The Scented Letter 'Rites of Spring' Spring 2024

THE

LETTER scented

FOREST BATHING FRAGRANCES

+ +

BLOSSOM SCENTS +

THE RITUAL OF INCENSE NEWS AND LAUNCHES

editor’s LETTER

As spring bursts into life outside, it feels like this issue of The Scented Letter is also bursting with fragrant fabulousness. A flurry of exciting scent launches has recently had us spritzing and spraying with the greatest abandon – and now it’s time to share those discoveries with you. Ready for a new scent? Better clear plenty of space on that dressing table or bathroom shelf, is our advice.

Fragrance wearing has always been about rites and rituals. The dab of perfume, on a pulse-point. The pouring of oil, into a steaming tub. And, more and more, the lighting of incense, which is the hot (literally), new-again thing in home fragrance, giving scented candles a run for their money. Suzy Nightingale explores the history of incense – and modern ways to enjoy it – on p.10.

We also invite you to do some forest bathing. Shinrin-yoku, the therapeutic practice of connecting with your senses in a forest or natural environment, is being seen by many as the perfect antidote to our fast-paced lives, which are often played out in the concrete jungle. And it’s now also being embraced by bath, bodycare and scent brands (as you can read on p.31), who are inviting us on a meditative journey via forest-inspired fragrances that invoke the calming mood of the outdoors.

Personally, I’ll be making a ritual of spring cleaning, in coming weeks. Household cleaning brands have upped their fragrance game, sophisticatedly transforming what felt like a never-ending chore into something we can actively look forward to, as we explore on p.26. A kitchen counter that smells of patchouli, or basil, or vetiver? Pass me that sponge!

It is always our great pleasure to introduce you to fascinating fragrant figures, via these pages. In this edition, in-demand perfumer Bruno Jovanovic shares insights into his creative life in ‘A Working Nose’ (p.38). On p.20, we transport you to ‘the curious and wondrous world of fragrance’, with a fascinating extract from California-based natural perfumer Mandy Aftel’s new book, The Museum of Scent. And you can also learn about the role that aroma and scent have played in wellness guru Deepak Chopra’s life, in ‘Memories, Dreams, Reflections’, on p.36.

There’s one name in this issue that you may not be familiar with – Suzanne Kelly. Her column, on p.58, was born out of a moment of scented serendipity when Suzy Nightingale and I got talking to this fragrance-lover and journalist, on a train. Afterwards, Suzanne signed up to The Perfume Society, to deepen her love and appreciation of perfume – and I invited her to share her ‘touchstone smell’, in ‘It Takes Me Right Back’. It’s always fascinating to strike up perfume conversations with perfect strangers, I’ve found – and here’s living proof. I can’t recommend too highly trying it for yourself!

Meanwhile, may spring bring you many scented joys.

THE LETTER scented

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

Mandy Aftel

Author of many of our favourite books on fragrance, including Essence & Alchemy, Mandy is founder of Aftelier Perfumes, and has been described as ‘an angel of alchemy’ by Vanity Fair She is equally fascinated by flavour, and supplies her Chef’s Essences to the finest chefs and mixologists. Mandy’s most recent book – an extract from which you can read on p.20 – brings to life her ‘Aftel Archive of Curious Scents’, the perfume museum she has opened in Berkeley, California. @aftelierperfume

Suzanne Kelly

A chance encounter on a train between The Scented Letter team and fellow fragrance obsessive Suzanne Kelly led to her writing ‘It Takes Me Right Back’, on p.58. A freelance journalist, abstract artist and sometimes actor, Suzanne left New York for the UK in the 1980s and currently lives in East Sussex. An amateur nose, she has made several creations in Grasse. She is an admirer of many perfume houses from Galimard to Guerlain, but her all-time favourite fragrance remains Chanel Jersey. @sgvk27

Bruno Jovanovic

Bruno Jovanovic graduated from French perfumery school ISIPCA with top honours, having previously earned a degree in Physics and Chemistry at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie. He has spent over 20 years working between Paris and New York, creating for a wide range of perfume houses from Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle to Thameen, Calvin Klein to Giorgio Armani, Paco Rabanne and Coach. And on p.38 he opens his lab door to us, in ‘A Working Nose.’

@brunojovanovicperfumer

Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra MD is founder of the Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research into wellbeing and humanitarianism. Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health, he is also a ‘guru’ to many around the world (including many A-list names). Author of 95 books, his most recent is Quantum Body, which explores how unlocking the secrets of quantum science can revolutionise how we live and age. On p.36, he shares his ‘Memories, Dreams, Reflections’. @deepakchopra

Perfume Society. All text, graphics and illustrations in The Scented Letter are protected by UK and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission.

Suzy Nightingale explores the strong incense trend that’s drifting through perfumery and home fragrance

Our round-up of spring’s most ravishing scent news – and a raft of new retail destinations which demand a perfumed pilgrimage, soon

nosing around Legacy project

Further cementing his reputation as a perfume genius, Frédéric Malle reinvents five iconic scents first created by Estée Lauder herself, now reimagined with the help of Bruno Jovanovic (see p.38), Ann Flipo and Carlos Benaïm. With a vintage spirit yet utterly contemporary in feel, every one’s a stunner.

£250 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

TAKE A CHANCE… …anywhere!

CHANEL’s trio of scented, limited edition Hand Creams is variously scented with Chance, Chance Eau Fraîche and Eau Tendre. Superpretty, super-easy to slip into any bag.

£65 for 3 x 30ml chanel.com

A BREATH OF FRESH HAIR

Infused with two of their bestselling fragrances, new Electimuss Hair Mists veil your coiffure with fragrance, while via argan oil, keratin and Provitamin B5 leave it luminously glossy, too. Spritztastic! Mercurial Cashmere £135 for 100ml Infinitum £110 for 100ml electimuss.com

Bring the garden inside

Carrière Frères La Rose Aime la Menthe home fragrance collection offers a pretty diffuser, scented candle and rosestudded wax botanical ‘ palets ’, to scent your wardrobe. Rose loves mint – and we love their fragrant liaison. £45-70 carrierefreres.co.uk

WHAT THE NOSE KNOWS

Layers of loveliness

Continuing the trend for perfumed oils and elixirs, an exquisitely chic trio of Dreams Layering Oils from Tory Burch. Essence of Rose, Essence of Vetiver and Essence of Sandalwood can be blended together, worn alone, or as a base to ‘tether’ and personalise any fragrance you choose. £57 for 14ml each spacenk.com

THE RETURN OF FORNASETTI

Creators of covetable candles, Fornasetti are back on the scent scene with three wearable creations: florabundant Giardino Segreto, dreamily aromatic Immaginazione and Frutto Proibito (‘Forbidden fruits’, which tells you all you need to know about its naughtiness). And just clock those flacons! £480 each for 100ml extrait de parfum harrods.com

New from Experimental Perfume Club, The Luxe Blending Experience invites you into their Perfumer’s Alcove to discover your favourite EPC Signature Blend and have your bottle personalised, while sipping a glass of prosecco. Such a treat, for fragrancelovers – or perhaps couples, tying the knot this summer?

£195 per person

experimentalperfumeclub.com

Love, love me do

An unusually chic diffuser, keepsake box, a fabulous scent – jasmine, geranium, bergamot, frankincense. AJA Botanicals Hello, I Love You is a perfect way to say just that, on the 365 days that aren’t Valentine’s, actually, in 2024. £90 for 250ml ajabotanicals.com

Striking oils

We’re not sure we’ve ever smelled more sublime blends for bath and body than those created for NYITA by super-smeller, self-trained nose and founder, Rebecca Jacquest. Find a favourite via their luxurious Discovery Set.

£125 for 6 x 5ml nyitacollection.com

ACQUA DI PARMA’S BIG NEWS!

They’ve gone seriously large, with a 500ml splash-it-all-over bottle of iconic Acqua di Parma Colonia, and a whacking 9 kilo candle, also infused with that fresh scent. Clear the coffee table now!

Jumbo Cube Candle/£915 Colonia/£480 for 500ml Cologne At Harrods (in-store only)

Lead us into tuberose temptation

Diptyque’s bestselling, white flowerpowered Do Son is available in a limited edition that pays tribute to Vietnamese craftsmanship, with a new red livery, and accessories fashioned from lacquered wood and woven rattan. Grab it before it goes.

Tubéreuse candle with rattan lid (medium)/£105

Do Son Shower Oil/£48 for 200ml Limited edition EDP/ £153 for 75ml Tubéreuse candle (classic size)/£56 diptyqueparis.com

The Fragrance Lounge

‘A perfume destination like no other,’ promise Liberty, with their new Lower Ground Floor lounge instantly topping any perfumista’s must-visit list. A Concierge team will invite you to settle into a comfy chair before guiding you through fragrance families and notes, with terracotta vessels to indicate a perfume’s dry-down, and a bespoke ‘Noseum’ art piece by sculptor Tasha Marks. New-to-Liberty names, too: Ex Nihilo, Guerlain, Matière Première, Perfumer H and Gucci’s Alchemist’s Garden collection. Regent Street, Carnaby, London W1B 5AH libertylondon.com

Liberty Fragrance Lounge

Follow your nose…

… to these stunning new perfume emporia, in London – and just a Eurostar away, in Paris. Destinations for the scented bucket list, that’s for sure.

1 ORMONDE JAYNE

We rarely walk down Bond Street without a detour to Ormonde Jayne in The Royal Arcade. With her move just a few doors away to No.16, there’s much more elbow room in which to explore the collection. And – hoorah – a space for gatherings.

16 The Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4SL ormondejayne.com

2 BDK PARFUMS

At an address celebrated by their most recent launch (see p.48), David Benedek’s perfume house now has its own boutique on elegant rue Saint-Honoré – all sleek stone, concrete and glass, the minimalist architecture contrasting with the complexity of the fragrances themselves.

312 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris 75001 bdkparfums.com

3 EARL OF EAST

Newly renovated Quadrant Arcade, just off Regent Street, is becoming quite the beauty mecca. Showcasing many exciting fragrance and candle brands (including their own collection), thrillingly, Earl of East has an event space, too. Unit 2, Quadrant Arcade, London W1B 5RL earlofeast.com

4 MARC-ANTOINE BARROIS

This new space on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is pure ‘funfair chic’, with its dazzling wall of mirrors – a multi-faceted interior for the creator’s equally multi-faceted fragrances.

14 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris 75001 marcantoinebarrois.com

5 HORACE

One for the chaps, this – the first UK outpost for a grooming, skincare and fragrance name with branches in Lyon, Lille and Paris, specifically to cater to their cult UK following. Looks good, smells great!

29 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PR horace.com/en/

Smoke without fire

Wafting way beyond ancient temples, transcending religious and cultural associations to drift through our living spaces and perfume our bodies, SUZY NIGHTINGALE explores the vogue for incense

INCENSE is having a chic resurgence. As far from the hippie joss sticks that you might have encountered in grim student digs as it is possible to imagine, leading perfume houses and aromatherapy brands are revisiting this ancient form of home fragrance, offering us smouldering and highly sophisticated alternatives to the familiar scented candle.

It’s partly practicality. In this I-want-it-now world, incense delivers instant gratification. As leading perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has observed, burning his favoured Japanese incense ‘fills the room in five minutes, whereas candles take ages.’

Yasmin Sewell, founder of fragrance house Vyrao, adores incense for the same reason. ‘Where a candle may take 20 minutes to resonate in your space, when you light incense there is an immediate scent that fills the room.’ And that’s leaving aside the fact that to discern the scent from some scented candles risks setting one’s hair alight, so discreet is their ‘throw’ – the technical term for how a candle’s fragrance pervades a space.

But this incense revival goes far deeper than that. A report from trend monitoring company Mark Wide Research puts it down to ‘the increased demand for spiritual and holistic practices.’ The very ritual of unwrapping incense, lighting it and hitting pause while we watch it smoulder to nothing is surely part of

the current appeal. As the pace of life accelerates, incense offers us a way to slow down. Focus. Connect. And reconnect with our senses, not least – via scent-laden smoke, in this case – our sense of smell.

Niche perfumer Chris Rusak has deeply researched incense formats throughout history and the world, writing up his research in a fascinating zine, ‘The Survey of Liturgical Incense.’ (Find it at chrisusak.com.) The resurgence of incense use outside of religious practices is about more than merely seeking a ‘sensual haze’ of scent, he says, with a more deeply ingrained ritualistic aspect; Rusak considers it ‘a great vehicle for empowerment or catharsis.’

of lighting incense, as he describes it. Done with intent, you can burn the past, create an intention for the future, change the vibe in a room in a way that doesn’t happen with a candle. It’s the same reason that sage sticks and smoke are often used for space-clearing. And when you think about it, incense really is a unique way to experience scent, isn’t it?

What I love about incense is that it shifts the mood instantly

“ ”

YASMIN SEWELL

There’s even an element of ‘controlled destruction’ in the act

When a fragrance bottle is empty, we can keep and collect the flacons Even when we’ve burned a candle, we may treasure and repurpose the vessel. But with incense itself, all you’re left with afterwards (apart from that snappily scented room of course) is a pile of ash. It’s like being handed a clean sheet of paper, via a pleasurable olfactory rite. A fresh start.

‘What I really love about incense is that it shifts the mood instantly,’ says Yasmin Sewell. Her own obsession with burning it at home fuelled her to launch an incense collection, created by perfumer Lyn Harris, as the second phase in the development of her Vyrao brand, to follow on from the initial eau de parfums. ‘A lot of brands in the scent world move on to candles,’ says Sewell, explaining her reasoning, ‘but I felt that incense really connected with our values, since it’s been used in spiritual rituals for so long.’

The incense trend is in no small part being powered by Lyn Harris herself, via her own Perfumer H brand, where her launches have attracted a great deal of press

attention. But while the incense that Perfumer H markets may have contemporary, chic packaging and beautiful typography, for Harris, authenticity is everything – thus, the incense sticks were created by a 300-year-old Japanese artisanal incense producer, according to timehonoured tradition.

Infused with some of the soevocative Perfumer H fragrances –including Ink, Amber, Ash – they are one of the brand’s (literally) hottest selling items. And again, the range was developed out of a personal practice, because Harris has for a long time burned incense every morning to set her own mood.

‘It sets a spiritual tone to my day,’ she says, adding that incense has a unique quality because ‘it’s like an ethereal veil that lingers in the air.’ As her day progresses, it is frequently punctuated by the burning of more incense – those smoky, spiritual drifts accompanying her well beyond the morning meditation. ‘I burn it in the middle of the day to reinvigorate my senses. And again, before I go to bed, so there is a sensual haze passing over my nostrils before I go to sleep...’

Incense is believed to have been used in India and other parts of southern Asia as early as 3300 BC, with its use spreading to ancient China around 2000 BC, where it was used for worship and prayer. The word itself comes from the Latin ‘incendere’ – ‘to burn.’ Created from a mixture of herbal and wood powders, infused with fragrant ingredients, this paste can be formed into cones or coils. Perfumer H’s traditional Japanese incense, for instance, is formed into slim, solid sticks of powder; in many cases, it comes as long bamboo joss sticks, which have been painted with adhesive, rolled in the mix and left to dry.

In term of its fragrance profile, incense might offer us the complex aroma of frankincense (see right) –

The sacred tree

Also known as olibanum, the word ‘frankincense’ comes from the Old French ‘franc encens’, meaning ‘high quality incense’ or ‘pure lighting’.

earthy, piney yet sweetly citrusy. It may variously be layered with the honeyed vanilla of opopanax, spicily balsamic myrrh, ambery, leathery labdanum, sharply lemon-like elemi and any number of other woody notes (notably sandalwood and cedar), along with endless examples of floral flourishes. But whatever the composition of the fragrance that is burned, incense somehow seems always to provoke an immediate, emotional resonance.

Perhaps that’s the reason, then, that alongside the boom in these ephemeral and transient products to scent our homes is a parallel trend in fragrance itself, with perfumers embracing its extraordinary captivating qualities, infusing their liquid creations with the smoky, mystical nature of incense. Turn to p.16 for our run-down of some of the transporting incense perfumes that we’ve been enjoying.

But no matter how you choose to breathe your incense – billowing from glowing braziers of frankincense nuggets, burned in stick form, or spritzed almost as a spiritual cloak of protection – you might like to think of it as a scented ‘pause’ button, in a frantic life and a crazy world.

And because life doesn’t promise to become less frantic, or the world less bonkers, we predict that this fragrant reignition will smoulder on and on...

Frankincense is a resin from the Boswellia sacra tree, which grows in the Dhofar area of Oman and in the Yemen. At harvest times, gashes are slashed in the trunks, with the milky, scented resin slowly oozing from the bark. Exposed to sunlight and air, frankincense dries and hardens to golden, teardropshaped nuggets, often referred to as ‘frankincense tears’ or ‘olibanum tears’, which are then harvested by hand from the tree.

There are forests of these frankincense-laden trees across northern Ethiopia – although worryingly, ecologists report that production could decline by half over the next 15 years as those forests are systematically cut down to make way for agriculture.

Beyond its use in ritual –particularly within the Catholic and Anglican High Churches – scientists have discovered pain-relieving and psychoactive properties in frankincense. This is apparently due to a compound called incensole acetate, which has been shown in studies to help depression and dampen anxiety attacks, and which shows great promise for therapeutic treatments.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, frankincense (along with myrrh) has long been prescribed for treatment of blood stagnation, inflammatory disease and relief of pain and swelling.

A frankincense tree growing in Oman, in the heartland of frankincense production

Wafts around the world

EGYPT

Egyptian priests used aromatic resins as long ago as 3,000 BC, burning incense to sweeten sacrificial offerings, and connecting humans with the Gods via the rising smoke. Most mystical of all was the kyphi incense; although the precise recipe varied from temple to temple, each featured 16 ingredients – always including myrrh, sweet rush, cypress grass, wine, honey, raisins, resin and juniper, pounded together.

NEPAL

Rope incense has been used for centuries as part of meditation rituals in Nepal and Tibet. Infused with a gum made of Himalayan cedar, paper is twisted into neat ‘ropes’ and hung from burner hooks or ignited in sand-filled dishes. Soothing the senses with a pine-like freshness, it’s like ‘forest bathing’ (see p.31), in incense form.

MEXICO

Burning the citrusy, aromatic resin called copal has long been favoured by in Mesoamerican cultures. The sap (known as ‘blood’) is wild harvested by indigenous incense masters and hardened until white. Rolled into solid sticks, the slowsmouldering smoke releases an incredibly powerful and long-lasting scent, particularly suited to the Day of the Dead outdoor celebrations.

JAPAN

Kōdō ceremonies are lengthy –they can last for hours – and highly ritualised. While seated, participants are invited to appreciate the most subtle differences in the fragrance from the heating of koboku, wooden chips from the jinko tree. The wood isn’t actually burned, but placed on a mica plate on top of smouldering coals, subtly giving off its scent. Kōdō is one of the three major classical arts that any Japanese woman was expected to learn, in the past, along with the tea ceremony and the art of ikebana flower arranging.

ARABIA

First introduced by nomadic Levantine tribes within the Arabian Peninsula, burning aromatic agarwood (oudh) chips were used both to scent the air and deter insects, while they set up camp. Today, it is used for meditation, to scent space and to fragrance clothes while standing over burners, via modern-day bakhoor scents which may be intensely woody, spicy, or even fruity.

INDIA

Incense sticks with a bamboo core – known as agarbatti – originated in India at the end of the 19th century. Fragrant paste is wrapped around sticks or shaped into coils or cones, a technique which continues today. India remains the world’s largest incense-producing country, with Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism all calling for worship through resins spiced with cinnamon, clove, precious woods, jasmine, and rose.

“ ”

Incense sets a spiritual tone to my day. It’s like an ethereal veil that lingers in the air.

LYN HARRIS

Incense to transform your home

Explore our favourite smouldering finds...

1 CHOPRA X Aromatia 7 Spiritual Scents

Designed to ‘Stimulate your senses and cultivate intention in your life’, each kit includes seven incense offerings with which to set different goals.

$67.65 for 7 sticks and a meditation journey guided by Deepak Chopra aromaria.store

2 RNDL London Nights candle

Comfort found in familiarity, gazing above a city’s skyline as frankincense, lavender and laughter drowsily drift over slate rooftops.

£150 for 200g limited edition vessel rndl.com

3 MAP STUDIO Sunday at 12 Home Fragrance

Conjuring a cascade of stainedglass sunlight over old wooden pews, high church is calmed by rose and amber.

£35 for 50ml spray map-studio.co

4 BYREDO Trois Encens

Handmade in Tokyo, three iconic scents of Bibliothèque, Burning Rose, and Sweet Grass are reborn for calm reflection in this set.

£134 for Italian ceramic holder and 60 sticks byredo.com

5 PAPIER D’ARMÉNIE

Paper incense produced in France since 1885; these benzoin-infused strips burn in minutes for instant scented bliss.

£4.99 for 36 strips thefrenchpharmacy.co

6 TRUDON Spiritus Sancti candle

Aldehydes, incense vapours, lily of the valley and rich resins embody a jubilant choir’s voices and souls rising skyward.

£95 for 270g trudon.co.uk

7 RNDL Incense Holder

Italian Carrara marble contrasts powerful Dark Blossom and fresher Light Blossom. Minimalist design echoing calm intentions.

£45 for holder and 50 incense sticks rndl.com

8 KAYALI Oudgasm Vanilla Oud | 36 Bakhoor

Inspired by founder Mona Kattan’s Arabic heritage, pear, praline and rose sizzle on saffron-soaked oudh £95 for 30g hudabeauty.com

9 BULY 1803 Mount Athos Incense Magnolia

Made by Orthodox Greek monks from pure resin, slow-burning scent magic releases magnolia from bud to bloom. €25 for 100g buly1803.com

10 BOUJEE BOUGIES Gilt candle

Gilded altars, ancient secrets, and whispered confessions reverberate over cold stone floors and the flames flickering below. £60 for 220g boujeebougies.com

11 PERFUMER H Ink Incense

Traditionally made in Kyoto, pools of indigo ink spill across sheets of imaginary paper via papyrus, vetiver, and frankincense.

£30 for 30 sticks perfumerh.com

12 VYRAO Verdant incense

Creating ‘Transformation & Illumination’ via green shoots, juniper, and cyclamen; spring wafts through every smoky tendril.

£35 for 30 sticks vyrao.com

13 ASTIER DE VILLATTE

Palais de Tokyo

Perfumer Françoise Caron’s so-glam scent mirrors Parisian passages via ‘smoky wood, warm skin and metallic wisps.’ £45 for 125 sticks abask.com

Let us spray

Incense-infused fragrances trending now...

1 ELEMENTALS Fire Sun-drenched neroli and flickering frankincense awaken rose with hot kisses.

£148.50 for 100ml eau de parfum elementalfragrances.com

2 VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Perfume Extraordinaire Encens Précieux Captivating incense swathes comforting tobacco and

elegant amber.

£153 for 100ml eau de parfum at Harrods from March

3 MEMO PARIS Cappadocia Saffron, jasmine and soft rose petals dreamily drape volcanic rock formations.

£235 for 75ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

4 SERGE LUTENS L’Orpheline Childhood memories, cavernous churches, frankincense

empowering catharsis.

£135 for 50ml eau de parfum sergeslutens.co.uk

5 CONTRADICTIONS IN ILK Realist Moon slips to morning, a Buddhist incense ceremony celebrates citrus and tea.

£87.50 for 50ml extrait perfumesociety.org

6 WIDIAN Luban Meaning ‘frankincense’, white smoke reveals wild strawberries

and frosted rose. £335 for 50ml extrait harrods.com

7 LILANUR Incarnation

Exquisite floral satins sashay through Indian palaces – a chic, labdanumpowered Chypre. £225 for 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

8 OJAR Infusion Velors

Plush velvet, ripe berries and decadent patchouli-robed incense

party ’til dawn. From £45 for 15ml eau de parfum harrods.com

9 ATELIER VERSACE Encens Suprême

Mercurial incense and silken saffron infuse supple, cashmerecaressed leather. £300 for 100ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

10 D.S. & DURGA Amber Kiso Japanese woods recall buffed leather Bushi armour, a holy forest hushed.

£155 for 50ml eau de parfum libertylondon.com

11 AMOUAGE Lineage

Flaming petals float on water, spiced frankincense smokes a trail to discovery. £320 for 100ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

12 NISSABA Berbera

Incense, myrrh, and opopanax divinely celebrate Somalia’s finest exports. €160 for 100ml eau de parfum nissaba.com

Zing!

At The Perfume Society, we believe that every fragrance wardrobe needs a fabulous citrus scent – the olfactory equivalent of a crisp white shirt. (And that applies equally, whatever your gender.)

So, just as we’re casting off our coats and jackets, reaching for sunglasses on the ever-morefrequent bright days, Molton Brown unveil Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver – a pair of stunning, shareable citrus-woody creations with absolutely universal appeal.

Available as an Eau de Toilette and a more intense Eau de Parfum,

As the days lengthen and summer beckons, Molton Brown’s new Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver fragrances are perfect for adding a shaft of citrusy brightness to every day

these are scents that magically fast-forward us to summer.

Composed to give the sense of those endless sun-soaked times, the Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver fragrances are perfect spritzes for warm days – but perhaps even more valuably, they’ve been lifting our spirits when it’s gloomy out there.

For these latest additions to Molton Brown’s expert portfolio, the fabled British fragrancemakers turned to Senior Perfumer Julie Massé. For Julie, it was only natural to turn to a favourite and

unique citrus note, because as she explains, ‘Clementine to me is sunshine all year long. I love its fizzy, zesty, green and bitter notes, which have a complexity not found in other citrus fruits. It’s an instant injection of optimistic energy and warmth, inspiring me to connect with nature and reclaim a sense of peace.’

It’s an element of Molton Brown’s inimitable signature to offer two expressions of one fragrance, in their perfumed lineup. Which means that the eau de toilettes and eau de parfums aren’t

merely different concentrations of the same composition, but have their own character, the ingredients perfectly balanced and blended for a different expression. And, in the case of Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver, the notes have been specifically chosen to last on the skin – such a change from most citrus scents, which tend to offer only fleeting pleasures.

That joyous note of clementine is the star of each fragrance, chosen to ‘bring on a summer state of mind, with rolling hills of ripe citrus trees bathed in golden sun.’ (We’re so there!) In

Clementine to me is sunshine all year long “ ”

Senior Perfumer Julie Massé

the Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver Eau de Toilette, for instance, that clementine note sparkles alongside juicy mandarin and zesty lime in this unique, rich citrus accord, for a sense of hazy morning air, brightly vibrating. In the heart, you’ll encounter green fig, alongside hazelnut, sweetened by a touch of tonka. Bourbon vetiver tethers the fragrance, together with Amberwoods, moss and sandalwood. So woodsy, so

wearable, so wonderful.

For the Eau de Parfum, Julie Massé chose a note of yellow mandarin, spiced by pink pepper and cardamom, for the sofresh first burst. Pulsing softly in the heart is iris absolute, complementing that green fig and tonka, while the base has an addictive, skin-scent quality, with a suede note buffing the woody elements of sandalwood, cedarwood, Amberwoods and that all-important Bourbon vetiver. Like the Eau de Toilette, it can be worn and enjoyed, whatever your gender.

Can’t decide which of the two scents is for you? We can’t recommend too highly a visit to one of Molton Brown’s stores, where in-house experts will help steer you to the fragrance/s that fit your personality, style and scent loves, via a hugely enjoyable Personal Fragrance Consultation. And whether you opt for the Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette, it can become part of a Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver layering experience, a ritual that might include the Bath & Shower Gel, and/or Body Lotion.

Adding even more of a feelgood factor to your enjoyment of this beaming, zesty, sun-filled scent – with its promise to light up every day.

Launching 17th April 2024 moltonbrown.co.uk

Changing the world, one scented treat at a time

Reflecting Molton Brown’s ongoing sustainability focus, the mandarin and lime essential oils in the vegan, cruelty-free Sunlit Clementine & Vetiver formulas are bioproducts, upcycled from the juice industry.

The Bourbon vetiver, meanwhile, is sourced from Madagascar via a socially conscious and exemplary value chain, from cultivation to final extract, which sees local farmers trained to harvest vetiver with true respect for the environment. Their families, meanwhile, are able to enjoy better access to food, education and health services.

Proud holders of a Royal Warrant from Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Molton Brown have their own carbon neutral manufacturing facility in Elsenham, Hertfordshire. Their plastic bottles use 50% RPET material, reducing their use of virgin plastic by the equivalent of a staggering 4.8 million x 300ml Molton Brown bottles, every year.

And when you’ve enjoyed your last drop, the Return. Recycle. Reward. Scheme offers you 10% off your next purchase when you take your plastic Molton Brown empties back to the store, for optimum recycling.

Eau de Parfum £120 for 100ml

Eau de Toilette £85 for 100ml

Bath & Shower Gel £25 for 300ml

Body Lotion

£30 for 300ml

MUSEUM SCENT of Step inside the

Award-winning perfumer Mandy Aftel has now opened the doors to her extraordinary collection of perfume ingredients, historic books and treasures via a new book of her own. We’re thrilled to share an extract, over the coming pages

TOP OF EVERY perfumelover’s bucket list should be a visit to Mandy Aftel’s studio, in Berkeley, California. This is more than the place where this renowned perfumer creates natural perfumes for clients from all over the world, and where she writes her unputdownable books about fragrance and aroma. Because inside this shingled building, Mandy has curated a real-life museum – ‘The Aftel Archive of Curious Scents’ – to house the many fascinating artefacts and fragrance materials that she has collected through her lifetime.

So, some wonderful news. We can now all travel to the museum, via her beautiful new book, The Museum of Scent, packed with beautiful illustrations of ingredients by Mandy herself, with photographs by her husband Foster Curry. And we could not be more delighted to share a taster of the book with you, here.

(See p.25 for how to get hold of your copy.)

This introduction is abridged from the opening of Mandy Aftel’s book, which is titled ‘Aromatic Atlantis’...

‘I’ve spent a lot of my adult life working in a world that you can’t see – a world full of smells. These invisible aromas are all part of the extraordinary lineage of scent that reaches back to the beginnings of human culture and is entwined with the earliest history of medicine, cuisine, sexuality, adornment, and worship.

As an artisanal perfumer who works with extraordinary aromatic ingredients from all over, I venture deep into this fragrant world every day. I fell in love with botanical essences 30 years ago and discovered that I had a knack for blending them to make perfume.

When I first became interested in this world, I had no idea how infinite the learning and pleasure could be. Each door opened out into another beautiful room. I began this journey into scent by collecting antique books about perfumery. My intention was simply to educate myself, but before long I was enchanted by their luscious interweaving of botany, history, religious customs, beauty, and

herbal medicine. As I got to know the rare book dealers, I discovered which of them sometimes also had astonishingly beautiful postcards depicting the harvesting of flowers and other aspects of old perfume traditions, hand-tinted like paintings. Over time I began to collect those as well.

Then one day in a local antique store, I spotted a mysterious bottle

I was enchanted by their luscious interweaving of botany, history, religious customs, beauty, and herbal medicine

of antique essential oil with a faded yellowed label, and bought it. I consulted with a friend who was a professional perfumer at a big fragrance house, who told me my find was so old as to be useless, and I should dump the contents right down the drain. But when I lifted its battered metal neck cover, loosened the cork, and smelled, I was enveloped by the most exquisite, rich, multi-layered aroma I had

ever encountered. I was hooked! I continued to collect more and more antique oils, and I experienced that same sense of discovery and newness in the magnificent old books about herbs – ‘herbals’, with their detailed renderings of the beauteous world of plants in woodcuts and copper engravings. These images identified each plant individually, leaf by leaf.

I felt like I had embarked on a lifelong treasure hunt, where every single thing I found was incredibly beautiful and special, with a pulsating newness. Fragments of this lost world – based on the importance and the beauty of natural aromatics – are still around now. I found so many things I had never known before, nor seen documented anywhere. Each aromatic treasure felt personal to me, but at the same time archetypal, even sacred, and rarely easy to get.

I like to visit the tiny museums of the Gold Rush in the small towns of

the Gold Country of California, a few hours north of where I live. In one of them, the idea came to me that I, too, could make my own little museum of the things that I had collected. After many years of being immersed in this aromatic world, it was time to share it as a museum – and every item in this book lives in The Aftel Archive of Curious Scents.

My book The Museum of Scent is an invitation to an awareness of ways of being that we have forgotten. The richness and depth of experience that are contained within aromatic materials – how they were discovered, unlocked, refined, handed down from generation to generation, and transported from place to place – can be an endless source of inspiration. While modern society tries to transform us into ghosts or robots, we can instead feel alive and engaged with nature.

Come enter this world!

Organ

A perfume ‘organ’ is dozens to hundreds of bottles filled with different aromatic botanical essences. It’s called an organ because the essence bottles are arranged on shallow tiered shelves that look like a musical organ.

The organ contains both familiar and unfamiliar essences. When you encounter aromas that you think you already know — chocolate, coffee, basil — you may find them beautiful, but the logical part of our brain tends to jump in to find words that match up to the experience: “That smells like basil.” This rush to label tends to close a door to reverie, cutting off the imagination.

Unusual aromas – choya, mitti, ambrettolide, poplar buds – put a more expansive process in motion. Unfamiliar, unplaceable, unknown, and uncategorisable, they immerse us in our sensual response – the crucial first step in experiencing a scent. They open the door to funky and strange impressions, and then to the associations that are called up. This kind of raw encounter with beauty, vibrancy, and aliveness returns us to our bodies in the present moment.

You don’t just smell an aroma; you fall into it. Then sensations and images arise, and you don’t know whether you are dreaming or remembering. A smell draws together diverse impressions from memory and daydreams. When you actively participate in experiencing an aroma, you feel an inner movement and release. Mint is warmth and freshness, moss is humid softness, cumin is earthy.

Scent families, meanwhile, are a convenient way to keep track of the vast and diverse array of natural essences. Thinking of them in groups makes it easier to compare and contrast them and observe their individual character more closely.

Mandy Aftel outside her studio

Mandy’s custom-made perfumer’s organ, which can be explored The Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, in Berkeley, California

Ambergris

There is no substance in the world that embodies the idea of alchemy as ambergris does, a miracle of transformation that starts out soft, dense, jet black, and fecal, and ages in the ocean into a porous golden, gray, or white material with a gorgeous, almost unearthly scent.

The substance originates in the bowels of about one out of a hundred sperm whales, apparently caused by the irritation of cuttlefish beaks eaten by the whale. Expelled into the ocean, it may float upon the waves for decades, gradually transformed by sun and salt, before it is deposited on the beach, where from time to time it is discovered by the curious.

Stories about finding ambergris rival those of the discovery of the Maltese Falcon. A report from the 1930s claimed that some Hawaiian cowboys noticed masses of what they took to be sponge in the ocean and thought to use them to wipe down their ponies. Discovering that the material was not sponge, they took a sample to a local merchant, who identified it as ambergris. They hurried back to the spot where they had found it and managed to salvage enough to make them all financially independent for life.

The finest ambergris develops an incomparably lovely, sweet, musky odor that seems to combine perfume, the sea, and some primordial animal scent. Ambergris tincture has a warm and sweet sparkly, ambery scent.

Ambergris develops an incomparably lovely, sweet, musky odor that seems to combine perfume, the sea, and some primordial animal scent

TOP: Sperm whale wood carving by John Shaw Jr. of Plymouth, MA (2016)

ILLUSTRATIONS:

Sperm whale, chromolithograph (1880)

Sperm whale, handcolored engraving, England (1789)

Sperm whale, handcolored engraving, Germany (1795)

SHELF: Centuries-old bottles of ambergris ingredients

TOP RIGHT: Mandy’s ambergris ‘cathedral’

BELOW: 150-gram chunk of ambergris, shown smaller than actual size

Botanical treasure boxes

Botanical raw materials are the foundation of the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents. This is where everything begins and what everything is based upon. Just looking at the diverse and wondrous shapes, colors, and textures of these roots, barks, resins, woods, flowers, and seeds that yield the beauteous aromas, arouses our curiosity to know more about their use, lore, and history – and to find a way to include them in our lives.

How better to share these treasures than in little drawers that beg you to open them with anticipation and desire? Little drawers have the quality of intimacy; the prospect of opening them carries the promise of discovery, secrecy, surprise: a treasure box.

My museum features an antique tin-lined apothecary cabinet fille d with materials that have been used for spiritual and medicinal practices since prehistoric times: balsams, resins, woods, leaves, roots, and flowers.

RIGHT: an aerial view of the contents of Mandy’s aromatic treasure boxes

Each

Cabinet of curiosities

The cabinet of curiosities or Wunderkammer (literally ‘chamber of wonders’) was the forerunner of our natural history museum. The very first cabinets of curiosities were in fact whole rooms where people displayed extraordinary and bizarre objects they collected from all over the world. Later, the phrase ‘cabinet of curiosities’ came to mean a piece of furniture in which such a collection was displayed. It was a miniature museum whose many drawers, compartments, and shelves brimmed with natural wonders: stones, shells, skeletons of strange animals, miniature laboratory glassware, bottles of unguents, hunks of ambergris, taxidermied specimens, musk pods.

The Aftel Archive’s cabinet of curiosities contains the strange, the rare, the botanical, the imaginative, the bizarre, and the handcrafted. Like earlier cabinets, it is designed to fill you with wonder and surprise, stop your forward motion, and drop you into a contemplative state of wonder at our curious aromatic world. The tiger oak cabinet from the 1850s (below) has curved glass doors and glass sides so you can see the curiosities in the round when standing in front of it.

A miniature museum whose many drawers, compartments, and shelves brimmed with natural wonders

Perfumed buttons

These special buttons have an internal cavity with a piece of cloth that could be doused with fragrance. The Victorians loved fragrance, both for its help in distancing them from the miasma of the cities and for the way that it uplifted their common surroundings. They put perfume buttons like these on their clothes, and also wore pomanders or mounted them atop walking sticks.

LEFT: At the heart of The Aftel Archive is this tiger wood cabinet from the mid-19th century. As well as the perfumed buttons, above, objects displayed inside include Staffordshire teacups depicting musk deer, French pomanders and several particularly lavish and precious vintage books about the art of perfumery.

On the middle shelf is a plaque for Parfums Fontanis in Paris, made by Lalique in 1925.

The Rimmel collection

Eugène Rimmel (1820–1887) was one of the most famous perfumers of his time and is well remembered for his landmark perfumery book, below, which has been one of the cornerstones of natural perfumery for over 150 years. His perfume company has gone through various reinventions over the decades and is still around as Rimmel London.

The Aftel Archive acquired an incredible cache of turn-of-the century essences used by Rimmel’s celebrated perfume house; they had been recently discovered in a Paris attic. Many of these hundred-year-old bottles are hand-labelled by fountain pen, and most still have their original contents. Discovering this trove had the excitement of finding buried treasure; I could imagine a person working to create fragrance in their attic with tiny bottles of different shapes and labels — a mini perfume laboratory.

Rimmel’s Book of Perfumes (1865) contains many of his recipes for perfume and also features his intricate illustration The Floral Clock (illustrated by Mandy, above).

Rimmel’s Floral Clock

‘Some flowers have a stronger smell at sunrise, some at midday, others at night. This depends in a great measure on the time they are wont to open, which varies so much among the fragrant tribe, that it has allowed a patient botanist to form a floral clock, each hour being indicated by the opening of a particular flower’ The Book of Perfumes

The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious & Wondrous World of Fragrance is published by Abbeville Press, price £32.99. You can find it online or order through your favourite realworld bookstore.

Illustrations by Mandy Aftel; Photographs by Foster Curry

RITES OF SPRING (CLEANING)

A kitchen counter that smells of patchouli, cedarwood, basil or orange blossom? Pass us the sponge, says JO FAIRLEY, as she explores how brands are pimping our household rituals

FAMOUSLY, the late author and raconteur Quentin Crisp once declared that it wasn’t worth cleaning your house after four years, because the dust didn’t get any worse. But I wonder whether the outrageous Mr. Crisp might have felt more positively about that chore if he’d lived to enjoy today’s fabulously fragrant – and in many cases, rather chic – surface sprays and washing-up liquids, which I can’t help feeling would have tickled his flamboyant fancy.

‘Cleaning products are getting a makeover, being elevated and inspired by beauty products,’ says Amy Marks McGee, founder of Trendincite LLC, a creative marketing professional with more than 25 years’ experience. In fact, she says, the term ‘household’ itself is giving way to the phrase ‘home care’, with lines blurring between home fragrance and cleaning.

Some cynical types from the fast-moving consumer goods world have suggested that this fragrant shift upmarket is actually designed to help reverse the recent decline in unit sales of household cleaning products. According to The Grocer magazine, 23.2 million fewer surface cleaning products were sold between September 2022-23 than in the previous year.

From a first glance at those figures, you might think that we’re all tapping into our inner Quentin Crisp and letting the dust motes build up. But in reality, when you drill down, it merely equates to a sales reduction of one third of a bottle of surface spray, per person, per year – and actually, it’s the leading names (Cif, Dettol and Flash) which have seen the biggest decline.

footprint by adding water from my own tap, rather than having it transported around the country in spray bottles.)

Once I’ve made the kitchen not only sparkle, but smell gorgeously of Grounding Vetiver (one of Purdy & Figg’s ‘starter kit’ fragrances), it’s on to the bathroom, zooshing here there and everywhere with another bottle, featuring the seriously cheering Uplifting Citrus blend.

In my office, I use a third Purdy & Figg product to clean my IKEA desk, table (and pretty much anything that doesn’t move, actually), infused with their limited-edition patchouli fragrance, which came out last year; P&F are one of several cleaning brands who are taking a leaf from fine fragrance’s book by offering special limited editions, to keep their customers interested. On any given day, a whizz around with scented duster, breathing deeply the aroma of these products, is like a mini-meditation – with the bonus that my home’s actually cleaner, afterwards.

Might there be another reason behind this pimping of our household chores, though? It isn’t just about ‘premiumisation’ of the cleaning category. Says Amanda Carr, of We Wear Perfume: ‘I think as we all feel more unsettled with the world in chaos, we need our whole olfactory landscape to be supportive, including our cleaning liquids, because their scent hums along in our houses like white noise; we almost don’t notice them but they build up a feeling of home. Using herby aromatics or more grounding scents like vetiver, actually helps our wellbeing.’

A whizz with a patchouliscented duster is like a minimeditation ”

So, my hunch is that what’s happening is that at least some of this country’s domestic goddesses (and gods) are trading up to the truly fab-scented ranges you can explore on the next couple of pages, opting for ‘fragrancefocused’ products that mostly aren’t sold through the major supermarkets – and hence don’t feature in those apparently gloomy retail figures.

Certainly, my own house has never been so clean. And the reason is simple. Endlessly bombarded by Instagram ads for a home cleaning brand called Purdy & Figg, about 18 months I gave in and sent off for a starter pack. Along with a spritzer ‘Bottle for Life’ came three small apothecary bottles of fragrant blends, with the simple instruction: pour into the spray, fill with 300 ml water, and hey, presto! You’ve a 100% natural, fabulouslyscented multi-surface cleaner. I had my doubts about how effective such a simple product could be, but it cleans like a dream – everything from mirrors to stainless steel, via wood, paintwork and the bath. It also reduces my carbon

Certainly, I haven’t become a domestic dervish because I’m neurotic about germs. Or even to help the environment, much as I deeply believe in that. I’m doing it for sheer olfactory pleasure. Let’s face it, even the most liberal of perfumer-users probably only applies their scent a couple of times a day, max. But with cleaning products, you can just keep going and going, giving your nose a treat with every dust-busting spritz, or every swish of a washing-up brush.

Because ssssshhh, whatever you do, don’t tell my family, but tucked away at the back under our kitchen sink, there’s even a super-posh bottle of Astier de Villatte Bergamot Dishwashing Liquid, which – at £35 a pop (NB it was a gift!) – is most definitely not for communal use, but reserved for ‘special occasions’ like Christmas and after a supper party. The implication of which is that I have definitely turned into my mother – because that’s exactly what she’d have done, too, enjoying every last scented bubble as she washed up.

But frankly, if it’s a choice between channelling my inner Quentin Crisp, and my houseproud mum, I know which I’d rather have, as a role model.

Astier de Villatte

The Paris-based ceramics and home fragrance brand offers what are surely the poshest washing-up liquids on the planet, with Bergamot, Pepper, Cypress, Pink Pepper or Sage options – all of which are refillable. Dishwashing Liquid/£37 for 500ml (refills £59 for 1L) astierdevillatte.com

Neat

Think: Mango & Fig All

Purpose Floor Cleaner.

Think: Fig & Violet

Daily Shower Cleaner.

Think: Multi-Surface Starter packs, in a choice of Grapefruit & Ylang Ylang or Seagrass & Lotus. Tip that 30ml bottle into the chic, minimalist aluminium spray, fill from your tap – and start spritzing. Multi-Surface Starter Pack/£7 for bottle and 30ml neatclean.com

s s

Colt & Willow

Colt & Willow was founded by Tony and Anie Mcwilliam, who – as parents to two young girls –worried about their exposure to harsh chemicals in traditional cleaning products. C&W’s award-winning range includes All-Purpose Cleaner and Wonder Scrub (for tough stains and limescale), infused with scents like Geranium Leaf, Grapefruit and Cassis. Geranium Leaf All-Purpose Cleaner/£12 for 470ml coltandwillow.com

s

Daylesford

The Cotswolds-based organic brand has been offering natural cleaning products for 15 years. Today, their chic, minimalist products, which are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled bottles, include washingup liquid, laundry and dishwashing products and the above trio of sprays for mirrors, bathroom and surfaces, fragranced with natural rosemary essential oil. Essential Cleaning Kit/£24 for 3 x 500ml sprays plus household brush daylesford.com

INEOS

Born in the pandemic as an anti-bacterial brand, INEOS rapidly had to ‘pivot’, morphing into a home cleaning brand that is science-powered but ‘plant-derived’. The wide range of cleaning options, with scents like Pomelo + Yuzu, Bergamot + Cedarwood, Rhubarb + Pomegranate is very much supermarket-priced; variously, products can be found in Morrisons, ASDA, Ocado. Can’t spring for Astier de Villatte? Check these out, instead. ineoshygienics.com

L:A BRUKET

Diptyque LA DROGUERIE

The launch of the La Droguerie collection stylishly affirmed the trend for upmarket cleaning products, spanning candles to banish kitchen smells through to Ecocert-certified washing-up and surface-cleaning sprays; refill pouches are available. Multi-Surface Cleaner with Vinegar/£35 for 500ml Dishwashing Liquid with Orange Blossom/£35 for 500ml diptyqueparis.com

Alongside diffusers, candles, face and body products, this holistic Swedish name offers some slightly more under-the-radar home cleaning creations, including this zesty lemongrass washing-up liquid – also available as a one-litre refill – and linen waters.

076 Dishwashing Liquid/ £23 for 500ml (refill £36 for one-litre) labruket.com

Spruce

As with several other brands featured here, Spruce offer a refillable spray bottle, in this case to be used with little fragrant granules which dissolve in water, inside the bottle – geranium-scented for countertops etc., eucalyptus for the bathroom. Many different refills bundles are available, priced from £8.50. Starter Kit Duo/£15 for 2 x Eternity bottles and 2 x concentrate refills wearespruce.co

The Fragrant Benefits of Forest Bathing Into the Woods

SUZY NIGHTINGALE explores the scientifically proven benefits of Shinrin-yoku – the Japanese ritual of forest bathing – and immerses herself in the wonders of woodland-theme fragrances

‘Tree aromas?

What a curious topic.’

In the preface to his wonderful book, Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree, biologist David George Haskell immediately gives voice to the question on the casual bookshop-browser’s mind (and, quite possibly, the opening line of his publisher’s response to his pitch).

But Haskell explains that ‘although we seldom think of them, trees and their smells pervade our everyday lives,’ describing how ‘every aroma is an invitation to stories of interconnection between trees and people.’ Science has established, for example, that trees can actually communicate via scent –the invisible particles relaying a kind of perfumed Morse Code that can signal distress or some other verdant message. As the author explains, ‘Aroma is the primary language of trees. They talk with molecules, beckoning fungi, scolding insects, and whispering to microbes.’

And while we may not realise it, Haskell argues, we are at one with the woods as we walk through them. Although our alertness to those molecular messages may have dulled through centuries of disuse, nonetheless, those tree scents are ‘a direct link to memory and emotion, an inheritance from the communicative networks that sustained the first animal cells.’ The next time it rains, the author invites us to quit grouching and remember that ‘many of the falling raindrops were born on the exhalations of trees.’ So, we don’t even need to go to the forest to bathe in its aromatic wonders – eventually, it finds its way to our nostrils, even in the concrete jungle on a rainy commute.

And it transpires the trees don’t only smell good, they actively do us good, as we fill our lungs with their revitalising molecules. According to Professor Charles Spence, author of Sensehacking (Penguin),

Aromatherapy

Associates Forest Therapy Bath Oil

studies into the Japanese ritual of Shinrinyoku – literally translating as ‘forest shower’ but more widely known as ‘forest bathing’ –have proved that those who regularly tune in to their senses during walks through the woods, ‘exhibit lower stress levels as well as an enhanced immune response.’

Even a small amount of time in nature can have an impact on our health. ‘A twohour forest bathe will help you to unplug from technology and slow down,’ writes Dr. Qing Li in Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest-Bathing. ‘It will bring you into the present moment to de-stress and relax you. When you connect to nature through all five of your senses, you begin to draw on the vast array of benefits the natural world provides.’

Studies by Dr. Li’s team at the Nippon medical school have demonstrated that 50% of the beneficial health effects of forest bathing come from the chemistry of forest air. In Japan, it is accepted as a

“ ”

Breathing the scent of trees has shown to normalise blood pressure and heart rate, as well as improve stress, anxiety, concentration and sleep

clinical therapy and sits happily alongside more traditional prescriptions doled out by doctors. The health benefits can be attributed to the higher oxygen content of forest air, as well as, and perhaps most importantly, the fact that trees expel chemicals that help them fight off diseases. These antimicrobial essential oils, or phytoncides, ‘protect plants from germs.’ But they aren’t just good for oaks and spruces and alders: these chemicals can also boost the human immune system, improving the NK cell count.

Much closer to home, the ritual of Shinrin-yoku is increasingly being widely enjoyed by the British public. Two peer-reviewed forest bathing authors and researchers, Gary Evans and Olga Terebenina, have even set up an

Forest bathing for beginners:

Offering a practical guide for those keen to spend time in the woods, Forestry England (an executive agency sponsored by the Forestry Commission) suggest the following ways to best breathe in the healing aromas of trees…

l Turn off your devices for the best chance of relaxing, being mindful and enjoying a sensory forest-based experience.

l Slow down. Move through the forest slowly so you can see/feel more.

l Take long breaths deep into the abdomen. Extending the exhalation of air to twice the length of the inhalation sends a message to the body that it can relax.

l Stop, stand, or sit, smell what’s around you, what can you smell?

l Take in your surroundings using all of your senses. How does the forest environment make you feel? Be observant, and try to look at nature’s small details.

l Sit quietly using mindful observation; try to avoid thinking about your to-do list or issues related to daily life. You might be surprised by the number of wild forest inhabitants you see using this process.

l Keep your eyes open. The colours of nature are soothing, and studies have shown that people relax best while seeing greens and blues.

l Stay as long as you can, start with a comfortable time limit and build up to the recommended two hours for a complete forest bathing experience.

WOODY SCENTS

1 WILLIAM MORRIS AT HOME Forest Bathing Body & Space Mist

Infused with natural phytoncides, this grounding home fragrance offers portable pine forest bliss.

2 DS & DURGA Big Sur

Winding roads and sweeping waves, glimpsed through gaps of towering redwoods and eucalyptus.

3 MEMO PARIS

Sherwood

Creamy, dreamy sandalwood swirls with lightly smoked, upcycled oakwood to create a private place of refuge.

4 MAYA NJIE

Nordic Cedar

Long shadows thrown by lofty canopies; rugged woodiness hugged by ambergris-swathed cardamom.

5 4160 TUESDAYS

A Walk in the Forest

Dazzled by still-chilly morning sunlight glinting through linden trees, a forest floor blankets the soul.

6 NUE Forest Lungs

Smoky drifts of vetiversoaked verdancy feel like the forest is breathing with you; a chance to bask, unabashed.

7 OSTENS IMPRESSION

Cedarwood Heart

A treasured walk almost clings to your jacket; comforted by Cologne, whiskey, tobacco, memories.

8 GOLDFIELD & BANKS

Silky Woods Elixir

Deep in the heart of a rainforest, tree roots burst through freshly laid tarmac, mistily steaming.

9 MIZENSIR

Palissandre Nuit

Midnight in the forest, a cool hush of moonlit sandalwood amidst silvered patchouli.

organisation, The Forest Bathing Institute (TFBI), which runs regular sessions for the public, government, the NHS, mental health charities, corporate groups, and interested media associates.

Apart from helping to boost our own mood and immune systems, Gary says, taking time to breathe in the scents of trees has ‘been shown to normalise blood pressure and heart rate, as well as improve stress, anxiety, concentration, sleep and stimulate creativity. There is even some evidence that they may even help fight depression.’ Their hope is to see forest bathing available more widely on the NHS.

Already, there are green shoots that the health service is waking up to the benefits of spending time in nature, with ‘Green social prescribing’ becoming more widespread – supporting people to engage in nature-based interventions and activities to improve mental and physical health. Who doesn’t look forward to the

‘Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light, are giving off the rich fragrance of cinnamon and fulfilment’

MARY OLIVER, In Blackwater Woods (1983)

day when we can pop to our local GP and be prescribed hiking boots alongside (or even instead of) a trip to Boots pharmacy?

Given the overwhelming sciencebacked reasons to get into the woods, in an ideal world we’d clearly all be forest bathing daily, to take advantage of trees’ miraculous aromatic powers. And what better time than this, when there’s a keen, green gasp of spring in the air – a veritable pop of buds bursting, and a euphoria induced simply by looking at leaves lacily unfurling?

Alas, for most of us, there are all too few windows in the schedule for a spot of Shinrin-yoku and new-leaf-peeping. A weekend walk? Maybe. An occasional family yomp? Realistically, that’s all most of us can manage, except perhaps on holiday. But on a positive note, however, there are ways for even the most time-

Tune into your senses more deeply with these great candidates for your ‘fragrant library’

poor or deadline-driven person to conjure the soothing spaciousness of a forest, in perfume (or indeed bath oil) form.

Lately , we have observed that increasing numbers of perfumers have been inspired to step into their woods on their creative path, conjuring perfumes that essentially bottle verdant joie de vivre, thus enabling us to connect with the uniquely soothing, mysteriously reviving, olfactory language of the forest, with every spritz. In perfumery, right now, forest bathing is definitely A Thing.

You might start your scent Shinrin-yoku by seeking out obviously tree-adjacent ingredients like cedar, sandalwood and increasingly, upcycled oakwood – a sustainable bi-product created from scrap wood that has been used for the creation of wine barrels. The mellow pencil-shaving dryness of the cedar and creamy, silky quality of sandalwood become olfactory landscapes when populated with loamy, damp soil notes such as patchouli, vetiver and oakmoss.

For a more head-clearing, camphorous greenness, look for notes of cypress, pine and fir needles – the latter often confused in our minds, but in reality, quite distinct when smelled in isolation and then compared: pine oil is extracted from the needles and twigs, giving a crisper, sharper greenness with herbaceous or even hay-like undertones, while fir oil is taken from the tree’s needles only, and feels more evocative of the entire woodland ecosystem – from the tree canopies and dappled shade right down to the mushroom-y softness of the forest floor.

But from photo-realistic recreations of the sort of green spaces we might long to visit, through to fantasy forests and fairy story landscapes of our dreams, the fact is that every would-be forest bather can find great comfort in the current thicket of woody/green scents.

And all without donning so much as a hiking sock.

MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS

Deepak Chopra

Advocate of integrated medicine, bestselling author and respected wellness guru, Deepak Chopra shares with us a very different ‘life in scents’ – and some fascinating insights into fragrance’s wellbeing potential

What’s the very first thing you remember smelling?

My mother’s skin as I sat on her lap. I can still recall the memory of that experience, when she would sing to me and recite poetry – the great epics of Indian literature. I always associate them with the scent of her skin, which was anointed with sandalwood oil.

When did you realise that scent was really important to you?

I have a training in medicine; I am a neuroendocrinologist. But I also have a great interest in the ancient healing system of Ayurveda, where scent and fragrance are part of the therapeutic modalities. Ayurveda uses spicy fragrances to stimulate the metabolism, while peppermint and spearmint and sandalwood cool the body. Floral and fruity essences have a calming effect. So, I really became interested in aroma when I understood its therapeutic power within Ayurvedic medicine.

What was the first fragrance you were given?

My mother favoured fragrances like rose, lavender and sandalwood essential oils, which I would also use. They are also very commonly used in ritual prayer and meditation. These were the only fragrances that were accessible to me, growing up.

What was the first fragrance you bought for yourself?

In the past I would buy bottles of those essential oils for myself, but nowadays I tend to receive them as gifts.

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

I have stuck with those oils as they have become part of my rituals – sandalwood for meditation, for instance, or rose for a cooling effect. I will turn to them during the day, depending on what I feel particularly drawn to.

Throughout my work I have experimented with oils to explore their therapeutic powers and the feelings that are derived from using them, in order that I could recommend them to patients, whether it was to treat metabolic disorders or mental illnesses such as anxiety.

I can match fragrance to body type, suggesting specific oils for people who have a tendency to inflammation or to degenerative diseases. My main interest is looking at fragrance and how it alters gene activity in the direction of inflammation or homeostasis. Understanding fragrance and how it influences epigenetic activity opens the door to a whole new realm.

The smell that always makes me feel happy is… the aroma of Indian cooking! That makes me very happy indeed. India itself is such a rich tapestry of different scents, an assault on all of the senses – not only smell, but sight, sound…

The smell that always makes me feel a bit sad… doesn’t exist, at this stage in my life. I am at a point where I am independent of these

contrasts in emotions and am joyful most of the time.

The scent that I love on a man or a woman… doesn’t really exist, either. Commercial fragrances are geared to make women sensual and attractive and make men appear masculine and macho, but I’m really not into all that.

The fragrance from the past that I’ve always wanted to smell is… the scent of my mother baking bread. Aroma connects us with memories and stories from the past, and the smell of baking bread actually makes me recall almost my whole childhood.

What is your favourite book about fragrance?

I am fascinated by synaesthesia – the idea that you can hear a smell or see it in colour. I am interested in synaesthesia as a window to how our endocrine system self-regulates. We are called ‘sentient beings’, and our senses are so important – they are the tapestry through which we experience life. So I read a lot of books on the subject, the most recent of which is a most enjoyable book of poetry called Synaesthesia for Breakfast So I read a

For more of Deepak Chopra’s wisdom, visit his website where you can also down an app that offers meditations, wellbeing tools, tips and practices based on his wisdom and years of scientific research.

chopra.com

Beyond the nose

Fragrance as therapy

In this section of The Scented Letter, we normally reveal an interviewee’s five favourite smells – but what Deepak Chopra had to say to us was so revolutionary, we know that scent-lovers will be fascinated by his thoughts on the role that scent could play in health, over the coming years.

As he explains, ‘We now know that every part of the body – not just the nose – has receptors to fragrance. The liver, the kidneys, heart and reproductive organs all have olfactory receptors, which may offer far-reaching consequences in health care. The receptors are involved in the detection of a wide range of molecules – including pheromones – which can influence behaviour, physiology and sexuality.

‘We are working towards a much better understanding of the role of olfaction in health and disease. A deeper knowledge of how the body senses its environment, not just through the nose but through all those olfactory receptors throughout the body, could be used to develop new cancer biomarkers and even deliver drugs through these tissues.

‘This is an area that is not widely talked about, even by neuroscientists, but it illustrates what an incredibly important role aroma has to play in our lives. I am fascinated by the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of fragrance. Fragrance has been part of our lives for thousands of years, but our scientific understanding is just beginning.’

A favourite book on synaesthesia – and one of Deepak’s latest

Baking bread, his ‘time travel’ aroma

Shirodhara, an Ayurvedic oil treatment

The scent of rose is used in ritual meditation

Lavender –a childhood memory

A WORKING NOSE

Bruno Jovanovic

Senior Perfumer at famed fragrance house

DSM-Firmenich, Bruno has spent many years creating for clients on both sides of the Atlantic. Here, he opens his lab door to share with us his inspirations, and the secrets of his working day

AFTER GRADUATING with top honours from Paris’s perfumery school, ISIPCA (where he studied formulation with Dominique Ropion), and with a degree in Physics and Chemistry under his belt, Bruno moved to New York and joined fragrance house IFF, creating perfumes for clients including Hugo Boss, Paco Rabanne, Coach and many other fabled fashion names.

He has also collaborated with Frédéric Malle on three fragrances: Monsieur, Dans Mon Lit, and the Dries Van Noten Par Frédéric Malle collaboration with that designer. In 2021, he was appointed Senior Perfumer at DSM-Firmenich; based between Paris and New York, he continues to work for clients around the world, including Thameen London. Bruno’s signature formula, he explains, ‘is a simple and clear message that can be identified immediately.’

When does your day start?

Recently, I’ve adopted a new morning routine by skipping breakfast, and I’m quite enjoying this fresh start to the day. On occasions when I do have breakfast, I veer away from the traditional French fare, leaving behind croissants and pains au chocolat. Instead, I prefer an egg omelette, a more proteinrich option.

Where do you work?

I pretty much always work from the office, close to my assistant and to the raw materials. But I often describe my professional life as spanning two continents, with my thoughts continually journeying between Paris and New York. Although Paris is my primary base, maintaining a strong connection with the US is crucial for me. I view those two cities as mutually influential, making it advantageous to navigate both markets with ease.

I believe creativity isn’t confined to any specific time. Inspiration can strike at any moment and being receptive to it is what truly matters.

How many fragrances might you work on at one time?

Most of the time, I am juggling between five to six different fragrances in the course of a day. But that can always change; there’s no set rule in my creative process. One of the key aspects of my job that I really appreciate, though, is the freedom to switch from a prestige blockbuster project to a more confidential niche endeavour, giving me the variety I cherish.

How do you work?

Creativity often comes unexpectedly within my mind, surfacing in moments of least anticipation. The greatest challenge lies in capturing these ideas before they vanish. To ensure they are preserved, I promptly record them on my computer, allowing me to communicate these concepts to my assistant and request samples. This process is crucial for transforming ephemeral thoughts into tangible creations.

Observing nature through my office window or gazing up at the sky often reveals fresh perspectives and sparks new ideas

“ ”

For creators, in fragrance development or any other field, having a personal sanctuary is essential. Importantly, my office serves not only as a retreat where I can immerse myself in creative thoughts but also as an inviting environment for my team.

To ensure the integrity of our creations, it is vital to keep the laboratory a safe distance away to prevent odour cross-contamination. Moreover, maintaining separate air conditioning systems for each space is a precautionary measure to preserve the quality of our work.

How does your day break down?

My schedule is packed with projects, keeping me engaged all day. I like to dedicate each part of the day to different types of tasks. Mornings are reserved for reflection; I revisit the previous day’s work, assess the progress of our fragrances, and study their developmental nuances. The actual creative process typically unfolds in the afternoon, although this can vary depending on my meeting schedule. Flexibility is key in my routine, as

At DSM-Firmenich, we are equipped with an advanced creative software suite that empowers me to unleash my creativity within the company’s internal ‘ecosystem’, providing access to all the innovative tools necessary for my work. This system allows me to focus solely on the creative aspect, significantly simplifying my job.

What kind of other inspirations do you look for, during your day?

Inspiration surrounds me everywhere. In our interconnected world, which feels both smaller and more expansive than ever, discovering inspiration throughout the day has become effortless. The need to venture outside my office diminishes as I can ‘invoke’ inspiration right from my desk, thanks to the marvels of our technologically evolving era. Moreover, it’s the simple pleasures – observing nature through my office window or gazing up at the sky – that often reveal fresh perspectives and spark new ideas.

Do you break for lunch?

I frequently enjoy lunch in the comfort of my office, where I’m just a step away from my computer, should inspiration suddenly hit. However, sharing meals with my colleagues is also something I cherish deeply. Given the amount of time we spend together, they’re like a second family to me. Breaking for lunch is important, because gaining some much-needed perspective on the very intense projects we work on can be challenging. A lunch break offers just the right opportunity to step back and refresh.

How does your afternoon unfold?

My workday typically runs until 7 or 7.30 pm, but my

Frédéric Malle Monsieur

Thameen London Bravi

Giorgio Armani My Way

Estée Lauder Legacy Knowing

Éditions de Parfums

Thameen London Fanfare

Coach for Men Platinum

Paco Rabanne Pure XS Night

BOSS The Scent Absolute for Him

engagement with fragrances never pauses. How could it?

Wherever I go, I encounter an array of scents and visuals that invariably influence me. I find myself analysing every aroma that passes through my nostrils, considering its potential as the genesis of a new fragrance or accord. I often joke that I’m on the clock 24/7, even when battling a cold. Fragrances even invade my dreams!

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

For me, the key is to avoid stress at all costs! While I don’t particularly like the idea of creating in a state of anger, I recognise the importance of being attuned to my emotions. There are times, however, when it’s more beneficial to fully experience these rather than attempting to channel them into an activity as profound as creation. Naturally, the most conducive state for creativity is after experiencing pleasure – any form of pleasure…

Tell us a about your working relationship with Thameen London, and how you create fragrances for the house?

Thameen, led by the perfumery world’s ‘Enfant Terrible,’ Christopher Chong, represents a revitalising force in the industry. Christopher’s immense creativity, coupled with his profound understanding of fashion, arts, and luxury, is truly exceptional. It’s a great honor to work alongside someone of his calibre. I am deeply convinced that his visionary approach for Thameen London is transformative; the fusion of this highend British brand, celebrated for its elegance, with Christopher’s boundless creative energy, creates an exceptionally compelling combination.

The bond I share with Christopher is something I deeply value; it transcends the professional realm, evolving into a genuine friendship. We’re in constant communication, exchanging messages and thoughts whenever we see something captivating or intriguing. Each of these moments has the potential to spark inspiration for future creations. The possibilities are endless, and that’s what makes our connection so special.

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

as Debussy and Fauré, Russian composers (Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Borodin) and even pop and genres in between (absolute fan of Michael Jackson, Sting etc.), I find it impossible to work with music playing.

Is a mood board helpful to you?

A mood board can be a tremendous source of inspiration. I’m convinced that creators must continually immerse themselves in trends, ideas and imagery to maintain a constant flow of inspiration. The daily crafting of new fragrances is intensely demanding. I frequently find myself completely spent, or as the French say, ‘pressed like a lemon.’ It’s essential for us to replenish our creative wells periodically!

What is the most number of mods you’ve ever had to do, on a fragrance? And the least?

For a recent blockbuster project, I made more than 3,000 modifications, and my colleague contributed with a few thousand adjustments as well. But I’m proud to share that two of our fragrances were perfect as initially conceived, needing absolutely no modifications. These creations hold a special place in my heart.

“ ”

Anywhere from a few months to several years. For instance, one recent project took exactly five years from the initial accord to the final fragrance formulation. Launching the product – seeing it in its bottle and ready for sale – takes another six months. Each project is incredibly time-intensive, encompassing not just the development of the scent but also the marketing, packaging, bottle design, and more.

Do you listen to music while you work, and if so, what?

While I have a profound love for music, ranging from classical favorites like Mozart, French Romantics such

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

And how many tend to be in your regular palette?

My personal palette has grown to encompass around 4,000 ingredients. However, I actively work with only about half of these, as market evolution and the passage of time have rendered the remainder less relevant.

How much of your day (or perhaps week) is spent on your own work –creating new accords, etc.

I dedicate as much time as possible to exploring new, unprecedented accords and fragrances. My experimentation includes both cutting-edge ingredients and spontaneous ideas that spring to mind, embodying what we refer to as proactive work. This aspect of my job is not just essential – it’s my favorite part. That is where I often go to pick up ideas when the right project comes along. Because of my very busy schedule, I try to have at least one day a week where I can do proactive work. I really wish I could dedicate even more time.

What is the one fragrance you wish you had created?

I hold profound respect and admiration for ‘Angel’ by Thierry Mugler, a creation by Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp. It’s a true masterpiece – one that I would have been proud to call my own creation. ‘Angel’ played a pivotal role in my career choice, solidifying my decision to pursue perfumery during times of doubt.

@brunojovanovicperfumer

Blossom time

As a drift of petal-powered fragrances flutters onto our desks, JO FAIRLEY explores this trend for sheer florals – and talks to perfumers about how they construct their ephemeral blends

IDON’T SUPPOSE there’s a perfume-lover out there who didn’t once upon a time try to create a fragrance from actual petals. Rose petals are the classic choice, but I definitely remember also cramming apple blossom – from our gnarly old suburban tree –into a jam jar, adding water, then waiting for the magic to happen.

Which, of course, it never did. This wasn’t perfume composition; it was actually a biology experiment in decomposition. And, like many a budding perfumer child, my heart was just a little broken when my mother later had to dispose of my pulpy, whiffy (but definitely not in a good way) creation.

The floral fragrance family has, of course, long been a cornerstone of the perfume world. But lately, fragrance houses have been exploring flowers with a fresher, sheerer, more transparent (and you might say more ‘modern’) feel, with increasing numbers of offerings that draw their inspiration from spring blossoms –including cherry, apple and pear, all of which bloom on our own shores.

It is the ephemeral quality of blossom which seems to capture perfume creators’ attention. Linda Pilkington, of Ormonde Jayne, says: ‘Blossoms are visually stunning and heart-lifting, signifying the end of winter and the start of new beginnings and hope. Blossom in full bloom is enchanting, and one has an involuntary urge to immerse oneself in a pile of fallen blossom petals. And part of their very charm is that it’s a fleeting moment, given that the season lasts only two to three weeks.’ For as the poet Swinburne put it, ‘Blossom by blossom, the spring begins.’

‘ANOTHER BLOSSOM LAUNCH!’ Oh, we do enjoy having our finger on the pulse.

But here’s the thing. Even the finest fragrance ingredient supplier in the world isn’t any better at extracting the perfume from of a handful of fruit tree petals than I was, aged six. Some – like cherry blossom – are scentless. Others, like pear and apple, have a scent so dainty and delicate that it can’t be extracted; it is too elusive, too fleeting, and can only be re-created, via a sort of photorealistic portrait that is the quintessential example of the perfumer’s art – that ability to conjure up a particular vision, in this case of a fragile flower, through the clever use of other natural extracts and, predominantly, synthetics.

“

Blossom by blossom, the spring begins

”

ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE

Just how is this conjuring trick performed? Sarah McCartney, perfumer-founder of 4160 Tuesdays, has showcased her scent Tokyo Spring Blossom from the time she launched her perfume house, in 2011. Sarah says, ‘I’ve attempted to capture a few blossoms in my time. The technical way is headspace analysis, capturing the air around the flowers and identifying all the different molecules they emit, then reassembling the aroma from its components. But artisan perfumers like me do it by nose and experiment, so we might arrive at the aroma by a completely different route.’

For Tokyo Spring Blossom, which remains a much-loved fragrance in her line-up, Sarah explains, ‘I wanted a general impression of walking through a park in cherry blossom time, and used a touch of rose geranium with raspberry leaf, violet and balsam for the effect.’

There’s been a flurry of fabulous fragrances, in the past few years, which seek to bottle the beauty of the types of blossom that are right now bursting into petal in our parks and gardens, making our hearts sing and our spirits soar with the feeling of spring that they deliver. And this spring, that trend has been further accelerated – to the point where amused e-mail exchanges have pinged back and forth between The Scented Letter team, subject line:

However, Sarah says, ‘Essential oils and absolutes very rarely represent the exact scent which blossom wafts out, when we bury our noses in it. The extraction processes lose volatile molecules along the way, so we add synthetic materials to restore the impression of living flowers. Ironically, when someone comments that a blend smells fresh, light and natural, it’s because I added hedione – or Methyl dihydrojasmonate, to give it its chemical name.’

Fall for this luminous soft floral, and you can layer it with blossom-scented treats for hands and body, too.

Be quick: this petal-inspired version of Burberry Her is set to bloom – oh-soprettily – for just a limited season.

Back for another encore, a new edition of this blockbuster is as now as regular a feature of spring as blossom itself.

Enchanting, ethereal, conjuring spring’s blue skies, there’s blossom within – and Van Gogh’s blossoms, on the bottle.

Soft almond, violet and vanilla are counterbalanced by citrus and a green accord. Powdery, subtle, perfect.

The scent of a warm breeze through spring blossoms, which kickstarted perfumer Sarah McCartney’s career.

Cherry blossom isn’t just a Japanese thing, as this oh-so-British brand proves with this flirty floral.

A flawless floral haiku, inspired by the idea of ‘listening’ to the scent of the breeze through flower heads.

FLORAIKU I See The Clouds Go By Fruity-floral blackcurrant is quietly wrapped in an exquisite mist of white musk and cherry blossom.

L’OCCITANE Cherry Blossom

BURBERRY Her Petals

JIMMY CHOO Blossom

FLORAL STREET Sweet Apple Blossom

ORMONDE JAYNE Sakura

4160 TUESDAYS Tokyo Spring Blossom

SHAY & BLUE English Cherry Blossom

NANCY MEILAND Kabosu

Linda Pilkington believes that ‘Blossom in perfumery is a platform for perfumers to express their artistry – a fantasy!’ For the accord in Ormonde Jayne Sakura, she explains, ‘We have used a natural cherry blossom leaf oil, together with sparkling notes of lime and mandarin, tempered with pink pepper and a green accord, giving the effect of delicate cherry blossom, its soft almond aromas enhanced by powdery violets and creamy vanilla.’ As a result, ‘it radiates an inner confidence, while remaining subtle and elegant.’ (And spritzing Sakura, it’s impossible to disagree.)

For perfumer Nancy Meiland, Sussex-based creator of blossom-inspired Kabosu, ‘There are a few materials that help to harness the fleeting nature of blossom. Heliotrope is a favourite of mine: honeyed, water-like, skin-like, with a hint of marzipan. I might reach for linden blossom and mimosa, to bring a soft warmth and a “lightness”, to denote the blossoms.’ Kabosu takes its cue from the Japanese tree of the same name, whose delicate blossom is soft and creamy. ‘I wanted to embroider the creamy, suede-like accord of blossom with a touch of plum,’ she says. ‘Blossom accords can have surprising accents to them – not only the powdery, almond, vanilla we think of; there can be fruits, leather and even liquorice as undertones.’

WITH ALL those possible facets, then, the current wave of blossom perfumes surely has something for everyone. Are you the outgoing type? Check out the more va-va-bloom style of Jimmy Choo Blossom, in which perfumer Marie Salamagne enhances its floral impression via opulent frangipani flowers, topped by an accord of exotic fruits. So successful is this fragrance that it now reaappears each spring in a new flacon, this time lacquered in a violet shade, and destined to be snapped up by collectors. Youthfully pretty but decidedly chic, Shay & Blue English Cherry Blossom might push your buttons, too – sparkling with citrus, airy with cherry blossom, but with notes of black cherry and fig tempering its innocence.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for something understated, to wear to the office you’re perhaps being dragged back to, Guerlain Acqua Allegoria Floral Cherrysia is fun and fresh without overwhelming. And for the true luxury-lover, there’s Clive Christian’s £400-a-pop Apple Blossom Perfume, in which soft floral notes are sharpened by green rhubarb and fresh mint, with a sprinkling of sugar and a driftwood dry-down.

As with pausing to smell incense, which we explore on p.10, or taking a moment to forest bathe (see p.31), we can elevate blossom appreciation, in our crazy-busy lives, to a pleasurable rite that slows life down to a more manageable pace, while tuning us back into our senses.

When Nancy Meiland was creating Kabosu, she was particularly inspired by the notion that in Japan, ‘the act of smelling aromas is described as “listening” – allowing us to lean into scent appreciation as a conscious practice.’

And at The Scented Letter, we couldn’t be more supportive of that blooming lovely notion.

The Ritual of Sakura

Although cherries blossom in the UK, the Japanese Sakura blossom ritual inspired several of the scents on these pages (all of which share the name ‘Sakura’, since it’s generic – like ‘patchouli’, or ‘rose’). Thus we have a Sakura from Dior Collection Privée, from Acqua di Parma, and from Ormonde Jayne.

Sakura translates as ‘cherry blossom’, whose transient beauty is celebrated in the Japanese ritual of Sakura Hanami, which translates to ‘cherry blossom viewing’, or ‘flower viewing’. 27th March is Sakura No Hi, or Cherry Blossom Day, which was established in 1992 by the Cherry Blossom Association, in Japan. There are more than 600 different varieties of hybrid and wild cherry blossom trees, which bloom at different times, so that the experience of viewing the trees – which can range from quiet contemplation beneath their petalled canopy, to the inevitable Instagram selfie-fest – can be enjoyed over a three or four week span.

As Ormonde Jayne founder Linda Pilkington says, ‘Hanami is such a beautiful Japanese tradition, a symbolic moment of reflection, to appreciate the transient yet eternal beauty of flowers and life. Hanami celebrations in Japan are a beautiful sight – not just the incredible blossoms, but seeing all generations coming together with friends and strangers, sharing picnics, sitting under the trees and gazing, and enjoying that fleeting beauty.’

In 2024, meanwhile, cherry blossom is the inspiration for Guerlain’s 2024 Millésime creation (ABOVE), which sees the 125ml bee bottle wearing a ring of mother of pearl and crystal cherry blossoms around its silk-wrapped neck. The flacon is a collaboration with French fine jeweller Philippe Ferrandis. It houses Guerlain’s Cherry Blossom fragrance, in which the freshness of green tea and sunlit bergamot makes way for the signature cherry blossom accord, garlanded by jasmine and with sweet, powdery touches of lilac, on a soft, almost bouncy bed of white musks. Cleverly, the 24-carat gilded cherry blossom ring can be removed, and worn as jewellery. Pretty, pretty, pretty. £710 for 125ml Bee Bottle + 30ml travel spray guerlain.com

latest launches

There’s a whiff of spring everywhere in the scent world – and so much newness, to excite us all

The latest curation in the Seasonal Scent Subscription from The Perfume Society brings together perfect-forspring scents, which you can explore with a guided unboxing video and Smelling Notes. Priced £20 every three months or £74 per year, find it (and a wide selection of other boxes) at perfumesociety.org/SHOP. The line-up of scents includes:

● GOUTAL PÉTITE CHERIE

● CREED SPRING FLOWER

● RUTH MASTENBROEK SIGNATURE

● 4160 TUESDAYS SONNET NO. 1

● SHAY & BLUE CEDARWOOD GRAPEFRUIT

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.

FLORAL FLORAL-AMBRÉE AMBRÉE CHYPRE WOODY GOURMAND ✶ NEW

The intriguing concept of this fragrance formula is that it will be subtly tweaked, in future editions – so as to always ‘capture the very essence of the present moment’. Currently you can catch soft, pillowy musk aloft sparkling clean aldehydes and glistening violet leaves. Burnished with orris butter and fluffed by marshmallow-y ambrette, it’s a supremely comforting scent that has you longingly burying your nose in the crook of your elbow (or a lover’s neck).

€250 for 87ml eau de parfum 2787perfumes.com

ARCADIA London

UAE-based Amna Al Habtoor draws on her personal experiences and passion for her collection, all yours to explore at Pimlico’s Les Senteurs. In the case of this just-launched scent, the pear, bitter orange, freesia, Ambroxan and ISO E Super are essentially a love letter to London, where, ‘Among spires tall, where history resides, stones whisper of ageless tides, in squares and alleys, time abides. A city’s skyline, where legacy guides.’

£140 for 100ml eau de parfum lessenteurs.com

4160 TUESDAYS

Sonnet No1

What would Shakespeare’s flowers smell like? This imagines the bard’s bouquet, and acquired its name via Gyles Brandreth, who pointed out – on a visit from 4160 Tuesdays founder Sarah McCartney – that Shakespeare’s first sonnet mentions ‘beauty’s rose’. Of that there is plenty, both absolute and essential oil, buffed by beeswax and hay absolute, aromatic lavender, with hints of violet and lily and an ultra-modern cushion of white biotech musk. Poetry, indeed.

£60 for 15ml eau de parfum 4160tuesdays.com

BARBOUR

Origins for Her

Celebrating the carefree spirit of the countryside, this floral has the depth of an amber base as a hug of warmth – the olfactory equivalent of a padded gilet worn beneath your Barbour jacket. Lifted at first by a soul-reviving spritz of lemon and bergamot, the nuzzleworthy peach skin is flecked with nutmeg and pink pepper, while the bouquet at the heart is swirled with vanilla, that aforementioned golden amber, and a dry vetiver.

£76 for 100ml eau de parfum barbour.com

AMAFFI Maracoca for Her

Well, bonjour Bertrand Duchaufour, the perfumer given creative free rein by this mega-luxury fragrance house to fashion an almost effervescent white floral, which is luminous with orange blossom, gardenia, jasmine and frangipani, balanced by exotic fruit notes, including lush mango, then tethered by woods. As Bertrand puts it, such freedom ‘is a rare privilege in the world of perfumery, and allows me to explore my creativity and pursue true excellence.’

£4,500 for 90ml amaffi.com

BASTILLE Paradis Nuit

Perfumer Nicolas Beaulieu describes his composition as ‘reassuring, bewitching, sensual.’ Having worn it (often!) since the launch, it’s a sentiment we totally vibe with. The reassurance comes via the so-familiar, nurturing smell of a Marseille soap accord. As it warms, the enchantment of a sensationally slinky sandalwood caress beckons bitter cocoa before the slightly spicy, herbaceous floralcy of cassie flower kicks in. Bath, bed and a hint of bawdiness. Bliss.

£98 for 50ml eau de parfum jovoyparis.uk

BDK PARFUMS

312 Saint Honoré

To mark the opening of a new Parisian boutique at the above rue Saint Honoré address (see also p.9), Alexandra Carlin chose materials which brought to life the airiness of the store’s striking glass, concrete and Bourgogne white stone architecture, via pink peppercorn, white and amber musks, lactones and a shaft of orange blossom. Think Paris, though, and we always think ‘smoochy’ – and this is, thanks to its purring base of warm musks, Ambroxan and Ambrostar. £175 for 100ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

CHANEL

Chance Eau Fraîche

Olivier Polge stays true to Chance’s fresh spirit, but has created a version that ‘combines the density of an eau de parfum with the brightness of the eau de toilette.’ And you know what? It’s definitely our favourite incarnation of this bestseller yet. Yes, you’ll recognise the zestily juicy citron accord – oh, and the jasmine, scampering joyfully throughout. But there’s a new, elegant warmth to Chance, here, via an ambery teak base accord. Simply merveilleux! From £99 for 50ml eau de toilette chanel.com

BIBBI Swimming Pool

Evoking the exhilaration of wild swimming, inspired by the feel-good freshness of diving into a natural pool ‘somewhere in the south of Italy, believed to have healing powers’, the mineralic air settles in scented droplets as a salted mist on bare skin. A breeze of mint-tinged eucalyptus and green basil infuses aqueous, freshly sliced root ginger. It feels like surfacing, gasping, shivering slightly and climbing into the sun smiling, glad to be alive.

£225 for 100ml eau de parfum libertylondon.com

CHLOE Nomade Nuit d’Egypte

Nomade is off on its travels again, this time to Egypt, birthplace of Chloé founder Gaby Aghion. Here, Juliette Karagueuzoglou mines the country’s rich fragrant history, basing the scent around the ancient elixir of kyphi, burned as incense in Ancient Egypt. Myrrh wafts through the 90% natural origin scent from the get-go, spiced by ginger and cinnamon, honeyed by broom flower and orange blossom, while its exotic finale – vanilla, amber, cypriol – seduces completely. From £65 for 30ml eau de parfum thefragranceshop.co.uk

BILLIE

EILISH

Eilish No.3

Is there nothing the accomplished Billie Eilish can’t do? While she didn’t personally compose this, the third in her successful scent line-up, word is she keeps a close nose on the final versions. Here, a luminous sparkle of grapefruit, pink pepper and jasmine sighs into a sizzle of saffron-spiked fir needles and dry cedar. Glowing amber rounds the oakmoss snuggle of a dry-down, all presented in Billie’s signature sculpted bottle. Encore!

£52 for 100ml eau de parfum superdrug.com

DIOR Miss Dior Parfum

Not to be confused with the original classic Miss Dior (which remains in their portfolio), Francis Kurkdjian has created the most intense version yet of the modern Miss Dior (which happens to have the same name). Fresh with mandarin, harnessing a particular, fruity-faceted jasmine, floral and gourmand notes are combined to leave a lasting, ambery-woody impression on the skin. We’re loving the signature Miss Dior houndstooth motif etched into the bottle, too. From £78 for 30ml parfum theperfumeshop.com

DIOR New Look

Francis Kurkdjian has been busy, at Dior. Again, not to be confused with the tuberose-powered New Look 1947 fragrance – which was previously found the Collection Privée – this light-filled iteration contrasts freshness with soft, ambery warmth. First, a burst of aldehydic, almost soapy airiness. Next, cool frankincense. Finally, an irresistibly opulent base of amber. ‘I combined raw materials that have multiple fresh, effusive, supple and sensual facets.’ He had us at first whoosh.

From £125 for 40ml eau de parfum dior.com

ELIE SAAB

Le Parfum Bridal

Perfectly conjuring the swish and sparkle of the iconic Elie Saab couture wedding gowns (but far more affordable than one of those fairy-tale creations), a bright glimmer of mandarin overlays the romantic glow of orange blossom and sunlit neroli. Veiled with creamy vanilla, swagged by ylang ylang and gardenia, the musk, benzoin, and amber of the base feel like expertly tailored invisible stitches creating an effortless drape of softly gathered textures. Simply dreamy. £49 for 30ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

EIGHT & BOB La Musique de Christie

A perfumed tribute to the magical spirit of the Glyndebourne Festival – one of England’s most beloved and exclusive musical gatherings – La Musique de Christie also celebrates Glyndebourne’s creator, John Christie. An ‘aromatic symphony’ of Greek saffron, leather, moss and nutmeg shivers passionately through warm air, echoing the spellbinding notes of the performers, and the feelings they elicit, as it ‘transports the senses to a starry night full of music and emotion.’ £238 for 50ml extrait de parfum harveynichols.com

A travelling perfumer with her own portable headspace machine (with which she captures aromas that she encounters), Sonia Constant’s latest olfactory reverie was born on the shores of Italy’s sparkling Lake Como. A black vanilla orchid is recreated via marshmallow, saffron and petitgrain, fused with oleander and magnolia. In the silvery waters we see the reflections of gracious sequoias and drifts of incense from ancient churches. A cool, contemplative, silvery dream. £215 for 100ml extrait de parfum harveynichols.com

ELECTIMUSS Cupid’s Kiss

Julien Rasquinet was inspired here by ‘the complexity of love’; launched for Valentine’s Day, it’s an olfactory reminder that love deserves to be celebrated more than once a year. We know there’ll be many whose hearts will beat faster for this somewhat nostalgic, elegant blend of pink pepper, bergamot, soft orris and aromatic immortelle, rendered animalic by smooth notes of suede and sandalwood, all quietly whispering: come closer, nuzzle me. And stay. £395 for 100ml eau de parfum electimuss.com

FLORAIKU Spring River

How we’ve longed for ‘the season when flowers begin to bloom and the sun shines brighter.’ A fragrant hoorah to this joyous return of light and blossom, we are splashed with the solar freshness of petitgrain oil and embraced by the heady hopefulness of ylang ylang, while the gentle kiss of musky wood in the base ‘reminds you of the winter months past’. The stunning, refillable travel spray ‘cap’ is completely ingenious, too.

£260 for 50ml eau de parfum (+10ml travel spray) harrods.com

ELLA K Orchid K

GRANADO Flora Magnifica

As we’d expect from the Brazilian fragrance house, there’s an exotic feel to Givaudan perfumer Leandro Petit’s creation, which pays tribute to Brazilian biodiversity and the magic of flowers. A humming bouquet of classic floral notes – rose, magnolia, jasmine – is fused with jungly coconut blossom and juicy nectarine, wrapped in musk and creamy sandalwood. At once green and bright, soft and feminine, it’s poised to samba onto many a perfumista’s dressing table.

£110 for 75ml eau de parfum granado.uk

HUGO BOSS

Boss The Scent for Her Elixir

Dark flowers bloom within this mysteryswathed, intensified scent. Belladonna is notorious, of course, in nature – the Atropa belladonna plant can actually kill. But in perfume, it features as a ‘fantasy’ note, to conjure intrigue and danger via intense depths of velvety mystery. Imagining dark petals and a hypnotically sensual allure, the va-va-voom is intensified via unctuous ribbons of liquid amber sprinkled with radiant pops of pink pepper. Sashay while wearing, we suggest. £89 for 30ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

GUERLAIN L’Art et La Matière Néroli Plein Sud

First, we are catapulted into high summer, all white floaty frocks, espadrilles, rosé-fuelled lunches in the shade of umbrellas, as we bathe in the sunlit airiness of a uniquely potent orange blossom material, discovered in Morocco by Guerlain’s perfumers, Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk. Much more than a fleeting fresh Cologne, however, hidden depths emerge on skin, with turmeric, vetiver, cinnamon and sandalwood proffering a lasting, contrastingly mysterious trail.

£295 for 100ml eau de parfum guerlain.com

INITIO PARFUMS Narcotic Delight

Joining Initio’s Carnal Blends menu, this ‘dares to engage with fantasy – fuelling ingredients and carnal notes with the power to awaken pleasure, to stir physical attraction...’ Pondering how to stir such vigorous passions, when you barely have the energy for stirring your tea? Nestled amidst warmly tingling cognac, drifts of tobacco and a dash of black cherry, is hedione, ‘a molecule that opens the pleasure receptors in the brain.’ Gosh!

£245 for 90ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

HERMETICA Tonkandy

Inviting us to recall ’a world of unctuous delights, childhood memories and gourmandises’, this nostalgically delicious, unashamedly moreish scent feels somehow worthy of a breath-y voiceover. ‘This isn’t just any gourmand,’ it might say; ‘this is a powdery, almond-rich, tonka-infused gourmand, swirled with sweetness, enrobed with dark caramel to tantalise the senses and make you hungry for more…’ Tonka lovers, prepare yourselves for a full-on addiction. £110 for 50ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

ISSEY MIYAKE

L’Eau d’Issey Solar Violet

The usual caveat with fragrance is: don’t wear it in the sun. But this Marie Salamagne creation has been dermatologically tested and declared safe in the sun without irritation (though it should be accompanied by suitable SPF, of course). And oh, you’ll want to wear it, with violet’s powderiness freshened by juicy pear. Coolly fresh yet sensual, it’s one of a L’Eau d’Issey duo (see p.56), which ‘narrate a passionate tale of light and contrast.’ Quite brilliantly, may we say. £101 for 100ml eau de toilette johnlewis.com

JO MALONE LONDON Red Hibiscus

This is one of those occasions when the flacon colour truly reflects the olfactive creation inside. It’s inspired by the striking beauty and exoticism of the red hibiscus flower, with which we have ‘a chance encounter…in a tropical forest’. Shot through with shafts of jasmine sambac, the juice is the olfactory equivalent effect of holding this deep red glass bottle to the light and watching the scarlet depths brighten like sunrise. Gloriously evocative.

£106 for 50ml Cologne intense jomalone.co.uk

KILIAN Fièvre Verte

Absinthe, anyone? If that so-naughty French liquor is too strong for your blood, instead you might like to enjoy it via Kilian Hennessy’s debut collaboration with perfumer Mathieu Nardin. (Fièvre Verte translates as ‘green fairy’, absinthe’s nickname). Pastel green in colour and completely shareable, this is a haze of violet leaf and liquorice root absolute, threaded throughout with patchouli, creating a woody accord with vetiver and sandalwood. Make ours a double. £195 for 50ml eau de parfum bykilian.co.uk

KAYALI

Eden Sparkling Lychee | 39

The epitome of optimistic cheerfulness, this rushes out of the bottle with the mouth-watering succulence of luscious lychee, tart blackcurrant and sugardusted, candied violet – notes that serve instantly to lighten the mood. The florals here aren’t heavy or heady, instead maintaining a flirty frivolity that feels like charm and confidence, wrapped in joie de vivre. Moreish caramelised amber, vanilla and airy musk bedeck the base, making this happiness personified.

£73 for 50ml eau de parfum hudabeauty.com

In tandem with their perfumers, L’Occitane whittled down 800 floral ingredients to a handful, chosen for the ‘Unforgettable Flowers’ line-up. Thus, the unique personality of three flowers has been brought to life: May blossom (in Noble Epine), sweet clover (Melilot), and the bloom featured here, Barbotine, a.k.a. ‘golden button, a symbol of immortality in Ancient Greece, which shines alongside lily of the valley, chamomile, ambergris, cedarwood and sandalwood.

£69 for 50ml eau de parfum uk.loccitane.com

KENZO Flower by Kenzo Ikebana

A bouquet of sunshine, this pays homage to both the Japanese art of minimalistic, pared-back floral arrangement (which appears simple, but can take decades to master), and the fluffy yellow pompom-ed flower which delights us by blossoming in the darker days presaging spring. Of 91% natural origin, including an exceptional quality of that powdery yet light-filled mimosa, it’s structured around hinoki wood, dotted with sesame seeds, and breathtakingly beautiful.

From £78 for 40ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN Reflets d’ambre

More adept at sending shafts of bright light through fragrance than any other perfumer we could name, Francis Kurkdjian heads off in a new direction for his own perfume house, to explore the richness and warmth of amber, via a super-sensual base accord. But an MFK scent without sunlight would be like a room with the curtains closed, so there’s shimmer and airiness from jasmine, pink pepper and hedione. Sheer brilliance (and we’d expect nothing less). £230 for 70ml eau de parfum harrods.com

L’OCCITANE Barbotine

MARC JACOBS

Daisy Eau So Fresh Pop

Make room on that dressing table, collectors, for perfect, matte pink ‘pop’ editions of Love, Eau So Fresh (above) and original Daisy – not merely special flacons, but vibrant reinterpretations by Alberto Morillas, no less. Each is flirty, feminine and fun, with Eau So Fresh Pop introduced by a fizz of lemon and pear, offering a pretty-pretty heart of violet and raspberry, and lingering wafts of musk, cedarwood, vanilla. Eau So Collectible, too.

£73 for 75ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ for her Musc Nude

Astonishingly, we are reminded that it’s 20 years since Narciso Rodriguez first debuted his Chypre signature scent. We were wowed then, and we’re wowed now by the hazy, second-skin sensuality of Sonia Constant’s interpretation, which shimmers with solar facets, illuminating sheer florals including damask rose, jasmine, orange blossom. Musks abound, of course, and as your body warms the fragrance, patchouli and tonka beguile. The nude bottle is equally sexy.

£120 for 100ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

MIZENSIR Palisandre Night

Walking in the forest, we now know, is more than mere exercise for the body; it can give all the senses a workout, even improving our health as we breathe in its verdant aromas (see p.31). So, imagine following the moonlit trail of legendary perfumer (and founder of Mizensir), Alberto Morillas. Evoking the hushed shadows of towering trees through Dreamwood, patchouli and guaiac wood, its darkness is lit by swathes of silvery Cetalox.

£265 for 200ml eau de parfum harrods.com

SABRINA CARPENTER Sweet Tooth

We’ll stick our noses out here to predict that this is going to be the most fun bottle design for 2024. (And yes, we know it’s only March.) From Sabrina Carpenter, singer, songwriter, actress, designer and Insta-sensation (er, 32 million followers), the gourmand scent is as sweet as you’d imagine, deliberately reminiscent of a candy shop with its notes of vanilla, chocolate marshmallow, coconut milk and Chantilly cream. Quite the scented sugar rush.

From £24.99 for 30ml eau de toilette superdrug.com

MOSCHINO TOY 2 Pearl

We’ve always felt Toy’s bottle was more than a little genius, but in this glorious rendering, the cuddly curves shimmer with iridescent colours reminiscent of the seabed. The scent within is inspired by Tahitian mother of pearl, with lemon and oregano lifting freesia and hydroponic jasmine (first time we’ve encountered it grown that way), plus a ‘warm sand’ note. Putting more fun into the finale: vetiver, cypress and suitably snuggleable musks.

From £45 for 30ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

SERGES LUTENS L’Orpheline

The stark lines and haunting puppet imagery of this special edition bottle reveal Lutens’ achingly personal inspiration. Childhood separation always on his mind (Lutens was separated from his mother when weeks old), the cold flagstones of a darkened church echo here to carefully paced footsteps, before billows of smoke clear and slender slivers of brightness appear. L’Orpheline – ‘the orphan’ – is veiled in deep mystery, its emotions running deep.

£135 for 50ml eau de parfum sergeslutens.co.uk

THE BODY SHOP

Full Magnolia

The Body Shop has been much in the news, of late – but while iconic Dewberry and White Musk have been hogging the airwaves, this floral-fruity beauty has quietly unfurled its pretty petals in the Full Flowers perfume range, reminding us that the magnolia trend isn’t going away. This references the whole flower – soft petals, woody stems, green leaves, even the tree’s less well-known fruits and resins. It’s magnolia in Sensurround – or rather, scent-surround.

£42 for 75ml eau de parfum thebodyshop.com

TOCCA Lucia

Tocca’s girl-gang has a new recruit: flirty Lucia, composed to embody dolce far niente, the delicious and seductive Italian phrase describing the languid art of slow living. If you long for more time in your life for books, friends, or just lolling around doing nothing in particular, allow this to set a new pace with its straight-from-thegarden note of lush fig, woven with sunlit Italian lemon and vetiver. An olfactory pause button, in our oftenoverwhelming world.

£76 for 50ml eau de parfum fenwick.co.uk

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Maria Callas

Marking the 100th anniversary of the legendary diva’s birth, this is an olfactory autobiography, full of contrast. Yann Vasnier and Olivier Pescheux show us the public image of Callas, vibrating with barely restrained passion via zesty Italian lemon and Georgywood™ – a hugely powerful Givaudan synthetic note, its sensuality similar to the more widely used, addictively skin-like ISO E Super. Tenderly fluttering with rose and neroli in the heart, a vulnerability emerges. £136 for 50ml eau de parfum themerchantofvenice.com

TOM FORD

Private Blend

Vanilla Fatale

It’s all about vanilla at Tom Ford, right now. Vanilla Fatale tempts us with the spice at its most dramatic and daring, via a specific material known as vanilla resinoid, which says everything about its sticky richness. There’s a jolt of coffee absolute, the warmth of roasted barley, swirling around a mahogany wood accord for structure, with frankincense, myrrh, vetiver and oakmoss. Wrapped in suede’s soft embrace, this is so, so moreish.

From £290 for 50ml eau de parfum tomford.co.uk

THOO Crazy Bon Bon Pop

Imagination is allowed to run wild in THOO’s ‘Crazy Collection’, its fragrant flights of fancy wittily reflected in the hand-decorated bottles. Bon Bon Pop whisks us to nostalgic childhood memories of filling paper bags with treats. Inviting us as adults to feel like that kid in the sweetshop again, perfumer Douglas Morel fuses white peach, coconut, caramel-drizzled amber and a reassuringly woody base, to soothe, after we’ve gorged ourselves – albeit olfactorially. £220 for 75ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

TOM FORD Vanilla Sex

Continuing his love for double entendre names, Ford taps into the contradiction of ‘vanilla’ being used to suggest someone who is rather bland in the bedroom. In reality, vanilla has been shown to heighten pleasure, perhaps even a potent aphrodisiac. An exclusive Indian vanilla tincture and bitter almond here balance tonka bean’s nuttiness, with a mélange of ‘mysterious florals’ on an irresistible sandalwood base. A scented pleasure that’s ‘far from innocent.’

£290 for 50ml eau de parfum tomford.co.uk

VALENTINO

Born in Roma Green Stravaganza Donna

Fans of Lapsang Souchong (we so are!), roll up, roll up for this Stravaganza, which is focused on an accord of that smoky tea, paired intriguingly with opulent jasmine absolute and bathed in vanilla’s warmth, a composition said to take its cue from the Roman gardens which offer an oasis of cool in summer’s blasting heat. The iconic Valentino bottle makes a reappearance – and we thrill to it every time.

From £67 for 30ml eau de parfum valentino-beauty.co.uk

YARDLEY English Jasmine

Who doesn’t love encountering wafts of jasmine, while strolling through summer streets? In perfumery, jasmine is a pillar ingredient – even if undeclared, it helps to structure a fragrance – but here, it’s the shining star, alongside opulent tuberose and frangipani. At first breath, English Jasmine’s all a-sparkle and fresh with lemon and mandarin; as it dries down, musk and cedarwood emerge. Altogether sensual, warm – like the summer we can only hope for. £17.50 for 125ml eau de toilette boots.com

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Encens Precieux

As with their jewels, Van Cleef & Arpels excel at faceting exquisite fragrant ingredients to showcase their beauty and moods. Here, Jordi Fernandez focuses on the transcendental power of incense (see p.10) to surround us in a cloak of protective, scented smoke that drifts invisibly for hours. Classically blending myrrh and pepper atop tobacco and vanilla-infused leather, incense is deployed as both a top and base note, for a softly billowing, transparently alluring trail.

£153 for 175ml eau de parfum harrods.com

YSL

Libre L’Absolu Platine

Fresher, cleaner, cooler than the Libre you may know and love (because this YSL launch has become quite the blockbuster), Platine bursts with citrus freshness, bergamot and mandarin powered out of the bottle on a tide of almost soapy aldehydes. Softening, smoothing, while retaining that crispness, this Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm collaboration melds together orange blossom, two lavenders, vanilla and ambergris, for a new Libre twist that’s surprisingly shareable, with it. From £110 for 50ml parfum escentual.com

YARDLEY English Daffodil

Embodying that squeal-inducing blaze of yellow flowers which suddenly signals an English springtime, ‘symbolising new beginnings, joy, and happiness’, this light-filled fragrance fuses grapefruit blossom, lemon zest, crisp green apple, and a hint of peach atop the daffs. Tiptoeing further into the woods we find lily of the valley’s delicate scent and a sheer jasmine borne aloft on a softly musky, cedar breeziness, snuggled in the warmer glow of an amber dry-down.

£17.50 for 125ml eau de toilette boots.com

ZADIG & VOLTAIRE This Is Really Her

This had us at bonjour, when first encountered at a recent designer fragrance showcase. Created by Sidonie Lancesseur, TIRH has a vintage feel – confirmed by the perfumer, who tells us: ‘With its original, bright metallic accents, the rose here is an homage to the timeless elegance of Paris, and to its avant-garde side, while the warm, woody and amber notes evoke the spirit of adventure of night-time Paris.’ We’re spritzing on repeat.

£119 for 100ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

AMAFFI Maracoca for Him

Nathalie Feisthauer was enlisted by super-luxe fragrance house AMAFFI to create the men’s Maracoca (see also p.47), a mystical combination of sagebrush, lavender, intoxicating amyris, rich vanilla and musk, smoke drifting throughout; to contrast freshness with woodiness, the perfumer added a touch of orange blossom. As Nathalie says, ‘AMAFFI challenges us to push the boundaries of our imagination and pursue perfection without compromise.’

£4,500 for 90ml eau de parfum amaffi.com

BON PARFUMEUR 702

A breath of fresh air, is Paris-based Bon Parfumeur, in a world in which prices are climbing skywards. Priced from just £28 for a decent travel size, featuring sustainable ingredients, these fragrances won’t need saving for best. The latest addition to their line-up is a barber shop-inspired, sparkling blend of lemon, elemi and pink pepper, with an aromatic-woody heart of lavender, incense, cashmere woods and cedar, snuggled in vanilla and white musk. Spritz with absolute abandon! £45 for 30ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com

AMOUAGE Purpose

The time seems perfect for Purpose to work its woody, cooling, calming magic. With wafts of glacial airiness, it vibrates with the promise of ‘a shamanic awakening, the scent of feeling at peace, of finding your roots, of feeling complete.’ And don’t we all need some of that? Seasonally befitting new beginnings and contemplation, Quentin Bisch wraps a budded rose with an olfactory mantle of butter-soft suede, bedded in tobacco’s strength and shadowy vetiver’s chill.

£320 for 100ml eau de parfum selfridges.com

CREED

Aventus Absolu

Creed Aventus has become a total global scent phenomenon, and its fans will surely be cashing in a sliver of a bitcoin for this limited edition, which opens with a whoosh of zesty grapefruit before vetiver drifts in to infuse the pineapple and patchouli heart with its smoky depth. The sexy black flacon is most definitely not designed to be tucked away in a bathroom cupboard, meanwhile – but then, there was never anything understated about Aventus. £320 for 75ml eau de parfum creedfragrances.co.uk

BARBOUR Origins for Him

This is a fragrant homage to the change of seasons, something we feel particularly aware of as fragrance lovers – smelling the season approaching before we can even see signs of it in nature. Within this sartorially signature Barbour bottle, baies roses is speckled with the cool spice of cardamom, while mandarin is warmed by earthy patchouli. A reassuring hug of cedarwood and grounding vetiver with golden amber completes the scented celebration, wonderfully.

£76 for 100ml eau de parfum barbour.com

EIGHT & BOB La Geste d’Edmond

Vanilla ‘has seduced Europe since the 16th century’, we’re told. Since it has most certainly seduced us, how we welcome this homage to Edmond Albius, the young apprentice of a French landowner who was behind the discovery of the hand-pollination which gives us this precious, sweet perfumery ingredient. The finest Bourbon vanilla is laced with wood, amber, a tingle of cinnamon and stimulating ginger for ‘a sensory experience that lingers in the soul.’

£238 for 50ml extrait de parfum harveynichols.com

FLORIS Wilde

Who knew that Oscar Wilde – he of the green carnation buttonhole, dandyish demeanour and audacious creativity – was a devoted customer of Floris? The Jermyn Street boutique has a rich seam of history with which to inspire their creations, and this creation dazzles with citrus blossom and bergamot, before the spicy heart of carnation, ginger and white jasmine swaggers in. Lastly, we have the utter sophistication of sandalwood, benzoin and olibanum. Shockingly good!

From £30 for 10ml eau de parfum florislondon.com

ISSEY MIYAKE

L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Solar Lavender

Olfactory solace, for when life becomes perhaps a little too fast paced. At once cool and warm (a particularly clever perfumery trick), in this 93% natural, fresh spin on Pour Homme, Marie Salamagne showcases ethically-sourced, aromatic Provence lavender with violet leaf, rippled by a light breeze of aquatic notes to conjure images of calm, inviting waters. There’s Sichuan pepper for warmth, cedarwood for depth, and we advise: simply spritz and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. £89 for 100ml eau de toilette johnlewis.com

GOLDFIELD & BANKS Silky Woods Elixir

Made with sustainably harvested oudh sourced from the heart of an Australian rainforest, this has to be up there as one of the most astonishing examples of that woody ingredient that we’ve ever smelled – not least because it’s so gorgeously green! Steamily verdant, like a cloud of mist humidly clinging to leaves, the vaporous forest-y notes mingle with a smokiness that reminds us rather blissfully of the scent of freshly laid tarmac. (A favourite smell, among The Scented Letter team.)

£215 100ml eau de parfum harrods.com

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ

For Him Vetiver Musc

Riven through with the signature musk note that has been a signature of the Narciso scents for two blockbuster decades, this version has the coolness of cardamom, cypress, and (of course) vetiver. But wait, what’s that mineralic, slightly salt-air breeziness? Red seaweed renders the composition savoury in its delectability as it warms on skin, offering a brand-new twist on the original. Despite the ‘For Him’ in the name, we’ll certainly be stealing. Sorry not sorry, boys!

£65 for 50ml eau de toilette theperfumeshop.com

HUGO BOSS BOSS The Scent Elixir

Not often does a note of ‘red-hot pimento’ turns up in an ingredients list, but perfumer Nelly Hachem-Ruiz includes fiery essence of chilli in in this 25% concentration, the most potent BOSS The Scent fragrance to date. Its cool counterpoint is organic lavandin absolute, drying down to Caledonian sandalwood. A scent that is equally at home on a chap, we’d say, smooching seductively on the dancefloor of a West End nightclub, or sitting around a campfire sharing tales of derring-do. From £89 for 50ml parfum johnlewis.com

PACO RABANNE Phantom Parfum

What’s sexier than a shiny chrome robot? A matte black robot, that’s what. The flacon is a design masterpiece (perfume’s equivalent of the Apple watch) – but so is the juice within, its most seductive incarnation created ‘to liberate the risk-taker with an edge of darkness.’ Quintessentially masculine, this aromatic fougère offers classical geranium, patchouli and woods, modernised by bergamot, lemon, rhubarb and cardamom, buffed by vanilla and tolu. Futuristic, fabulous. From £66 for 50ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

PARFUMS DE MARLY Perseus

Woody, aromatic yet breezily fresh, Perseus is named for another of the trusted steeds belonging to Louis XV, famed for his ‘Perfumed Court’. Galloping out of the bottle with an enlivening citrus burst – grapefruit, bergamot, green mandarin – it settles down to the classic sophistication of vetiver and geranium. Ambergris, Cashmere wood and other, drier woody notes prove vigorous, masculine, modern yet elegant, taking their time to reach the finishing line, on the skin. £245 for 125ml eau de parfum uk.parfums-de-marly.com

TOM FORD Oud Minerale

The perfect cross-seasonal scent? Oh yes indeed. Silver fir needles and ambergris offer visions of walking at dawn through slowly brightening beachside woods, a smile on your face, the scent of your lover’s warm body still clinging to yours, of tender kisses and rumpled sheets. Technically masculine, we know many women who are currently adoring this – so, gentlemen, you might perhaps consider a sturdy lock on your fragrance cabinet door?

£156 for 50ml eau de parfum tomford.co.uk

SHAY & BLUE  Cedarwood Grapefruit

Juicy grapefruit provides a rip-roaring start to this so-reviving scent from the British perfume house, with supporting notes of neroli and roasted coffee beans adding sunlit brightness and a go-getting vigour, by turns. The pencil-shaving woodiness of the cedar provides a welcome nostalgic balance and smoothness, but overall, this is one to turn to on dull days, or whenever you need an extra ZIP! of energy. (You might wear it during Zoom meetings, for starters.) £65 for 100ml eau de parfum qvc.com

VALENTINO

Born in Roma Green Stravaganza Uomo

Like its feminine counterpart (see p.54) – and similarly eye-catchingly bottled, the flacon paying homage to the Valentino Rockstud detail on many of their accessories – this seeks to evoke Rome’s irrepressible energy and excitement. With bergamot and coffee to get our pulses racing, we’re then beckoned into the city’s serene gardens via a the fougère heart, where vetiver offers welcome shade. Can’t get to the Eternal City for a spring mini-break? Spritz and dream, instead. £85 for 100ml eau de parfum boots.com

THOO Crazy Gambling

Perfumer Maurizio Cerizza’s creation suggests the wearer is dashing and original – just like this stunning bottle. His coffee has a generous tot of whiskey swirled through it, the intriguing waft of airy galbanum with vetiver, cypress and cedar suggesting a brisk outdoorsy walk to calm the nerves before hitting the tables. As it settles, darker notes of amyris, guaiac wood and resinously sweet benzoin sigh to skin-like ambrette. Faites vos jeux, messieurs

£220 for 75ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

ZADIG & VOLTAIRE

This is Really Him

Influenced by the distinctively cool yet laid-back Zadig style, inspired by a day exploring Paris that turns into an ongoing adventure, Z&G say this is ‘the fragrance equivalent of the metallic leather piece in your closet that goes from dusk to dawn and back again.’ We say: it’s one of the best woody/amber fragrances we’ve smelled for ages (and at any price). Gleaming, gilded orange blossom, grapefruit, and transcendental palo santo accord? Book us a ticket. £82 for 100ml eau de toilette theperfumeshop.com

“GREAT WRITERS

understand how a scent can transport us through time and space, often to a longed-for halcyon past. When it was suggested that I might like to write this column – a huge honour for this writer, perfumelover, and amateur nose – three thoughts sprang to mind. First were of my beloved grandmother’s Massachusetts garden and home – myriad flowers, cut grass, an enormous pine tree, and blueberry pies. Next, I thought of my darling godmother’s Cape Cod home, flowers everywhere, and always in the background the scent from the bay of salt air and wild flora.

Scottish castle

Perfume Society VIP Club member SUZANNE

KELLY shares how scents in our discovery boxes whisk her to a favourite location

outdoor floral, grass, pine and wood was present, but the hall was Marc’s domain. The room contained, but was not overpowered by, his pipe’s smoke. This soft, fruity smoke mingled with the aroma from the woodpile near the huge fire, which blazed in colder seasons. The room was also filled with books and papers, which made their presence known to my nose. Huge leather sofas sat near the fire. Karen’s delicious cooking – vegetable soups, roasts, baking –enriched the Scottish Castle perfume, at different times.

The third thought to arise is a distinctive scent from my memory which I will call ‘Scottish Castle’. As a recent V.I.P. Club sign-up to The Perfume Society, I am taking advantage of the many curated collections on offer, and recently received ‘Launches to Love’. Among its many alluring, tantalising scents was Maya Njie’s heady Tobak, whose combination of notes – including leather and tobacco leaf – transported me instantly to Scotland.

In last autumn’s Perfume Society Subscription collection, there is a musky, floral Granado scent called Nostalgia featuring pink pepper, rose, lily, and amber. I get a strong sense of old parchment and books from this, too, which also magically conjures up elements from my Scottish Castle memories.

What is this ‘Scottish Castle’ scent? When I lived in Aberdeen, I had the privilege of occasionally working for Marc Ellington, Laird of Towie Barclay Castle, which he and his wife lovingly restored. I arrived for work on a bus, and once away from the road’s fumes, I walked, gravel crunching underfoot, into the castle grounds. These were tended tirelessly by Karen Ellington, a talented horticulturalist. The walk to the castle through the manicured formal gardens led me past an array of flowers and shrubs with ever-changing colours and scents; I remember lavender, rose, delicate white flowers, cut grass, with pine and wood from the wider grounds.

Opening the ancient wooden door, ascending the spiral stone stairs into the Great Hall: this is where the Scottish Castle scent was most powerful. Some of that lovely

That room was filled with antiques and antiquities. Did I also faintly detect the 16th century wooden furniture’s aroma, the wall hangings, leather-covered furniture, even a bit of metal – perhaps verdigris – from the suits of armour and weaponry? Did I even discern a scent from the ancient stones? I fancy I did.

If the pipe and wood smokes were the base note of Scottish Castle, and garden and baking the heart notes, the top note was the faintest scent of the finest whiskies, meanwhile. Marc worked on a book on illicit liqueur distilling. A large silver tray held some of the top Scottish whiskies ever created. Sampling some of these, I definitely caught the rich golden whisky notes, the warming, cheering alcohol offering up oak, vanilla and honey notes.

When it was spring, Scottish Castle was fresh and gently floral, via cut flowers brought indoors. In winter as the fireplace logs burned, throwing shadows into the earlydarkening hall, the smells were rich, heady, comforting. When someone began to peel an orange or clementine, then Scottish Castle became a quintessentially intoxicating Yuletide essence.

Marc passed away, and Towie Barclay has recently been sold. As they say, ‘you can never go back’. But I consider myself incredibly lucky enough to have seen and felt – and smelled – this lovingly-restored home. I certainly can’t go back, but any time I get even a partial combination of these scents, in my imagination I can see the stone walls, the garden, great hall, practically hearing Marc’s charismatic, confident voice again.

And in my dreams – and now, when I wear Tobak – I sometimes find myself there again.

“Did I even discern a scent from the ancient stones? I fancy I did”

The