Who?
My name is Klio Maniati and I am a Luxembourg-raised, Greek citizen of the world. I am currently based in Berlin, Germany, where I have set up my lab in a beautiful co-working studio with eight other fabulous artists in the lively area of Kreuzberg.
I love to be creatively challenged and my inspiration comes from everywhere around me. Poetical emotions, artistic twists and life changing experiences are all blended together and form my perception of the world into scent.
What?
I offer an exclusive collection of Eaux de Parfum and handmade perfumed soaps. I use very high quality materials, from responsible sources and always take the appropriate time to evaluate and decide on my accords. I really don't like to be rushed!
The Eau de Parfum collection is made of fragrances at 20% w/w concentration in “organic” alcohol packaged in a vintage style bottle. The perfumes are all-gender and are best worn on the back of the neck (right by the hair line), the inside of the elbows, the back of the knees or any other secret spot you feel like perfuming.
The soaps are made from extra virgin greek olive oil and are perfumed with the same scents as the perfumes. They are to be used as hand soap or body soap with great moisturising qualities due to the olive oil and the old fashion method of production. For a more intimate experience of the scents, the perfumed soaps can be placed inside one's closet or drawers.
Why?
For as long as I can remember I have been passionate about all things scented. My creative practice started from a very young age when, during my baths, I was mixing shampoos and shower gels in quest of the perfect scent. It was a fact, I was going to become a perfumer.
I have been thinking about and working on Klio Parfums for many many years and I'm sure that even in the years to come, I will always feel it is not quite as perfect as I would like it to be. But, because, deep down I know, there is no such thing as perfection I have taken the final step of unveiling it to the world and let it take its course. I am very excited to finally show you my creations but also, quite frankly, very intimidated.
My commitment
Hand-filled
Small Batch
Artisanal Creations
Nature Friendly
Cruelty free
Cosmetic Safety Compliance
Hand-filled Small Batch Artisanal Creations Nature Friendly Cruelty free Cosmetic Safety Compliance
Nature FriendlyThroughout development of the products, plastic use is restricted to the minimum (e.g. plastic pipettes are replaced with metal spatulas, glass bottles are favoured over plastic etc). The trial bottles are washed and reused to the maximum. Recyclable materials are used for external packaging and shipping. I recycle almost all of my waste - some of it goes to art projects.
Your empty bottles are very welcome to be returned in exchange for a discount and a refill. Learn more about it here.
Cruelty free, Vegan and Safety CompliantNo animal testing has been applied to the products or the ingredients. No animally derived ingredients are used. All products are subject to the European Regulations for Cosmetics and the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) guidelines.
Natural and Synthetic Ingredients In my practice I use mixed media. This means both natural and synthetic ingredients. Hearing the word “synthetic” can raise eyebrows, but in perfumery they are very safe, having gone through strict toxicity and environmental tests. The use of synthetics not only gives a much larger palette of scents to work with, but also helps limit the use of natural products that might contribute in the depletion of the original plant. One example is Bagdanol®, a sandalwood-smelling synthetic molecule I use, instead of natural sandalwood oil which stems from the avidly exploited and almost extinct sandalwood trees of India.
Small batchAll of my creations are lovingly designed, hand-filled and packaged in my studio. This might mean longer times of production and smaller amounts of products, but it favours more sustainable processes. Smaller batches reduce the carbon footprint and the waste generated during production and offer flexibility for better quality products instead of quantity and profit.
More about Klio Parfums
The driving force behind Klio Parfums is my strong desire to create scents that can put smiles on faces and emotions in hearts. I work with a lot of passion for detail and am always in the pursuit of harmonic and evocative scents.
I try my best to always be conscious about the world I live in and take matters like social justice, gender equality and ecology very seriously.
From a very early young age I knew I wanted to become a perfumer. I studied Chemical Engineering and earned a PhD on the biological mechanisms of olfaction under the supervision of Dr Luca Turin.
I then joined the Fragrance house Vioryl S.A., where I received my training as a junior perfumer and have since worked as a perfumer and fragrance consultant for companies in Greece, Argentina and Israel.
I realised soon enough in my career in the industry, that I wanted to be an independent professional perfumer and be allowed to create according to my inspirations and not the market’s needs.
When the COVID pandemic hit, I decided it was time to materialise my dream of creating my own fragrance line. Being my own boss gives me total control over creative and business decision making. This comes with the benefits of having the liberty to organise my time and available resources as I wish. (The only drawback is having to bear all the responsibility on my own but oh heck, that’s the price to pay).
Occasionally, I also work directly with clients on custom-made perfume. I try to translate their memories, favourite scented or flavoured habits into a perfume that they will love and wear until its last drop. It makes me so happy to be able to envelop people in a world of dreams and enthusiasm whenever they wear their own, unique perfume.
More about Olfaction
Having been given the opportunity to research on the mechanism that olfactory receptors use to detect an odourant makes me very proud to have contributed, even slightly, in the process of deciphering olfaction, the last of the senses which hasn't been fully decoded yet.
More about Perfumery
The path to perfumery is not easy. One comes across a lot of frustration and challenges and needs to be armed with a great deal of patience. The first years are tough and demand perseverance and commitment. In the training process, one starts by smelling, trying to memorise and then recognise thousands of ingredients. Then, one needs to learn to blend these ingredients with a method which can lead to an important amount of failed trials before reaching a well balanced mixture of smells. Actually, the training period never stops as this is an ongoing process where the nose needs to be continuously trained and the number of mixtures is infinite. Even the greatest perfumers say they feel like they are learning something new every day during their practice.
