About Ascent

Our Story

The Perfume that's Changing Rules

The high-end perfume industry has a secret: typically, only about 1% of the price you pay goes into the fragrance itself. The rest of your money is eaten up by packaging, and marketing.

We thought that was insane. So we built Ascent to do the opposite.

More scent. Less waste.

At Ascent, we’d rather invest in what you actually wear on your skin. We work directly with master perfumers in Grasse, France (the world’s perfume capital) to source our ingredients.

FYI, most designer “eau de parfum” have only 15% perfume oil, and many popular "eau de toilette" start from around 5%.

Our 20ml refill contains the same amount of fragrance oil as a 100ml eau de toilette.

Built for life. Not landfill.

Every year, the beauty industry creates millions of tons of packaging waste, much of which ends up in landfills or our oceans. We ripped out the most wasteful part of perfume: the heavy, disposable bottle.

Our products have less than 1 gram of "disposable" plastic waste - cutting up to 98% versus typical perfume packaging.

Glass and aluminum are fully recyclable, and we push to use as much recycled material as possible across production.

Refill anytime. Switch scents to match your mood.

Real impact. Real people.

All Ascent products are packed at Rotterdam Inclusief – a social workplace initiated by the City of Rotterdam that creates inclusive jobs for people who face challenges finding employment.

That means your order isn’t just picked by a machine or anonymous warehouse. It is hand-packed by real people gaining meaningful work in a supportive environment. By supporting us, you’re directly supporting them

"Refillable and reusable packaging is the future, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of this movement."

In an age of automation, we choose inclusion and community. And if you ever visit Rotterdam, know that a bit of heart from this city is in each Ascent package you receive.

On top of that, we donate 3% of our profits to support ocean plastic removal projects. If we put less plastic into the world, we should help take some out too.

So when we say “real impact, real people,” we mean it. With Ascent, every fragrance gives back – to the planet, to customers, to workers, and to the idea that business can be a force for good.

Three friends. One question.

Ascent was founded by three lifelong friends on a mission. We kept coming back to a simple, burning question:

“Why are we paying for bottles instead of what’s inside?”

We loved wearing great fragrances ourselves, but we were fed up with the industry’s nonsense (and we weren’t alone in this feeling). Rather than accept the status quo, we decided to reinvent how perfume is done.

Ascent founders Boris, Bernhard & Max.

The very name “Ascent” embodies our philosophy. It’s a wordplay on "scent", of course, but also literally means “the act of rising”.

It’s a gradual rise – small, meaningful steps upward. We believe big change comes from many small decisions added up over time.

That’s the change we’re committed to. And every time you wear Ascent, you’re part of that shift.