Fragrance house

Saint d'Ici

Saint d’Ici was launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2016 by Marie Aoun. Its name brings together Aoun’s childhood scent memories near Saint-Jeannet in Provence and her later exploration of African perfume materials, while the brand’s botanical perfumery uses whole botanical materials—including essential oils, absolutes, CO2 extracts and tinctures—sourced from small-scale farmers and artisanal distillers, particularly across Africa. Its public fragrance identity combines European references with African materials. Marie Aoun is associated with the creative direction and said she usually begins with an ingredient; during the brand’s early period, she worked with perfumers Maurice Val, Andrea Dittler and Constance Beck-Treadway. By 2020, Saint d’Ici was based in Cape Town and had undertaken a packaging redesign centered on a locally sourced, refillable system pairing a recyclable amber refill bottle with a handmade ceramic flacon, whose aesthetic and functional design were registered in the UK and EU.