Niclas and Christine Lydeen founded AGONIST in 2008 almost before “niche fragrance” became a concept. After over a decade in the luxury perfume segment, they want to change their own industry and have launched CRA-YON, perfumes that are 100% vegan , Cruelty Free and gender neutral.

You have been in the fragrance business for a long time. With the luxury fragrance brand AGONIST and now CRA-YON. Why did you choose to pause AGONIST and start CRA-YON?
– After working for many years in a very exclusive segment in fragrance, we felt that we wanted to inspire more people to discover good fragrance. We want to bring more ’noses’ to life and turn away from the elitist in the niche segment with extravagant bottles, great focus on the creators, etc.

You founded AGONIST almost before “niche fragrance” became a concept. Tell me, what does a niche fragrance mean?
– That the scent / product is at the center and the companies are built on that. You invest more in the products themselves, the raw materials than marketing. The passion lies in creating fragrance experiences that last a long time and do not compromise on the uniqueness to suit everyone, but you work with a much more conceptual approach.

How do you work out the scents? And how is it different from how you worked with AGONIST?
– We develop the fragrance concept inspired by what we call “Real World Moments”. Moments in life where a scent becomes like a superpower. Before the important meeting, you want a power fragrance that raises self-esteem and makes an impression, for example. The sense of smell has a strong subconscious influence on us and by creating compositions that trigger different mindsets, we build a complete fragrance wardrobe.

How do you build a fragrance wardrobe, how to think?
– You should imagine yourself in a special mood / occasion where you want to strengthen your well-being. Just as you have a varied wardrobe, you also want different scents for different occasions. CRA-YON’s fragrance wardrobe is like a chalk box where you color your life with fragrance.

The products are 100% vegan, cruel free and beyond gender. What is it like to produce perfumes that will meet those requirements?
– The sense of smell is not linked to gender but is highly individually. Since we focus on the compositions based on how the ingredients improve, we never think about gender in our process in that way. We also have principles in the selection of raw materials and that does not include animal tests or animal ingredients.

What characterizes the scents?
– 100% Vegan fragrances with a unique character that develop compliantly on the skin. When you spray a CRA-YON scent, associations are immediately triggered and your mood gets a rush.

What is your favorite scent?
– Continental and Sand Service