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.
A question of taste
Of course, while trends come and go, the one thing that remains constant is our own taste in perfume and not everyone will love the new breed. But tastes evolve and with so many interesting, sophisticated scents around at the moment, there’s never been a better time to play amateur aficionado. Apart from anything, you’re more likely to find something that truly moves you. Whatever you do, be brave. The world of fragrance is too vast and varied to get stuck in a rut. Below are some of our favourite examples to get you started but don’t stop with those. Get out there – and inhale!
Chergui, £62 for 50ml edp, by Serge Lutens
Synonymous with more masculine, woody notes and complex, elegantly crafted fragrances, the Serge Lutens brand has had huge influence on consumer trends. Chergui is a fantastically complicated smell that like great tobacco is earthy, smoky, rich and mellow with a peppery edge. It was produced as a limited edition a few years ago but re-launches this August. Be sure to grab a bottle before it disappears again.
Sycomore, £160 for 200ml edp, by Chanel
This luxurious vetiver, dashed with spices was the result of Coco Chanel’s dream of a powerful, woody fragrance that would stand on its own and ‘create a mystery that would last a long time.’ Experience this, alongside the entire range of Chanel fragrances – including brand new Beige – at the new Chanel Olfactory Bar, opening in Selfridges in July.
Bois Morocain, £100 for 50ml edp, by Tom Ford
Rich, woody, sweet and creamy… the entire ELLE team loved this delicious, lingering scent that was created exclusively to help celebrate Selfridge’s 100th Anniversary.
Hypnoses Senses, £29 for 30ml edp, by Lancome (Available from July.)
This elegant scent is fruity and sparkly to start with but honey and patchouli provide a depth and richness that adds real interest. Lovely for the last days of summer.
Amka, £35.24 for 50ml edt, by Jo Wood Organics
This delicate fragrance owes its warm, lingering qualities to a cedar wood base, and makes a good choice if you want something satisfying but not too full-on.
Dark Amber & Ginger Lily cologne, £29.50 for 30ml, by Jo Malone
Everyone in the office was drawn to this ‘delicious’ fragrance, which contains exotic, aromatic notes of patchouli, leather, sandalwood and incense. Very wearable, very on-trend.
Finally, for the real deal head to El Qurashi’s new store on London’s Brompton Road. Hailing from the Middle East, this Aladdin’s cave of perfumery is home to more than 150 fragrances, almost all of which contain aoud.
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.
Uncommon scents
There’s a proliferation of smaller niche brands producing more interesting, less commercial perfumes, says Luca Turin, renowned perfume critic and author or Perfumes: The Guide (Profile Books, £20). ‘Unfettered by market research and big marketing budgets, these smaller companies are both more adventurous and creative,’ he says. ‘As a result we’re seeing perfumes that push the boundaries of what’s safe – and sellable: rich, heady, musky smells that aren’t so much butch as bold.’
What’s more, there’s a new, sophisticated audience waiting to buy them. Thanks to websites and perfume blogs, like nowsmellthis.com and The Perfumed Court, women are becoming increasingly interested in – and knowledgeable about – fragrances.
People are also placing more importance on legitimacy, says perfumer Roja Dove whose perfumery on the 5th floor at Harrods is an Aladdin’s cave of perfume and a paradise for anyone seeking out new, exotic and unusual fragrances. ‘Women are increasingly favouring more interesting, complex scents, and this places an emphasis on craftsmanship and unusual ingredients. They want something special, unique and genuinely luxurious.’
Spearheading perfume’s new it-notes is this year’s cult ingredient aoud (also written oud or oudh, and pronounced ood). Not so much new as newly-discovered, this exotic ingredient comes from the Arabian agarwood tree and instantly conjures up the Middle East where it’s been used for centuries as the fragrance of choice for everyone from sultans to serving girls. The smell, for those who haven’t yet had the pleasure, is smoky, woody and slightly tar-like. ‘It has enormous presence,’ says Dove. ‘It’s the new ingredient in perfume and it’s wonderful.’
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