Platinum 22, created to celebrate the milestone of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and a recent collaboration with James Bond for an anniversary scent. Now, you can’t get more British than that.
Best contemporary fragrance brands
The Zeitgeist of contemporary fragrance makers, these artisanal creators embody the modern world in which we live. Our-generation perfumers that aren’t afraid to embrace the ‘new’, with a finger on the pulse.
Conceived in Grasse, the French Riviera’s proud capital of perfumery, and brought to life in New York, Le Labo believes that there are too many bottles of perfume in this world, but not enough ‘soulful’ fragrances. Working to the belief that fine fragrance must be irreverent and create an olfactory shock, its boutiques function like an open, artisanal, entertainment park for the nose; filled with unique and complex scents that trigger emotions. Founded by Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot, who’ve worked with some of the world’s most celebrated perfumers, all of its vegan-friendly creations are freshly blended by hand; each label personalised with the date and place of formulation. All Le Labo virgins should give Santal 33 a spin, a bestseller which is inspired by the rugged plains of the American West; loaded with smoky sandalwood.
Working with many big-name perfumers like Fabrice Pellegrin and Olivier Pescheux, Diptyque’s characteristically uplifting creations take a modern yet romantic stance; very Parisienne, very bohemian. Established in the 1960s by three multidisciplinary artists (set designer Yves Coueslant, interior designer Christiane Montadre-Gautrot and painter Desmond Knox-Leet), the brand initially started life as a bazaar in the district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (where the boutique still stands today), housing unique finds from the founders’ travels around the world as well as the fabrics and wallpaper they designed in-house. The first Diptyque eau de toilette, L’Eau, debuted in 1968 and, well, as they say, the rest is history. Our favourite? L’Ombre Dans L’Eau, which uses herbaceous blackcurrant leaves to create a sensual, nature-filled fragrance.
Considered one of the fragrance world’s clearest and most modern thinkers, Francis Kurkdjian co-founded his eponymous Maison in 2001; a tailor-made scent workshop and home to some of the world’s most desirable perfumes. Having composed Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier (which has become one of the world’s best-selling perfumes) in 1995 at the tender age of 25, Kurkdjian was also named Creative Director for Dior Parfums in 2021, which should give you some idea of his gravitas in the fragrance industry. Fascinated by scenting different mediums, which have included scented bubbles, scented ice rinks and even scenting the fountain at the Palace of Versailles, Baccarat Rouge 540, which lays on the skin like an amber and woody breeze, is amongst MFK’s most celebrated creations.
As one of the first female master perfumers to break into the industry, Lyn Harris was considered a trailblazer in British perfumery when she launched Miller Harris at the turn of the millennium. Although Lyn is no longer at the helm, her legacy (and many of the original scents composed by her) lives on. With storytelling, craftsmanship and modernity at their core, these fragrances fuse the traditional art of French fine fragrance with a British sensibility. Feuilles de Tabac, one of the OG’s launched in 2000, is still a bestseller: a woody, tobacco-infused perfume that opens with fiery pimento berries and Cuban cascarilla oil. Composed before the smoking ban in France, it is inspired by the smoky atmosphere of brasseries in Boulevard St Germain. Another hit from the Editions Collection, Rêverie De Bergamote, is a bright and soulful scent based around the sparkling Calabrian bergamot with notes of vetiver, moss and summer basil.
An English scent maverick, a pioneer and a clued-up businesswoman, Jo Malone CBE has built a cult following as a master of unexpected scents; most of which are inspired by personal memories and moments. After leaving her first business, Jo Malone London, in 2006, Malone set her sights on something new: Jo Loves, an innovative scent, bath, body and candle collection. Developing products that break new ground, like solid scents and fragrance paintbrushes, the line boasts a stellar portfolio of genderless hits; including Red Truffle 21, which features a truffle note wrapped in fresh green fig, bitter citrus and cool crisp pine, and Pomelo, the OG and founding fragrance, reminiscent of summer holidays and freshly laundered linen sheets, which debuted in 2011.
Best maverick fragrance brands
Aiming to create the maverick scents of tomorrow, these fragrance brands were born to disrupt and innovate. Whether they use ‘challenging’ and unorthodox materials or take conceptual routes, their final products are all sniff-worthy.
CDG’s avant-garde approach to fashion is very divisive; it should, therefore, come as no surprise that its fragrances also challenge traditional ‘rules’, and are full of controversial surprises. Christian Astuguevieille, both a multi-disciplinary artist and Creative Director of Comme des Garçons Parfums, has said his goal has always been to create unique sensory experiences and the perfumes he has composed for CDG are unrivalled in their polarising individuality. Having created fragrances with unorthodox notes like burnt rubber, grilled cigarettes, warm photocopy toner and dust on a lightbulb, his top-selling perfume, Concrete, was inspired by destruction. From concept and design to the finished product, Astuguevieille breaks the mould and pushes the boundaries.
Intending to translate emotions, feelings and places into olfactory experiences, the structure of Byredo’s fragrance formulations are deliberately stripped back and realised using as few ingredients as possible. Founded by former pro-basketball player Ben Gorham in 2006, the portfolio of genderless scents carries clear ethnic influences from Ben’s Indian background with strong ties to creativity, art and lifestyle. In contrast to the brand’s clean Scandinavian aesthetic (Gorham and his company were both born in Sweden), its scents are fairly complex – take Gypsy Water, a unique woody/floral scent that evokes fresh soil, deep forests and campfires, achieved by combining pine needles, juniper berries and incense, or Bal D’Afrique, a vetiver inspired by Paris in the late 1920’s. Gorham has also collaborated on scents with fashion photographers, Inez and Vinoodh and Off White’s Virgil Abloh.
When perfumer Geza Schoen discovered that a lab-made molecule played a part (all be it covertly) in most of his favourite scents, he was inspired to delve deeper. Said molecule — known as Iso E Super (an aroma molecule that doesn’t exist in nature) — set him on a voyage of art and chemistry which led to the very foundations for Escentric Molecules. After experimenting and creating fragrances that contained Iso E Super in unheard of proportions, he finally went all in using nothing but the raw aroma-molecule itself: Molecule 01, dubbed the ‘the anti-fragrance’ and ‘scent of the 21st century’. A second fragrance, Escentric 01, was also devised, containing only 65 per cent of the molecule, complemented by other ingredients designed to underscore its velvety and cocooning mood. Since those early days, the collection has grown to include 02, 03, 04, and 05 variants in both Molecule and Escentric formulations, each showcasing a new and different lab-grown molecule.
Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle
Describing himself as a “publisher of perfumes”, Frédéric Malle founded Editions de Parfums at the turn of the millennium. Aiming to give total freedom back to perfumers, EDPFM invites the best in the industry to create scents under their own name with no restrictions or budgetary constraints. It’s a brand of uncompromising quality and unbiased creativity. With a deep-rooted passion for fragrance (Malle’s grandfather, Serge Hefler-Louiche, was the original founder of Parfums Christian Dior), Malle has chosen to harnesses his collaborators’ talents in two ways; either by breaking new olfactory ground or reinterpreting classic structures through the lens of modern day perfumery. Dominique Ropion’s Portrait Of A Lady is a bestseller from the line, and features more than 10 per cent concentration of rose (a typical rose-based fragrance uses 0.1 per cent), which is unprecedented in modern perfumery.
Maison Margiela unveiled its first Replica clothing and accessories collection in 1994, inspired by pre-loved garments collected around the world; they were replicated and marked with a plain white label indicating the provenance, period and style description. Inspired by this niche line, the brand’s Replica fragrances strive to duplicate familiar smells and moments taken from varying locations and eras. Each scent evokes images, impressions and positive emotions, with names like When the Rain Stops, By the Fireplace, Coffee Break, Springtime in a Park and Lazy Sunday Morning. Autumn Vibes, with its woody trail of cedar and spicy notes of pink pepper, coriander and cardamom, reinterpret the colours of autumn leaves, while Jazz Club, a cocktail of rum, vetiver, bitter orange and tobacco takes you to a leather and liquor scented Brooklyn basement.
Best designer fragrance brands
While many designer-labelled fragrances are licensed, there are exceptions that place integrity and authenticity at their heart. These brands, linked to influential fashion houses, make stellar perfumes.
This stealth luxury label never puts a foot wrong and is widely considered the pinnacle of ‘bon chic, bon genre’; contemporary with an innate sense of style. Having started life in 1837 as a high-quality harness and bridle workshop for the carriage trade, it doesn’t licence any of its products, including perfumery, which is why it can keep such tight control over its exceptional quality of design and production. Now under the direction of In-house perfumer Christine Nagel, Hermès boasts a wide range of historical signature scents, a summery Jardin series (inspired by imagined garden landscapes), a premium Hermessence line, and a cologne collection. Our favourite? Eau d’Orange Verte, which was composed by Françoise Caron in 1979; an explosion of citrus notes with orange, blackcurrant buds, oakmoss and patchouli.
Ford is notorious for putting sex into scents with provocative and seductive silages. His first fragrance after launching his eponymous luxury empire, Black Orchid (2006), was an instant hit; an iconic, hedonistic and intoxicating scent which has found favour with us fellas, despite being sold as a women’s fragrance. Ford has since created a line of bestselling signature scents and a more premium wardrobe of perfumes called Private Blend, with bottles designed to look like chess pieces. The designer continues to court controversy with his daringly-titled elixirs like Lost Cherry, Rose Prick and Fucking Fabulous, all of which maintain a proprietary sensual style that keeps things unmistakably Tom Ford. The classics include Neroli Portofino, a sparkling reinvention of a classic eau de cologne, inspired by the Italian Riviera.
All Chanel fragrances share a very sophisticated and soft-centred elegance; a Chanel-ness that keeps rough edges at bay and leaves a very satisfying aura. The epitome of 1920s savoir faire, the house’s association with masculine perfumery began in 1955 with Pour Monsieur, the only men’s fragrance created while Mademoiselle was still alive: a timeless fresh-chypre scent with aristocratic charm, made with fresh Sicilian lemon and Tunisian neroli. Today, many of its perfumes are without gender restraint, like the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection, each evoking a chapter from the story of Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, reflecting her life and character, or the Les Eaux line of fresh summery spritzes, inspired by destinations beloved by the luxury brand’s eponymous founder. Creative direction is now in the hands of Olivier Polge, son of Jacques Polge, who served for 37 years as Chanel in-house perfumer.
Dior
Christian Dior described himself as both a fashion and perfume designer. Having established his legendary couture business back in 1946, he always believed that fragrance was an essential accessory to a look and should be the finishing touch to every outfit. This dedication to the art of perfumery has spawned some iconic classics from the house of Dior over many years, under the direction of some of the world’s most celebrated noses. Eau Sauvage, composed by Edmond Roudnitska in 1966, is not only the first men’s fragrance from the house but now a symbol of good taste, pairing bergamot from Calabria with lavender. François Demachy, Dior Perfume Creator from 2006, was responsible for its more revved-up and fiery sibling perfume, Sauvage, and Francis Kurkdjian is now poised to take the brand into the future, taking over from Demarchy in 2021.
When Louis Vuitton turns its gaze to a new sector of the market, it takes no prisoners. Launching its first collection of fragrances in 2016, all of the stops were pulled out to create the ultimate olfactory luxury experience. From employing the services of renowned master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud as exclusive creator of LV fragrances, to building a perfumery atelier in Grasse, La Fontaines Parfumées, the Maison meant business from day dot. With a signature bottle deigned by Marc Newson from Baccarat crystal, the collection takes the adventurous spirit of travel as its MO and is inspired by the transformative power of emotion. Alongside the signature men’s and women’s scents, there are capsule lines such as the Cologne Perfumes. California-inspired scents (Afternoon Swim is one of our favourites: the feeling of summer via a blend of orange, bergamot and mandarin), they uniquely combine the spontaneity of a cologne with the sophistication of a traditional perfume.
