Puredistance sells its Master Perfume Collection in more than 40 countries. For years Japan has been one of the countries in which a select group of perfume lovers deeply appreciates our perfumes. 

We are officially sold and exclusively distributed by the ‘Grand Dame of Perfume’ in Japan: Sachiko Hatakeyama. And recently Puredistance is also available in the specialised perfume store of Aqua Bouquet in Kumamoto.

In June Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos visited Tokyo to meet some of the most loyal Puredistance customers. The various meetings and events turned out to be a great success and many heartwarming compliments and beautiful gifts were exchanged.

The Japanese guests could smell the soon to be launched PAPILIO and enjoyed a preview of a very personal and intimate interview with perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer who created the new PAPILIO.

In 2002 I registered the name ‘Puredistance’ and started to work on building the company. I realised that launching a new perfume house with only one perfume (Puredistance I), would be an ‘all-or-nothing-venture’. Therefore I spent years figuring out the core values of Puredistance.

Key to better understand the rich and beautiful history of perfume was buying hundreds of vintage perfume flacons. Especially in the first part of the twentieth century many legendary perfumes and perfume brands were born. Collecting these beauties enriched me and slowly I got a feel for what later turned out to be the DNA of Puredistance. The highlight of my collection was a perfume launched in 1909 by D’Orsay with the name ‘Toujours Fidèle’: a beloved perfume for many years inside a crystal glass pillow shaped perfume bottle with a frosted French bulldog crystal stopper.

A dog, faithful as dogs can be, waiting on his luxury pillow for his boss to come home. The first moment I saw this bottle, I instinctively knew that loyalty should be one of the core values of Puredistance. Now, twenty years later, it turns out my gut feeling was right. The world today is in desperate need for personal warmth, for true caring and honesty. And that is what loyalty is all about.

Over the years I have seen Puredistance grow and do well. Even in these difficult years. Partly as a result of the beauty of the Magnificent XII perfume collection, partly as a result of our loyalty towards the perfume stores that sell us and towards our direct customers. All these years we kept our promises. Our promise of true exclusivity. Our promise of timelessly beautiful perfumes. Our promise of understated elegance and luxury. 

Apart from that we kept our retail prices the same since the day we launched Puredistance I back in 2007 (so for 15 years!) and where these days most companies increase their retail prices (sometimes with shocking percentages) we decided to keep our retail prices in 2023 the same once again. For some of our customers price is not an issue, but for others buying a Puredistance perfume is a treat they can afford only once a year. Keeping our prices stable is a sign of loyalty towards our customers who together are the foundation of the world of Puredistance. 

I wish everyone a happy 2023 and I promise you we will keep on dreaming and creating. – Jan Ewoud Vos, Founder Puredistance

P.S. When I wanted to thank Annie Buzantian (the Master Perfumer who created Puredistance I, ANTONIA and OPARDU for us) for all she had done for us, I gifted her an original, vintage ‘Toujours Fidèle Flacon. I felt this was the perfect gift to express the essence of our relationship. Annie is retired now, but we are still in touch and one more time I like to thank her for the gift of her personal perfume to me: Puredistance I. This started it all – in a beautiful way.

20 YEARS OF TIMELESS BEAUTY AND TRUE EXCLUSIVITY

20 years ago we registered the brand ‘Puredistance’. After the registration It took 5 years to complete the first perfume ‘Puredistance I’ and launch it from Vienna. So this year we celebrate our 20th anniversary! The highlights of these 20 years are described and visualised in two books we recently published. 

One book is the ‘The Story of Puredistance’ written by Birgit Oeckher from Vienna. Read more about this book and the author in this PDF. This book can be purchased in our E-store.

The second book is ‘The world of Puredistance in Photos’. This photo book visualises the many stories that together illustrate why Puredistance has become a ‘rare bird’ in today’s world of fragrances. In a world where more and more perfume houses lose their independency and originality, Puredistance has managed to stay truly exclusive, personal and authentic. This book can be purchased in our E-store too.

This year, with every direct order in our E-store over 150 euro, we will include one book of your choice, free of charge.

The images below show some of our favourite images from the past 20 years, we  hope you will enjoy this small photo exposition.

This Autumn we will launch a new perfume: Puredistance M V2Q that will replace our old ‘M’.

Late last year Puredistance got a notification from Roja Parfums that they would no longer supply Puredistance M perfume oil to Puredistance due to the changes in IFRA regulations and the resulting need for reformulation.

Therefore, we had to discontinue Puredistance M. We decided we would not approach another perfumer asking him to copy ‘M’. Puredistance is about originality, not about imitation. We invented a new name – M V2Q – and asked perfumer Antoine Lie if he could create a complete perfume, more contemporary and softer in a sensual way.

Antoine Lie gladly accepted the challenge and started to work on M V2Q. We provided him with artwork that communicates the essence of the new perfume.

We found one of the first samples Antoine sent us very promising and four months and five modifications later we were convinced the new M V2Q will not only please many of the old ‘M addicts’, but as well appeal to many new perfume lovers.

2021 was the year we introduced the concept of the Magnificent XII Collection with the launch of No.12. And what we hoped for came true: No.12 was unanimously received as a great perfume, worthy of completing the circle of 12. As a matter of fact Puredistance No.12 showed up in many ‘Best of 2021’ lists. Visit our NEWS page to view all mentions.

Early 2021 we introduced the Puredistance Notebook. A stylish notebook with many beautiful illustrations. Also this year we will include a free copy with every direct order we receive. And if you buy from one of our authorised retailers, you can ask them for a free copy.

We like to thank everybody who has congratulated and complimented Nathalie Feisthauer with her personal masterpiece No.12. Last year Nathalie was at times confined to her house, but sitting at her beautiful rooftop terrace – with the Sacre Coeur in the background – and receiving one compliment after the other, directly and on social media, was a great distraction.

In October we visited Cannes to meet many of our retailers. We spoke to the owners of perfumeries in more than 15 countries and got energised by their positive stories. In the intimacy of our private apartment we showed them the new Magnificent XII Displays.

In September Puredistance founder Jan Ewoud Vos explained the concept of the Magnificent XII Collection in Le Parfum in Budapest. For more than ten years now Puredistance has granted Zsolt Zólyomi, the owner of Le Parfum and a perfumer himself, full exclusivity for Hungary. In most countries Puredistance only has one or two retailers. This is the best way we can honour our promise of true exclusivity to our customers.

March 2019 we invited the interior architects Vadim and Vika Liskovich from Belarus to the Puredistance headquarters, asking them to help us with the design for a new display that would show the concept and the beauty of our – then upcoming – MAGNIFICENT XII COLLECTION.

I had met Vadim and Vika the year before during a Puredistance event in Minsk and was impressed by the stylish design they had done for the store of Perfumist, our exclusive retailer for Belarus. 

After a first meeting with Vadim and Vika it did not take them long to come up with some great ideas and within days we finalised the draft of the MAGNIFICENT XII ‘Clock’.

Based on the concept of this ‘Clock’, displays in various colours were made by Top Interior in Minsk, a company that employs highly skilled craftsmen who can work miracles with their hands. The first displays were installed in two stores of Créme de la Créme in Vilnius and in Jan Niche Concept in Kiev. Other countries will follow soon.

The recent launch of Puredistance No.12 marked the completion of the MAGNIFICENT XII COLLECTION. This exclusive collection will always be our main perfume collection and include a selection of 12 perfumes. No more, no less.

Every one or two years one perfume from this collection will be replaced by a new creation.

The perfumes we replace will be part of the ‘PRIVATE COLLECTION’ – available for those who know – but these perfumes will not be displayed or  promoted anymore. This is our elegant and simple solution for the worldwide problem of overproduction and choice overload. A solution completely in line with our motto: ‘Less is More’.

We like to thank Vadim and Vika – and Top Interior – for their great work and dedication to this project. Puredistance is a very small company and only with the support and brilliance of such specialists we can continue to expand the world of Puredistance in a timelessly beautiful way.

Marleen M. is part of the Puredistance team and she creates watercolor illustrations and portraits that are used for promotional materials and social media. 

Marleen: “Since I was young I was always drawing in my spare time, and also during classtime when the teacher was not paying attention to me. Today I am really happy to work for a company where my art perfectly fits. I try to translate the deeper and finer emotions I feel into the portraits I make. I would describe my style as: feminine, romantic and melancholic.”

For Puredistance Marleen’s art is invaluable. With her unique style she illustrates the world of Puredistance in a way which in every respect conveys its timeless beauty. Below some illustrations she has made for us.

Marleen about Puredistance No.12: “It is a perfume that is hard to put into words. When I first smelled it, it was something I had never smelled before. To me it is feminine, soft, natural and refeshing. It has so many different layers that you just want to keep on smelling it.

For the Illustration of No.12 I tried to bring out the layered, natural tones of the perfume and do justice to its classic nature. Since I really think with the creation of No.12 Nathalie has reinvented the magic of vintage perfumery.”

This Photo-story would not be complete without a beautiful self portrait of Marleen and some pictures Jan Ewoud has taken of her over the past 10 years. (And if you are interested in a portrait by Marleen yourself, you can directly contact her at portraits@marleenm.com – she can work from a photo).

This is what Nathalie wrote to us:

“Everything started after smelling Opium at sixteen: it was 

a revelation, a vocation. I began studying perfumes in Grasse 
 and continued in New York City.

A beautiful time where I enjoyed success in the 90’s. Today I am an independent perfumer with a small lab in Montmartre. More than ever creating perfumes is a way for me to express feelings.

Three years ago I met Lana, who has the most beautiful perfume store in Zagreb. She introduced me to Puredistance. Jan Ewoud invited me to visit him in the North of the Netherlands in his special church office. I sat down with his team and his family, and showed them several of my creations.

They loved one scent in particular, a scent I had named ‘Taffeta’.
This perfume, now named No.12, is the idealised elegance side of 

a woman, the smell of a voluptuous elixir. A blend of narcissus, jasmin and osmanthus absolute with orris butter and precious rose oil. This luxury floral bouquet is deep and sensual with patchouli and Chypre facets.”

During the years Jan Ewoud and I worked on perfecting the concept of No.12 I learnt we not only shared a mutual love for this perfume, but we also both highly value trust, sincerity and beauty. It was the start of a new adventure for me.”

The story of Puredistance started in 2002 with the concept of Puredistance I – the signature scent of Annie Buzantian. And with the launch of No. 12 – almost 20 years later – we have come full circle. A circle filled with many beautiful stories. The story of No.12 is one of them. 

In 2018, the 5th. of June, I received an email from Lana in Zagreb. She is a dear friend and represents Puredistance in the Balkans. She told me the well-known Parisian perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer would like to create a perfume for Puredistance. The next day I called Nathalie and asked her to come over to our headquarters in Groningen for a first meeting.

July 9, Nathalie stepped off the train in Groningen and I drove her to our old ‘church’ in the heart of Groningen. She was welcomed by our team and in the afternoon we sat around the table smelling 11 different scents Nathalie had made. While smelling the first one – labeled ‘Gold Taffeta’ and described as a “a sophisticated and rich Chypre note” – Nele and I instantly looked at each other, and our eyes exchanged the same message: “I LOVE THIS PERFUME!”. Although the 10 remaining fragrances were also given our full attention, it was Taffeta that left an indelible emotion.

August 12, I wrote to Nathalie: ‘ From all the perfumes you have shown us, Taffeta left an emotional imprint on my scent memory that is lasting. I cannot forget it. So we tried it again and again and found it to be equally beautiful as the first time. To me it is 100% Puredistance. Long lasting, rich, different, stylish, special and full of character. But it is NOT GOLD to me (at that time we were still looking for a perfume who could create Puredistance GOLD for us). Therefore I propose to you to forget about Puredistance GOLD and use Taffeta for the last Puredistance Perfume in our collection of 12. The name will be ‘Puredistance No. 12’.

The idea behind is that we started with Puredistance 1, which was the signature scent of Annie Buzantian. Now we complete the collection of 12 perfumes with no. 12, which is more or less your signature scent, or dreamscent, or whatever you want to call it, since you told me you have been envisaging this scent very clearly in your mind and then, after a long time, matched this dream perfectly, one-to-one, in reality. Which never happened this way with other perfume ideas.

So this is a unique perfume to you and a beautiful story to tell. And in line with our first perfume. To me a grand and great and beautiful way to complete the MAGNIFICENT XII COLLECTION (this will be the name of our collection of perfumes).

The way I see it now is to launch Puredistance No. 12 late 2020. I hope I have not disturbed your holidays with this message, but I thought better write you now before you give Taffeta to someone else 🙂

Kind Regards, Jan Ewoud Vos ‘

And so Taffeta became Puredistance No.12. A perfume Nathalie has dreamed of for many years and with the creation of No. 12 this dream has come true. A grand perfume that wraps around you like a cashmere veil, leaving a feminine, mysterious trail. 

A perfume like no other, in many ways timeless and hard to describe with words. I feel that Nathalie has perfectly captured the universal harmony, the timelessness and the magic of the concept of ’12′ in her creation.

If you want read more about No.12, Nathalie Feisthaur and the Magnificent 12 Collection, click here for the PDF with all information.