Out of nothing—that’s what ex nihilo means. It’s a fitting name for the Parisian fragrance house, since it was out of nothing—out of a dream, out of a gaping hole in the fragrance industry begging to be filled by something new—that the brand sprang like Aphrodite rising from sea foam. Before 2013, when young friends Sylvie Loday, Olivier Royère and Benoît Verdier founded their very own fragrance brand, there was nothing. Now, there’s Ex Nihilo. Now, there’s Speed Legends.

Ex Nihilo manages to differentiate itself from its competitors, a difficult feat in an industry as ancient and popular as perfumery. Inspired by the avant-garde and individuality, the French brand aims to be an alternative to mass personalization. Over the last decade or so of pushing exclusive materials to the limits of their use, refusing financial or creative restraints, and clinging to the outsider mindset upon which the house was built, Ex Nihilo has settled down into the niche it’s carved out for itself. Fragrances such as Blue Talisman, Gold Immortals, and The Hedonist have consistently delighted and intrigued. Now, they’ve added their newest scent, Speed Legends, to their impressive lineup. 

Speed Legends, courtesy of self-taught Spanish perfumer Jordi Fernández, is liquid adrenaline. Most people will never know the blood-thrumming exuberance of a whip fast car as it slices around the curves of a racetrack or empty highway. Most will never feel the wind rushing past at incredible speeds, producing tangled hair and watery eyes. Most will never understand the heady roar of the engines and crowds, or the power and the pleasure found in the sleek lines of a well made car. But that’s fine, because one doesn’t have to be a Formula 1 racer to obtain this feeling anymore. If a racecar in motion could be bottled up and sold, it would be Speed Legends. 

The masculine, fresh scent surges forward with bergamot and pink pepper, which are in turn overtaken by notes of blackcurrant and clary sage. Woody notes of vetiver, tonka bean and amber wrap Speed Legends up in a sleek bow. The result is a fragrance that smells the same way it feels to push down on the accelerator and joyously ignore the steady red line of the speedometer. As Ex Nihilo itself puts it, it’s a scent that “transcends time and space, capturing the essence of an eternal pursuit of speed.”

Photos courtesy of Ex Nihilo.