Heaven scent
Katie Wright sniffs out the season’s best scents
If you’ve watched telly, walked down a high street or flicked through a fashion magazine recently, you may have noticed there’s been a major increase in the amount of fragrance ads, many of them involving beautiful A-list actresses. You might have seen Jennifer Lawrence frolicking in a swimming pool in LA, Emilia Clarke crooning in a crowded Italian restaurant or Rooney Mara looking moody in an abandoned underground station. That’s because September was the month when the world’s perfume houses release what they hope will be their next bestseller, and pump lots of money into advertising to make sure that we, the consumers, know about them. So now’s a good time to shop if you’re looking for a new signature scent, but since you can’t actually smell TV screens or billboards, we’ve gathered last month’s olfactory offerings to sniff out the competition and decide which are worth splashing out on – because these are all in the premium perfume category, of course. Here are the seven biggest women’s fragrance launches of 2018 – and what they’re actually like.
Dior Joy Eau DE Parfum, £75 for 50ml, THE Perfume Shop
Jennifer Lawrence, who fronts the Joy campaign, says the scent is “citrusy, flowery... it’s fresh.”
We agree. The mandarin and bergamot notes make this a really bright and zesty juice, so much so, some might find it a bit too summery as we head into autumn.
Jo by Jo loves, £70 for 50ml
Another sunny, citrus-based fragrance, the first eponymous offering from Jo Malone CBE is inspired by holidays in Portugal.
Grapefruit is the star of the show here, alongside bitter orange and lime, so we predict that fans of the fruity Jo Loves classic Pomelo will be hooked in no time.
Dolce & Gabbana THE only one Eau DE Parfum, £63 for 50ml, John lewis
British actress Emilia Clarke was chosen by Dolce & Gabbana to star in a very glamorous campaign for the fashion brand’s latest scent.
The Only One contains notes of coffee, and while they aren’t immediately obvious, the overall effect is as warm and rich as a steaming Americano.
Combined with violet, iris and vanilla, this perfume smells, in a word, expensive.
Givenchy l’interdit Eau DE Parfum, £69 for 50ml, boots
If you have a penchant for fragrances that are warm and enveloping, Givenchy L’interdit will likely appeal.
Inspired by a Givenchy perfume of the same name from 1957 (it means ‘forbidden’), the new version pairs heady white florals – like tuberose and jasmine – with woody notes, and a healthy dose of amber rounding out the elegant composition.
Paco rabanne Pure XS for her Eau DE Parfum, £80 for 80ml, THE Perfume Shop
Perfumer Quentin Bisch said he wanted to bottle the essence of an orgasm with this perfume, the face of which is the suitably sexy Emily Ratajkowski.
Thankfully, it’s more of a figurative interpretation; ylang-ylang is the central accord (that’s perfumer speak for ingredient) with hints of popcorn and vanilla, giving it a gourmand quality.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth when it comes to scents, make a beeline for this beauty.
Jo malone london honeysuckle & Davana cologne, £94 for 100ml
Don’t know what davana is? Neither did we until we came across Jo Malone’s latest release. It’s an Indian shrub, apparently, and lends a delicate herby touch to the cologne.
The sweetness of honeysuckle and rose are at the heart, while moss notes add earthiness. This is Jo Malone at it’s eccentric British best.
cartier carat Eau DE Parfum, £67.50 for 50ml, John lewis
Described as an olfactory rainbow, Carat is inspired by the way diamonds refract light and is made up of seven different flower scents.
From red tulip to purple violet, the florals are perfectly balanced, coming together to create a potent bouquet.