Fragrance house

Illuminum

Illuminum is an independent British fragrance house founded in London in 2011. Michael Boadi was its owner, founder and creator, shaping the house’s logo, packaging and overall brand image and serving as perfumer for its initial editions. The first collection contained 16 fragrances arranged across citrus, flowers, oud and musk, with each composition built from eight ingredients. Illuminum’s stated method places a specific raw material at the center of each fragrance and identifies its source, from oud from Laos and Cambodia to Taif rose and Indonesian patchouli. The house has also collaborated with artists, designers, architects and chefs, using fragrance to explore connections with food, design and culture. In 2011, it was associated with a Dover Street boutique and the launch of a Haute Perfume Collection. White Gardenia Petals gained a prominent public association that year when Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wore it on her wedding day; Illuminum currently presents it, alongside Black Rose, as one of its icons.