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Now Smell This

Ostentatious displays of luxury might not be of-the-moment, but making a big statement with your perfume is right on-trend. Sharon Walker explores a brave new world.

Red lips. Textured hair. Contouring. While the latest hair and make-up trends have been strutting their stuff on the catwalk and red carpet, a quiet beauty revolution has been taking place in those stashes of glass bottles on our dressing tables. We’re slowly but surely changing the way we smell.
In distinct contrast to the flowery, fruity scents that have dominated fragrance halls in recent years – think J-Lo’s Glow, Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb and Ralph Lauren’s Romance – the new perfumes are big, complex scents that are heady, exotic, strident, masculine, or all of the above.

New notes

First brought to attention in the UK two years ago by Tom Ford who used it in his Private Blend Collection, aoud is about to find its way into the mainstream via various new launches. ‘Penhaligons are about to launch a fragrance with aoud,’ says Dove, then there’s Amouage by Dia, a sophisticated blend of green notes, peach blossom, white musk and aoud, and Boadicea The Victorious’s Provocative, which contains 35 per cent aoud, both launching for autumn. Quite a breakthrough bearing in mind aoud has been virtually non-existent in the UK till now.
Other key notes to look out for this season are vetiver, cedar wood, patchouli and salt, as well as old-school leather and tobacco – traditional ingredients that are enjoying a resurgence.
Though from a general perspective, these leathery, musky, woody notes are often seen as dirty and masculine, they are also the most adventurous and exclusive, says Alice Waghorn of bespoke London perfumer Miller Harris. ‘We’ve noticed more unusual, woody scents becoming very popular recently, and more women are buying Feuilles De Tabac, the number one best-seller among our male clientele. They appeal to customers who like to stand out from the crowd with a raw, strident scent.’
Even florals are getting the heady treatment right now. Chanel’s new Beige oozes honey, while Lancome’s new ‘floral chypre’ Hypnoses Senses derives its deep, woody base note from a dash of patchouli and is in direct contrast to their bestseller of recent years Tresor, a full-on floral.