The House of CORE
What time softens,
scent can return.
CORE did not begin with a business plan. It began in 2006, with my grandfather’s cologne and a fragrance I thought had disappeared forever.
Read the story
Where it began
A fragrance found in an old wooden drawer.
Long after my grandfather passed away, I found an old bottle of his favourite cologne tucked inside a wooden drawer. The moment I opened it, he was there again: the warmth of his embrace, our afternoons in the park, the way he taught me to hold a cue stick.
The scent was woody, nutty and softly sweet. It held more than notes. It held a person, a place and a part of my life I could suddenly feel again.
Bruno, Founder of CORE
“Memory does not disappear.
Sometimes it simply waits for the right scent.”
The search
Learning by scent, material and instinct.
At the time, perfumery knowledge was difficult to find. I searched the small online fragrance communities, studied every description I could find and began buying oils and raw materials.
The first attempts were wrong. Some were too sweet. Others missed the warmth and depth I remembered. Trial by trial, my collection of materials grew, and so did my understanding.
Eventually, I recreated the character of that cologne. I made it into a room spray for myself, simply so his presence could return to the house. That private act of memory became the first spark of CORE.
Bruno’s journey · Since 2006
One memory.
Years of searching.
The bottle was the beginning. Learning how to bring that feeling back became a journey of its own.
- 2006 · The beginning
A scent I could not let go.
My journey into perfumery began in 2006, with my grandfather’s cologne as my starting point. I wanted to understand what made it feel so familiar—and find a way to bring it back.
- The early years · Research
More questions than answers.
Back then, the internet offered little of the practical knowledge I needed. I searched small fragrance communities, read what I could find and started experimenting. A list of notes could suggest a direction. It could not tell me how to recreate a memory.
- Over the years · Study & training
Learning to smell differently.
Research grew into perfumery study, schooling and training. Alongside it came years of practice: smelling materials individually, building accords and returning to formulas that were not yet right. Each attempt taught me to notice something I had missed before.
- A growing palette · Sourcing
The search reached further.
My collection of raw materials grew as I explored and selected materials sourced from India, Saudi Arabia, France, Greece and the Netherlands, among other places. The palette became broader; the choices became more deliberate. What mattered was finding the character and balance a composition needed.
- The turning point · Recognition
It finally felt familiar.
After many trials, I recreated the character of the cologne I remembered: woody, nutty and softly sweet. I first made it into a room spray for myself. I wanted that familiar presence in the house again.
- Today · CORE, Switzerland
A private search, now shared.
What began with my own memory became CORE. Today I bring that same patience to our signature fragrances and personalised creations, composed in small batches and hand-filled in Switzerland. The question still comes first: what do you want to feel, or remember, when you wear it?
Bruno · Founder of CORE
Made in Switzerland
Made slowly.
Filled by hand.
Today, CORE is an independent Swiss perfume house founded by Bruno. Our Extrait de Parfum is created in small batches, given time to mature, and each bottle is hand filled with care.
There are no anonymous production lines here. Every fragrance stays close to the person who imagined it, from the first formula to the final bottle.
Two ways into CORE
Choose a finished expression, or begin with your own memory.
The Collection
Finished fragrances built around emotions, atmospheres and character. Distinctive compositions, ready to become personal on your skin.
Explore the collection ↗The Personalised Journey
A perfume created around a person, a place or a moment that belongs only to you. Your memory becomes the starting material.
Create your fragrance ↗Our belief
Perfume has no gender.
It belongs to the person who wears it.
A fragrance changes when it meets skin, memory and character. That is when it becomes truly personal.
Find what stays with you