Olfactory Signals 2026 ran from June 4th to 6th in Milan featuring niche and ultra-niche fragrance brands including Arpa Studios, Seedarte, and Egosentrique. I flew to Milan on the 3rd; here’s a quick roundup of my experience getting to – and attending – Olfactory Signals 2026. The video below is a quick rundown of some of the brands I spoke with; scroll down to see photos about my experience, along with further detail about all eleven brands.
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What is Olfactory Signals?
Olfactory Signals is a different sort of perfume fair: rather than showcasing as many brands as possible, it treats scent as an art form, using fragrance to inspire and evoke specific moods.
The third edition ran from June 4th to 7th at 10 Corso Como in Milan. While it was on, Esxence was happening across the city, hosting over 400 brands in a more traditional trade fair format – think Pitti Fragranze but arguably more hectic.
Olfactory Signals 2026 took the opposite approach: a large, open space with a carefully curated selection of niche and ultra-niche brands, giving you ample time to explore and actually get to know the founders and representatives behind them.
Both trade fair formats have their place of course, but for me, Olfactory Signals was the better option. I rely on a walking stick, so an event with hundreds of brands to cover isn’t just socially exhausting, it’s physically demanding too. The open, unhurried format meant I could move at my own pace and sit when I needed to.
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My favourite part of the flight: almost on the ground!
Blue skies in Milan
Waiting for a wheelchair to pick me up at the airport
Greek yogurt and blackberries
Preparing For the Trip
I had a lot of things to get done before the trip to Milan, including dyeing my hair, painting my nails, and getting my outfits ready. I’ve had blue/turquoise hair for quite a while now and I kinda got sick of it so decided to go for black instead. I usually end up leaving my nails for the last minute, not having enough time, taking the nail varnish with me with the intention of painting them on arrival, then never actually painting them. This time was a bit of an improvement as I painted them on the morning of the flight.
Outfits were a bit of a hassle: again I meant to prepare them all well in advance, check them in the mirror, make sure everything worked, rather than a last minute “dump a bunch of things in the suitcase and hope they work” sorta thing. I never did get round to checking outfits in the mirror but I was a bit more thoughtful and intentional about my outfits than usual. Or rather I just took a lot of black items that I knew I could combine well. Maybe next time.
I ran through my usual checklist: purse, passport, phone, laptop, chargers… and when I had finally checked enough times, I headed to the airport in a taxi.
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Brands at Olfactory Signals 2026
There were about 20 different brands at Olfactory Signals 2026 – below is a quick intro to each brand that I spoke with.
Arpa Studios
Arpa Studios is a brand by Barnabe Fillion, who has spent time between Japan, France, and Italy. With a focus on synesthesia, each fragrance has an associated music track.
The Japanese influence comes through in a number of ways: bottles inspired by the Japanese Metabolist architectural movement of the 1960s and 70s, and the application method of the fragrance is based on traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.
Unifrom
Unifrom were one of the brands presenting perfume oils at Olfactory Signals 2026 – nine of them – and along with these they also presented three solid perfumes.
The brand is the brainchild of Haisam Mohammed; many of the fragrances reflect his experience growing up Stockholm. Maghrib is inspired by the smells of different cooking spices wafting up in multicultural high-rise apartment blocks. Florum is based on the tiny, persistent flowers that grow from the cracks in concrete.
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Abel
Abel uses only natural ingredients along with biotech innovations that help with longevity. The brand was founded in 2013 and prides itself on its use of recycled glass for its bottles, along with the biodegradable nature of its caps.
Fragrances by Abel that I tested at Olfactory Signals 2026 include the citrusy Laundry Day and the aniseed Coat Check.
Raer Scents
Raer Scents is a Berlin-based brand creating 100% natural fragrances using traditional methods, partnering with independent growers.
Their fragrances include the grounded and earthy dark chocolate scent 07: Orris+Cacao and the smoky warmth of 02. Cade+Frankincense.
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Björk and Berries
Björk and Berries began as a small local project to create essential oils from flowers in the region, but grew into a perfume brand describing Scandinavia through scent.
Faluröd does exactly what it says: this red pigment is used to paint country homes in Sweden, both for colour and to protect the wood. The metallic, cedar, and oak notes of the fragrance immediately evoke paint and wood.
Monom
Monom produce 100% oils which are long lasting and intimate. The latest release is Riad which is inspired by the Moroccan desert.
Bottles are made of polarised glass to protect the perfume within; the name and brand are laser etched. They are then packed in a recycled leather pochette.
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SeedArte
SeedArte began in Los Angeles before moving to Europe. Founder Melanie explores the dichotomy of being a woman through two fragrances: Leda and Lilith.
The gold plated bottle caps feature a wing symbol: Leda is associated with a swan while Lilith is associated with an owl. The wing around the Leda cap is a gold plated ring by Italian artist Oriente Plazzi Marzotto which can be worn as jewellery.
Son Venïn
Another Scandinavian brand, Son Venïn creates fragrances ranging from minimalist to complex. Their products are vegan, however solid perfumes use beeswax.
One of my favourite fragrances by Son Venïn is Pain Nouveau – it smells like a cloud of flour and white pepper, and I’ve never smelled anything like it before or since.
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Neandertal
The Neandertal brand was founded by Japanese contemporary artist Kentaro Yamada. The fragrances come in light and dark pairs, with the latest set – is the light fragrance and was the dark – being possibly a bit controversial: the same brief was given to a person and to an AI. Both fragrances were then made, but it hasn’t been disclosed which is which.
The first two fragrances – light and dark – began as an art project; in fact these are the only fragrances by the brand that come in 90ml porcelain bottles that resemble carved flint stones. Each of these bottles can be uniquely identified through its embedded NFC chip.
The second set of fragrances – us and them – are also available as porcelain double wick candles.
Egoscentrique
Egoscentrique want to remove the negative connotation surrounding the word ‘ego’ and create fragrances that are a part of your personality.
Bottles are handmade in Italy from bioresin; fragrances include Zest Me Up! which features citrus notes of yuzu and grapefruit.
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Raw Contrast
I actually ended up buying a fragrance by Raw Contrast: Holy Wood. It was the Assam Oud that made me do it!
The South Korean brand has some interesting fragrances that use unnatural notes, evoking the materials in the perfume names: Concrete Vanillé with concrete as a heart note, and Glass Oasis featuring sand grain and oyster.
Notebook scribbles that soon became illegible
Breakfast, and later a cocktail reception at Olfactory Signals
My outfit: maxi skirt and boxing shoes
Espresso and smoothie; the perfume I bought from Raw Contrast
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London College of Fashion alumna (PGCert Fashion Buying & Merchandising). 15 years in fashion across styling, buying & merchandising, trend forecasting, e-commerce, and marketing. Includes roles at Vivienne Westwood and multi-brand retail stocking 50+ brands including Adidas, Nike, and Puma.
