Fragrance house

Mercurio Perfumes

Mercurio Perfumes was founded by Russian writer, editor, and perfume critic Valery Mikhalitsyn, and was first presented publicly in early July in Saint Petersburg at perfumer Yan Frolov’s atelier-boutique. Its five documented perfumes were all released in 2016. Mikhalitsyn conceived the house as an intentionally neutral creative space, with its name evoking alchemical transformation, fluidity, experimentation, and continual change. The first five fragrances formed a single collection drawn from excerpts of his unfinished novel about a French aristocratic brother and sister pursuing pleasure; each was accompanied by a short quotation from the manuscript. Credited as Mercurio’s perfumer and creative figure, Mikhalitsyn developed the brand as an extension of his literary and analytical work as a perfume critic. Enfant Capricieux was identified as the house’s best-selling fragrance.