Scents that’ll make you smell good enough to eat
FROM Sarah Jessica Parker to J-Lo, Madonna and even Katie Price — until recently, a celebrity couldn’t call herself a proper star unless she had her own perfume brand.
This week, though, it was revealed that the bubble has finally burst, with market analysts NPD reporting that sales of celebrity fragrances have fallen by 22 per cent.
Part of the reason, it’s said, is that we have grown tired of the same old top notes: rose, lily of the valley, sandalwood, tuberose, musk and vanilla.
for years perfumiers relied on these familiar smells. But demand for new fragrances means they are experimenting with exotic new ingredients, from dandelion leaf to yuzu, a fruit used in South Korean cuisine — all derived from natural, edible sources.
If you fancy an appetising new signature scent but don’t know where to start, expert ALICE DU PARCQ specialises in finding fresh fragrances for women based on their previous preferences.
Her clients include brides-to-be looking for a wedding perfume, women whose favourite scent has been discontinued and those who want something that reminds them of a loved one or a happy memory.
Here, she recommends some new wave notes that might tickle your fancy, based on classic aromas . . .
LIKE LEMON? TRY YUZU
THE UK beauty industry has gone Korea-mad: from panda-print facial masks to Korea’s penchant for foundations that mimic a teenager’s glow.
Now, the trend has hit the perfume aisles with an ingredient called yuzu: a sharp, bitter citrus known as ‘the energy fruit’, which looks like a bumpy lemon (right) and is used in South Korean cookery to add zing.
Said to be ‘spirit-cleansing’, it has the same bracing hit and floral freshness as lime or grapefruit, but is slightly more sour, with hints of rosemary. NOW SPRAY IT: Erborian Yuza Energy Eau de Toilette (£35, uk.erborian.com). Clean, punchy and refreshing. The burst of yuzu is combined with blood orange and mandarin, with a comforting musk base to stop it smelling too ‘washing-up liquid’.
VANILLA FAN? TRY TONKA BEAN
THE large seeds of the kumaru tree, which is native to Central and South America, tonka beans are traditionally used in french cooking to add warmth and depth to stews and cakes. The aroma they produce is a mixture of baked hay, dark honey and liquorice.
Think of tonka bean as like 70 per cent bitter chocolate: not tooth-achingly sugary but with just the right hit of sweetness and decadence.
As a perfume note, it is what the industry calls ‘gourmande’ — which means more-ish; added to a fragrance, it makes it richer and smoother. It has a luxurious depth like vanilla, but, unlike vanilla, there is no risk of it smelling like a pudding.
Tonka has been used for decades in perfumery as a background note but only now is it taking a starring role. Better yet, it is quite a big fragrance molecule so, unlike citrus and fresh floral notes, which are produced by smaller molecules, it takes a long time to evaporate from your skin — therefore your perfume is ‘anchored’ and lasts longer.
NOW SPRAY IT: Jo Malone London Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense (£74,
jomalone.co.uk). The myrrh is resinous, slightly spicy and carries a hint of churches, while the tonka makes the perfume smell almost good enough to eat. Combined, they are so sexy and delicious you’ll want to lick your own wrist.
LILY OF THE VALLEY? TRY DANDELION
‘GREEN’ fragrances (a big trend), characterised by plants and botanicals, often include grassy notes such as vetiver, fern and lily of the valley to evoke the feelgood scent of a freshly mown lawn. As an alternative, try dandelion leaf in your next perfume purchase. You’ll have all the verdant, sweet and uplifting aspects of lily of the valley but it’s more peppery, with a touch of metal and earth.
NOW SPRAY IT: Shay & Blue Dandelion fig (£30, shayand
blue.com) is a brilliant contrast of succulent, bitter greens and petals. The dandelion leaves — together with lemongrass, juniper and tomato vine — are tempered by juicy fig, and together it smells like a perfect sunny day.
FANCY SPICES? TRY COFFEE
COFFEE is a tricky note to play with in perfumery — which is why we don’t see it very often — although it’s now on the rise as skilled perfumers become increasingly adventurous.
If you’re too heavy-handed it can make a fragrance smell like a burnt tractor tyre or
overcooked popcorn. It’s such a big, bossy note, it needs to sit within a heavy fragrance containing other XXL ingredients, so you’ll find it in the spicy ‘oriental’ category.
In 2017, coffee will feature more prominently as an alternative to spices such as cinnamon and cardamom.
Just like the drink, fragrances that feature coffee are mysterious and moody but also refreshing.
NOW SPRAY IT: YSL Black Opium floral Shock (£70, boots.
com). This is a new take on the original Black Opium, an opulent and seductive spicy scent of creamy white flowers, which had a faint whiff of caffeine.
This time the coffee note is much sharper, stronger and less milky. It gets its frosty jolt from the addition of dewy freesia and shimmery bergamot, so it’s a good choice for spicy scent lovers who want something a little more modern.
ADORE AMBER? TRY ALMOND
IN PERFUMERY, ‘amber’ is actually more of a concept: it’s a combination of rich, warm, smoky notes (such as frankincense, resinous tree sap and cedarwood) to emulate the ‘glow’ of glossy amber stones.
It also replicates the musky scent of ambergris, the grey excretion from a whale’s digestive system that crystallises as it floats to the water’s surface. Ambergris costs about £6,000 a kilo before it’s even processed into a few drops of oil, so it has been synthetically re-imagined for the mass perfume industry.
In a perfume, amber is a comforting note, and bitter almond essence has the same ‘ahhh’ factor. It is nutty, creamy and biscuity without being cloying, with the subtle bite of an Amaretto Sour cocktail.
Pure almond extract comes from the nut’s flesh and skin, and is increasingly popular. NOW SPRAY IT: L’Occitane Terre de Lumière (£58, ukloccitane.com). The concept behind this fragrance is a Provencal field bathed in warm evening sunlight. It’s syrupy and gourmande, but aromatic and bright, too.
On top of the lavender honey, pink pepper, bergamot and white musk is a trickle of bitter almond essence which wearers say evokes feelings of calm; that ‘everything will be all right’.
It’s a wonderfully slow and gentle scent — like biting into a soft, warm almond croissant on a Sunday morning.