Fragrance house

Mmoire

Mmoire is an Amsterdam-based niche fragrance house founded in 2022 by self-taught perfumer Sophie van Balen. Van Balen’s interest in perfumery developed during a project at Amsterdam Fashion Institute, where she researched fragrance materials and began creating perfumes herself. The name refers to moiré, a nineteenth-century silk technique whose organic lines and texture recalled perfume blending, while also evoking the link between smell, memory, and emotion. Mmoire’s first fragrance, Sur Arize, launched in 2022 with Kickstarter support and drew on van Balen’s memories of Daumazan-sur-Arize in southern France. Ether Woods followed in 2024 as a second fragrance. In 2026, the brand’s creative identity continued through Steel Rose, a reinterpretation of rose that places stems, leaves, soil, and thorns alongside floral softness, resilience, and strength. Mmoire frames scent through modern design, feeling, and distinctive compositions.