Portrait of the
Founder
The Founder
Dahmane was born in a small port town a few kilometers from Algiers. After working for 10 years as a distributor of the most beautiful French brands to perfumeries in Africa, he decided to launch his first perfume brand at only 34 years old and he gives his daughter the name: Maison Maïssa. Passionate about the beauty and unknown riches of his country of origin, he wishes to highlight his heritage through his perfumes. With passion and devotion, he explores aesthetic possibilities through his travels infinite which come to nourish the creations of his young brand.
Interview with the founder
For as long as I can remember, perfumes have always fascinated me. At the age of 5, I had the habit of borrowing my family's perfumes: my grandmother's Chanel No. 5, my father's iconic Guerlains like Habit Rouge or Vétiver. Even in elementary school, I never went out without being perfumed, and this habit still persists today!
I am of Algerian origin and my mother always used a lot of orange blossom in her cooking, but she especially used to pour a little orange blossom water into her coffee. This unique smell, this contrast between the dark warmth of the coffee and the airy floral notes of the orange blossom has left a lasting impression on me! I will also mention the smell of tuberose, which grows in abundance in Algiers and which has perfumed my late walks in my hometown since forever.
I love quotes and I like to share them regularly with my teams, especially when we start a project. The one that pushed me to create Maison Maïssa at such a young age is: “There is only one thing that can make a dream impossible, it is the fear of failure.” I try to rationalize my fear of failure when faced with an opportunity, because experience has taught me that we recover better from a failure than from a missed opportunity.
It's hard to choose, but I would say my favorites are citrus notes, especially bergamot and citron, especially when combined with vetiver, a note that reminds me a lot of my father. I also have a passion for iris, whose complexity fascinates me.
I launched this brand with all my love and hopes as a young dad, and I wanted the brand to reflect this attachment. I paid a lot of attention to detail, working on my formulas without marketing considerations, simply to create what pleases me and what pleases my loved ones. My desire to share my passion with them has always guided me. Today, I am extremely grateful to see how many of you have been able to appreciate this brand, recognize yourself in it, and pay tribute to our investment by wearing Maison Maïssa. It is extremely moving when I smell a Maison Maïssa perfume on a stranger!