July 9, 2026

Polaris Olfactive

This article is part of a series where we highlight shape as identity in the design stages of a perfume bottle.

This time, we have: NOSU, from the UK. The interview includes Jacob & Lucy, who are the founders of the brand.

NOSU is a artisanal perfume house from the United Kingdom. One of the founder, Jacob Grainger, is the perfumer behind the brand, and i also had the chance to meet him on several ocassions together with Lucy, who is the creative director. Jacob is a very laidback kind of person, super humble and kinda has his heart in the right place, as they say. His style of perfumery is sometimes abstract, playful while keeping it technical. Lucy is equally nice, and energetic, which is pretty much a match made in perfume heaven.

Jacob is one of those persons that you meet, and you can instantly have a deep conversation with. He’s fun, creative and has a very cool vision behind the brand, and it shows even more in the design aswell.

Jacob & Lucy, i’m a big fan of your perfumes, and i absolutely adore your presentation. It’s almost like the perfumes mirror a playful personality. How did the brand emerge from a design point of view – and how did elements like form, weight, and closure shape that identity from the beginning?

Jacob & Lucy
— NOSU UK

“Nosu emerged through a desire to blur the boundaries between the visual, the olfactory and the tactile. To create something that could be seen and felt as much as it could be smelled.

We wanted the lid to work in this textural world. The form needed to feel tactile, almost like something you recognise before you understood.”

At what point did the bottle stop being packaging and become part of the fragrance itself?

“From the beginning we wanted the whole experience to be multi-sensory. Each Nosu fragrance is paired with an artwork, inspired by the textures and themes within the scent and together with the bottle we wanted them to form a complete expression.

The reflective surface of the lid is intended to draw you in, subtly mirroring the wearer and suggesting their role in completing the perfume.”

Reflective surface is doing its job. Photo: Alex Bibby –>

Did the form come before or after the scent – and what did you choose to remove along the way?

“Everything evolved together and all elements went through many iterations before getting to their final form. Often we'd strip everything back and rebuild it to be certain of what was essential and adjust anything unnecessary.”

If all branding were removed, would the shape alone still belong to your house?

“We were always slightly less interested in recognisability through logos, and more through sensation and form. We were keen to make something sculptural and specific to us, that would stand out and also work as an art piece in itself.”

What should someone feel the moment they see and hold the bottle – before experiencing the scent?

“Curiosity. The tactile quality of the lid encourages touch, creating an invitation into something deliberate and considered, rather than just looking at a product. There’s also a subtle sense of reflection, both literal and conceptual, as though the bottle asks for a moment of attention and intrigue before it gives anything away.”