ZANNIS Fragrances AXIOS

ZANNIS Fragrances AXIOS

From the ZANNIS Fragrances website: ‘Zannis is a house devoted to proportion, intent, and remembrance—where classical beauty meets modern science. Discipline and olfactory neurodesign shape each creation, crafted to leave an imprint.’ 

ZANNIS Fragrances is a luxury niche perfume house founded by plastic surgeon and artist Dr. John Zannis that is devoted to proportion, intent, and remembrance—where classical beauty meets modern science. Discipline and olfactory neurodesign shape each creation, crafted to leave an imprint. The brand merges art and science by designing molecular compositions meant to shape moods, trigger memories, and influence emotional responses. At the core of this approach is Olfactory NeuroDesign™, a specialized process that utilizes carefully selected molecules to influence how you feel and interact with the world. This innovative fusion of disciplines stems from the brand’s founder, Dr. John Zannis. Studying Human Biology at Stanford University, he earned his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and then became certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He has figured out how to uniquely combine his extensive background in biology and surgery to seamlessly bridge the gap between rigorous science and sensory olfactive art.

ZANNIS Fragrances founder, Dr. John Zannis, courtesy of the brand

Hernando Courtright: When did you have that aha moment you wanted to venture into developing a fragrance brand?

Dr. John Zannis: The distinction became clear to me early on. I wasn’t interested in creating one fragrance as an isolated product. I became interested in the larger question of what fragrance can do—how scent becomes attached to memory, identity, attraction, place, and even our perception of ourselves. My background has always existed at an intersection. I studied human biology and studio art at Stanford, later became a surgeon, and have spent much of my life moving between science and aesthetics. Fragrance unexpectedly brought all of those interests together. It is chemistry and composition, but it is also intensely emotional and subjective. A fragrance can be technically beautiful and still leave you completely unmoved; another can bring back a room, a person, or a period of your life almost instantaneously. Once I began thinking about fragrance that way, a single scent wasn’t enough. I wanted to build a house capable of exploring that relationship repeatedly, with different fragrances examining different aspects of memory, presence, attraction, and identity. That became ZANNIS.

ZANNIS Fragrances AXIOS Greek beach courtesy of the brand

Hernando Courtright: I understand that the brand’s original name was SIX7. When did you decide to rename it ZANNIS? 

Dr. John Zannis: As the brand evolved, it became increasingly personal. At that point, ZANNIS felt more authentic and enduring than SIX7. It also felt more appropriate for building a fragrance house rather than a single concept.

Hernando Courtright: What was the first step you took toward creating ZANNIS? How long was the brand in the making?

Dr. John Zannis: The first step was defining what I wanted fragrance to do beyond simply smelling good. I became interested in scent’s relationship with memory, emotion, attraction, and identity. The brand developed over a couple of years through fragrance creation, testing, packaging, and refinement.

Hernando Courtright: As a nascent brand, how would you like to see ZANNIS positioned in the marketplace?

Dr. John Zannis: The goal is to create sophisticated, highly wearable fragrances that are emotionally memorable and intellectually interesting, while maintaining a distinct Mediterranean and classical point of view.

Lefkada Island courtesy of the brand

Hernando Courtright: Has your Greek heritage shaped the brand’s olfactory direction?

Dr. John Zannis: Absolutely, although not in a literal way. The influence is more about atmosphere, proportion, history, sensuality, and the Mediterranean relationship with nature, heat, resin, woods, and the sea. Greek language and philosophy also influence the way I name and conceptualize fragrances.

Johanna Monange courtesy of the brand

Hernando Courtright: Johanna Monange, founder of Maison 21G and former fragrance creative director at IFF, developed the ZANNIS scents. How did you meet and choose to work with her?  

Dr. John Zannis: What attracted me to Johanna was that she could speak both languages I cared about: the technical language of perfumery and the emotional language of fragrance. I came into the process with very strong ideas, but I was not pretending to be the perfumer. I might describe a character, a physical environment, a psychological effect, or even a visual image rather than saying, “Put exactly this percentage of this material into the formula.” Johanna could take something relatively abstract and translate it into olfactive structure. That translation was probably the most exciting part of our collaboration. We could begin with words like confidence, distance, intimacy, permanence, or anticipation and then ask: what does that actually smell like? There were also moments when a modification that seemed small on paper completely changed the emotional character of a fragrance. That was fascinating to me. As a surgeon, I’m accustomed to millimeters mattering. Perfumery has a similar sensitivity. A subtle change can alter proportion, balance, and perception far more than an outsider might expect. Johanna also challenged me when an idea was too literal or when adding another beautiful material would actually make a composition less coherent. Learning when to stop was an important part of the process.

Hernando Courtright: AXIOS (AX-ee-os, meaning worthy) is your signature scent. Where did the name come from?

Dr. John Zannis: I liked the idea because worthiness suggests something earned rather than displayed. That fit the fragrance perfectly: confident, composed, sensual, and substantial without being loud.

Hernando Courtright: AXIOS is listed as an extrait de parfum. So why an Extrait de Parfum?

Dr. John Zannis: I wanted AXIOS to have depth and longevity without excessive projection. The extrait concentration gives the fragrance more texture, richness, and persistence on the skin, allowing its spicy, woody, leathery, and resinous facets to unfold more gradually.

Hernando Courtright: What would you like people to feel when they wear AXIOS? Did the notes appeal to a specific wearer, or a certain personality? 

Dr. John Zannis: Vetiver was important very early because I wanted AXIOS to have a sense of earth, structure, and masculinity without falling into the familiar clichés of a man’s fragrance. But more than any single note, I was describing a personality. I wanted AXIOS to feel assured without being loud, sensual without feeling engineered for seduction, and substantial without becoming heavy. The ginger and black pepper give it motion and immediacy; the vetiver and fir create structure; and the labdanum, leather, and tonka give it warmth and persistence.

Notes: Ginger · Black Pepper · Litsea Cubeba  ·   Vetiver · Fir Balsam ·  Labdanum · Leather · Tonka Bean

Disclaimer: I received a bottle of AXIOS that was provided by ZANNIS. My opinions are mine and only mine.

–Hernando Courtright, Senior Event Contributor and Brand Ambassador.

All Photos are courtesy of ZANNIS, except where credited otherwise, and cannot be reproduced without permission.

You can purchase the fragrance on the ZANNIS website.

 AXIOS box and bottle courtesy of the brand

Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Zannis, we’re hosting a giveaway for a 100 ml bottle of ZANNIS Fragrances AXIOS for the continental USA ONLY, for one registered reader. Register here. To be eligible, leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Hernando’s ‘Behind the Bottle with Dr. Zannis.” Draw closes 10/16/2026

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