Aesop Rewrites Its Fragrance Story With Fragrant Fables

Aesop has relaunched its fragrance collection as Fragrant Fables, revisiting 12 Eau de Parfums almost two decades after Marrakech introduced the Australian brand to personal fragrance. The collection retains Aesop’s aromatic, botanical character while giving each scent a sharper conceptual framework.

The new approach centres on two ideas: the Radical Ingredient, an unfiltered botanical extract intended to reveal different facets across the fragrance, and the Fabulist Accord, a three-ingredient construction that imagines the smell of something that has no natural scent. Think Pure Air, Silver Ore, Cracked Concrete, Sea Foam and Amber rather than another predictable list of fragrance notes.

The collection also comes with a library of fable-like poems, printed on the fragrance boxes and rooted in Aesop’s literary namesake. It is an unusual move in modern perfumery, putting storytelling alongside formulation rather than treating it as marketing decoration.

The most significant new addition is Unforeseen Aer, created by perfumer Céline Barel. A nonconformist interpretation of the fougère, it pairs Geranium, Lavandin and Rosemary in the Fabulist Accord of Pure Air with Nutmeg as its Radical Ingredient, bringing crisp aromatic freshness against textured warmth.

The bottles have had an equally considered update: a taller silhouette, domed base and textured cap inspired by basalt found around Melbourne, where Aesop was founded. The redesigned atomiser can also be removed more easily, improving recyclability.