Maesa is launching its new fragrance brand Anecdotes by Artists online and in select Sephora stores on September 14. The inaugural collection brings together three fragrances priced at $140, developed from and inspired by the life of Patricia Choux, a perfumer at Mane.
The operation marks a first for Maesa: according to WWD, Anecdotes by Artists represents the group's first foray into the prestige segment and the first time one of its brands is sold at Sephora. Maesa's global net sales are estimated at $380 million in 2025, according to WWD.
Three fragrances, three stories
Wild Cousin reinterprets a French rum baba cake from the perfumer's childhood, blending accords of rum-soaked cake and Chantilly cream with davana flower and oak wood. The Villanelle is a warm vanilla scent that opens on an icy juniper note, conceived to convey the feeling of being misjudged. Painted Petals, a fruity-floral juice with notes of strawberry, rhubarb, tuberose and jasmine absolute, is inspired by one of Patricia Choux's paintings.
Patricia Choux explains that this collection represented the opportunity to assert herself not only as a perfumer but as an artist: « What made this collection so special was the opportunity to step forward not just as a perfumer, but as an artist. In most projects, you're solving for a specific objective; here, I was invited to explore without boundaries. »
A creator-centric brand strategy
Dana Steinfeld, chief innovation and Blue Sky officer at Maesa, is taking on the role of founder for the first time with this brand. She reports that Maesa's request was to give perfumers the fragrances they had always wanted to create, and to explain the reason behind them. She adds that, culturally, consumers now want to know the story behind products and to understand the creator, which she says has created an environment conducive to a brand like Anecdotes by Artists.
She also points out that while Sephora is already a destination for brands built by makeup artists, hairstylists or dermatologists, having a creator perfumer recognised by Sephora's customer base remains a novelty. In stores, the brand's display will feature a portrait of Patricia Choux.
On the retailer's side, Carye Campbell, senior vice president of fragrance merchandising at Sephora, states that this brand fills a gap in the assortment by placing perfumers at the centre of each scent and giving artists the opportunity to translate their personal story through fragrance.
Fragrance, Maesa's second category
Piyush Jain, chief executive officer of Maesa, situates this launch within the group's vision of being the next generation beauty company. He specifies that while hair care remains Maesa's largest category, fragrance ranks second. He adds that the group, having had several successful fragrance brands in recent years, was considering positioning itself in the prestige segment, with Sephora being, in his view, the best partner for this launch.
Maesa's other portfolio brands, including Being Frenshe, Fine'ry, Hairitage, Kristin Ess, Mix:Bar, Koze Place, ITK, Ontu and Niches and Nooks, are typically sold at Target, Walmart and Ulta Beauty. Maesa is notably the incubator behind Being Frenshe, Ashley Tisdale's brand, and Fine'ry, a mass-market fragrance brand.
Anecdotes by Artists' next collection is being developed with another perfumer, also from Mane. Dana Steinfeld says that the priority for the brand's first year on the market is to raise awareness of the sometimes secretive world of fragrance and to invite consumers into the creative process.
