An Interview With Lieven Flohr: How the 20-Year-Old Founded His Own Perfume Brand

From social media manager to self-made perfumer and entrepreneur: with his brand "elef.", Lieven Flohr creates fragrances that capture special memories and moments.

Lieven's journey into the world of fragrance began in 2023 during his first holiday in Italy. In Limone sul Garda, a charming town on Lake Garda, he discovered a small perfumery in the narrow, bustling streets. It was there that the then 18-year-old bought his first designer perfume. The scent not only accompanied him throughout his trip, but still reminds him of those carefree days under the warm sun of Lake Garda.

What began as a fascination with a perfume quickly developed into a deep passion for the world of fragrance. Two years later, Lieven, who works as a social media manager in Bad Dürrenberg, Germany, decided to learn the craft of perfume making. He set up a small laboratory, sourced raw materials and began blending and experimenting - driven by the vision of creating fragrances that bring back memories and special moments.

In February 2025, he finally launched his perfume brand "elef." - a name derived from the initials of his name. He currently offers four Extraits de Parfum: "Pure Nectar", a fruity-sweet companion for everyday life, "Golden Hours", a warm composition of vanilla and honey, the zesty summer scent "Limone di Sole", and "Elysia", a spicy-powdery creation inspired by the first moment of a special encounter.

In an interview, the 20-year-old talks about his personal story, the inspiration behind his creations and reveals his plans and visions for the future.

According to BILD, you are Germany's youngest perfumer at the age of 20 - what inspired you to turn your passion for perfume into a business?

It is of course a great honour to carry this "title", but it inspires me to keep going and to share my vision with others.

I've always been someone who wanted to do something on my own. Two years ago I had my own fashion brand and then I offered marketing services. I knew from the start that I wanted to develop this into my own brand and pursue my vision of creating fragrances that reflect moments and evoke memories.

How did your family and friends react to your decision to create perfume and start your own business?

Super different, from "very cool, it's something completely different" to "it'll never work, there are so many brands, why should anyone buy your fragrances?".

However, very few people around me are into perfume and tend to insist on Rossmann and typical designer fragrances, which didn't weigh so heavily on my mind.

What was the first memory you wanted to capture in a fragrance?

"Limone di Sole" was the first fragrance to capture a moment. Inspired by the town of Limone sul Garda on Lake Garda in Italy, the town where I picked up my first fragrance and thus started the whole journey. The fragrance sums up the mixture of the lemon groves that the town is known for and the green Mediterranean climate in Italy.

You taught yourself the craft of perfumery. That's very impressive! How did you do it?

In the beginning, I got the basic raw materials and tried them out a bit. Once I knew which moments I wanted to capture, I began to source raw materials specifically in those directions, so as not to get lost in the multitude of raw materials. I then used trial and error to create the perfect recipe for me.

You have a small laboratory and 70 different raw materials. What was most important to you when choosing the ingredients?

I want to create fragrances that are as authentic to the moment as possible. That's why I've tended to focus on natural raw materials, as they allow for better fragrance development and allow me to stand out from the synthetic mainstream.

Your fragrance "Pure Nectar" has a very sensual name. How did you come up with the idea for this fragrance?

"Pure Nectar" is meant to remind us of carefree youth, the moment when you open a fruity packet of chewing gum or the gum balls from the chewing gum clock. "Pure Nectar" means "pure nectar" and is intended to emphasise the fruitiness of the fragrance.

"Limone di Sole" recalls your summer experiences on Lake Garda. What do you want the fragrance to convey, and how did you transform it into a composition?

With this fragrance, I want to take people straight to Italy. The fragrance is a combination of the typical Italian Mediterranean climate and my visit to Limone sul Garda. It should remind you of a beautiful, sunny holiday.

In the top note, the freshness of lemon, bergamot and orange immediately transport you to the typical lemon groves of Limone sul Garda. A hint of mint provides a cool, refreshing note, while petitgrain rounds off the citrus aromas with a green, bitter note. In the Mediterranean heart of the fragrance, we find neroli, supported by the herbaceous freshness of rosemary, which gives the fragrance a subtle green floral elegance.

Your perfumes have quickly attracted attention. How did you make them known and what was the reaction to your first creations?

To be honest, the whole thing wasn't planned that quickly, because I still do everything myself, which is of course a unique selling point - from production to packaging to marketing, it's all under one roof.

I wrote to a local newspaper and they wrote an article about me. Within three weeks, MDR and BILD had contacted me to report on me. Soon there will be an article for Radio SAW here in Saxony-Anhalt. The press was very interested in the topic, which I would never have thought, but now I really appreciate it because it brings a bit more attention to my brand and my vision.

With "elef." you want to stand out from the mainstream. What is important to you in your fragrances to make them unique and extraordinary?

No fragrance is ever inspired by or copied from another, just because a fragrance is "in" at the moment. It is very important to me that the fragrances are never made on an assembly line, but by hand, so that their personality is preserved.

I don't want to make typical crowd pleasers, but rather depict authentic moments that not everyone may like or identify with. "elef." should be seen as an experience brand and not as a typical perfume brand.

Although "elef." is still young, you have already celebrated your first successes. What was the best moment of your brand's first year?

"elef. is live since 01.02. - so it will be two months old on 01.04.
The best moment for me was of course when the whole thing was well received in the media and there was interest in the fragrances.

There was also a moment when a man wrote me a long text after ordering Pure Nectar. In it he described how he had developed an emotional connection with the fragrances. At one point he wrote:

'Pure Nectar'  Now. Because now the world is out of joint, because now nothing is as it used to be, but should be. Because 'Pure Nectar' is capable of instantly transporting you back to the carefree days of your youth. Even more than a 'Limone di Sole' can. And with the longest staying power of all your four 'elements'.

Which fragrance would you describe as your "signature fragrance" and why?

In the cold season so far, it's been "Golden Hours", because it simply provides a cozy, warm feeling - but I actually wear all fragrances at some point. Now it will probably be the time for "Pure Nectar" and "Limone di Sole".

You also work as a social media manager. How do you manage to balance your job and your brand? Can you imagine working full-time as a perfumer and entrepreneur in a few years?

Yes, I can imagine working full-time as a perfumer and entrepreneur, and that is my goal. For now, I work part-time and have a good work-life balance, although I do continue to work straight after work, just on "elef". :)

Setting up your own business often involves a number of hurdles. What was the biggest challenge in founding "elef."?

At the beginning I thought: "I'll make the fragrances and packaging, then we can get started", but there are a lot of legal and chemical aspects to consider in the cosmetics industry. But I was already so deep into the implementation that I thought: "Lieven, now you have to pull it all off".

How do you see the future of "elef."? What mark would you like to leave on the world of perfume?

I hope that "elef." will establish itself as an experience brand and that the vision of reflecting moments will resonate in the niche market. My long-term goal is to place "elef." in niche perfumeries, as it is easier to start testing there and the target group is people who are really looking for something special.

In the future, I would also like to depict all the moments that move me or that I would like to share with others. People are invited to associate the fragrances with their favourite moments and memories, taking a little journey with each spray.

All in all, I am embarking on this journey to see where it goes. I am happy for everyone who joins me on this journey and brings back their own memories with the scents.