4+ participants. Includes a 50ml bottle with engraving and the Library of Scents book per participant, priced at €480 for 1-2 people.
• Atelier Entreprise (Corporate Team Building) Bespoke team-building activity for corporate groups of 8-150+ participants, with one expert facilitator per ~12 attendees. Sessions last 1-2.5 hours and can be held at Maison Candora or at the client's venue across France. Each participant departs with a personalized 50ml fragrance bottle.
• Atelier Enfants - Inspecteur Nezfin (Children's Perfume Workshop) A 90-minute interactive perfume workshop for children aged 6-11, combining storytelling and olfactory challenges via the Inspecteur Nezfin narrative. Children create their own 15ml perfume while solving a scent mystery.
• Eaux de Parfum Collection (22 Soliflore Fragrances) A collection of 22 soliflore Eaux de Parfum organized into five olfactory families (Fresh, Floral, Woody, Fruity, Spicy) that can be worn alone or combined in assemblies of 2-3 scents to create a custom perfume. Available in 50ml spray bottles, 10ml nomad bottles, 15ml, and 100ml refills.
• Custom Perfume Reorder Service Service allowing workshop attendees to retrieve and reorder their recorded bespoke fragrance formula, with options for various bottle sizes (50ml, 100ml refill, 10ml portable) and engraving.
• Les Comptoirs des Parfums (Pop-up Perfume Counters) Modular animation stations for events and soirées, including 20-40 minute perfume creation counters, perfume quiz challenges, and masked scent identification games.
• Cartes Cadeaux (Gift Cards) Physical and electronic gift cards for workshop participation. Open atelier gift card from €98 (includes 50ml bottle); privatized workshop gift card at €480 for 1-2 persons. Physical cards sent by post (48h delivery), e-cards delivered immediately by email.
• La Bibliothèque des Senteurs (Scented Book) A hardcover 48-page book by novelist Ingrid Astier exploring the stories of 21 fragrances from the Candora collection, with anecdotes and sensory narratives. Standard edition priced at €17.
• La Bibliothèque des Senteurs - Edition Spéciale (Luxury Boxed Set) Special edition of La Bibliothèque des Senteurs bundled with 21 numbered 3ml mini bottles of each Candora fragrance for hands-on scent exploration. Priced at €69.
• Livre-jeu de l'Inspecteur Nezfin (Scented Children's Book-Game) A 48-page activity book-game for children aged 6-11 featuring Inspector Nezfin's scent mystery, bundled with 12 mini 3ml fragrance bottles and 3 marshmallow candies. Priced at €42. Authored by Emmanuel Frossard, illustrated by Benjamin Hofseth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of unique fragrance combinations possible through the Assembly Game, depending on proportions chosen.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atelier des Sens: Paris-based operator of multi-craft creative workshops (cooking, perfume, ceramics) for individuals and corporate teams; directly comparable on the workshop-led experiential business model and corporate team-building offering.
• Molinard: French perfumery (Grasse/Nice) operating 'Le Bar à parfums' bespoke perfume workshops and an atelier-style creation experience; very close functional analogue to Candora's atelier de création model.
• Galimard: Historic French perfumery (founded 1747, based in Grasse) that runs perfume creation workshops and tours similar to Candora's atelier model, blending heritage branding with hands-on bespoke fragrance creation for tourists and corporate groups.
• Buly 1803 (Officine Universelle Buly): Paris-based luxury perfumery and apothecary offering bespoke fragrance services and high-end grooming products with a flagship boutique concept; comparable on Parisian luxury positioning, custom fragrance offering and premium price points.
• Fragonard: Paris-based perfume house offering museum visits, guided tours and perfume creation workshops; directly comparable to Candora's experiential, tourist-facing, multi-format (retail + workshop) Parisian fragrance concept.

Broad incumbents

• Cire Trudon: Heritage French candle and home fragrance house with Paris roots, premium positioning and a product/editorial brand universe; comparable on luxury Parisian home-fragrance identity and gifting-led assortment.
• Le Labo: Niche perfumery with city-flagship boutiques, custom-labelling service at point of sale and a refill-oriented model; comparable on bespoke/custom fragrance positioning and boutique-retail experience, but at significantly larger scale.
• Diptyque: Paris-founded luxury fragrance and scented candle house with a broader global retail footprint; comparable on Paris origin, premium positioning, fragrance + scented candle product overlap and gift-led brand ecosystem.
• Maison Margiela 'Replica': Broader luxury fashion house's niche-style fragrance line built around curated 'memory' scents sold through department-store and brand retail; comparable on the curated, narrative-driven niche fragrance positioning, though with much wider distribution.

Emerging players

• D.S. & Durga: Independent New York-based niche perfumery with storytelling-led branding and a curated small-collection approach; comparable as a niche/artisan fragrance brand competing for similar luxury-indie consumer mindshare.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/candora

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Candora