THE OTHER ROOM: EP. 152 - CHERRY CHENG
The Jouissance Parfums founder shares the artists, perfume, objects, and writing inspiring her most right now.
JOUISSANCE PARFUMS Founder Cherry Cheng joined me in the Perfume Room earlier this week. Today, she returns with even more fun, personal stories in The Other Room.
The Other Room is the official Perfume Room companion post-show. Every Tuesday, hear from guests on their episode of Perfume Room podcast, and on Fridays, enjoy bonus content from those same guests exclusively on Substack!
Inspired by erotic literature, Joussiance is transforming and translating words on a page into scents on skin. And while Joussiance perfumes and the stories which inspire them are in many ways abstract and intellectual, on skin, the response is visceral. With inspirations like sexy grandma, al fresco sex, and sacred submission, the sexual nature of these fragrances is the point. It less of art through a sexual lens, and more of sex through an artful one.
Joussiance founder Cherry Cheng is a London-based creative director and perfumery student with Master’s degrees in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths University. She studied perfume creation at Grasse Institute of Perfumery, and is currently the first private student of esteemed French perfumer, Antoine Lie. Though still in the early stages of her training, Cherry is committed to creating her own fragrance compositions in the coming years, and I know her journey will be an exciting one.
Today, enjoy bonus Pootie [Cherry’s cat] content; being a founder whilst Aries; cumin versus castoreum for that perfect filth; the artists inspiring her most right now; her personal fragrance collection; perfumes permeating London, and more!
xx Emma
(Some links may be eligible for affiliate commission. Find my affiliate discount codes at the end of the interview.)
FELINE FOLLOW UP: Pootie made a cameo in your episode. Does he share your love of fragrance?
Sadly, Pootie doesn't seem to share my love for fragrances—he's knocked several of them off the shelves, breaking a few bottles. Among the casualties was one of the first trials of La Bague d’O.
Your creative input for the first collection is so detailed and inspired. Did you have a corresponding vision for the olfactive output or was that left to the perfumer(s)?
I was very fortunate that our working process was very open. For example, I suggested the inclusion of a dirty note in La Bague d’O, though I had actually suggested to use of civet [over castoreum] which is very animalic (even fecal – the backdoor [‘bague d’o’] link lol?). The perfumer told me this would be too harsh and suggested for us to use the more tarry castoreum instead.
The idea to include cumin was actually the perfumer’s. At first, I wasn’t too keen—I always associated cumin with cooking and couldn’t see how it fit into the story. But since I love how spicy notes are used in classics likeo [Guerlain] Mitsouko and [Rochas] Femme, I agreed to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the transformation — it brought a warmth to the composition that can only be described as "fleshy" and made a phenomenal difference.
Which fragrances in the first collection were most challenging to develop?
Both La Bague d’O and Les Cahiers Secrets came about quite naturally, as their directions were clear from the outset. The inclusion of castoreum and cumin was already decided before the first trials, and the team was thrilled with how well they turned out.
En Plein Air was a bit more elusive at first. We knew it was going to be a summer fragrance, but weren’t sure if we wanted to take a more fruity or more aquatic direction. Ultimately, we chose to highlight sharp citrus notes to reflect Catherine M.’s acerbic wit (without the sweetness of any fruity notes), while embracing fresh, watery elements — not reminiscent of the seaside, but rather the dewy freshness of grass.
Can you share a bit more about the intention behind the packaging?
For our boxes, we went with this gorgeous, uncoated tactile paper stock, Fedrigoni’s Materica Quarz. Our art director / designer Natasha thoughtfully chose it to recreate that natural, rough texture of old books. Inside, the box is lined with pink silk, and the perfume bottle itself is slender with a soft curve.
I know the hyper-feminine aesthetic might feel a bit out of place, especially with so many minimalist, gender-neutral fragrances dominating the market. But for us, that’s exactly the point. Brands that want to be seen as serious and intellectual often steer clear of overt femininity. We believe Jouissance can be both—intellectual and unapologetically feminine. To free the modern woman from outdated assumptions, we also need to free her aesthetic from those same limiting associations.
It might seem a bit extravagant to invest so much in the packaging, especially since so many boxes end up getting tossed. But our whole team is pretty sentimental about old, well-loved things. That’s why we wanted to create something that feels like a keepsake—something our customers would want to hold onto even after they’ve used up the fragrance.
What's been the most difficult aspect of launching Jouissance?
The biggest challenge for me has been resisting the urge to do everything all at once. As a typical Aries, I tend to get impatient and bored quickly, always wanting things to happen fast. It took some time and learning to realize the importance of pacing myself and not investing in too many things too early on.
Are there certain perfume smells permeating London right now? For example, in NY, Baccarat lurks at every corner.
It feels like London is having a Vyrao Witchy Woo moment—I’ve been smelling it everywhere lately. Other fragrances I’ve noticed a lot are Byredo’s Eleventh Hour and 1996, as well as Le Labo’s Baie 19. And Byredo’s Blanche seems to be a favorite among the art girls in London, though I’ve tried to like it and just couldn’t quite get there.
You mentioned loving Portrait of a Lady. Any other contemporary scents in your personal collection?
Absolutely!! I’ve got a long list of them:
Frederic Malle’s En Passant (I’m a huge fan of Olivia Giacobetti), Lys Méditerranée, Musc Ravageur.
Orto Parisi’s Brutus, Megamare and Boccanera (my favourite brand for masculine perfumes - all of them smell so nice on my boyfriend).
Serge Lutens’ La Fille de Berlin, Muscs Koublaï Khan.
ELdO’s Eau de Protection (one of my favourites by Antoine!), She Was An Anomaly, Putain des Palaces, The Afternoon of a Faun (inspired by the legendary Ballets Russes dancer Nijinsky).
The Perfumer’s Story Twisted Iris, Fever 54.
Buly 1803’s Al Kassir.
Naomi Goodsir’s Nuit de Bakélite.
Marissa Zappas’ Imperia La Divina.
And my guilty pleasures… Kilian’s Good Girl Gone Bad, Love, and Intoxicated.
What books are you loving as of late?
This summer, I read Susan Sontag’s The Volcano Lover (I’m obsessed with Lady Emma Hamilton, though the book is much more than being about her, it’s the perfect blend of theory and historic fiction - one of the best things I’ve read in awhile), D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers, and James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room.
I’m now reading the memoirs of Sarah Bernhardt and Anna Pavlova, as well as a biography of Lady Ottoline Morrell written by Miranda Seymour.
Perfume-related books I’d highly recommend Barbara Herman’s Scent and Subversion, Jean-Claude Ellena’s The Diary of a Nose, and Luca Turin’s The Secret of Scent. Additionally, the biannual Nez magazine is an outstanding resource, offering not only the latest industry trends but also insightful explorations into how scent influences art, culture, and lifestyle.
Similarly, which artists are inspiring you most right now?
This is a tough question, because I take inspirations from so many artists, historic and contemporary. Because I’m also fascinated by ballet and opera, I look at a lot of theatre and costume designs. I spent a lot of time in Greece this summer, and I’ve discovered this incredible Greek painter and set designer, Yannis Tsarouchis.
I’ve recently discovered some exceptionally talented young artists: Hardy Hill, represented by CASSIUS&Co.; Emma Rose Schwartz, represented by my friends Ted and Anna’s gallery, Brunette Coleman, with whom Jouissance has an upcoming collaboration to be announced soon; and Lowena Hearn, a stunning friend whose works are as magical and ethereal as she is.
A holy grail item everyone should know!
Again, I’ve got a few…
Can’t live without The Grey’s Daily Face Protect SPF50 ever since Charlie introduced it to me – it’s the only SPF my face doesn’t have an allergic reaction to.
Buly’s Alabastre home diffusers (my favoruite scent is Campagne d’Italie) and scented matches.
Perfumer H x Sotheby’s Sunrise candle.
Art-related Cookbooks (I don’t actually cook I just like looking at them): The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook, Monet’s Table, Dining with Proust, The Ballet Cookbook by Tanaquil Le Clercq (Le Clercq was Balanchine's muse and had a promising ballet career cut short by polio. Despite her devastating afflictions, she created a wonderful legacy in literature and cooking. The Ballet Cookbook features recipes from ballet stars and choreographers like Sir Frederick Ashton and Léonide Massine, along with stories about the dancers, giving a glimpse into the lives of the artists from that time.)
You're currently training to become a perfumer and hinted that we might see a creation from you in the future. Do you write as well? Might we ever see some erotic literature?
I love to read and I love writers, however, the thought of becoming a writer myself has funnily never occurred to me. I think writing is very strenuous. I could write in short bursts of fragmented thoughts, but to compose a piece of fiction even above 1,000 words is unthinkable for me at this moment. I do have a lot of ideas for stories though… I’d love to have some of my dear friends to write them for me someday :P
SHOP JOUISSANCE: stele.shop (exclusively in the US at Stéle)
FOLLOW CHERRY: @jouissanceparfums @chng.xmng
DISCOUNT CODES: get discounts on samples of some of Cherry’s fav scents! 10% off Luckyscent: ‘perfumer00m’; get 10% of TwistedLily: ‘perfumeroom10’
I can’t even express how thrilled I am to see someone embracing/reclaiming overt femininity. I love the direction of unisex/genderful fragrances we are going in, but for me my femme identity is a very political and historically informed stance. I’m even more curious about these fragrances after reading this “extra” interview! P.s. re the “stuff people are wearing right now” section, I was so disappointed by Witchy Woo. The name, listed notes, the bottle etc made me want it but it just didn’t grip me as an actual scent. Le Labo Baie is a longtime favorite though so I shouldn’t begrudge it getting popular.