The New Niche: Scents to Smell Next
Avoid smelling like anyone else - discover your new signature with these boutique fragrances
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The New Niche: Scents to Smell Next
Avoid smelling like anyone else - discover your new signature with these boutique fragrances
Fragrance is a strange, elusive beast. When first spritzed, often on a testing strip alongside a multitude of other scents, it can be dazzling, intoxicating and dizzying. Then, when worn for the first time, as it settles onto your skin, it morphs into another kind of thing - something unfamiliar, chemically composed of both you and it. Selecting a new scent is a chance to be surprised by something new. Discover our current cult favourites in the Fragrance Hall of Fame, your destination for the best new scents to know.
Read More: Brush up on your terminology with the help of our perfume glossary
Parfums de Marly Delina Eau de Parfum, £255 for 75ml
Inspired by the heritage of Château de Marly, enigmatic French fragrance house Parfums de Marly is defined by lavish opulence, elegant compositions and a dedication to refinement. Embracing the motto of Louis XIV, “nec pluribus impar” (Latin for “a vision beyond compare”), this mantra is at the heart of everything they create.
A balanced blend of sugary florals and sensual musk with top notes of lychee, rhubarb and bergamot, Delina is an indulgent reworking of a classic rose fragrance. If the Palace of Versailles was a scent, this would be it.
Jouissance Les Cahiers Secrets Eau de Parfum, £180 for 50ml
Jouissance, a French word meaning physical or intellectual pleasure, delight or ecstasy. Inspired by women artists of the past and present, embodiment and expression are the core of this London-based brand’s olfactory exploration.
At once classic and rebellious, Les Cahiers Secrets takes its inspiration from the diaries of Parisian author Anaïs Nin and evokes images of hushed whispers in a dusty, grand library. Warm and nostalgic musk and notes of pressed powder are disrupted by freshly cut lilies and heliotrope before an unexpected cumin scent arrives to create a distinctly feminine allure.
La Pyae Apothecary Catch Me If I Fall Eau de Parfum, £185 for 50ml
An “ode to love”, this debut olfactory offering by La Pyae Apothecary is a scent as joyful and meandering as the journey it took founder Kathleen Baird-Murray to create it. After spending 30 years as a journalist and nine years developing the scent with master perfumer Frank Voelkl, the result is a soft yet sparkling green floral scent.
Creamy florals are punctuated with green leaves and grounded by a warm embrace of cedarwood and white musk – to be worn, Kathleen urges, as a reminder of loving and being loved.
Liberty LBTY. Fragrance Adelphi Sun Eau de Parfum, £225 for 100ml
Conjuring images of a sun-soaked rainforest, Adelphi Sun is a bursting, abundant scent with heart notes of jasmine and linden and top notes of grapefruit, cardamom and golden fern. Crafted in collaboration with world-renowned perfumers, the Liberty LBTY. Fragrance collection is an ode to a history of free-spirited artistic creation, producing an offering of artisan scents that traverse the inspiration behind some of Liberty’s most iconic archival prints.
Prolific perfumer Hamid Merati-Kashani created Adelphi Sun to reflect the lushness and intensity of the hand-drawn paisley tropical rainforest print, Adelphi Voyage, that dresses the bottle, resulting in a similarly satisfying botanical, succulent scent.
Perfumer H Steam Eau de Parfum, £140 for 50ml
With an unconventional style and a focus on natural ingredients, Perfumer H is a disrupting force in the fragrance world. British perfumer Lyn Harris’s pursuit of individuality has brought forth a collection of truly visionary fragrances.
Lyn travelled to the faraway mountains of Jingmai and traversed its ancient plantation forests to capture the inspiration for this mysterious, intriguing scent. Steam conjures images of a cool mist descending over aromatic tea plantation forests, resulting in a serene, crisp fragrance with hits of refreshing citrus and ripe plums, housed in their signature apothecary-style tinted bottle.
Read More: In The Studio With Lyn Harris
Diptique Lunamaris Eau de Parfum, £255 for 100ml
Sixty years of unbridled artistic perfumery has heralded Diptyque as an iconic presence in the fragrance world. Lunamaris Eau de Parfum emerges as an alliance between artist and perfumer, recalling soft, gleaming reflections of the moon on lapping waves. Vibrant pink peppercorns tangle with velvety rockrose and incense, resulting in a scent that feels like watching the sea at night. The perfect pairing for this scent? Champagne and oysters by the coast.
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