Pernoire is a Swiss niche perfumery house founded in 2020 by two childhood friends, Robin Dünner and Nico Mannino, who have worked from the start with the Zurich perfumer Andreas Wilhelm. The house makes nothing but extraits de parfum, in 50 ml bottles, split into two lines: Anima at 25% and Odus at 30%. Each fragrance is conceived as a personality, with a character trait engraved on the bottle.
Two childhood friends and a perfumer from Zurich
Robin Dünner and Nico Mannino have known each other since they were children. In 2020 their shared taste for perfume became a company, pernoire AG, entered in the Basel commercial register in September of that year. The roles are clearly divided. Nico Mannino, trained in business administration with a background in finance and controlling, runs the company, its strategy and its sales. Robin Dünner, who comes from photography and film, handles creative direction and communication.
The name joins two words: per noi, Italian for "for us", and noire, the black that appears on every bottle. The Italian is no accident. Nico Mannino has roots in southern Italy, and the house says Vitias grew out of that memory of heat and sea air.
The method the founders describe starts from a feeling, a memory or a curiosity. They then bring it to Andreas Wilhelm, who turns it into a formula. The perfumer has a long track record. He discovered the trade in 1993 as a chemistry lab technician in the research department of Givaudan in Dübendorf, then began his perfumer training at Luzi in 1999. He opened his own studio in Zurich in 2008 and in 2017 launched his own brand, Perfume.Sucks, which prints the list of ingredients and their quantities on the bottle. At Pernoire he composed all fourteen extraits in the current collection.
The clearest recognition came in 2023. Mansa was named a finalist at the Art and Olfaction Awards in the independent category, with Andreas Wilhelm credited as perfumer and the two founders as creative directors. The award is judged blind: the jury knows neither the brand nor the perfumer.
Fragrances built as characters
Pernoire presents its creations as olfactory personalities. Each bottle carries what the house calls a power: romance for Vitias, purity for Naki, desire for Kama, generosity for Mansa, dominance for Oudian, balance for Yuma. The project rests on three ideas the founders tie to their friendship: personality, personal growth and pushing past your own limits. You may find the storytelling a bit heavy. It has at least one practical benefit: every fragrance has a clear subject, and the composition sticks to it.
The bottle follows the same principle. The Anima bottles are lacquered black, the Odus bottles off-white, and each carries an emblem engraved in line: the Roman statue of Amoral, the phoenix of Otimo, the drawn bow of Kama, the seashell of Vitias, the dragonfly of Masar, the sun of Tierra. The cap is a polished metal sphere.
On production, the house claims fully Swiss development and manufacturing, rare natural essences and longevity of more than twelve hours on its extraits. That last figure comes from the brand. On skin it depends, as always, on the materials: a minty fresh scent like Yuma is less present after six hours than an amber like Masar.
From one fragrance to the next, you can recognize a way of working. Andreas Wilhelm likes to set down a very legible note, often sweet or fruity, then hold it in place with a dry material that keeps it from taking over. Cedar and cardamom break up the praline in Otimo. Birch tar holds the cotton candy in Kama. The durian in Oudian lands straight on a base of oud and leather. The base notes often return to the same foundation, dry amber, vetiver and patchouli, found under Anelo as well as under Yuma. The openings are direct and do not try to impress through complexity.
Anima and Odus: two concentrations, two prices
The collection is divided into two lines that differ first of all in concentration. Anima, from the Latin anima, the soul, is dosed at 25% and includes eight fragrances priced at €195 for 50 ml. Odus, a word built from the Latin odor and intensus, goes up to 30% with a deliberate overdose of the key materials, for six fragrances at €240.
The two lines do not match olfactory families. Each has its gourmand, its floral and its fresh scent. The difference shows mostly in the dosage: an Odus is often worn with a single spray, where an Anima takes two or three. The price gap pays for concentration, not for higher quality. A well-chosen Anima is worth more than an Odus that does not suit you.
Pernoire fragrances available at Passion Parfum
Passion Parfum carries all fourteen extraits from the house, each in 50 ml and as a 2 ml sample. The notes listed below are those on the product pages.
The Anima line, at 25%
Vitias is a marine woody scent that opens on bergamot, lime and two peppers. The heart of iris, angelica and guaiac wood is dry and a little chalky. The salt only arrives in the base, with ambergris, white musk and ISO E Super. It is a marine fragrance with no calone and no melon, easy to wear at the office.
Naki, "pure" in Arabic, is built around the image of the lotus flower. Aldehydes, peach and passion fruit give a bright opening, fig leaf turns the heart green, and sea spray and osmanthus add salt to the base. A fruity floral that never slides into candy.
Kama, desire in Sanskrit, puts blackberry, birch tar and violet side by side in the top notes, then cotton candy and leather in the heart. The base of moss and cashmere wool is dry. It is a leather before it is a sweet scent, and you need to like tar, which is outspoken here.
Mansa pays tribute to Mansa Musa, king of Mali in the 14th century. Blackberry, pink pepper and iris up top, then the trio of oud, rose and saffron, rounded by amber and blackcurrant, on a base of patchouli, heliotrope and moss. A legible rose oud with no heaviness, and a 2023 Art and Olfaction Awards finalist.
Tierra, "the earth" in Spanish, has the shortest pyramid in the catalog: aged rum and red berries, vanilla, warm spices and benzoin, then a base of oud alone. It is the easiest Pernoire to understand on first wear.
Otimo is a gourmand kept in check. Quince, cardamom and rum open, tobacco and praline form the heart with patchouli and tonka bean, and cedar, vanilla and osmanthus close it. The sugar is there, but it is never left on its own.
Amoral is the darkest of the Anima line. Lime, black tea, cumin and smoked prunes in the top notes, an oud powdered with iris and violet in the heart, then orange blossom, sandalwood and tonka bean. Cumin and prune split opinion, so it is best to try it first.
Masar, "the path" in Arabic, is a tobacco amber. Yuzu, cinnamon, labdanum and clove, then amber, honey, tobacco and vanilla, on a base of rosewood, sandalwood, leather and frank animalic notes. The most expansive of the line, to be applied with care.
The Odus line, at 30%
Yuma is the only fresh scent in the house and the only one that speaks of Switzerland. Swiss mint, peppermint, yuzu and bergamot, then edelweiss, an alpine breeze accord and ginger, on dry amber, vetiver and musk. The concentration gives it a longevity that is rare for a minty fragrance.
Anelo starts from fresh pineapple, pomelo and mandarin, moves through mango, ginger and magnolia, then tips toward dry amber, vetiver and patchouli. The fruit fades quickly. That shift from fruity to dry is what the fragrance is about.
Luvani, the most recent release in the line, pairs moonflower, jasmine, tuberose and incense. Vanilla arrives in the heart with guaiac wood and nutmeg, and the base of frankincense, cedar and white rose stays restrained. A vanilla white floral that draws in rather than spreading out.
Melos takes up the ritual attributed to Cleopatra: rose tea, grape and blackcurrant, then rose, Nile honey, saffron and baked apple, on a milky base of musk and amber. The milk note sets it apart from the usual honeyed roses.
Poka goes all in on dessert: caramelized popcorn, apple pie and cinnamon, roasted hazelnut and dried apricot, then vanilla, tonka bean and cedar. It is the exact opposite of Otimo, and the most literal Pernoire.
Oudian pairs durian, known as the king of fruits in Asia, with saffron and Sichuan pepper, then labdanum and frankincense, on a base of oud, leather and vetiver. The creamy fruit set on a hard wood is what makes it original. It is the boldest fragrance in the catalog and the most powerful.
Which Pernoire to start with
The house names Vitias, Naki and Kama as its three best sellers. They are also good entry points, each in its own register. For a daytime fragrance, fresh and salty, Vitias or Naki. For a warm scent that needs no getting used to, Mansa, the most approachable oud in the house. For those who like contrast and leather, Kama. Fans of minty scents will head straight for Yuma.
Before buying a bottle at €195 or €240, a sample is still the safest step. Every Pernoire comes in 2 ml, at €11 for an Anima and €13 for an Odus, which is enough for several days of wear. The process is explained on our samples page. Two or three tests on skin, on different days, tell you more than any description.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pernoire a niche brand?
Yes. Pernoire is an independent Swiss house founded in 2020 that makes only extraits de parfum in 50 ml and stays out of mass retail. It sells through its own website and a small number of specialist perfumeries.
Who composes Pernoire fragrances?
All fourteen current extraits are by Andreas Wilhelm, a Zurich-based perfumer trained at Luzi with a background at Givaudan, who also created his own brand, Perfume.Sucks. The founders, Robin Dünner and Nico Mannino, handle creative direction.
Where can I buy Pernoire fragrances?
Passion Parfum offers all fourteen Pernoire extraits online, in 50 ml and as a 2 ml sample, shipped from France.
What is the difference between Anima and Odus?
Concentration and price. Anima is dosed at 25% and sells for €195 for 50 ml, Odus at 30% with an overdose of the key materials, at €240. Both lines cover the same olfactory families.
How long do Pernoire fragrances last?
The house claims more than twelve hours of longevity for its extraits. The ambers, ouds and gourmands such as Masar, Oudian or Poka last the longest. Fresh scents like Yuma or Vitias stay present for a full day, with a sillage that sits closer to the skin.
All the fragrances from the house are gathered on the Pernoire page. To discover the other independent houses in the shop, visit the houses and creators page.