TIME IS THE BEST CRITIC
Latest thinking on fragrance
On every perfume counter in the world you’ll
find the old beauties of fragrance still sitting alongside their ambitious granddaughters.
Age cannot wither a classic, says Vicci Bentley, nor custom stale her infinite variety…
New perfumes are like new partners… you never quite know how they’ll behave. Which is why we all have our old favourite spritzes, those half-full bottles we go back to when the chips are down. After all, if a little something you can rely on wafts you to a place where you know you’ll feel beautiful, confident, happy even, why wouldn’t you return to your first love?
They may not have changed history, but some scents just might have changed your life. Who gave you your first bottle of Chanel No 5? Who was in the charts when you first wore Obsession? Does a whiff of J’adore waft you back to those kick-ass heels you felt so sassy in? Last week, by the chill cabinets in M&S, I caught a snifter of someone wearing Mitsouko – and there I was back in the 1970s, sultry in the 1920s kimono I’d found in a flea market, desperate for approval from my arty squeeze du jour…
What makes these great scents unforgettable? ‘A classic fragrance has ingredients that are timeless, distinctive and instantly recognisable,’ believes Madeleine Cable, fragrance buyer at John Lewis, which counts Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne (launched in 1999), Tom Ford Black Orchid (2006) and Chanel No 5 (1921) among its current bestsellers.
Scent experts also remind us that the most memorable ones are Marmite… it’s that love/hate disruption that sticks. It’s a reason why Mugler’s Angel, with its chocolate-patchouli accord, has stayed a favourite on both sides of the Channel for 25 years.
‘The reason why we enjoy classic fragrances is that they’re so familiar, we can’t help but associate them with great times we’ve had,’ believes perfumer Ruth Mastenbroek. ‘It’s often hard for perfumers now to recreate these emotions without referring back to older, much-loved scents.’
Frédéric Malle’s Superstitious, for example, made in collaboration with designer Alber Elbaz, is an exquisitely sensual, woody rose with a hint of warm skin that pays tribute to Rochas’ magnificently fleshy Femme from 1944. Meanwhile, top notes of lavender and jasmine give ambery oriental Mon Guerlain a modern freshness, but perfumers Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk added a trail of vanilla, sandalwood and tonka bean – the signature used in Guerlain’s perfumes for over a century.
Ruth Mastenbroek’s own latest fragrance, Firedance, is a joyful celebration of life. To put fizz and sparkle into her woody, smoky rose, Ruth used a pinch of aldehydes, the olfactory ‘umami’ notes that famously define Chanel No 5. Aldehydes also star in Bella Freud’s leathery, orange blossom obsession, Psychoanalysis; and sparkle like diamonds alongside iris in Tiffany & Co.
Perfumes capture the mood of their time, whether that’s renewed optimism or nostalgia’s safe space. Although our taste in fragrance styles may change, the memories famous names unlock are still vivid. By changing the scent but not the name, fragrance brands can commute the cachet of their heritage scents into their latest, on-trend bottles.
I’m thinking of Nina Ricci’s L’air du Temps. In 1948 this light, airy white floral bouquet, with its Lalique crystal dove of peace cap, came as a blast of post-war optimism. And it still cuts the fug – I sat next to a woman wearing it on a stifling bus during the summer and a wave of sweet relief floated down.
Again in 1948, Miss Dior was launched to complement the outrageously circular New Look skirts that marked the end of fabric rationing. This very chic scent – my first real grown-up perfume – made me feel less naive when I wore it to important job interviews.
Now, both these old beauties have ambitious granddaughters. Fruitier, incense-laced L’air du Temps Nuit Pourpre is capped with real, purple plumes designed by featherworkers Maison Lemarié. Giddy with rose petals, blood orange and pink peppercorn, Miss Dior Eau de Parfum is about heady young love.
Then there’s YSL’S 1977 blockbuster Opium, which has become a wicked shot of espresso in Black Opium. Meanwhile, Obsessed For Women is Calvin Klein’s millennial update of his 1985 blockbuster, Obsession. Its fresh white lavender and creamy musks create an olfactory gender bend that is so very today.
Will these new kids on the block become grand future classics? With over 1,000 perfumes jostling for space in stores annually, a year can be a lifetime in the scent world. ‘For a perfume to be termed a classic, it doesn’t have to be popular for years,’ says Michelle
Perfumes capture the mood of their time, whether that’s renewed optimism or nostalgia’s safe space
[continued from previous page] D’vaz-plant, fragrance expert at The Perfume Shop. ‘If it performs well month on month, it will soon earn classic status.’
Dior’s Sauvage, launched two years ago, is a case in point, says D’vaz-plant. Its green and peppery first impressions and lingering, nuzzly amber is so popular with the chaps that The Perfume Shop now engraves bottles for a small cost. Peppy and modern it may be, but Sauvage has history. Its name is borrowed from Eau Sauvage, the iconic lemony aftershave created in 1966 by master perfumer Edmond Roudnitska, which was hijacked by feminists eager to shed the cliché of girlie floral scents along with their bras. Its easygoing citrus and jasmine on a seductively soft, mossy base has also inspired a shoal of unisex citrus scents, including Annick Goutal’s Eau d’hadrien – a cult favourite among beauty editors.
But forget the name, the packaging and who else is wearing it. What turns a scent into a lasting love is how it makes you feel. ‘Some of the real classics have notes we associate with wellbeing – and that’s probably what we’re all looking for in a fragrance,’ Mastenbroek reminds us.
Several studies have shown that if we’re happy when we wear a scent for the first time, a mere whiff of it can boost mood – a reason why that bottle you bought at the airport never fails to put you in holiday mode. Juliette Has A Gun exploits this idea with Sunny Side Up, a blend of citrus and sandalwood contrived to put a smile on your face. Presented to beauty editors against a grim backdrop of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and Brexit blues, it felt like a lifeline.
Think about it. The world’s a mess, and the news is disaster on a loop. And this time of year, you’ve barely time to breathe, let alone for glamour. So, if a favourite spritz can give you an instant, irresistible high, isn’t that the perfect gift? Pass me the bottle…