Jouissance Lands at Liberty London
Jouissance, the British perfume house, brings its sensual, subversive scents to Liberty London in what marks its first major retail partnership.
Founded in 2022 by art collector, patron, and creative director Cherry Cheng, Jouissance takes its name from a French feminist theory describing a form of women’s pleasure — an ecstatic, often sexual enjoyment seen as the source of female creative power. This philosophy underpins every aspect of the brand, from its storytelling-led scent compositions to its commitment to women’s art and creativity.
“It’s an incredibly emotional and affirming moment,” says founder Cherry Cheng. “Liberty London is an institution that has long stood for heritage, exquisite craftsmanship, and, more recently, through the thoughtful revamp of its beauty space, visionary curation. For Jouissance to be recognised and invited into that world, after only one year of business, feels like a powerful endorsement of the vision and ambition behind the brand.”
The brand’s roots are steeped in erotic literature. Inspired by works such as Histoire d’O and the diaries of Anaïs Nin, Jouissance seeks to transform written expressions of desire into a physical, wearable experience. Its debut collection consists of three fragrances, each named for a pivotal year in erotic literature and dedicated to 20th-century women writers whose radical narratives challenged conventions of femininity, creativity, and sensuality.
‘Les Cahiers Secrets’ evokes the atmosphere of an avant-garde literary salon, blending fresh-cut lilies, heliotrope, and musk to capture the scent of powdery journals and whispered intellectual rebellions. ‘La Bague d’O’, named for a year that shaped erotic fiction, is an intoxicating floral bouquet laced with steel chains, pink pepper, and animalic undertones — a fragrance said to entice those drawn to secret societies and forbidden romance. The third, ‘En Plein Air’, channels the freedom and brightness of alfresco exploits, pairing citrus notes with white flowers and a rain-soaked musk base.
“Jouissance was born from a deep love of scent, literature, and the visual arts, an attempt to distill the richness of feminine creativity into fragrance,” Cheng adds. “To see that vision resonate and find a home in such an iconic space means the world to me. It tells me there is space for voices like ours — for stories told through scent, and for art that dares to feel deeply.”
Since founding Jouissance, Cheng has immersed herself in perfumery training at the Grasse Institute and became the first private student of renowned French perfumer Antoine Lie. With this foundation, she aims to eventually craft her own compositions, furthering Jouissance’s mission to fuse literature, art, and olfactory artistry.
“Above all, it feels like a beautiful beginning,” Cheng reflects. “We are still at the very start of our journey, and this milestone sets the stage for everything we aspire to build: a global community that celebrates boundless creativity and the storytelling, transformative power of perfume.”
Jouissance is now available at Liberty and online at libertylondon.com. UK and US customers can also shop the fragrances at jouissanceparfums.com, where each scent is priced at £180 ($246).