At the heart of the project are Ashley Santiago and Adrien Ollat. A Californian of Mexican heritage, Santiago is the youngest perfumer at Givaudan’s Paris office, having trained at the company’s prestigious perfumery school under the mentorship of Calice Becker. Ollat, a French national, meanwhile, began his career in finance at Goldman Sachs before making the leap into entrepreneurship.
Their vision? “To create a brand rooted in the tradition of Haute Parfumerie while remaining open to its time—to a new generation of creators and consumers,” Adrien Ollat told Premium Beauty News. Their ambition goes even further: “To help redefine the codes of haute parfumerie, alongside others, so that it continues to be a vibrant and relevant experience for the next generation.”
French Cowboy bridges the gap between the excellence of French haute parfumerie — its meticulous selection of raw materials, exacting formulation standards, and deep respect for traditional craftsmanship—and a more pioneering, American-inspired spirit that is bolder, freer, and resolutely forward-looking. As the brand states on its website: “Perfume has lost its edge — too polished, too smooth, and far too expensive. We’re bringing color back to it.”
Co-creation in action
“We work with young creatives who bring their unique taste and sensibilities. They play a true artistic director role,” emphasizes the CEO. This approach allows the brand to enrich its style with influences drawn from far beyond the world of perfumery.
For Mezcal Chocolat, Ashley Santiago worked alongside Mathis Molinié, the young chef of the Philippe restaurant in Rouen. Pear Pavlova is the result of a creative dialogue with Allie Goodbun, a Canadian dancer who performs in the revues of a famous Parisian cabaret. The two co-creators have a combined following of nearly 1.4 million on Instagram and the same number on TikTok.
French Cowboy embraces a break with traditional perfume codes. “The creative process, alongside Ashley, is completely open and transparent on our social media. Here, there’s no carefully cultivated mystery: the creative process is filmed from beginning to end, giving rise to narrative content designed for social media.” This highly personal, unfiltered communication easily resonates with Generations Z and Alpha.
Two other projects are underway, including one with Mia Fall, aka @socharmante. This PhD student in Big Data and Robotics is also a beauty influencer with a passion for perfume, followed by a community of 1.2 million followers on TikTok. Yet another great opportunity for the startup to gain significant visibility!
In terms of fragrance, French Cowboy delivers on its promise: projection, sillage, longevity, and addictive compositions are all clearly present in its first two releases. Particular attention is paid to high concentrations (32% and 35%), striking a deliberate balance between maximum performance and olfactory harmony. Each creation is built from refined materials sourced through Givaudan’s palette, including Cocoa Absolute and Rum Extract in Mezcal Chocolat, and Bitter Almond Oil, Jasmine Sambac, and Ambrette Seed Absolute — a vegan musk — in Pear Pavlova.
Accessible sampling strategy
At its launch in late 2025, French Cowboy established itself as a fully digital brand, distributed exclusively online. It made a bold statement by offering free samples, with customers only covering a EUR 3 contribution per sample toward shipping. “This approach partially replaced traditional PR and gifting strategies. We put the product directly into the hands of our future community, at scale, without intermediaries,” explains the co-founder.
This innovative, more engaging model fosters both customer acquisition and conversion, while also encouraging organic visibility and conversation across social media platforms.
After an initial retail test at Ministry of Scent — where Pear Pavlova quickly became the San Francisco retailer’s best-seller for several months — the brand is now pursuing a hybrid strategy that combines online and physical distribution. “For ‘traditional’ niche perfume customers who discover us in specialty stores, the boldness of the positioning, the quality of the formulas, and the price point make it a highly compelling offer,” explains Adrien Ollat. The 100ml bottle is sold in France at a retail price of 90 euros.
Key partners
Development, led by Anna Zini Fragrances & Cosmetics Development, brought together a network of established partners and specialists: Coverpla for primary packaging solutions (bottle, cap, pump and bespoke color solutions), Inessens for labels, boxes, and sample cards, JPM Décors for bottle lacquering, Groupe Primordial for the filling, and EcoMundo for regulatory compliance.
In early 2026, French Cowboy joined the Niche Beauty Brands portfolio to accelerate its retail expansion. By the end of April, the brand was already available in around forty points of sale across the United States (including Ministry of Scent, Luckyscent, Revolve, etc.), Europe, and soon Japan. Less than six months after launch, French Cowboy is already gaining strong momentum.
