Interview | Marc-Antoine Barrois
Before turning to fragrance, Marc-Antoine Barrois was already a fashion designer. He had trained with Dominique Sirop and Jean Paul Gaultier before opening his own maison in 2009, an experience that continues to inform the attention to material and detail seen across his work today.
His move into scent came a few years later, when he met perfumer Quentin Bisch. The pair shared a love of beautiful materials and an imaginative approach to creating, with Barrois bringing the ideas and emotion and Bisch translating them into fragrance. The house has since built a fragrance collection spanning the spicy, woody B683, the mineral, otherworldly Ganymede, and Tilia, a soft floral made for anyone who likes their summer scents with a little warmth.
This April, his namesake brand opened its first US flagship at 120 Wooster Street in New York’s SoHo. Designed with architect Antoine Bouillot, the space brings fragrance, couture, ready-to-wear, jewellery, and accessories under one roof, with contemporary art and playful sculptural details woven throughout.
We recently caught up with Barrois to talk about the fragrance he wears every day, the beauty products he always returns to, and the artist still at the top of his collaboration wish list.
What inspired you to create Marc-Antoine Barrois?
From a young age, I was fascinated by my grandfather’s elegance, the way he dressed and carried himself, which introduced me to the concept of a simple, understated, yet deeply refined luxury. Over time, my perception of luxury shifted. What once felt like an unreachable fantasy has become something far more personal and relative. Today, I define luxury as time, freedom, and quality. My grandfather’s style wasn’t just about luxury; it was fundamentally about respect. That is a value I hold dearly, guiding the sincerity I bring to my relationships with both people and objects. Driven by the desire to create freely, I want to encourage people to buy less, but better, by offering exceptional, authentic, and respectful creations.
What has been the biggest highlight?
A few key milestones stand out. Winning my first major international fragrance award in 2020 for Ganymede — The Fragrance Foundation’s Perfume Extraordinaire — was definitely a turning point, as was opening our NYC flagship at 120 Wooster Street in SoHo. It joins our two Paris locations and one in London, making it our fourth store, which feels like a total dream come true for a small independent brand like ours.
What fragrance makes the best introduction to the brand?
It really depends on whether you view it through my personal lens or my creative journey. I’ve always strived to define a timeless ideal. On a personal level, my answer is B683. As my very first creation, it defines who I am at my core. It remains the most refined fragrance in the collection and the one I wear every single day. However, if you want to understand our creative vision and our willingness to take risks, Ganymede or Aldebaran are the ultimate entry points. They showcase how radical and uncompromising our approach to perfumery can be. Lastly, if you’re looking for something more poetic, Tilia marks an important evolution. As the first floral in the collection, it embodies poetic warmth, simple happiness.
What’s next for Marc-Antoine Barrois?
Bringing my dreams to life one by one. I have just launched the beautiful, ethically made perfumed soap bars, a project I’ve wanted to create for so long, capturing my vision of quiet luxury. I am already working on making the next dream come true, too…
This year also marks the tenth anniversary of my first fragrance, B683. We kicked off the milestone this summer with a two-month photo exhibition at the Arles International Photo Festival. For me, this anniversary was a pretext to explore new artistic mediums and express a core value: diversity. B683 was born to make my world accessible, pursuing an unostentatious, authentic beauty similar to the architecture of Robert Mallet-Stevens or Frank Lloyd Wright.
To continue the celebration, this September, we are releasing A Decade of Perfume, a limited-edition set designed like a comic book by French artist Vincent Maillié. Featuring all eight of our creations in an 8.5 mL format, it’s a tangible retrospective of ten years of creation, emotion, and adventure, crafted to be unfolded, explored, and collected.
What are three grooming products you cannot live without?
Dr. Hauschka’s Hydrating Hand Cream and Moor Lavender Calming Body Oil are essentials. For my face, I use Clarins UV Plus Skin Barrier SPF 50, especially during sunny days, although I should be more consistent and wear it every day. And, of course, my signature perfume: B683.
What’s the best grooming advice you’ve been given?
To hydrate and protect my skin from UV.
Can you remember the first fragrance you purchased?
Polo Blue by Ralph Lauren… A teenager thing, I guess 😉
What person or brand would you love to collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with the American artist Daniel Arsham. In terms of brands, it would make sense for me to do something with Dr. Hauschka, as I use its hand cream every day and love it.
Marc-Antoine Barrois is available at Selfridges and Harrods in the UK, and Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus in the US. For more exclusive conversations with beauty founders, explore our beauty interviews archive.