The Scented Letter 'Fragrance For A New You' (Issue 54)

LETTER scented

WHEN PERFUME GETS METAPHYSICAL

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#WFH – WAFTING FROM HOME LATEST LAUNCHES

FOR A NEW YOU fragrance

editor’s LETTER

Who could ever have imagined the changes we’ve experienced in our working and home lives, over the past three years? Our worlds have been turned upside-down. But here’s the thing. As ever, the fragrance landscape has shape-shifted – adapting to change, reinventing itself, indeed helping us to reinvent ourselves. Hence the theme for this spring edition of The Scented Letter: ‘Fragrance for A New You’.

As we continue to experience aftershocks from the pandemic, many people are searching for meaning. As a result, tarot is buzzing, ditto astrology; a recent WGSN survey revealed that 62% of Gen Z and 63% of millennials believe their zodiac sign ‘accurately represents their personality traits’. Certainly, whether it’s staring into a crystal ball, checking your horoscope or having your cards read invites self-reflection, helping us to unravel some of life’s big questions. On p.11, Suzy Nightingale explores ways that fragrance houses are capturing this new mystical vibe in their launches and coming up with intriguingly esoteric (and fun) ways to steer us towards new fragrance choices.

As more of us embrace #WFH in this ‘new world order’, it’s fuelling a home fragrance boom. To research ‘Wafting From Home’, on p.26, I talked to brands who’ve flourished thanks to this shift in our working lives, had my senses delighted by beautiful candles and divine diffusers – and learned how home fragrance is being used to shift our mindset from working day to relaxed downtime.

Open any newspaper right now and you’ll see headlines about ‘the cost of living crisis’. Everywhere we look, we’re encouraged to embrace ‘the new thriftiness’. Personally, I couldn’t put a price on the joy that fragrance brings to my life. But still, who doesn’t like to save a little, where we can? So on p.34, we share secrets for getting even more enjoyment out of the fragrances we already own, look at the trend for downsized bottles and discovery sets – where The Perfume Society has of course blazed a trail – as well as showcasing some other pocket-friendly perfume choices.

In terms of reinvention, meanwhile, there’s surely nothing more dramatic than changing your gender. Last year, Diana Thomas – after a long and distinguished career as a (male) journalist and author – completed her transition. Alongside a new wardrobe of clothes, how better to embrace her new identify than with a new scent (or three)? In ‘Portrait of a (New) Lady’, on p.22, Diana shares how her eyes – and her nose – were opened to the joy of scents, with the help and kindness of some of London’s leading fragrance experts.

I really don’t need a crystall ball to tell me that you’re going to enjoy it all.

THE LETTER scented

Solange Azagury-Partridge

EDITOR

Josephine Fairley jo@josephinefairley.com

DESIGNER

Jenny Semple studio@jenny sempledesign.com

CEO/ADVERTISING MANAGER

Lorna McKay lorna@perfumesociety.org

SENIOR WRITER

Suzy Nightingale suzy@perfumesociety.org

BRAND RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

Alison Pitcher alison@perfumesociety.org

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Maggie Alderson

CONTACT US info@perfumesociety.org

07500-686122

OFFICE 41 Holmethorpe Avenue, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 2NB

Scented Letter is a free online/downloadable magazine for subscribers to The Perfume Society

Carla Seipp

Solange has spent 30 years at the cutting edge of design, famed for her ‘emotional, exuberant jewels’. Despite having had no formal training, her creations are beloved of Vogue editors, fashion jewellery fanatics and celebrities, most notably her cult, personalised ‘name rings’. She’s also a long-term fragrance lover whose new creation, Kiss My Lips by Solange, just launched. On p.32, she shares her Memories, Dreams, Reflections. @solangeazagury

A freelance fragrance, fashion and arts journalist, Carla is also Editor at online publication and consultancy BeautyMatter. She co-edited The Essence: Discovering the World of Scent, Perfume and Fragrance, published by Gestalten. In 2022, Carla won the Fragrance Foundation’s Jasmine Award in the Short Piece category with ‘Is AI Threatening the Role of the Perfumer?’ In this issue, she shares memories of a Florida childhood in ‘It Takes Me Right Back’.

@carlaseipp

Diana Thomas

Diana Thomas was born male, christened David and remained so through Eton and Cambridge; a 40-year career as a journalist and author; and a marriage that produced three children. She completed her gender transition last year. In 2020 she won the Chairman’s Award at the National Press awards and was named Magazine Columnist of the Year for her column in The Telegraph Magazine, which described her transition. Read her scent journey of discovery on p.22. @dianawpthomas

Alexandra Dao

Alexandra Dao, who took both of the beautiful black and white shots for Diana Thomas’s article, is based in Greenwich, specialising in portrait, events, family photography and bespoke flower prints. ‘My work is about finding the beauty in our everyday life,’ she says. ‘I look for the spaces between things. The pauses. The in-between moments… Beauty in the ordinary, as that’s where the heavenly shines through.’ Her website is alexandradao.com

@alexandra_dao

New faces, designer collaborations, one-off bottles and the launch of new perfume collections – there’s so much to delight our noses (and eyes) right now

nosing around Changing faces

Kiera Knightley was 21 when she was chosen to personify Coco Mademoiselle. Stepping into her ballet flats at the even more tender age of 20 is beautiful actor Whitney Peak, star of ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ – just in time for the unveiling of Coco Mademoiselle Hair Perfume. Fabulous casting, we say. £57 for 35ml Hair Perfume chanel.com Moonlight

Van Cleef & Arpels’s creatives have been thinking inside the box, creating this paper treescape to showcase a limited intense version of bestselling Moonlight Patchouli. So collectible.

£175 for 75m7l eau de parfum harrods.com

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IT’S STORIES TIME

Tonya Kidd-Beggs’s fragrances can now be enjoyed as a limited edition candle trio of STORIES No.1 or No.2. Each set is inspired either by the top, middle or base notes of the brand’s fragrances, to be burned individually or ‘layered’. Let the scentscaping begin.

£95 for each trio storiesparfums.com

Longing to study natural perfumery? As part of their programme of creative retreats, Tuscany’s Villa Lena will host Porcelain fragrances co-founders, Stine Hoff and Pil Søndergarde Hummel, for a three-night retreat in June. Among other immersive olfactory activities, you’ll design your own bespoke botanical scent.

From €1,690 per person villa-lena.it

Pretty, pretty, pretty

Guerlain’s Millésime editions are always stunning – but this has stolen our hearts, the bee bottle of Cherry Blossom adorned by sakura blooms hand-sewn by Parisian embroidery house Ateliers Vermont, available in just 3,000 numbered pieces worldwide. (Beyond your budget? Watching the little film about it on their site is entirely free.) £630 for 145ml eau de parfum guerlain.com

DO, DO, DO WATCH THE DO SON MOVIE…

Parisian studio Werlen Meyer has created an animated short film, a whimsical and wonderful tale of Vietnamese junks and tuberoses that brings to life Diptyque’s modern classic, Do Son. Special limited edition bottles, perfumed soaps, body treats and an intoxicating Tubéreuse candle only deepen our swoon, meanwhile.

From £36-154 diptyqueparis.com

Intenselybeautiful

Jo Malone London’s warmest, deepest creations are true scent gems. Now, jewelled flacons for the Cologne Intense range – including Velvet Rose & Oud and Myrrh & Tonka – echo that richness. We’re dazzled all over again. £106 for 50ml Cologne Intense jomalone.co.uk

The art of scent

TOO, TOO DARLING!

To accompany each of their 100ml DAYDREAMS eau de parfums –created by Jean-Christophe Hérault and Caroline Dumur – accessory label By Far has created refillable ‘nomad’ charms; simply use as a keyring or attach to a bag. Definitely our lust objects of the season.

£180 for each set selfridges.com

Bonne Anniversaire, Petite Chérie

This is one birthday candle you won’t want to blow out: a limited edition, celebrating 25 years of Goutal’s floralfruity creation, in the prettiest aqua fluted jar. For more on Goutal candles, see p.30. £52 harveynichols.com

It’s all about the art and design collab, right now. To wit, Acqua di Parma give us the Colonia Limited Edition: three eye-popping bottles, just 100 of each, imagined by multi-disciplinary artist and designer Samuel Ross, and inspired by the architecture of Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. £186 for 100ml acquadiparma.com

Ready for collections?

Our cup runneth over, as beloved fragrance houses and new names unveil themed collections. Presenting us with our kinda problem: which to try first…?

AMOUAGE ODYSSEY ESCAPE

Embracing the urge for transformation and self-discovery, this collection provides Escape routes via four utterly unique frankincense-centric scents: Search, Lineage, Purpose and Guidance.

£320 for 100ml eau de parfum amouage.com

▼ GRACE DE MONACO

Founded on the principles of luxuryfor-good, 100% of profits go to the Princess Grace Foundation, supporting emerging arts students. Chic, contemporary and destined to be modern classics.

From £220 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

▲ MONCLER LES SOMMETS

The unique characteristics of different woods inspire four genderless fragrances in wonderfully apothecarystyle bottles, from world-class noses Fabrice Pellegrin, Nathalie Lorson, Ane Ayo, Antoine Maisondieu and Daniela Andrier.

£257 for 200ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

▼ THAMEEN LONDON FANFARE

Under the artistic residency of Christopher Chong, Thameen London launch the first of a Covent Garden ‘Britologne’ (British/Cologne) collection, with perfumer Bruno Jovanovic infusing ‘decadent, deep and daring facets’ into a fabulous, fresh and flowertastic composition. £250 for 100ml Cologne elixir selfridges.com

▼ THE MERCHANT OF VENICE MRANO ART COLLECTION

Two of Venice’s precious art forms –Murano glass-making and perfumery – are brought together in three Extraits de Parfum, taking olfactory inspiration from oudh and leather. £180 for 30ml extrait de parfum fortnumandmason.com

As ever, perfume mirrors the mood of our time. So, what’s behind the outbreak of scented soul-searching that we’re witnessing, as we embrace the eau-cult? SUZY NIGHTINGALE has the answers

ANEW AGE of mysticism is dawning. Astrology may have originated in Mesopotamia in 3rd millennium BC, and the earliest references to tarot date back to the 1440s. But basing one’s decisions on the alignment of the stars, an arrangement of cards or conferring with mystics are practices that are attracting legions of new ‘seekers’, in a world still suffering the aftershocks of three years in which our home and working lives were turned upside-down. (With a war on our doorstep thrown in, for good measure.)

This morning, for instance, more than 26 million people around the world began their day by consulting the Co-Star astrology app, a service which first launched in 2017, offering insights into how you should behave, what (or whom) you should avoid, and the specific aspects of life you should be focusing on right now. And according to TIME magazine, Co-Star is now being downloaded ‘every three to four seconds.’

In 2023, astrological charts, tarot card sales and psychic readings are most definitely no longer relegated to the ‘hippy fringes’ of society. Together, they have a combined estimated worth of $2.2 billion globally – not least because today, this talismanic trend has been massively boosted via clever use of tech, leading to massive growth of the mystic services market across the generations. A recent report by the trend casting agency WGSN, for

Mystical millennials

Pulse is a trend agency, described as ‘the leading authority on Gen Z and Millennials’, which has been tracking the spiritual practices of these generations for some time. A recent Pulse report states that ‘the pandemic led to a “revival of the occult” across Western Europe as young people turned to astrology, tarot, and other mystical practices to help them cope with the uncertainty of life in COVID times, as well as provide them some new self-care tools and help them fill their idle time.’ Encouragingly, Lisa Miller, a psychologist, and author of The Spiritual Child, reveals that research shows teenagers interested in alterative spiritual connections are 60% less likely to be depressed.

instance, revealed that 62% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials agreed with the statement their zodiac sign ‘accurately represents their personality traits.’

And when the world shifts, fragrance always shifts with it. So, with astrology, tarot cards and crystal-infused mysticism being embraced by millions, it comes as no surprise to us that the trendwatchers at perfume houses are turning to the ways of divine divination – not only as inspirations for their fragrances, but to guide us towards choosing a perfume that truly connects with our personality. Or, going deeper, our soul.

As a fragrance writer, what personally interests me is just why so many of us are converging at online versions of The Oracle’s temples, in our quest to discover new perfumes. And I find it fascinating to see how fragrance houses are borrowing this mystic movement to offer olfactory enlightenment, promising perfumes that go beyond merely smelling nice, to somehow matching your soul.

Now, I should admit the first expert I consulted for an insight into this societal-slash-scent shift wasn’t exactly difficult to track down. Jan, a professional clairvoyant for nearly 50 years, was sitting downstairs in the living room, in fact, and happens to be my mother. And though tarot and birth charts are trending for younger generations,

“ fragrance houses are promising scents that go beyond merely smelling nice, to somehow matching your soul ”

Above: Co-Star’s daily astrology predictions are read daily by 26 million people around the world

astrological terminology and divinations were as much part of my childhood as Angel Delight and Dairylea Triangles.

Reading out the figures of that Millennial/Gen Z survey, I asked Mum why she thought young people were increasingly turning to ancient ways of seeking answers. ‘They need something in their lives that gives them more hope and faith in the future,’ she smiled. ‘Today, more than ever, it seems people are looking for some form of guidance, and both astrology and tarot have the benefit of being untainted by some of the negative aspects of religion. They can also give immediate answers – and when we’re young, we can often be a bit impatient,’ came the sage reply.

For my next expert, I ventured a little further afield than my own home. Shelley Von Strunckel is famed for having written about astrology for over three decades, in publications that include Vogue, The Sunday Times and newspapers across four continents, as well as offering individual predictions via her fascinating website (see p.19). So just why, I asked Shelley, are we

observing an astrological – indeed, mystical – renaissance, right now?

As she sees it, while astrology once ‘…described a fixed, non-negotiable destiny, today that is shifting.’ Astrology’s emphasis now is on our ‘increasing capacity to shape our thoughts, and wellbeing.’

‘The whole “plague” thing is receding,’ Shelley muses, ‘but as it does, the world is finding itself longing for something deeper. After medical and social disruption, we’re now revisiting our inner worlds, and the ways they connect.’

For many of us, Shelley continues, ‘astrology is a link to those feelings and the archetypical awareness that, in this period of enforced reflection, we’ve all come to know – at least a little. And now, it’s time to embrace it.’ Says Shelley: ‘Yes, the past years’ challenges are ending. It’s a relief. But it leaves us with a gap: if we’re no longer struggling, than what should we focus on? That disarming stillness is offering a rare opportunity – now, before we “get busy” again – to get to know ourselves once more.’

For months, now, The Perfume Society has had mystic-vibed press

TOP: ARgENTUM use Archetype cards to help steer you to a new scent.

ABOVE: Menditerrosa LE MAT comes with an original Marseilles tarot card

releases landing on our desks with ever greater frequency – not simply sharing news of fragrance launches, but also inviting us to experience very different and arcane methods to steer us to new fragrance loves.

Joy Isaacs is the founder and CEO of ARgENTUM, a luxury skincare brand which recently launched a range of stunning fragrances based on soul-searching, tarot-inspired ‘Archetypes’.

personal truth.’ Thus, explains Joy, ‘Our Archetype cards invite you to uncover symbolic imagery that reflect inherent energies – patterns that are common to us all.’

Using beautiful black-and-white illustrations by artist Sam Gray, ARgENTUM’s 12 cards are shuffled and used as part of a ‘fragrance reading’, whereby – rather than randomly picking a perfume – the fragrance finds you. This initial scent-matching isn’t set in stone; it’s used merely as a starting point, a way of editing down your possible fragrance choices to a more manageable number, while also making you think more deeply about them. (For those who can’t make it in person to ARgENTUM’s Notting Hill boutique – which is honestly worthy of a pilgrimage –the experience has been skilfully recreated on their website.)

Although she’s been fascinated by tarot and its symbolism since 2010, Joy insists: ‘I don’t think it’s some magical oracle in the sky.’ Instead, she believes ‘…we all hold our truth buried in our subconscious and are willing to project it onto many things – for example, people, life circumstances, poetry, music and of course, imagery (art). It allows us to tap into what is just below the surface and access what is really going on – with our own

LEGEND HAS IT that

before he became famous, the artist, ballet dancer, designer and all-round creative visionary Manfred Thierry Mugler once visited a fortune teller. So, the story goes, she gazed intently at his palm and noted the lines formed a star. She told him to incorporate the shape in all his designs to ensure his success, he did as she suggested and, well, the rest is history.

Tarot also happens to be the theme of Mendittorosa’s LE MAT, the new ‘Talisman’ pocket-size of which comes with an original Marseilles Tarot card. As they explain: ‘We must turn over cards and accept fate, walk forward into new futures, lives and loves. We may not have all the tools for survival, but we have hope and defiance.’

Yasmin Sewell’s wearable goodvibes fragrance house Vyrao also embodies this current mood of mysticism. ‘I believe we are moving into an Age of Consciousness,’ this founder says, convinced that this will influence consumer spending. It’s no longer enough to proffer a perfume and say you should want it because it’s new, has sexy imagery or promises to make you popular; increasingly, we’re seeking scents which, like Vyrao’s, incite self-analysis and introspection.

‘Our awareness of the physical, emotional and the spiritual will grow and define the choices we make, the lives we live, and the brands we love,’ Yasmin says.

Holly Willoughby’s beauty and fragrance lifestyle house Wylde Moon also welcomes visitors with a plethora of esoteric content and information on the meanings of moon phases, crystals, and

ABOVE: esoteric content from Holly Willboughby’s Wylde Moon fragrance and beauty website

“

Our awareness of the physical, emotional and the spiritual will grow and define the choices we make, the lives we live, and the brands we love”

YASMIN SEWELL

astrology, and ways they can apply these to their own lives. ‘The New Moon phase is synonymous with fresh starts, limitless possibility and rejuvenation,’ is just one example of Wylde Moon’s online communication. ‘This offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on what has passed, learn from it and put it behind you, as you refresh and begin again…’

But it isn’t only niche houses offering occult content and creations. Mysticism throbs through the heart of Viktor&Rolf’s latest blockbuster perfume Good Fortune, described by the house as ‘the embodiment of a new positive lifestyle, an olfactive manifesto for spirituality and self-potential, bringing you the power to create your own destiny,’ further reminding us that ‘Destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.’

The striking purple bottle itself resembles a crystal scrying ball, the ad campaign features young British singer/songwriter FKA Twigs dressed as a fortune teller, while their website offers a ‘Tarot Card Experience’ to enhance your exploration of the scent.

Another house presenting their profiling session as prophesy is Penhaligon’s. Over the years, they have specialised in quirky online scent matching games, but fascinatingly this latest is… yes, tarot themed. Visitors to the website are invited to click on virtual cards relating to aspects of their

SPELLBINDING SCENTS

1 VYRAO Witchy Woo

Summoning courage and creativity via simmering roses (thorns and all), the cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper weave a spiced cloak of calming protection.

2 ARGENTUM Magician

Inviting you to ‘take the dare’, clove bud and chilli-flecked incense curls skyward while myrrh, sticky labdanum and cedar evoke ancient, healing balms.

personality – do they see themselves as Adventurous, Captivating, FunLoving or Dapper, for example? – with further choices drilling down into their style, preference of cocktail garnishes and the ‘Spirit Animal’ they most connect with.

Finally, a spread of three cards reveals the fragrances that best

3 VIKTOR&ROLF Good Fortune Fennel seeds were chewed by soldiers to grant courage in battle; here the fronds entwine with enlivening gentian, radiant jasmine, and soothing vanilla. Onwards!

4 ERIS PARFUMS

Scorpio Rising

Smouldering woods and swirls of incense cool to the caress of cardamom, a kiss of Cashmeran on bare skin, and a lengthy trail (but no sting in the tail).

5 INITIO Mystic Experience

Golden amber drips into dark coffee, billowing oakmoss and a nuzzle of beguiling muskiness. The house says the scent will ‘boost your magnetism.’ We believe.

6 PENHALIGON’S Luna

match their answers; but ‘Your good fortune doesn’t stop here’ – for Penhaligon’s have further insights, where you can ‘Discover scented delights from our other collections, cocktail recipes and Spotify playlists cultivated to your specific tastes, and more besides.’

Best put it to the test, I reasoned. And – what do you know? – my ‘reading’ proffered two perfumes I already knew and loved (the bright fizz of Juniper Sling and creamy comfort of Lothair), plus one I hadn’t tried but have since smelled in-store and fallen for hard (the vetiver/

A moon-bathed goddess slinks her way in a silver robe through a jasmine-swagged fairy-tale forest, her luminescent glow piercing the mist of ambergris.

7 AMOUAGE Guidance

Inspired by Middle Eastern myths of spirits guiding ships safely to shore; pear, saffron-sprinkled almond milk and rose petals purr through frankincense plumes.

Mystic marketing for Good Fortune with FKA Twigs

Good Fortune is the embodiment of a new positive lifestyle, an olfactive manifesto for spirituality and self-potential ”

VICTOR & ROLF

SPELLBINDING SCENTS

8 A LA LUNE Moonlight Cypress

Respecting pilgrims seeking Tibetan purity, sacred sage and boughs of juniper are trembling tributes at midnight temples, a shiver of musk sighs hopefully.

9 JULIETTE HAS A GUN Ego Stratis

Awakening to possibilities, juicy citrus quenches the senses before diving into unknown waters. Salt spray clings, a second skin, second chances, a re-birth.

10 ELEMENTALS Qìan

Soothing as a comfort blanket, violet leaf, rose oil and tolu balsam are a balm for troubled souls; this scent an homage to humility, simplicity, harmony.

11 MEMOIZE Ego

The sharp surprise of tart blackcurrant suddenly swaddled in fig leaf, coolly lapped by coconut milk, a gradual acclimatisation to the temptations of tonka.

12 NANCY MEILAND Gaia

Used ‘to hold and uplift in times of transformation’ this perfumed paean to nature’s goddess whispers woodiness, while blue lotus swathes, nutmeg nurtures.

13 EDENISTE Love Lifeboost™

Crushed cherries, red berries and creamy almond represent love in all its forms, ‘a gesture of scented self-care’, and a reminder that scented rituals run deep.

14 MAISON NOIR Alter Ego

The aesthetic of a mysterious hotel where rooms (scent choices) explore your potentials. Here, raspberry, leather and mineralic breezes suggest seduction.

ABOVE: Penhaligon’s perfume prophecies help customers to feel understood as individuals

incense-infused William Penhaligon, named for the founder himself).

While of course not always being 100% accurate, such guided sessions are a great way to hold the virtual hand of a scent-seeker who may otherwise be overwhelmed by the choices available. These personalised fragrant ‘readings’ do more than say ‘buy this’; they make someone looking for a new perfume feel understood as an individual. What these houses are really saying

questions, Juliette Has a Gun’s new aquatic, genderless Cologne, Ego Stratis, for example, invites the wearer ‘to explore the multiple facets of one’s ego’, bearing the motto: ‘I am not one, I am many’.

is: ‘We get you’. And rather than picking out a perfume based on what’s fashionable or that everyone else is wearing, these personalitydriven ways of discovering fragrance allow for individuality and invite introspection.

This can be seen in another emerging trend we’re seeing this year, which sits alongside the more overtly mystical scents, and might be termed ‘perfumed philosophising.’ Encouraging the wearer to look deep within

Memoize EGO, meanwhile, seeks ‘the essence of identity, the content of your character, the solution, the key.’ Likening the development of the potent green fig and piquant cassis fragrance warming on your skin to the idea of your own personal blooming, Memoize says this is ‘the true meaning of “you”, expressing the hope ‘that this moment may mark the awakening of who you are, who you will become – the true definition of “I”.’ Something we’re all surely seeking, as our lives reshape.

And looking around, has there ever been a better time to celebrate a new you and find fragrances that reflect every aspect of your soul? Enjoying this welcome time for self-exploration – along divine, perfumed pathways.

* Personal Astrological Reports, including Year Ahead and Relationship guides, are available to order from shelleyvonstrunckel.com

“These personalised fragrant ‘readings’ do more than say ‘buy this’; they make someone looking for a new perfume feel understood as an individual”

MUGLER ANGEL ELIXIR: A NEW ICON IS BORN

The uniquely transformative and empowering nature of fragrance is at the heart of this entire issue of The Scented Letter – a message that pulses through the magnetic new Angel Elixir Eau de Parfum by Mugler

More than a fragrance, Angel Elixir is the catalyst to reinvent your reality. Because the real world is not enough… “ ” MUGLER

WHEN WORD OF A new Mugler fragrance hits the perfume world, people sit up and take notice. Here is a fragrance house that has banished mediocrity and celebrated diversity from the moment the original, iconic Angel was launched in 1992. That revolutionary fragrance shook up the scent scene and re-shaped our expectations – not only of how a perfume could smell, but people’s perception of who we were.

So yes, we must admit that when news reached us of Angel Elixir (a brand new Mugler fragrance!) a flurry of excitement rippled through The Perfume Society’s HQ. That’s partly because Mugler has always known how best to empower us: on the catwalk, Mugler’s larger-than-life looks often feature ultra-strong, swaggering shoulders and have variously burst forth in froths of feathers and acres of tulle, cocooned in formfitting armour and cinched-in waspie waists or swathed in curve-accentuating fabrics, shown to perfection on the world’s most show-stopping models.

No wonder such icons of self-invention as Beyoncé, David Bowie, Grace Jones, and Kate Moss all clamoured to have Mugler make their clothes over the years. Never expected, always extraordinary, everything Mugler touch is magnetic, unapologetically unique, and totally unforgettable – exactly like this new Angel Elixir fragrance, in fact.

At The Perfume Society, we like to think of fragrances as a virtual dressing-up box for whoever you want to be today. Angel Elixir Eau de Parfum by Mugler goes even further, embracing the many facets that make us who we truly are inside, and daring you to wear that – fearlessly, fabulously – on your skin. Says Mugler: ‘More than a fragrance, Angel Elixir is the catalyst to reinvent your reality. Because the real world is not enough…’

If we wanted to keep it simple, we could describe this stunning new fragrance as a wonderfully woody, richly floral, and gloriously grounded gourmand. But in the spirit of embracing the fearlessly fascinating world Mugler offers us, let’s dive deeper and take a look at Angel Elixir’s fabulous facets of transformation…

Exhilarating facet: Pink pepper illuminates the thrilling top notes.

Magnetic facet: A uniquely Muglerian bouquet of white flowers, blending slightly fruity jasmine Grandiflorum, suave orange blossom absolute heart, spicy ylang ylang essence absolute and creamy essence of sandalwood, infusing the magnetic bouquet with a totally novel, milky floralcy.

Metamorphic facet: A nebula of luscious vanilla infusion. Precious sandalwood, re-distilled to express its most sensual heart, accents its indulgence while Amber Xtreme (a vibrant, woody/ambery ingredient) empowers its potent trail…

Some scents seem to vibrate with a frequency that reaches way beyond our noses (or those of the people lucky enough to be in our presence), striking a chord deep within and then reverberating that outward as a tangible, fragrant forcefield. Angel Elixir by Mugler is most certainly one of those – a sophisticated yet thrilling journey for the senses that encompasses the multiple identities you can embrace, whenever you wear it.

With this new fragrance, get ready for waves of that ‘uniquely Muglerian bouquet’ to follow your every move, swathes of white flowers juxtaposed by the bold amber trail, the heady exoticism of ylang ylang cocooned by the creamy, twice-distilled sandalwood to fully embrace its potent powers and shimmering with almost metallic-seeming spices. This is no ordinary scent, for Angel Elixir is driven by fantasy and thus embodies the extra-ordinary, every single day.   Mugler were of course way ahead of the sustainable curve with their refillable bottles. And with American model, actress and LGBTQ+ rights activist Hunter Schafer (left) at the helm for Mugler’s Angel Elixir campaign, their finger is, as ever, on the pulse-point. You know those ‘Which woman are you?’ type surveys? Wearing Angel Elixir Eau de Parfum by Mugler would dare you to add several more categories of your own invention, then tick them all. It’s rare to find a fragrance that feels both edgy yet comforting (all down to those meticulously blended yet contrasting facets, we believe). But we think you’ll agree: new Angel Elixir Eau de Parfum by Mugler is so-right for right now…

Angel Elixir Eau de Parfum by Mugler from £65 for 25ml to £125 for 100ml mugler.co.uk

PORTRAIT LADYof a (new)

In terms of reinvention, there’s nothing more dramatic than changing your gender. Turn the page to follow Diana Thomas’s journey of discovery, as she perfumes her new identity

TALK ABOUT ‘a new you’.

In the past few years, I’ve acquired a new name, new hair, new voice, new hormones, a remodelled face, a radically reshaped body, and in the space where my new passport records my gender, the ‘M’ has been replaced with an ‘F’. In short, I’ve transitioned from several decades of boy- and manhood to a new existence as a woman. Naturally, this new identity calls for a new perfume. And so it was that I was dispatched by this magazine to London from my Sussex home, to find just such a thing.

Left to my own devices, I would have headed to Harvey Nicks or Selfridges and mooched around all those brightly-lit stands where the big designer brands sell their celebrityendorsed smellies. But I was steered, instead, to three specialist stores: Les Senteurs and Jovoy (which both stock an extraordinary range of perfume brands I’d never heard of before), and Diptyque, which showcases only its own products. (And yes, I had heard of them.)

There were, however, a couple of obstacles in my path, the first being that I have no confidence whatever in my sense of smell. I don’t possess the vocabulary to discuss my responses and choices in the way that I might when describing a favourite dress, or painting, or piece of music. In short, I’m not a natural scent buff. My wardrobes may be full of clothes that earn my female friends’ approval, but my scent collection is pathetic. Before setting off to London it consisted of a few aged bottles of…

• L’Air du Temps, bought in airport duty-free as a basic starting point.

• Chanel No5, because it’s the one scent everyone’s heard of … but it turns out it doesn’t work on me.

• Two remnants of a short-lived Fffern subscription, cancelled because I couldn’t justify getting a new bottle every quarter, though I’m still happily wearing their Summer ’21 edition.

• Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile, because I love roses and this seemed the rosiest rose around. And finally …

• Miller Harris Terre d’Iris, which a friend of mine was wearing when

I went to stay with her, the very first weekend that I presented as transgender to anyone else. I loved the perfume, loved the weekend, and love the thought of how far I’ve come since then.

Anyway, off I went to London, and the first thing I discovered was that people who work with perfume are just wonderful. There was none of the intimidating feeling one gets around retail fashionistas. As I committed one faux pas after another, no one was anything other than kind, encouraging and endlessly patient. In Les Senteurs, I dismissed an entire selection of beautifully-crafted smells with the words, ‘They’re all just a bit Toilet Duck.’ Asked to sample the supposedly musky, ultra-

left the shop with something I didn’t like. At Diptyque, they even poured me a glass of champagne. Thank heavens it was just the one; given another, I might easily have bought every perfume they had, just for the gorgeous, individually designed labels on each bottle.

I finally went home with well over twenty mini-samples, plus two 10ml bottles of fragrance that I’d bought at Les Senteurs. And one thing soon became obvious. In future, I will be very reluctant to buy a perfume immediately in the store where I have just tried it for the first time. It’s just not possible to get a truly accurate impression of whether a scent will work for me unless I’ve sampled it in clean air and spent enough hours with it on my skin to know how it will evolve. So, for example, I bought Musc Ravageur on a whim, even though I didn’t get the slightest hint of its supposed sexiness after trying goodness knows how many other scents. But when I wore it out to dinner a few days later, it really was warm, sensuous and possibly even rather seductive.

seductive Musc Ravageur, I replied that all I could smell was crème brulée. Proffered something called Frangipani, I became completely confused, and blurted, anxiously, ‘Will it smell like a Bakewell tart?’

Yet Joe, the sweet chap who was looking after me, kept supplying me with new choices and never once lost his cool at my repeated idiocies. He even said, ‘You’re doing the right thing,’ when I kept dashing outside to sniff the latest scent strip because my noise was so overloaded that I couldn’t smell a thing in the shop itself. The folk at Jovoy were just as kind. When I cancelled a planned purchase on discovering that a perfume I liked cost £161 for just 17.5ml, they reassured me that they would rather I bought nothing than

Likewise, I had caught enough of the rose in Portrait of a Lady to justify my mini-purchase. But only when I lived with it for a day or two did I really appreciate how the sweeter notes of patchouli, cassis and raspberry are tempered by cinnamon, clove, frankincense and amber. Suddenly it seemed grown-up, sophisticated, yet very feminine – just like the woman I aspire to become.

On the other hand, other perfumes proved less appealing at home than in store. I can think of three in particular – one at each of the stores I visited – that were all gorgeous on first sniff. But in two cases, both very expensive, they didn’t develop into anything very interesting on the skin. And the third was so strong, and so long-lasting that it felt like a loudmouthed guest who had long outstayed their welcome.

The one perfume that was exactly the same chez moi as it had been in the store was Nishane Afrika Olifant. Musky, funky and as horny as hell, without a trace of a flower, or fruit, or sweetness, it is the only scent

“ Suddenly it seemed grown-up, sophisticated, yet very feminine – just like the woman I aspire to become ”

that still makes me grin every time I spray it, just out of sheer, exuberant naughtiness. It’s dark and dangerous and I absolutely love it. (Though I’m still waiting to discover if I have the nerve ever to wear it.)

After my joyous scent expedition, I spent a fortnight spraying and sniffing over several hours at a time. My nose became scent-drunk. I wasn’t simply sniffing coffee beans to clear my palate; I was practically grinding them up and snorting them. Meanwhile, I constantly washed, and rewashed my wrists and jawline, and even sprayed myself with medicinal alcohol when soap alone was not enough to rid myself of lovely, but ultimately unwanted, odours.

ALONG THE WAY, I found that, by and large, I am not one for sweet, powdery smells. I love floral and citrus scents, tempered by notes that make them cleaner, spicier, woodier and/or warmer.

I still find myself struggling for the right words to describe what I mean. But, as the saying goes, I know what I like. Or to be more honest and precise, I’m beginning to learn what my favourite scents are. I’ve discovered that some of my existing scents can still hold their own with the new competition. But above all, I have found myself completely and utterly seduced by the world of perfume. I’m fired by a desire to learn more about how fragrances are created – as well as to discover how they work for this new and very different ‘me’. And I’ve had to fight the all-but overwhelming temptation to go right back to those three welcoming London emporia and say, ‘I’ll have that … and that … and that … and…’

So, which of the fragrances listed right is the absolute tops? I can’t pick one. But I can just about get down to a final four (though it might easily change by the time you read these words). To wit: Terre d’Iris for day-today comfort. Portrait of a Lady for business, chic encounters and feeling ready for anything. Riviera Sunrise for lazy, sunny holidays… and finally, Musc Ravageur for love.

Diana’s Top 10

1LA ROUTE DE LA SOIE DAMASK (Ormonde Jayne) I love roses, so I worked my way through a lot of rose perfumes and this one stood out for the perfect balance of heady Damask rose, sweet fruit, but then an almost peppery, spicy, warm undertone of vetiver, amber and musk.

2

DO SON (Diptyque) Of all the tuberoses I tried, this was my favourite: not too powdery, not too sweet. Inspired by the holidays that Dyptique co-founder Yves Coueslant spent by the ocean in Vietnam, it definitely has a feel of both the Far East and sea breezes, ideal for summer holiday evenings.

3

DON’T CRY FOR ME (Altaia) My late father was born in Buenos Aires, so I’m a sucker for this nostalgic tribute to his homeland by the Argentinian Sebastian Alvarez Murena. It’s meant to evoke the scent of jasmine on the breeze and it succeeds. Light, subtle, and really, really interesting.

4

FRANGIPANI (Ormonde Jayne) This gives me a blast of fruit when it lands on my skin; one of those scents that really grew on me, after first trying it. Yes, there’s an intoxicating sweetness here. But it felt lighter and fresher than some other floral perfumes. So, to put it technically … yummy!

5

MUSC RAVAGEUR (Éditions de Parfum Frédéric Malle) Yes, it’s gorgeous. Yes, it’s sexy. Yes, I’ll wear it if and when I ever get that seal-the-deal date!

6 PORTRAIT OF A LADY (EDPFM) I’ve already waxed lyrical about this. So I’ll just add that I love the cool understatement and san serif typography of EDP’s packaging. Now that I really do understand!

7 RIVIERA SUNRISE (Atelier des Ors) Opens with a blend of oranges, mandarins, lemon and orange blossom, like the smell of a citrus grove wafting in through an open window, warming and mellowing through the day with warmer, woodier undertones. Is it a world-changer? No. Is it summery and delightful ? Absolutely.

8 ROSA NOBILE (Acqua di Parma) This is the furthest end of the scent spectrum from Nishane Afrika Olifant (see left). With AO, I worry that it’s just too wild. But Rosa Nobile remains so sweet and so pretty, with Sicilian mandarin added to Centifolia roses.

9 TERRE D’IRIS (Miller Harris) For me, the smell of a walk through sun-parched woods on the way to a deserted beach, with a faint hint of roses somewhere off in the distance. Wearing it feels like meeting an old friend. And it’s such a symbol to me of how far I’ve come. How can I abandon it now?

10

34 BOULEVARD SAINT GERMAIN (Diptyque) Intended to capture the smell of the company’s flagship store at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain, with a blend of all their perfumes and candles, it’s intriguingly hard to pin down. But its accords include woody, aromatic, green, spicy, aromatic and fresh, so that’s why it speaks to me.

FROM HOME Wafting

Over the past three years, sales of scented candles, diffusers and incense have exploded. JO FAIRLEY explores how we’ve become obsessed with scenting our space, as we meet deadlines and conduct Zoom-a-thons

ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK, I trundle up to London on a train. Quite often, nowadays – on Mondays and Fridays, anyway – the carriage is positively Marie Celeste-like, at least till we reach the suburbs. So while I don’t need a survey to tell me that office attendance still isn’t back to its early 2020 levels, according to the government’s February Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), 44% of working adults reported having worked from home at some point, in the previous seven days.

That’s a lot of home-working. And what it’s translated to, in the perfume world, is a heck of an uptick in home fragrance sales. Between March 2021 and 2022, UK sales of scented candles totalled £418 million, having grown 12% during the first year of lockdown. Which only goes to show: I was definitely not the only one splashing out a don’t-tell-my-husband sum on home fragrances, to boost the feel-good factor of the space I was confined to for all but a short burst of exercise every day.

Unboxing a fresh scented candle was as much of a treat as ordering from The Wolseley at Home’s meal delivery service – but without the mountain of washing up. In the past, I might have burned through a scented candle once every six months. Now, it’s one a month, at least. Lighting a candle on my desk has become an unmissable morning ritual, while I wait for my computer to boot up.

As Michelle Defina of fragrance house Takasago explains, ‘People see their homes as their safe havens, their shelters from the storm… We expect that the delightful ritual of lighting a candle and creating a mood at home will show no signs of slowing down.’

Agrees Laura Slatkin, founder of NEST New York, ‘Consumers have really treasured finding peace, tranquillity and energy from different fragrances – and it’s addictively comforting.’

But for Chris Yu, co-founder of United Perfumes, this isn’t so much a post-pandemic lifestyle shift as a reflection generally of our growing sophistication, as scent-lovers. With business partner Laurent Delafon,

Chris previously oversaw UK distribution for Diptyque, Fornasetti’s home fragrances and Trudon. In 2022, Chris and Laurent introduced the ultra-luxe Florentine Ginori 1735 collection to the UK, while also launching Ostens candles, from their own fragrance house.

‘Nowadays, when I sit down at a dinner party with people I’ve never met and they discover I work in the fragrance world, they start telling me everything they know about scent. It happened with food; today, almost every fridge has a jar of pesto and some galangal, because we’ve learned so much about flavour. Now it’s the same with fragrance. As you start to understand more about it, learning how it works in your environment and changes you and

choose citrus and more invigorating notes. Home scents are great stimulants and offer a sense of comfort and variety, and we see more customers wanting to harness the strong emotional power of scent in their homes to excite, soothe, calm and more.’

Adds trend watcher Amanda Carr, one half of Jasmine Award-winning website We Wear Perfume, ‘Using candles and diffusers more frequently and without guilt is giving the consumer a confidence to curate their personalised home scent, by layering candles as a double-burn option.’

To wit, right now on my desk, Fragonard’s minty-fresh Menthe Basilic and Wings of Wisdom Lunatic are flickering alongside each other. I’m not completely crazy for either of them on their own right now, actually – Fragonard’s is definitely too fresh and cool for a cold winter’s day, while Wings of Wisdom’s vanilla, tonka, jasmine and incense creation creates a mood that’s a little too smoochy for daytime. But together? It makes for an uplifting yet centring combo that helps me feel calm and focused – the exact frame of mind I seek when hurtling towards about seven deadlines at the same time.

the people who come into your home, you gain confidence. And it’s much less “threatening” – dare I say deadly? – than making a mistake with a perfume. If you burn a candle and don’t love it, you can give it away.’

Or, perhaps, simply “layer” it with another candle. Diptyque, for instance, make a recommendation with each candle sold for another scent within their range that it will pair perfectly with. And as the brand’s UK and Ireland MD Amanda Morgan says, ‘Different spaces can be scented differently to create different moods and atmospheres. For a cosy room you can choose more woody, resinous and comforting scents, or for an uplifting office space you could

Says Chris Yu: ‘We’re also seeing people use home fragrance to make the shift from working day to relaxed evening vibe. At The Corinthia Hotel, for instance, where they burn Ginori 1735’s candles, the daytime scent is Purple Hill – all calming, soothing lavender, violet, citrus, white flowers and white woods. But at night, they switch to Amber Lagoon, which is a sexy, happy amber bomb.’

It isn’t just candles we’re going crazy for, though. Pinterest reported searches for incense sky-rocketed 80% in one single month, in 2022, definitively shaking off its hippiedippy vibe and acquiring a new chic – thanks in no small part to Perfumer H’s Wood Land incense, which has acquired a cult following. Sales of room sprays remain strong, but new tech advances in the realm of electrical diffusers offer super-stylish, more diffusive alternatives to the

We see more customers wanting to harness the strong emotional power of scent in their homes to excite, soothe, calm and more

PHOTO: JO FAIRLEY

AMANDA MORGAN, Diptyque

traditional ‘scented-sticks-in-a-vase’ versions – and importantly, we are selecting them as much to complement our décor as for the scents themselves.

‘Scentscaping is definitely a new element of interior design,’ says Amanda Carr, while Chris Yu observes: ‘Home fragrance has now moved from being functional to being an integral part of the decorative living space. And it’s more important than ever that it fits with our home aesthetic.’ Back in the day, he recalls, eyes popped and jaws fell open when United Perfumes introduced Fornasetti candles at £99; today, Ginori 1735’s top-of-the-range scented candelabra sculpture candle will set you nearly

Connock London

Amanda Connock’s family has a rich heritage, sourcing and supplying speciality ingredients to the perfume world. She took that one stage further, launching her own brand, later responding to calls to launch a candle from customers ‘addicted’ – there’s no other word –to Connock London’s exotic Kukui fragrance. The even deeper, warmer Kukui Noir and airier, greener but equally elegant Vittavelli have since joined the home fragrance line-up. From £35 for 220g to £65 for 760g three-wick connocklondon.co.uk

£1,600 – but will provide as much of a decorative talking point for your guests as a piece of artwork or a designer rug. ‘These are wedding list items that are seen as last-a-lifetime keepsakes,’ says Chris.

At The Perfume Society, meanwhile, news of home fragrance launches and innovations pings into our inbox on an almost daily basis, with exciting brands emerging at an ever-faster pace. I’ve hand-picked some of my favourites to share, over the next few pages.

And all I can say is when home smells this good – and looks this stylish, too – I’m not expecting standing room only in those train carriages again, anytime soon…

Boujee Boujies

Perfumer Pia Long teamed up with so-knowledgeable fragrance industry trainer and writer Nick Gilbert to debut a five-strong collection which reflects their belief that ‘Burning a candle is like dressing the set of a movie.’ With a 100% natural wax that blends rapeseed, soy and beeswax, options include sticky, juicy, tart and fresh Queen Jam, unashamedly animalic Cuir Culture and cool, green Succulent. The mini candles offer up to 20 hours’ burn, and are a great way to get an idea of how your own personal ‘film set’ might smell. From £18 for 60g mini candles to £35 for 220g boujeebougies.com

La Montaña

Cassandra Duncan was inspired to found La Montaña by the scents and aromas of her adopted home in the mountains of Spain. Alfredo’s Café captures caffeinated wafts across the terrace of a local drinking spot, while Cloudburst conjures up misty, herbal air of an early morning before the valley awakes. Particularly clever is the idea of a spritzable Home Fragrance Discovery Set, allowing you explore the full range of scents before settling on a favourite.

From £20 for Discovery Set to £100 for 650g deluxe three-wick candle lamontana.co.uk

Ostens

Think: elegant, mouth-blown scalloped glasses and a trio of transportive scents. Launched in 2022, Ostens Illuminations echo the fragrances from the house founded by Chris Yu and Laurent Delafon, who have a strong background in UK’s scented candle business. Opulent Rose, sense-cocooning Cashmeran Velvet and radiant Jasmine showcase precious materials from French ingredients house LMR Naturals, ‘born from our desire to create beautiful fragrances, using the world’s finest ingredients in their purest form,’ as they explain it. Already beloved by the candle cognoscenti.

£65 each for 220g ostens.com

Cloon Keen Atelier

Founders of this Galway-based fragrance house, Margaret Mangan and Julian Checkley, believe that ‘the right scent can create a world of its own, it can transport you, through imagination and memory, to the past, to a place – real or imagined, to a mood and a way of feeling.’ Newest is Aesthetic Lily, a Living Headspace Technology-captured perfect white lily, joining vibrant, hints-of-fruit Gooseberry Leaf and Antique Library (all polished wood, leather and spices) as the tenth in their stunning home olfaction collection.

£45 for 280g candle lessenteurs.com

Perfumer H

‘Perfumer H’ is Lyn Harris, one of Britain’s most accomplished perfumers, classically trained in Paris and Grasse. Lyn has offered candles (and now incense and room sprays) since first opening the doors to her Marylebone boutique in 2015. Candles – from mysterious, woodsy Charcoal to sense-awakening, hit-that-deadlineon-time Mint Tea – are available in simple ‘Utility’ jars, or beautiful glass vases hand-blown by Michael Ruh, which can be refilled time and again. (And you’ll want to.)

From £30 for 30 incense sticks to £155 for 325g glass candles perfumerh.com

Annick Goutal

Under-the-radar treasures in Goutal’s fragrant line-up are the six candles, poured into faceted, coloured glass jars (which are joined each Christmas by a seasonally-perfect collector’s edition). This is travel, via wax and wick, with Un Air d’Hadrien conjuring up the cypress-lined terraces of Tuscany, and Ambre et Volupté carrying us on a magic carpet ride to the desert, where resins are burned as night falls. £49 each for 185g escentual.com

We’re seeing people use home fragrance to make the shift from working day to relaxed evening vibe

CHRIS YU, United Perfumes

NEST New York

Laura Slatkin is home fragrance ‘royalty’, having, with her husband Harry, first introduced America to the joys of scented candles. (Also, Elton John, whose first order totalled $28,000!) Having sold that business, Laura poured her expertise and style into NEST New York, creating candles and diffusers for not-silly-money that are now exciting perfumistas on this side of the Atlantic. Among spring 2023’s introductions is zingy Lime Zest & Matcha – a perfect choice for sluggish mornings – as well as Midnight Moss & Vetiver, joining the nature-inspired Wilderness collection. From £16 for 70g votives to £90 for 600g three-wick cultbeauty.co.uk

Chase & Wonder

The USP of this UK-based candle and diffuser name is that their candles look as darned good as they smell, decorated with eye-catching black and white illustrations and flashes of gold. Chase & Wonder laudably offer 300g candle refills for their ceramic vessels, as well as clear glass options – but really, isn’t that missing half the point? A fragrance sample pack offers cards spritzed with all the different scents, for just £4.95 – worth it simply to use them as fragrant bookmarks, after you’ve decided whether to swing for The Alpine Lodge, The Flower Lady, or maybe The Country Garden. From £58 for 300g candle to to £120 for 750g; refills available from £35 chaseandwonder.com

Ginori 1735

For more than two centuries, Florence’s Ginori family firm have been ‘turning porcelain into pure beauty’. But it wasn’t until 2021 that they introduced incense burners, ceramic diffusers and scented candles, paying homage to the story of Catherine de’ Medici and the characters of her court, via statement home fragrance pieces for the home. Most recently, they’ve worked with too-cool-for-school designer Luke Edward Hall on five more scented introductions, which whisk us to Marrakech, Rajasthan, Big Sur, Venice or the Cotswolds.

From £100 for 80 incense sticks to £1,594 for ceramic designer candelabra ginori1735.com

MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS

Solange Azagury-Partridge

Solange Azagury-Partridge’s jewellery collections have been swooned over for 30 years – and now, as she launches a new signature fragrance, Kiss My Lips, she shares her life story in scents

What’s the very first thing you remember smelling? My grandmother cooking oranges in sugar to make a confit orange – a tradition in my family for special occasions. I suppose the tang and the sweetness of these have always been a favourite combination of mine. It’s a big component of Kiss My Lips.

When did you realise that scent was really important to you? I valued it from when I became conscious – as much as I value my sight, I suppose. Smell is one of the five senses, so understandably it is extremely important. In some languages ‘to kiss’ actually means ‘to smell’.

What’s your favourite scented flower? A Ferdinand Pichard rose. They have beautiful dark and light pink stripes and have such an unusually strong scent; they smell like sherbet. My husband Murray and I have them climbing behind our place in Somerset.

What was the first fragrance you were given? It was a little bottle of patchouli oil. Very 1970s.

What was the first fragrance you bought for yourself? Chamade by Guerlain. Not quite as sweet as Shalimar (which I also loved) and very strong for a young girl, but I really wanted to find my signature scent. It smelt grown up, deep, heady, and terribly exciting.

Have you had different fragrances for different phases of your life…?

After Chamade, I loved Chanel No5 but thought it was too ‘popular’, so instead wore Chanel Coco. This was followed by Shalimar, and then I eventually succumbed to Chanel No5 – it really is a perfect scent.

I now wear Stoned, which I created in 2008, with Lyn Harris as the nose. It embodies all my favourite scents I’ve worn over the years. I go back to Shalimar and No5 now and then, and now I have Kiss My Lips when I want something a bit lighter and fresher.

In terms of home fragrance, I like the Hotel Costes fragrance, and also the Chateau Marmont candle. Both are extremely evocative of those exciting places.

The smell that always makes me feel happy is… the air at our place in Somerset – after a two-and-ahalf-hour drive, getting out of the car and taking a deep breath and smelling the air which is the freshest, purest most sweet and fragrant scent. I wish I could bottle it. It’s the antithesis of a city smell.

The smell that always makes me feel a bit sad is... petrichor, the smell of hot earth after the rain. It always reminds me of the family picnics we had when all my cousins, aunts, uncles and friends would spend the day by the Serpentine when it was an enclosed Lido. My

memory was that the rain marked the end of the fun we were having. So it makes me sad, but I also really love that smell because it vividly reminds me of those days.

The scent that I love on a man is… Eau Sauvage. It sends me back to my youthful dates and snogs.

The scent I love to smell on a woman is… Escentric Molecule 01. Whenever I compliment someone on their smell, that’s what it turns out to be – it smells different on everyone. Very clever.

The fragrance from the past that I’ve always wanted to smell is… what Cleopatra would have worn. Or Roman women of that era. How did they create the scents they wore? And in what combinations? Would they have been stronger or lighter than the scents we wear today?

What is your favourite book about fragrance? A Natural History of the Senses, by Diane Ackermann. She writes so eloquently about each of the senses, the history and etymology and traditions and science and more, behind each sense, why smell is so important and what it means. Utterly fascinating.

Kiss My Lips by Solange is priced £125 for 50ml eau de parfum and £55 for the candle solange.com

Lisa’s a sucker for the aroma of a wet Yorkshire terrier

The beautiful visual for Solange’s new scent launch, Kiss My Lips

Solange’s five favourite smells

1 ROAST CHICKEN The most comforting, ‘welcome home’ kind of smell.

2 MARIJUANA It smells very green and earthy. AND of good times, good ideas and laughter.

3 HOT SUGAR And caramel and cakes coming out of the oven, too.

4 MY GRANDDAUGHTER’S SKIN Even her breath smells like a flower.

5 WOOD SMOKE On a winter’s day, another welcoming and cosy smell.

Above: Ferdinand Pichard rose. Left: her favourite fragrance book

Right: Solange’s first scent memory was sugared oranges

Smoke from a wood fire is a much-loved aroma

Above: a life in scents – Stoned by Solange; Molecule 01; Costes candle; Chanel No5

how to smell on a

BOUJEE U DGET

Whether you’ve fallen out of love with a perfume you once adored, are looking to make it work harder for its space on your shelf, or simply need some new pocket-friendly perfumes, SUZY NIGHTINGALE has practical tips

WITH THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS, many might be asking: ‘Can I live without fragrance?’ For those of us who prize our perfumes more than rubies and beyond that, rely on scent to get us through the toughest times and perfume our more playful moods, too, the resounding answer is: ‘NO!’ It’s non-negotiable. We need our fragrant fixes.

But whatever our budget, we all want to get the best out of our existing fragrances, as well as to treat ourselves to new ones when funds allow. There’s a mood of ‘waste not, want not’, of wanting to make the best of what we have – while also enjoying the spirit of adventure from trying new things. We also share some life-hacks that can make a scent last longer – on your skin or in the bottle – or even change its character. It’s all about maximum pleasure, for minimum spend.

1LOCK-IN YOUR SCENT Perfumes evaporate on dry skin, preferring to ‘cling’ to oil. To extend the sillage (lingering trail) of a scent to its maximum extent, prep your skin before spraying perfume with a non-scented body oil or moisture-rich lotion – matching or otherwise.

WHERE TO WEAR?

In her book Fatale: How French Women Do It, Edith Kunz suggests: ‘The artful application of fragrance should take ‘about 15 minutes from bath to blush’, suggesting 18 application points (including in-between toes and under the chin). Those of us looking to get the most out of precious perfumes should concentrate on neck, tops of shoulders and behind the knees (Jane Birkin wore scent here to waft a beguiling trail), as well as the more traditional wrists and neck.

3

HAIR TODAY… TO STAY!

Hair is porous and can hold scents far longer than on skin. (If you’ve lighter coloured hair, try a patch-test spritz on a tissue first, as some perfumes use colourings, and you don’t want to unintentionally tint your locks.) Many houses now offer matching hair mists with additional haircare properties, so seek these out, ideally. They tend to be priced far more afordably, so a great way to try a newto-you scent.

Fall in love with layers

Have you a fragrance languishing sadly on a shelf and gathering dust? Perhaps it was kindly given as a gift but wasn’t ‘you’, was an impulse blind-buy, or simply doesn’t suit your anymore, but you’re loath to get rid of it? Before despair sets in, explore the art of layering it with another perfume, to enhance the notes you do like and push the others to be supporting characters, rather than the star.

Add depth

Ramp up a scent you find too wishy-washy by adding one that contains more warmly resinous base notes like patchouli, labdanum, olibanum, vetiver, woods, oudh or musk. These are the ingredients with the greatest oomph per pound you spend, and being comprised of heavier molecules, they take the longest to evaporate on skin –which is why they’re usually found in the dry-down, those notes in a scent that remain with you hours later.

Add freshness

If you find a fragrance is too smothering and ‘heavy’, on the other hand, look for one to spritz on top and cut through the headiness, like a squeeze of lemon in a recipe that zings-up a dish immediately. Play with fragrances that are big on citrus notes like bergamot, neroli, lemon, lime, or ‘green’ notes such as galbanum, tomato or violet leaf, green tea and marine/aquatic accords (synthetic recreations of sea-like, watery smells).

Add opulence

SCENT YOUR SCARF

Putting on a coat, we are often beguiled by a miasma of the last scent we wore, because material absorbs scent and holds on to it for days (sometimes weeks). In warmer months, try spritzing a gauzy scarf (again, test for colour safety on a tissue, first). If you’re one of those who find your skin can ‘turn’ certain scents from yum to yuck, this is also a brilliant way to wear, as the delicious top and heart notes remain truer, longer.

Sometimes you might find a scent too bracing for your taste, in which case, look to layer it with something decadently velvety or lusciously fruity. Rose oils, the sunshine-bottled scent of orange flower, heady glamour of tuberose or ylang ylang, a luminescent jasmine. Also try pairing that crisp scent with fragrances featuring apricot-like osmanthus flower, the fluffiness of mimosa or powdery elegance of iris/orris. All these can also add vava-voom roundness to a scent you find too flat or ‘linear’.

Add sweetness

The gourmand deliciousness of silky vanilla and toasted almond-y tonka bean can ’round’ a perfume, making it swoon on your skin (and addictive to smell), as can touches of notes described as ‘caramel’ or ‘dulce de leche’, ripe fruits, chocolate or even candy floss, if you fancy. Be aware: these can be powerful. Adding more is always easier than taking away, and a little of these can go a long way!

6

PERFUME PRIMERS

Some houses create scents as ‘primers’ for others you already own – boosting the power and projection, but also transforming it into a whole new olfactory experience. This is a fantastic way to suddenly add several new scents into your wardrobe by merely purchasing one. That’s the kind of maths we can get behind! Check out D.S. & DURGA I Don’t Know What, Juliette Has a Gun Not A Perfume, Veronique Gabai Booster Eau de La Nuit and BVLGARI’s Magnifying range.

7

HANG ON!

If you’ve tried all the layering options on p.35 and still don’t like the way it smells on your skin, don’t throw the scent away. Instead, buy a ceramic disc (many craft shops or websites supply these very cheaply), thread a ribbon through it and spray. Hang the disc on a radiator to scent – the heat diffuses the (usually more universally pleasing) base notes, scenting your room. 8

SCENT YOUR LETTERS

Spritzing your stationery with scents you might otherwise not use is an amazingly

glamorous way to correspond (and how much nicer it is to receive actual missives from a loved one rather than junk mail?)

Last month, we sadly said farewell to our friend John Bailey, artisan perfumer and former president of The British Society of Perfumers. Though he may be resting in peace, our treasured memories of his lavishly scented letters will last forever.

Table scentscape

Another way to use up scents that might otherwise stare guilt-inducingly at you as they languish on the dressing table is to consider scenting table linens, dried flower or fabric floral displays for a dinner party. It’s particularly lovely if the theme of the scent is carried through to tablecloth and napkin colours. Classy, yet a sneaky way to use up that not-quite-righton-your-body perfume: winner, winner, scented dinner!

Savvy splurging

We all have birthdays and other special occasions. If you’re asking for fragrance, put in a request for an eau de parfum, elixir or fragrance oil, rather than the eau de toilette or Cologne. These actually linger for longer on the skin, because of the higher concentrations of fragrance oils – around 25% in an eau de parfum, against perhaps 3% in a Cologne.

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10

Luxe for less

Cultivating a love for niche fragrances is a thrilling exploration of what those independent houses are creating, and often using the world’s most luxurious ingredients and top-notch noses. But it can become somewhat injurious to one’s wallet if you want to try several all at once (and we always, always do!) The answer? Samples are your saviour! The Perfume Society Discovery Boxes and the many sets curated by niche perfume houses are a way to wear ultra-luxe scents for way less; find them at perfumesociety.org, of course.

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Pocket-friendly

We’re huge fans of travel

and mini sizes; not only are these handy to have on-the-go in your pocket or a handbag for topping up during the day, but they are also airport restriction-friendly (oh, the horror of having to abandon one to a banned contents bin!), and an ideal way to ‘try before you cry’ by splashing out on a full-size bottle. Happily, many, many houses now offer smaller sized perfumes for just such purposes, from as little as 10ml.

Stop killing your scents

No matter how carefully you cultivate your fragrance wardrobe and assiduously wear each one, if they aren’t stored correctly, you will literally be watching them disappear in front of your eyes (and nose!) Perfume reacts to light, particularly those heavy on the essential oils, and to heat, which rapidly evaporates the juice from the bottle. Much as we adore displaying, they should be kept in boxes, preferably, and definitely well away from steamy bathrooms, direct sunlight, and radiators.

14 15

ACCESS ALL AREAS

Having your collection neatly stored, rather than jumbled on dressing tables and rolling around randomly in drawers, ensures you can see what you’ve got rather than reaching for the same old ones and letting the others go to waste. Have a spring clean and gather all those sample vials, put them in an empty candle container, or upcycle a pen stand/wooden box so you can see them all at a glance. Why not keep that on your desk, for regular perfumed pauses…?

IMPROVE YOUR SENSE OF SMELL

Everyone can benefit from this – we’ve had people from normal perfume-lovers, complete novices to industry professionals telling us how trying these techniques have changed the way they smell for the better (for good). Take a few minutes each day to smell something and ask yourself: what colour or texture is it? Where or who does it remind you of? If it were music, is it jazz, rock or classical? This boosts your smelling ability – and as a result you don’t need to spray as much, to be aware of your fragrance. (Which is what it’s all about.)

THROW A ‘SCENT-SWAPPING’ PARTY

Five affordable favourites:

1 FLORAL STREET CHYPRE SUBLIME

A modern take on this sophisticated fragrance family swirls incense-infused damask rose with violet, pink pepper and geranium on a resin-soaked base. From £28 for 10ml eau de parfum floralstreet.com

2 SHAY & BLUE BLACK TULIP

A mouthwatering fusion of Oriental plum, simmering beside white chocolate and woods. Keep it in your desk drawer and hey, presto! Day segues into night. From £25 for 10ml eau de parfum shayandblue.com

3 MAYA NJIE POCKET PERFUME LES FLEURS

Crisp citrus sings through the air to sweet fig and sunshine-warmed neroli; a ruffle of magnolia caressed by feather-soft musk atop supple, green wood. From £25 for 7.5ml eau de parfum mayanjie.com

4 4711 COLOGNE

The classic lemon, rosemary, lavender and neroli notes never disappoint – it’s like wearing sunlight filtered through unfurling leaves. Splash with abandon. £18.69 for 100ml eau de Cologne escentual.com

5 YARDLEY LONDON APRIL VIOLETS

If you’ve tried absolutely all of these tips and still can’t bring yourself to love a scent you were gifted, why not throw a party where everyone brings a perfume they’ve fallen out of love with and can swap with another they may form a lifelong relationship with. Hey, it’s an update (and more socially acceptable) than the notorious ‘car keys in a bowl’ partner-swapping parities of yore! (Just remember not to invite the gift-giver.)

A joyously luminescent abundance of dewy violet leaves and rose petals with delicate white peach, all becomingly dusted with orris and honeyed, luminous mimosa.

£16.99 for 125ml eau de toilette yardleylondon.co.uk

A WORKING NOSE

Nancy Meiland

BEGINNING HER CAREER in London as an apprentice to one of the UK’s experts in custom perfumery before launching her own eponymous collection, Nancy Meiland’s ’s decade-long journey through fragrance also saw her jointly running The School of Perfumery, in London, act as a consultant for independent perfume houses, work on collaborations with Miller Harris, and speak about fragrance at events nationwide.

Based in East Sussex, she devides her time between composing for her own artisanal house and making scents for private clients out of her Brighton boutique. Nancy has the knack of conjuring emotional responses with lyrical fragrances and meditative attars alike. Soulfully evocative yet endlessly sophisticated, they’re often based on scent memories of her own, but invite us to go on our own fragrant journeys with every single spritz.

When does your day start?

Each day begins at 6.45am – I make a cup of green tea and sit in meditation until the house begins to stir and the children get up. This short candlelit ritual helps to set my internal dial for the whole day (and I usually have two cats, Piper and Pelé, and a dog, Banjo, for company). Next, I make the kids porridge, yogurt and fruit or a smoothie using my beloved Vitamix machine – unless they cry out for French toast! Cooking and feeding my family is closely connected to my work: flavour combinations are an inspiration and I often use herbs from the garden. Then, I kiss the children off to school and walk or run with the dog.

We’re lucky to live close to the South Downs, so I like to take in the expansive views. All the olfactive impressions of these landscapes hit my nose and have informed the aromascapes in my collection. A favourite note is hay and anything horsey – the leather saddle, the steam from a horse’s nostrils on a cold, early morning. Being in nature and practicing yoga clears my head of a spiralling to-do list and helps me settle into my body, ready to create.

Where do you work?

My perfume studio is part of my Brighton shop, so I take the short bus ride there from our house in Lewes. With a receptive, non-stop nose, it’s important to bombard it occasionally and public transport can actually help with this! I always think if there’s a smell you don’t like, well, what is it about the smell, and is there something more

bearable or even pleasant within it? I get a whole host of aromas that tendril towards me, and I try to apply the same objectivity to each one.

How does your day break down?

Usually, my working day begins with answering emails and getting the shop ready. I have help there, so I divide my time between work and greeting the customers. We have a café opposite us called Lost which sells beautiful coffee so I’ll stop in there to take away a chai latte. I’m definitely a morning person and have a slowdown in the afternoon – if I get to take a siesta after lunch, I’m a very happy woman! Alas, this is only possible on a Sunday or sneakily, when I work from home on Mondays.

How many fragrances might you be working on at one time?

Whether creating signature scents or perfumes for the collection, I’m always working on one blend/formula or another. I’d say there are maybe two or three perfumes at a time that I make by hand in the perfume studio. There are two other ready-to-wear collections, where I collaborate with different perfumers and receive drafts that we work together on, shaping these formulas until they fit the stories we have in mind for them. Of these perfume drafts in collaboration, again I prefer to concentrate on two or three at a time.

How do you work?

When working with another perfumer on a draft of perfume, I tend to use my computer, and when working on my own hand-made perfume Attars, I have a much-grabbed notebook, replete with oil splodges and myriad scents from being scribbled on in the middle of composing the perfumes. When I have a final formula for the collection or a private client, the formula is ‘locked in a vault with the pearls’ – also known as my laptop.

What kind of other inspirations do you look for?

I feel like I spend a lot of my time conjugating and preparing the ground for inspiration to strike. It feels a bit like ‘mise-en-scène’, or maybe tending to a garden. I have the image of setting out my gilded bowl and listening out for the inspiration to drop in, or even ‘steer my hand’, as I sometimes think of it. It’s an intuitive, almost ceremonial, approach that comes from creating a more spacious place within me. Immersing myself in nature, colour, travel,

The British perfumer – who now has her own Brighton boutique – gives us the low-down on her working day, juggling olfactive creation with motherhood Immersing myself in nature, colour, travel, solitude, reading, meditation, and wild swimming are also part of ‘preparing the ground’ for creating perfumes

solitude, reading, meditation, and wild swimming are also part of ‘preparing the ground’. I’m continually inspired by my customers’ stories around perfume and how they connect with it.

Do you break for lunch?

I usually eat a light lunch at my desk – a salad from home with beans, nuts and seeds, or a homemade soup with oat cakes and herbal tea. My life is one long chocolate craving and so, some dark chocolate usually features.

How does your afternoon unfold?

Part of eating a light lunch is so that I can wrap up work at 4pm to get home to be with the children, taxi them to their clubs and make supper on three days of the week. My wonderful husband, Dan, commutes to London three days of the week so we share the time with the children and the running of the house.

Do you continue to think about the fragrances when you get home?

Thinking about perfume is like a golden thread through my life – I never switch off, not even at night. Holding the different threads of the perfumes I’m working on and trying to bring them to a resolution is part of the joy for me.

Do you need to be in a particular mood, to create?

A calm state is always optimum but if I’m feeling out of balance, the work brings in calm as I do it – I’d go so far as to say, every single time. I was very influenced by the book The Hidden Messages in Water, by Masuru Emoto, and the idea that, similar to speaking lovingly to plants, you can change the health and molecular make up of a liquid by the presence of human consciousness. I try to apply this philosophy to my perfume making.

How long does it take from concept to finished fragrance, in general?

Most perfumes are finished between six months to a year – that applies to both my collaborations with perfume houses and creating my own perfumes. The Attars, roll-on perfumes like GAIA and SOFIA, which I make by hand, are more of a ‘response’ to the world around me so they can vary more in how long they take to complete.

Do you listen to music while you work?

Music is an essential backdrop in my life – I listen to Radio 6 to discover new music, and also have a playlist on shuffle with 1,000 tracks that I’ve resonated with over the last four years: an eclectic mix of anything from Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Chopin, Bob Dylan, Prince. I also love opera –the unbridled emotion of it! We live near Glyndebourne Opera House and it’s my happy place to go there with friends and family.

Is a moodboard helpful to you?

My moodboards are internal ones that I can flick between depending on which perfume concept I’m working on. Colour is how I tend to perceive the different notes in my fragrance library, so I might take a snap of something I find in nature that links back to a note I’m working with – they usually end up on Instagram, so I guess that is the channel for my external moodboard, to try and share something of the creative process as I go along.

What’s the most modifications you’ve had to do on a fragrance?

While working on my PAPER LEAF collection I’m attempting to ‘pull through’ the metaphor of a wild landscape. Sometimes, I’m chasing the concept as if from a fresh canvas – the perception of a place, a particular light or time of day. Other times the bare bones of the formula are naturally apparent, and I’m trying to perfect it or bring more aliveness to it. SOFIA took a long time to come into being, more than 40 modifications. It took me many more tries than the others; keeping the botanicals active, lyrical, and high vibrational while in a jojoba oil base was a challenge.

How many materials do you have at your fingertips to work with?

My fragrance library is approaching 150 raw materials – some notes will improve and deepen with age and others need checking and replacing over time.

Is there a fragrance you wish you’d created?

So many! The ones that spring to mind are: L’Air de Rien, a perfume made for Jane Birkin by Lyn Harris at Miller Harris – this was so beguiling to me, with its powdered, sensual depth. I also loved L’Eau d’Hiver by JeanClaude Ellena for Frédéric Malle – it was the first time I realised that perfume could be tender and powerful all at once. The hedonics seemed to capture a skin-like, water-like quality with a honeyed warmth that I found totally captivating.

How much time is spent playing with materials or creating ideas for future use?

I wish I had more time to seal myself off and creatively riff more – it seems to go in phases that I have more time for a freer kind of exploration. I enjoy all the individual elements of running my business, but I reckon it’s about aspiring to a better balance every day and I’m so lucky to be able to do what I love for my work.

Nancy Meiland Parfums, 2 Nile Street, Brighton, BH1

1HW. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am – 4pm (Saturdays 11am – 5pm) nancymeiland.com

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FLOWER POWER

IF THIS ISSUE of The Scented Letter is all about reinvention, there are few fragrance houses that have managed to do that better than Yardley London. A heritage name, yes – one that dates all the way back to 1770. (A history that most perfume houses would just love to lay claim to.) But the enduring love for Yardley among scent-lovers is down to the fact that their fragrances somehow chime with the times. Well, we all know, of course, what’s on everyone’s mind, right now; as you can read more about on p.34, we’re looking for ways to make our perfume pound stretch further. But is there anyone that does that better than Yardley?

Let’s rewind a bit, though, because Yardley London’s back-story is too fascinating to skip. We invite you to time-travel back more than 250 years, to the date when the Cleaver family founded what is now known as one of the UK’s most successful soap and perfumery houses. Then, as now, Yardley’s inspiration was Britain’s florabundance: the flowers and plants that flourish here – notably lavender, still famously an aromatic cornerstone of their fragrance line-up today.

In the 1850s, under the ownership of Charles Yardley and under the brand name Yardley & Statham, Yardley went on to thrill crowds at the Great Exhibition – a showcase for artistic expression –who flocked to discover their fragrant wares. In the 1880s, Yardley opened a lavish boutique in so-fashionable Bloomsbury – and in 1910, moved to an even more luxe location at 8 Bond Street, which soon became a shopping mecca for

the wealthy and the fashionable. In 1931, the brand moved just up the street to stunning Art Deco Yardley House, at 33 Old Bond Street.

And throughout, Yardley London have had a finger on the pulse-point. The world’s first supermodel, Twiggy, was recruited as the brand’s ‘face’, in the 1960s. Three decades later, it was the turn of Linda Evangelista –probably the most famous model in the world, in the 90s – to front a blockbuster Yardley TV beauty campaign.

While we all still want to smell sublime, though, our concerns as fragrance-wearers are shifting, today. Affordability is a buzzword. (Big ‘tick’ for Yardley London, there.) So too, as we’ve explored in past issues of The Scented Letter, is sustainability; more and more of us are seeking traceably vegan-friendly, cruelty-free products, featuring environmentally-friendlier ingredients. Today, with more than 250 years of fragrance brilliance behind them, that’s another ‘tick’. Yardley London is on a mission to do their part, with scents that tread more lightly on the planet while smelling beautiful; Yardley’s eau de toilettes now feature up 94% natural ingredients, in a vegetable-derived alcohol base.

This is a brand that also likes to give back. For the past two years, Yardley London has proudly supported the cancer charity Look Good Feel Better, with donations from sales of gift collections and hand washes.

It’s well-known to all of us that Yardley London’s fragrances offer amazing value, of course. You could, in fact, build an entire scent wardrobe from Yardley London’s

For 250-plus years, Yardley London has been creating floriferous fragrances with a finger firmly on the pulse-point of our times

Scented discoveries for everyone, from teens starting out on their fragrant journey through to serious perfumista connoisseurs

New for spring 2023 are Gardenia & Cassis and Lilac & Pear

1770

The Cleaver family founds the fragrance house we now know today as Yardley London, becoming a global name in soap and perfumery

1850s Yardley’s fragrant creations are showcased alongside other artistic wares at London’s Great Exhibition, in Hyde Park

1910

Yardley opens its first store on Bond Street, becoming a shopping destination for the aristocracy and fashionistas of that time

1920s Yardley’s first Royal Warrant – Perfumers & Fine Soap Makers to the Prince of Wales – is the first of six (including HM Queen Elizabeth II)

1930s

Yardley develops its own cultivar of Lavandula

Angustifolia, still harvested today from the same fields in Southern England

2023

Taking nature as inspiration, Yardley continues its sustainability journey: vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and up to 94% natural

collections alone. In ‘Traditional Florals’, you might swoon for the light floralcy of English Rose, enduringly classic, fresh (and completely genderneutral) English Lavender, or April Violets, a powdery ‘cult’ scent beloved by serious perfumistas.

The new Contemporary Florals have proved incredibly popular since launch, meanwhile, with two exciting additions to the line-up this spring (pictured left): Gardenia & Cassis, its white floralcy given a tart touch of blackcurrant, and Lilac & Pear, harnessing the

delicious juiciness of that fruit, drizzling it over powdery lilac.

Even more affordably, we welcome the innovation of pocket-money-priced creations for tweens, the Scentz 4 Me body mists, a collection which is poised to attract a whole new generation of fragrant fans.

Bottom line? Yardley’s reputation for trust, quality, heritage (and downright gorgeous scents) looks set to endure for many years – centuries even – to come. And our noses couldn’t be more delighted.

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SCENTS OF THE TIMES

latest launches

Spring is in the air – which is filled with fresh creations for men and women to share. Ensure your finger’s on the pulse-point, with our seasonal round-up

✶

Have you signed up to The Perfume Society’s Seasonal Scents Subscription Box, yet? From £18 for every three months, find it at perfumesociety.org/ shop and you can look forward to your one-stop Spring scent wardrobe (green box, right), arriving soon. Treats you’ll be unboxing include:

● A LA LUNE LONDON

SANTAL EXTREME

● VYRAO I AM VERDANT

● VERSACE DYLAN PURPLE

● CAROLINA HERRERA GOOD GIRL BLUSH

● BOUCHERON ROSE D’ISPARTA

● FLORIS HONEY OUD

● ROGER & GALLER FLEUR DE FIGUIER SOAP

THE FRAGRANCE FAMILIES

As scentophiles know, fragrances fall into different ‘families’. So we’ve used the same classification system for launches as on our perfumesociety.org website. Just look for the coloured strip above the name of the perfume, which is your visual clue to the families. These are listed below. Most of us are drawn to a specific family/families: once you know which you fall into, that colour can act as a cue – and help you take a short-cut to the ones you may want to try first.

MediterraneanClementinaHoneysuckle

AMOUAGE Lineage

BVLGARI Allegra Ma’ Magnifica

Building on the success of original Mediterranean Honeysuckle is this luminous fresh spritz. ‘Clementina is all about the classic Italian beach vacation,’ Aerin tells us. ‘It takes you to a picture-perfect postcard afternoon at a Positano beach club, where you can…dip your feet in the water and look forward to an endless summer.’ Via zesty citrus, twining flowers and a pillow of amber, musk and moss, we’ll happily do just that, mille grazie, Aerin. £100 for 50ml eau de parfum esteelauder.co.uk

BVLGARI Magnifying Sandalwood

From the new Odyssey collection, each of which explores introspection and escape, Creative Director Renaud Salmon describes Lineage as ‘the scent of travelling far from home to get closer to yourself.’ How we long for these salt-drenched shores brought to life by perfumer Karine VinchonSpehner, with drifts of incense on a cool breeze, a sense of sun-warmed rocks licked by well-tempered waves, and a waft of sweetly aromatic fenugreek sinking into sunsets.

£320 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

For Her Elixir de Parfum

There’s a definite ‘snuggle factor’ to launches we’ve been smelling, lately – bottled comfort, in an uncertain world. This strikingly pink and purple addition to Bulgari’s Allegra collection evokes ‘good times with good friends’, a fresh floral-musk that is ultrafeminine, leaving a soft sillage of sandalwood and rose. As for that two-tone pastel bottle? It represents ‘tender pink kisses, with the cap designed to conjure up ‘nuzzles of affection’. Just darling!

£160 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

Good Girl Blush BURBERRY

CAROLINA HERRERA

It’s playtime, at Bulgari. The ‘Magnifying’ fragrances invite you to tinker with your fragrance collection, applying them alongside other eau de parfums to individualise your scent. Magnifying Sandalwood focuses on that creamy, woody note, which will tease out extra woodiness from another layered fragrance, tethering, deepening, intensifying. But you know what? We rather love it on its own, enjoying a meditative sense of calm that sandalwood famously induces.

£160 for 40ml eau de parfum harrods.com

Are you ‘a woman who dares to explore the unknown and/or free spirited, seeking the excitement of their next adventure?’ Then Burberry WLTM, with the notion of veiling you in this intense addition to the so-successful Burberry Her family. Much more discernibly ‘edible’ than before, this gourmand incarnation swirls with delectable vanilla and amber, a harvest of red berries contrasting beautifully with a bouquet of jasmine. Just yummy.

£117 for 100ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

Housed in a suitably blossom-coloured stiletto, this time, the latest version of the so-collectable scent veritably swoons with romance. Perfectly feminine peony twirls with exotic ylang ylang, splashes in upcycled rosewater and gets very friendly with the double extract of vanillas in the base. Partnering with Givaudan and their sustainability program, Sourcing4Good, to benefit the lives of the workers who harvest the ingredients, it smells great while doing good.

£88 for 50ml eau de parfum carolinaherrera.com

CHLOÉ Nomade Jasmin Naturel Intense

Perfumer Caroline Dumur invites us on ‘an enchanting voyage’, with her new spin on boho-chic Nomade. A magic carpet ride, we’d call it, juicy with notes of Mirabelle plum, pear and the sweetness of dates adding to the scent’s complexity. Jasmine scampers in and out as the scent unfolds, before dusk settles and that magic carpet reaches its ultimate destination: a sensual base of vanilla, sandalwood and a warm patchouli breeze.

From £62 for 30ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

DOLCE & GABBANA Q

No Dolce & Gabbana fragrance was ever created with shrinking violets in mind, but Daphne Bugey pulls no punches with this magnetic introduction. Sicilian lemon and red orange are squeezed over jasmine petals, with cherry, a fruit note du jour, accented by heliotrope, with which it shares an almondy quality. Cedarwood and a pair of musks – one crystalline, one super-soft – seal the deal. (There should be a law against wearing this with trainers, BTW.)

£86 for 50ml eau de parfum dolcegabbana.com

CLINIQUE Happy

Oh, happy day – literally! – for fans of this fresh-floral Clinique bestseller, thanks to a limited edition collaboration with Emilia Clark, signed with her daily affirmation: ‘You are enough’ – a reminder the actor shares with herself every morning, we’re told. Even more smile-making: 30% of the retail price for each fragrance sold will be donated Emilia’s charity SameYou, set up after she suffered two brain haemorrhages and a stroke in her twenties. £50 for 50ml eau de parfum clinique.co.uk

DIPTYQUE L’Eau Papier

What is the scent of paper? That’s how every Diptyque creation begins: a blank sheet, a pen, ink, ideas. Fabrice Pellegrin was tasked here with conjuring up diluted ink and artistic brushstrokes. Powdery mimosa and white musks are mistily ethereal, with a rice steam accord adding to the sense of paperiness and roasted sesame for the inkiness. Alex Waline’s pointillist label completes a modern masterpiece that simply couldn’t be more Diptyque if it tried.

From £90 for 100ml eau de parfum diptyqueparis.com

EDENISTE Love Lifeboost®

A gourmand, but not as you know it: this began life as a ‘studio juice’ (sold only in D.S. & D’s ultra-cool New York showroom), but ‘people went nuts for it – pun somewhat intended’, they say – and we completely understand why. Utterly nostalgic yet remaining contemporary, this is Italian holidays and gelato, laughing at parties, perhaps even a hint of Play-Doh’s playfulness in the base. We’re so loving this recent revival of foodie fragrances done for grown-ups!

£158 for 50 ml eau de parfum e-scents.co.uk

Imagine bowlfuls of ripe cherries gently crushed and lightly dusted with icing sugar, their tart juice tenderly steeping in the sweetness, a mélange of red berries and almondy-y tonka bean joining rose and tuberose, all fluffed around the edges with skin-soft musk. Embracing romance in all its forms (including with ourselves), the latest in this neuroscience-proven perfume house’s Lifeboost® collection can be worn alone or layered, to bring on the love.

£68 for 30ml eau de parfum harrods.com

D.S. & DURGA Pistachio

A stellar duo of perfumers, Aurélien Guichard and Jérôme Di Marino, was chosen to compose this love bomb. A sparkle of lightheartedness leads to a passionate romance, with Lebanese iris the star, and a top-secret ‘love accord’, created especially for the scent, dancing cheek-to-cheek with a truly sensual musky base as it warms. This is one to wear in the heady heights of new love, for a long-lasting affair (on skin, anyway!)

£49 for 30ml eau de parfum johnlewis.com

GUERLAIN L’Art et La Matière Jasmin Bonheur

Jasmine. Jasmine. Armfuls of jasmine, never cloying because this refined bouquet is brightened by radiant, citrusy orange and luscious apricot. Here, Guerlain took inspiration from ‘the dazzling palette of Henri Matisse,’ to bring us ‘a perfect picture of happiness’ – and how welcome that is, after many months of meteorological gloom. Contrasting with the white flowers are more powdery facets of violet, iris and rose that have us dreaming of summery frocks. Hurrah! From £195 for 50ml eau de parfum guerlain.com

We so adore Sonia Constant’s descriptions, we’ll leave this story to her. ‘A luscious summer morning in the Sapa valley where morning dew holds on fresh flowers, sun passes through the leaves…My eyes stopped on a wild red camellia with its blooming scarlet petals. I was dazzled.’ So are we, by her conjuring up of that scene via dragon fruit, ginger, mandarin, orange blossom with sambac jasmine and red camellia, patchouli, vetiver and vanilla. £215 for 100ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

ISSEY MIYAKE L’Eau d’Issey Pivoine

The trend for responsibly-harvested ingredients is accelerating. ‘A special ode to the elements’, this pretty pink juice is made up of 87% ingredients of natural origin, and vegan, with it. The flacon, meanwhile, features 20% recycled glass, its wooden lid sourced from sustainably managed forests. Oh, and did we almost forget to mention the fragrance itself? A peony accord, with rose, pear and raspberries, on a bed of cedarwood. 100% beautiful. From £68 for 50ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com (on sale from 26th March)

FLORIS LONDON Mulberry Fig

Take a promenade with Floris from their fabled Jermyn Street boutique to nearby St. James’s Park, a place lush with greenery – evoked here by crunchy, leafy notes that quickly mellow and soften to a surprising, skin-cocooning, creamy warmth. Floris’s latest is a masterclass in fascinating olfactive contrasts, via cool green elements of vetiver and cypress and the suede-like smoothness of orris. We’d happily take our 10,000 steps with this every day, actually. From £22 for 10ml eau de parfum florislondon.com

KENZO Flower By Kenzo Kokeshi Doll

This Kenzo collector’s edition box is wonderful, paying homage to the traditionally carved Japanese symbols of hope and good fortune. Showcasing iconic Kenzo Flower, you’ll cherish the doll forever, the modern classic that’s inside imagining the scent of poppy via pink pepper, violet, blackcurrant and a blossom-y breeze of rippled white musk. The bottles themselves, meanwhile, are also now lightweight for an improved carbon footprint. All in all, an excellent time to try it!

£85 for 50ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

ELIE SAAB Elixir

KILIAN Can’t Stop Loving You

A declaration of narcotic love, heady orange blossom beckons forth its delicious indoles, together with Paradisone – a jasmine compound that fulfils its promise, transporting you to – yes – a corner of paradise. Swathed in an ethereal yet swaggering sensuality, the addition of honey only adds to the pleasure, while oakmoss provides a plumptious base to (literally) bring you back to earth, should you wish. Can’t stop sniffing! £205 for 50ml eau de parfum bykilian.co.uk

LANCÔME

La Vie Est Belle Iris Absolu

L’OCCITANE Herbae par L’Occitane Spartium

The name may be a teensy bit of a mouthful (to those who didn’t study Latin, anyway), but don’t let that put you off nipping into your nearest L’Occitane branch for a spritz of springtime refreshment. ‘An ode to the wild grasses of Provence’ –famously L’Occitane’s home – it sways with sun-drenched, white floral jasmine and ylang ylang, brightened by the green crunch of rhubarb leaf and zingy grapefruit. Utterly uplifting. From £60 for 50ml eau de toilette uk.loccitane.com

MAISON CRIVELLI Neroli Nasimba

L’OCCITANE Rose Pear

Here’s a second introduction from the iconic Provençal beauty name – andif you swoon for this, you’ll be able to wallow in several layering options, too, from hand and body creams to bath treats, via nail and cuticle oil. There’s even a gel roll-on showcasing this wearable fresh-floral-fruity blend of organic pear extract and rosa Centifolia floral water, which is ginger-spiced, eucalyptus fresh and ultimately softened by cedar and white musk.

£56 for 50ml eau de toilette uk.loccitane.com

MAISON MARGIELA REPLICA On A Date

What do you see, in the flacon above? ‘An infinite crystal smile,’ is Lancôme’s hope – and it’s certainly a stunner. So is the juice, amplifying the power of the signature iris note at LVEB’s heart – an ingredient that is one of the most precious in the perfumer’s palette. Fruity fig and juicy blackcurrant add a green aspect, while a gourmand accord pulses softly alongside patchouli, living happily ever after on the skin.

£97 for 50ml eau de parfum lancome.co.uk

A magnificent juxtaposition continues the always fascinating fragrances from this house – here, oodles of orange blossom and luminous mandarin contrasted with the cool spice of cardamom and deep, animalic purr of Saffiano leather. Created in collaboration with Paul Guerlain, this is a must-sniff and, we predict, a foreverlove for the warmer days ahead. Inspired by a safari trek where orange blossom suffused the air, it’ll certainly take your nose on an adventure.

£85 for 30ml eau de parfum johnlewis.com

With their mission to unveil ‘forgotten emotions and sensations with a single spritz’ we are whisked this time to that perfect first date – albeit idealised, rather than the many we’d rather forget. Zero fumbling and disappointment: instead, armfuls of Isparta roses that tremble a little, then melt headlong to the heart via a caress of geranium leaves rubbed between fingers, a swig of blackcurrant liquor, and a satisfying snog of vetiver, moss and patchouli.

£110 for 100ml eau de toilette harrods.com

Inspired by the fashion brand’s iconic gold backpack, this fruity little number sashays its way into your heart with a juice created by perfumer Frank Voelkl. Piquant blackcurrant is punctuated by pops of pink pepper, a deeper dive into fruity facets as the heart warms to apricot nectar and welcoming waves of golden amber, radiating from the base. We know it’s the juice that counts, but the mini backpack bottle is totes adorbs. £58 for 30ml eau de parfum thefragranceshop.co.uk

All hail a brand-new fragrance from this forward-looking house. It’s floral, yes, with a ‘uniquely Muglerian bouquet’ (as they put it) of stunning white flowers, radiant orange blossom swagged by fruity jasmine and spicy ylang ylang – but there’s sumptuously milky sandalwood infusing those petals with a gourmand kiss. Meanwhile, a note of Amber Xtreme makes for an indulgently woody trail that lingers longingly for hours in this triumph of contemporary olfactive reinvention. £65 for 25ml eau de parfum mugler.co.uk

PARFUMS DE MARLY Valaya

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ For Her Forever

An all-time modern classic that we adore every new version of. So, for 2023 we find an ombré incarnation that celebrates an incredible 20 years since the legendary Christine Nagel and (now superstar nose) Francis Kurkdjian first composed For Her. Iconic as ever, the powdery ‘your skin but better’ musk we know so well billows now with frangipani, tuberose, African orange blossom and glorious osmanthus that seems to whisper ‘take me’, as it warms.

£102 for 100ml eau de parfum johnlewis.com

An homage to the cherry blossom that presages spring (and a rebirth of hopefulness) every year, the fizz of mandarin, lime and pink pepper bubbles like laughter on the breeze. Seemingly in slow-motion, we feel the unfurling of green leaves, buds bursting to reveal almond-infused, violet-tinged petals, a swish of vanilla’s softness rippled through branches. Inspired by ‘the power of subtlety, radiating an inner confidence,’ it does so, beautifully, all day.

£145 for 50ml eau de parfum ormondejayne.com

An investment piece to be imagined as couture lingerie – a silken secondskin that may be layered beneath whatever you choose, or delicately flaunted in all its bare glory. Aldehydes and lily of the valley add tender delicacy to transparent orange blossom, while the woodier dry-down whispers of vetiver, Mahonia (a winter bloom, rarely captured in fragrances) and Ambroxan-laden muskiness. Airy and graceful, yet it stays on skin like the memory of a kiss.

£230 for 75ml eau de parfum houseoffraser.co.uk

A delightful discovery: this luminously lovely scent is both jeans-pocketfriendly and a joy to wear. Juicy mandarin and pear are drenched in freshly grated ginger and a gamine heart of white flowers, enveloped in silky smooth sandalwood and grounded in sheer patchouli and powdered musk. Refills are readily available, and altogether, it’s a confidence-boosting burst of (yes) brightness that should be on your everyday rota, we reckon.

£27 for 80ml eau de parfum superdrug.com

ORMONDE JAYNE Sakura

PEPE JEANS Bright

ROBERT PIGUET Zazen

Named for the practice of seated meditation (the kind of ritual we can all get behind, being perpetually exhausted by the last few years), this new fragrance by the legendary couture house exudes tranquillity. Fluffed by powdery notes throughout, the entire composition feels characterful yet hushed, the sshhhhh of an intriguing rice accord softening the edges of saffron, apple and mandarin, while soft green violets elegantly drape tonka’s amber-rich base.

£185 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO Signorina Libera

SOLANGE AZAGURY Kiss My Lips by Solange

Here we have Lyn Harris again, showing the full extent of her versatility with a cool, outdoorsy, breezy scent through which a salty sea accord and green drifts of vetiver blow. Taking inspiration from the British coastline, where land meets water, you’ll enjoy soft rose and aromatic lavender folded into crisp vetiver, patchouli and cedarwood. Pack this as you go off-grid with your sleeping bag for two; it begs to be shared.

£115 for 100ml eau de parfum sunspel.com

Taking its cue from the spirit of having ‘the courage to be yourself, to spread your energy with no fear and the confidence to be free’ –embodied in its name, the Italian word for freedom – this is an easy-to-wear hug of happiness. Sun-warmed Calabrian bergamot segues to buttery orris and rose absolute drizzled with plum nectar, wrapped in the fluffy comfort of cashmere woods and flecked with pink pepper. Viva Libera! £55 for 30ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

Take one part hot sugar, another of tangy lemon, add ‘a smidge of butter’. In the hands of Lyn Harris, that’s a recipe for moreishness –almost fizzing out of the bottle here, to delight the senses. (And what a bottle, with its lip spray!) Its sophistication is a real surprise: zingy, fresh, bright with Sicilian bergamot and grapefruit rind, a flourish of raspberry balancing drifts of orange blossom, white cedar and musks. Playful perfection.

£125 for 50ml eau de parfum solange.co.uk

The Cullinan – one of the most celebrated gems in the world – will take centre stage in 2023, re-set into the Crown to be worn by the Queen Consort at May’s Coronation. For now, the buzz around Thameen’s popular fragrance – which pays homage to that stone – is that it’s been decanted into this limited edition red flacon, echoing the warmth of amber, vanilla, rose, orris and amber within: a majestic bottle for an equally dazzling creation.

£235 for 50ml extrait de parfum selfridges.com

Employing imagery of roses bravely growing between a crack in the rocks beside the Atlantic ocean, imagine salt-drenched blooms and the textural greenery of Egyptian geranium. The luscious verdancy of lychee leaves and warm castoreum resonate graceful strength and resilience in the face of adversity, here, with a certain nonchalance that says: ‘You think I can’t do it? Watch me!’ With a base grounded in patchouli and vetiver, we reply: ‘Yes, you can!’

£130 for 50ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

TOBBA Rose on the Shore

SUNSPEL Sea Moss

THAMEEN Cullinan Diamond

TOM FORD Private Blend Cherry Smoke

TOM FORD Electric Cherry

TRUDON Mortel Noir

What is it with Mr. Ford, popping out cherry scents right, left and centre? Not that we’re complaining: he set the trend, and he’s the master. Here, a precious smoke wood accord snakes in and out of notes of osmanthus, apricot, olive and leather, rendered luscious by that burst of dark, so-naughty cherry. If this was a texture, it would be a drape of burgundy leather – soft, but so, so sexy on the body.

£280 for 50ml eau de parfum tomford.co.uk

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Moonlight Rose

Via the talent of Fabrice Pellegrin, the tender yet mesmerisingly evocative image of a rose bathed in moonlight is vividly brought to life in this opulent olfactive capturing of that magical scene. Engaging the senses foremost with the gentle tingle of pink peppercorn essence, the magnificence of the Ta’if rose is allowed to ruffle itself in all its spicy, multi-faceted splendour, be-ribboned by resinous seams of rich patchouli that slink throughout this plush plunge.

£145 for 75ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

If Cherry Smoke is all mysterious dark shadows, its counterpart is a limelightloving attention-seeker, exhilarating and opulent, mesmerising and bold. Dripping with tart, juicy morello cherry, it’s warmed and spiced by nosetingling ginger, before jasmine sambac struts the model walk to grab centre stage. As the lights dim and the music changes, an alluring muskiness envelops, with a wink from pink peppercorn. Exchange numbers; you’ll want to see each other again.

£280 for 50ml eau de parfum tomford.co.uk

VERSACE

Dylan Purple

One of those scents that’s immediately revivifying to spritz, the juiciness of pear drenches the senses in a carefree floral heart garlanded by purple freesia, Mahonial and Pomarose, the vibrancy of these brilliantly constructed flower-filled notes lifting you skywards, as if in in celebration. Belambre and Ambrofix notes provide an intense, soothing woodiness, while the quietude of cedarwood and Silkolide – think fresh linen sheets – ultimately ushers in a mood of tranquillity.

£75 for 50ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com

Love incense? Oh, you are going to worship at the shrine of this intensified version of Mortel, the Yann Vasnier creation from Trudon’s debut line-up. Spicy, intriguing, mysterious, tingling with black pepper, then softened by resinous myrrh, benzoin and cistus labdanum, all woven through with heady trails of Somali frankincense, it’s encased in a bottle as dark as the scent’s spirit and finally, boxed in black, with a golden drawing by Bastien Coulon. Divine, in every way.

£220 for 100ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

ZADIG & VOLTAIRE This

Is Her! Undressed

Spicy, woody, flower-powered: this is one of a pair in Zadig & Voltaire’s new line, seeking to recreate the scent of bare skin. Utterly nuzzleable, Sidonie Lancesseur offers us salty, sun-warmed flesh in this feminine creation, shafts of summer sunlight illuminating top notes of orange blossom and ginger. To warm the heart, there’s ylang ylang, before musk and an intense sandalwood round the fragrance off. Wear it to feel fully dressed, even when naked.

£94 for 100ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

Vetiver lovers should run, not walk, to get their noses on this latest, a befittingly charming and super-longlasting scented homage to the founder of the house which James Atkinson began following his trip to London more than 200 years ago. Created by the masterful duo of Olivier Pescheux and Yann Vasnier, bergamot, finger lime and clary sage lead to that powerhouse of vetiver, punctuated by patchouli and smooth Akigalawood. Superbly done, chaps!

£158 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

BOSS Boss The Scent Magnetic Eau de Parfum Men

Perfumer Delphine Lebeau continues the blockbuster bestseller story of Boss The Scent with this intense, exhilarating interpretation, at once fruity, ambery and leathery. An unusual note of bran absolute delivers a tantalisingly skin-like feel, while lavish amounts of black vanilla extract amplify its nuzzle-me qualities. There’s a strong trend for black bottles at the moment, evidenced here with a metal-and-lacquer look for the familiar bottle. Still bossin’ it. From £65 for 50ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com

LVMH perfumer Jacques Cavallier has been quoted as saying that perfume connects us to our own story. So, what’s going on, here? This is a hymn to the great outdoors, inspired by the fiery aventurine stone, which ‘conjures the dynamic nature of the earth.’ It’s a hike through the woods, to be welcomed by a smouldering campfire and a beaker of green tea, melding leather, saffron, red cedarwood, bergamot and beeswax. Positively heroic. £200 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

ELECTIMUSS Gladiator Oud

Remember how Kipling’s snake Ka mesmerised Mowgli, from the boughs of that tree in Jungle Book? That’s the uncanny vibe of this second Le Gemme newbie, fusing ambrée and woody facets of black incense and oudh, aromatically spiked with geranium leaf. Bulgari’s gem inspiration for Kobraa is snake jasper: a protective stone that is symbolic of regeneration. A bewitching addition to any masculine scent wardrobe and an olfactory accessory to life in the urban jungle. £200 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

Not new – but a whole new way to enjoy two of Chanel’s iconic male fragrances, with Allure Homme also available as a chic all-over spray. A sleek cylinder that can be slipped inside a briefcase or a gym kit for on-the-go misting, the formula itself comforts skin with a Japanese green citrus extract. In Allure Homme Sport, above, freshness and sensuality are perfectly balanced via woody, aquatic and zestier notes. Spritz, spritz, and spritz again.

£65 for 100ml Body Spray chanel.com

The olfactory definition of swagger, here, with Julien Rasquinet inspired by Russell Crowe’s portrayal of legendary gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius. There’s a saltiness, at first spritz, mellowing to sun-warmed hay absolute, Haitian vetiver and cumin, basking in a golden aura of saffron and honey accords. And then the oudh of its title, powering through with Egyptian geranium and cedarwood, in the dry-down. All in all, a triumph.

£394 for 100ml eau de parfum electimuss.com

BVLGARI Le Gemme Azaran

CHANEL Allure Homme Sport

BVLGARI Le Gemme Kobraa

Just launched at Harrods, Maison Noir takes the concept of discovering your potential by choosing different ‘doors’ (fragrances) to enter. Even the caps are designed to resemble the imaginary doorknobs; Bohemia bids you welcome with herbal notes of red thyme and oregano floating freely on the cool breeze of cardamom-flecked bergamot. In the base, addictions are given free reign with delicious tonka and praline’s crunch swirled through amberwood and cedar.

£115 for 50ml eau de parfum harrods.com

ROBERT PIGUET Cravache

Originally launched in 1963, we celebrate the revivification of Piguet’s classics, now under the guardianship of genius nose, Aurélien Guichard. Here, the citrus zing has the sparkle turned up to eleven, with quenching mandarin, bitter orange and bright petitgrain zesting up even the dullest of days. Granted the addition of jasmine, orris, sage and saffron, the clarity of the composition remains, even in the snuggle of tree moss-lined woodiness as it warms.

£185 for 100ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

Inviting us on another fragrant adventure, this time we land – for the first time in this cult house’s olfactory escapes – in England, and the heart of Sherwood Forest. Banish all thoughts of green tights; this is a seriously wonderful woodland stroll, celebrating the magnificence of ancient trees with upcycled oakwood, a mellow hug of sandalwood, and virile verdant freshness enhanced by sparkling blackcurrant buds and wafts of warming spices on the breeze. £230 for 75ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

‘Byronesque’ is shorthand for broodingly rakish men who enjoy galivanting across the Med while being poetic (and very naughty), and this befits just such a chap. Ginger and pink pepper tingle through bergamot’s beam, while tempting drifts of spiced Ta’if rose, entangled with jasmine, ruthlessly seduce the heart. The trail of amber-warmed vanilla, patchouli and silky sandalwood ensures seduction, wherever, whenever.

£215 for 50ml eau de parfum harrods.com

This Is Him! Undressed

Celebrating life in all its eccentricities, this newly launched house here employs a captivating composition of juxtaposing notes, beautifully blended. So, Italian cypress unusually mingles with mint, liquorice and cocoa absolute. The addition of Siberian fir balsam with resinous, earthy seams of patchouli and leather and a flash of green incense adds to this feeling of fragrant life-forces jostling, then happily sighing into each other. The scented spirit of ‘You do you!’

£170 for 100ml harveynichols.com

Nathalie Lorson is the über-talent behind this electrifying evocation of salty skin, emerging from the sea. How to conjure up that sensation? The sparkle of grapefruit, the spice of pink pepper, a swoon-worthy element of orange blossom. Warmed on the body, it entices with a woody, ambery trail of carnal musk notes and sandalwood. ‘A hedonistic fragrance for those who love the scent of bare skin,’ we find it almost lickable.

£69 for 100ml eau de toilette theperfumeshop.com

TOBBA Force

ZADIG & VOLTAIRE

YEARS BEFORE becoming a self-proclaimed ‘fragrance snob’, the roots of my scent adoration grew in the sunscreen aisle at my local drugstore. Given that my childhood years were spent in Florida, it was a skincare necessity turned sensory escape.

Aside from tropical thunderstorms, sprinting from airconditioned space to air-conditioned space, and the odd trip to Parrot Jungle, memories of my time there are permeated with the smell of the stuff. Chalky thick mineral formulations, seductive mahogany tanning oils, and the aptly fruit-scented Banana Boat. But the one which stuck in my mind as much as it did on my skin was Australian Gold.

Australian G old Suncreen

my love of sunscreen scents until at least a decade later, via Maison Margiela Replica Beach Walk, Tom Ford

Soleil Blanc, Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess. My scent journey post-Miami took a different direction.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Although it distinguished itself via the cool, calm, collected, surfboard-toting, sunglasses-wearing koala on the front of the bottle, for me it was all about that intoxicating orange, coconut, and vanilla scent – a cocoon of comfort and an olfactive oasis.

I was never a true sun worshipper myself, preferring to hide away in climate-controlled libraries, surrounded by musty books. Someone who did brave the blistering sun with bravado was my mother. Raising four children, catching up on her bachelor’s degree and holding down a high-pressure internship at the local news station meant that times for R&R were few and far in between, but any hour she did have to herself was spent soaking up the Floridian sun, bathed in that suntan lotion and its tropical scent.

Occasionally, I would muster up the courage to join her. We would lie on white plastic loungers with a small, chlorine-smelling pool and an expansive yet unkempt backyard as our scenery. Eyes closed, enveloped in that sweet, exotic scent, our problems instantaneously melted away.

Moving back to Europe meant saying goodbye to the whiff of those Miami summers, although whenever I travel to the US, I forage along store aisles for a glimpse of Australian Gold. The funny thing is, I didn’t reconnect with

Subtil was my first purchase, back in my hometown of Koenigstein, a suburb about a 45-minute train ride from Frankfurt. Meticulously handpicked at the perfumery in the city centre, it was nice but unassuming. Much like the German suburbia I was growing up in, it waved you hello with a kind smile, but wasn’t too attentiongrabbing. As I entered my tomboy era, CK One stood right by my side. Then, as I came into my own as a teenager, I explored Tom Ford Black Orchid, Calvin Klein Euphoria, Gucci II, Mugler La Rose Angel. Some were a bit fruitier, some full-bodied and heavier, but they never really felt like me. I just wanted to smell nice, attractive, not rock the boat too much, but still strongly enough to have someone compliment me on my scent.

When I started diving properly into fragrance, a whole new world opened up. I’d spend hours scouring the web for fragrance descriptions, write down the compositions and fragrance families for any perfume that caught my eye, heading into the city on weekends to smell them at my local perfumery.

It was Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion that changed everything. Here was a fragrance that unfolded on the skin, a literal bloom from green bud to full-bodied tuberose. It was absolutely enthralling, a portrait of beauty so strong I couldn’t stop thinking about it for two years until I finally decided to splurge on a bottle. It showed me what a perfume could do, how emotionally captivating it could be, what artistry could flow into it at the hands of a skilled perfumer. But it all began with a suntan lotion, not a masterpiece by a perfume legend. And as the saying goes, you never forget your first love.

For award-winning fragrance, beauty and art journalist CARLA SEIPP, this suntan lotion still holds a special place in her heart

“For me it was all about that intoxicating orange, coconut, and vanilla scent – a cocoon of comfort and an olfactive oasis”

Carla, her sister and mum Florida