Scents of independence

CRAFT BEER, ARTISAN GIN, INDIE MAGAZINES – MUCH OF THAT WHICH IS DONE WELL IS DONE ON A SMALL SCALE. THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR PERFUME, SAYS SIAN MEADES

“When we find a scent that’s truly ‘ours’ it’s powerful, like wearing our favourite dress”

Most people’s first experience with perfume was the bottle on their mum’s dressing table. Maybe it was Chanel No5, YSL’s Rive Gauche or Shalimar by Guerlain. Perhaps it was Lou Lou, with its instantly recognisable blue bottle. You always wanted to spray a little, but knew that you’d be rumbled instantly. Part of the appeal was that perfume was strictly for grown-ups. I used to play perfumer with a Tupperware of rain water and smooshed up rose petals. It wasn’t a particularly successful venture.

The world of perfume is now more accessible than ever before, and for me that means experimenting. Just as I drink beers from a variety of craft breweries, or enjoy trying different new gins, I am fickle with fragrance. I like to have options, depending on my mood, the occasion, even the weather. Sometimes I play around with a new perfume for a while, occasionally they become firm favourites on regular rotation.

We’re all searching for something personal. Something that feels like it’s been made just for us. I once pounced on a bottle of Cloon Keen when I was in Galway, discovering by chance a scent that smelled exactly like my holiday: rain, fog, stormy seas (it was the middle of November). When we find a scent that’s truly ‘ours’, it’s powerful, like wearing our favourite dress. It becomes another layer to our personality, another facet to the person we want the world to know. Perfume means that we can change our story every day in a single spritz.

Here’s a handful of indie perfumers that are trying someting different. If you’re buying online, some perfumers sell sample sizes, so you can try before you splash out on a big bottle, or you could phone to request a sample.

ETAT LIBRE D’ORANGE

If you’re looking for something offbeat, you’ve found it. From Fat Electrician, a vetiver number (see box, opposite) which takes its name from the film Midnight Cowboy, to Charogne, a gamey leather scent inspired by Baudelaire’s famous poem, French perfumery Etat Libre D’Orange is very much left of centre. You won’t like every single perfume they make, but half the fun is in the discovery. etatlibredorange.com

PENHALIGON’S

Its history dates back to the 19th century and the perfumes are steeped in a rich heritage but Penhaligon’s is anything but old fashioned. The bottles and scents are classically beautiful, but they’ve always got a modern twist – gin-based Juniper Sling is a huge hit (it’s more luscious hedgerow and botanicals than all-night session), and the unique bottles in the Portraits collection, which can be custom-engraved, are beautiful keepsakes in their own right. Come for the traditional florals, stay for the quirky charm. penhaligons.com

CLOON KEEN ATELIER

Cloon Keen was actually started by two filmmakers. Their workshop is in Galway and they’re heavily influenced by Ireland’s landscape and history. Taking inspiration from their time in the film industry, their modern perfumes are hugely evocative. Vetiver-based Frosted Moon is the perfume that reminds me of my rainy weekend in Ireland. cloonkeen.com

GORILLA

If there’s an instantly recognisable scent on any British high street, it’s Lush (turn to page 32 to find out more). The company’s perfume arm, Gorilla, has a serious cult following. Try The Smell of Weather Turning for that dreamy, almost-impossible-to-capture petrichor scent of rain on a summer’s day. uk.lush.com/tag/gorilla

JO LOVES

After selling her eponymous brand behind, Jo Malone signed an agreement with Estée Lauder that stopped her from working in the beauty industry for five years (see Wisdom, issue 35). When she was finally free, she created Jo Loves, a vibrant perfume brand that feels fresh and exciting and a lot younger than her original perfumery. Try the zingy Pomelo fragrance. joloves.com

4160 TUESDAYS

West London-based perfumer Sarah McCartney actually began working in the beauty industry as a copywriter for beauty powerhouse Lush. She learnt so much about perfumes that she decided to go it alone and created 4160 Tuesdays (so named because that’s the number of Tuesdays that we are estimated to see in our lifetime). Sunshine and Pancakes is like all your childhood holidays in a bottle. 4160tuesdays.com

FLORIS

Created in 1730, Floris is seriously luxe. The brand is every bit as glam and expensive as its Mayfair address. Give Jermyn Street, a perfume inspired by its 300-year history, a spritz, and you’ll understand. Pricy it may be, but the perfumes are about heritage and creating something that lasts – a bottle of eau de parfum will go a very long way. They understand how personal perfume is, too, so you can also spend a day with them creating your own bespoke fragrance. They’ll record it in their perfume ledger, so you can order it time and time again. florislondon.com

LABORATORY PERFUMES

Gender-free fragrances certainly didn’t go out of fashion with Calvin Klein’s Eternity. Laboratory Perfumes’ scents are inspired by nature: gorse, amber, tonka and samphire are bold scents in gorgeous packaging. They’re eco-conscious, too. laboratoryperfumes.com