Maison Sybarite founders Annabel Dragan and Katia Milo are committed to a holistic, wellness-centric lifestyle - for themselves and, through education and choice, for the care of people and planet. Their joint wellness journey began over a decade ago after meeting in Paris; like many, one of their first steps was a transition to clean beauty. The comparison in these clean products’ ingredients to those in their perfumes, having long been fragrance aficionados, terrified both.

A few years later, Katia and Annabel extended their well-being approach by adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle, again directing their attention to their perfumes’ ingredients lists.

In perfumes, denatured alcohol (or ethanol) is used - which also happens to be the worst form of alcohol for us. We cannot drink it, yet we disperseit freely onto our skin.

While alcohol-free perfumes existed on the market, they weren’t sophisticated scents. Annabel and Katia took it upon themselves to challenge the best-selling status quo with a new concept. Maison Sybarite was founded with a mission to enact a renaissance in fine fragrance through skin-safe science; by raising awareness of all alcohol’s impacts and our constant environmental exposure, as well as offering a healthy yet luxurious perfume alternative - starting with the perfume’s base.


The First Water-Based Fine Fragrances


Maison Sybarite takes advantage of a patented Water-Plant Emulsion WPE®, oil-in-water (O/W) method to bring the world’s first water-based fine fragrances to life.

Discovering a base for a clean, conscious, long-lasting perfume was a long process due to limited market choices: there was oil, glycerine, and alcohol. Annabel and Katia were seeking a perfume base which was skin-safe as well as safe for the planet; organic alcohol, as they learned through alcohol-free living, is not kind to skin. Although a better alternative, it was not their clean solution: water.

Annabel and Katia explored factories around Paris for two years prior to discovering Masion Sybarite’s fine fragrance manufacturer at a Dubai perfume and cosmetics tradeshow, and their patented Water-Plant Emulsion WPE® method - as well as being introduced to independent Master perfumer and pioneer of the slow perfume movement, Antoine Lie.

The most complicated aspect with Water-Plant Emulsion WPE® was to stabilise the woody scents in our clean formulas. Maison Sybarite have made this challenge our focus since our beginning; knowing if this were possible, all else would be - and we have proudly overcome that challenge.

Maison Sybarite creates alcohol-free, water-based fine fragrances for hedonists, which feel equally as luxurious and bring the same confidence and sensuality for the wearer.


Sybaris was a city of Magna Graecia, "Great Greece", that was located in southern Italy on the Gulf of Taranto. It was said to have been established in 720 B.C. by settlers from the Greek Peloponnesus, mainly from the city of Argolis, and developed into a very prosperous area. It was known for its luxurious hedonistic lifestyle for the sybarites until it was destroyed by neighboring Crotona in 510 B.C. Sybarites were widely distributed in ancient literature of various genres. Herodotus, Strabo, Theocritus, Elian and others report on Sybaris. The term of Sybarite refer to exquisite people with refined tastes or to those who were delivered to the luxury and pleasure. They should have been known for being a member of the probably first monetary union in history.



The Sybarite story has an obvious reflection in the famous tale published by the well-known Danish author Hans Christian Andersen "The Princess and the Pea", in which an unknown girl confirms her royal ancestry and status as princess because lying on a bed of twenty mattresses she could not sleep due to the trouble that a pea that was under them caused her. So delicate the little princess was!

Sybarites were advanced for its time, its policies and the way to live, knowing to associate pleasure with work, arts, quality of life, harmonious coexistence with nature and well-being. A conscious sybarite is person totally devoted to sensuality and all of life’s pleasures while being respectful of the environment. If you know someone who’s totally devoted to sensuality and all of life’s pleasures, call them Sybarite.

"I don’t believe there is a lovelier place in the world than the plain where Sybaris stood. All things beautiful come together: the laughing greenery of southern Italy, the vastness of the most majestic Alpine landscapes, the sun and the sea of Greece"

François Lenormant

Masters Perfumers take advantage of this abundance, featuring spices and aromatic herbs on their olfactive masterpieces, alongside precious woods.


Maison Sybarite’s perfumer of choice is the famous French independent Master perfumer Antoine Lie, reputed for his unique and avant-gardist approach, who dares to challenge the status quo, but refuses to wall off his work from his deepest values. His creations go from the bestsellers (Armani Code/ Black Code, Versace Crystal Noir, Tom Ford Café Rose, Burberry Brit Gold, Paul Smith London for men) to the niche perfumes (Cire Trudon Bruma, Puredistance Black, Etat libre d’orange Rien, Wonderwood Comme de garçons and many more).


“A strong primary instinct, surprised in a modern light, gives Birth to a fragrance collection that stands the test of time. Awakening the power of the unconscious inspires me to combine the strength of nature with its nobility. Next generation water-based fine fragrance brand is born. This unexplored, newly accessed territory offers a unique sensorial experience, making it possible to achieve what conventions usually prohibit.”

Master Perfumer Antoine Lie

The most complicated with water plant emulsion is to stabilize the Woody scents in the aqueous formulas. We wanted to challenge ourselves to make it possible from the beginning. If this is possible, everything else will be possible. And we proudly overcame the challenge.


“A perfume with irresistible effects holds a faithful echo of the voice of one’s deep inner, devoted to make attraction power more attainable. I took a long road to explore the various features of ingredients to create this phenomenal hybrid of woody and freshness.”

Master Perfumer Laure Santantoni

  • no ethyl alcohol
  • no chemical solvent
  • no parabens, phthalates, silicones

The perfume industry will change as the consumer will have access to better options, which will force the broader industry to adapt. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this changing tide as first water-based fine fragrance brand.

As the largest organ in the body and part of our detoxification system, our skin naturally absorbs up to 60% of what we put onto it. This is why the ingredients in our perfumes, matter. So if you’re making the switch to clean beauty, you may just want to reconsider your perfume too.

Moreover, just because a fragrance ingredient is derived from a plant does not mean it is safe for everyone, since many all-natural and herbal products contain fragrance allergens. As a clean fragrance brand, we use the safest components, whether they are natural or synthetic. For our perfumes we use ultra pure water. It is a water that can be drunk, 100% consumable.


  • WPE® (Water-Plant Emulsion) creates the symbiosis of skin and fragrance, in order to offer a unique sensorial experience
  • Ultradrops® – microdroplets increase the persistence of the perfume
  • inspired by Clean beauty

In consumer’s perception, sensory issues are often cited in the top ten reasons for a reluctance to use traditional perfume formulations. We have noticed also that consumers all over the globe have an increasingly strong desire to avoid harmful ingredients and improve their environmental footprint. At our company, we have carried out our own consumer insights studies, as we really want to understand the facts and developed an appropriate solution in response.



Our challenge was obtaining a safe and stable scientific basis for the next generation perfume, while enhancing the olfactory sensation and preserving the smell sensitivity. We took advantage of WPE® (Water-Plant Emulsion) to avoid the most commonly used solvent – ethanol. The high concentration level of the aromatic compounds ensures the intensity of the fragrance on the skin.

Water is a very challenging base to use. Innovation is necessary to suspend fragrance oil in water and keep it that way. The characteristic properties of water plant emulsion is like small droplet size with high interfacial area, semi-transparent appearance with low viscosity, and high kinetic stability.


  • cruelty-free
  • vegan-friendly
  • sustainable ingredients
  • environmentally-friendly and ethical production methods

Maison Sybarite decided to go beyond safe product development and elevated the clean beauty concept to a committed beauty that benefits all. The way we work in partnership with all our suppliers is a real evolution that guarantees our commitment to the most sustainable development goals: sustainability transparency, safety, and ethics.

We need to reconnect with nature to facilitate societal transformation towards sustainability. Consumers are now asking for qualified facts and proof around brand ethical and sustainable practices. The need for transparency is greater than ever, and it does not only involve a brand or a product, but it now includes the entire supply chain.



Our company is committed to quality, safety and sustainability, using environmentally-friendly methods. Unique manufacturing process, blending oily active ingredients with water, by leveraging saponin, a natural organic emulsifier, directly extracted from plants. Right from the start, our ethos has been to ensure that our products are cruelty free. We’ve vetted all our ingredient suppliers carefully, and we certainly never test our products on animals, at any stage of the production process. Our packaging is mindfully conceived with a minimalistic approach, recyclable and printed on paper from sustainable forests.

Maison Sybarite perfumes are conceived, manufactured and packed in France. We have set up a moral and ethical policy that we are continuously improving.