With summer releases having faded to a mere memory, the fragrance industry has been ramping up its NPD (New Product Development) schedule ahead of the holiday season. From LGBTQ+ pride candles to the scents dreams are made of (literally), BeautyMatter rounds up the latest batch of fragrances.
The brand’s first gender-fluid creation, D by Diesel, was devised by perfumers Shyamala Maisondieu, Louise Turner, and Nisrine Grillié, under guidance of the house’s Creative Director Glenn Martens, and features notes of (responsibly sourced) vanilla and lavender. The memorable bottle also enables a refill format and is plastic free.
Bright Leather is described as “a new olfactory statement for a positive future ahead.” The men’s fragrance, created by Givaudan senior perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, contains uplifting notes of mandarin and grapefruit, followed by refreshing basil and aromatic rosemary to complement the signature Ferragamo leather accord (an ode to the house’s legacy in working with the material) that builds the heart of the perfume. The olfactory journey ends with calming notes of patchouli, cedarwood, and musk.
The French heritage brand introduced the Aqua Allegoria Forte range, more intense versions of its bestsellers Mandarine Basilic Forte (a mandarin, basil, sandalwood, and vanilla scent) and Rosa Rossa Forte (a rose, white peach, and woody notes composition). They are also made with exclusive organically farmed beetroot alcohol instead of traditional ethanol. Guerlain is also adding two scents to its L’Art & La Matière range, collaborating with artist Ghizlane Agzenaï on collection plates to customize the top of each bottle. Perfumers Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk composed the fragrances Oud Nude and Cherry Oud. The former pairs the agarwood with ambery and spicy notes, while the latter takes a more floral fruity approach.
The fashion designer brings her optimistic and joyful spirit to a new fragrance collection, Essence of Dreams. Created in collaboration with Shiseido (the brand’s first range with the conglomerate since moving over from Estée Lauder in 2020) and available in color-coded, apothecary-evoking glass bottles designed in partnership with Malin Ericson, each scent represents a different feeling and dream. Divine Moon, created by Frank Voelkl, emulates peace with harmonious notes of Lady of the Night flower, citrus, honey, rhubarb, and almond milk. Mystic Geranium, devised by Honorine Blanc, encapsulates joy in its olfactory form with uplifting bergamot, grounding cedarwood and musk, as well as floral facets of geranium and lotus. Cosmic Wood, developed by Ralf Schwieger, paints an olfactory portrait of magic with the scent of cardamom, jasmine, vetiver, patchouli, and sage for an herbal, woody fragrance. Electric Sky, made by Christine Hassen and Olivier Gillotin, evokes freedom with an energetic and refreshing blend of saltwater, blue sage, palo santo, lavender, and cactus flower. The final fragrance is Sublime Rose, a floral accentuated with Firmenich’s sandalwood molecule, Dreamwood, patchouli, freesia, and blackcurrant, crafted by Pierre Negrin.
The Italian house’s latest scent endeavor, Paradoxe—created by Antoine Maisondieu, Shyamala Maisondieu, and Nadège Le Garlantezec in partnership with Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada—not only bears the shape of the trademark Prada triangle, but mixes the brand’s style signature of forward-thinking aesthetics with timeless style. The fragrance combines Ambrofix and Serenolide accords, two Givaudan aromachemicals (the former emulating ambergris, the latter musk), with the white florals neroli and jasmine. Other notes include tangerine, Madagascar Bourbon vanilla infusion, and Laos benzoin.
After the recent Bare fragrance launch, the lingerie retailer is adding another sensual addition to its scented lineup. Tease Sugar Fleur, a flanker of the Tease range, is a floral gourmand with notes of apple, jasmine, caramel, bubblegum, amber, and sandalwood, blending playful with comforting warm elements.
As the crisp autumn air takes over, Acqua di Parma is adding a warmer floral fragrance to its Signatures of the Sun range. Magnolia Infinita takes the creamy floral and pairs it with the house’s signature “Golden Fruit,” or bergamot, for a refreshing lift, underscored by notes of lemon and orange. As the fragrance develops, more grounded notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, musk, and patchouli sweep through, anchoring the fragrance in the autumnal season.
The Australian brand with the unmistakable aesthetic has added a further fragrance to its popular Othertopias range. Eidesis, the latest Barnabé Fillion creation for the house, is an eau de parfum referencing Narcissus, and like the myth, has an undeniable allure thanks to its spicy floral blend of frankincense, black pepper, petitgrain, and cumin.
Amaffi
Amidst opening an opulent new boutique in NYC, the luxury brand has released a tropical fragrance filled with fresh notes of gardenia, orchid, and tuberose called Sultry Jungle For Women. The perfume is packaged in gradient-colored glass and topped off with a large emerald crystal to emulate the lush colorways of the landscape. Perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour comments, “I wanted to evoke the rich presence, the craziness of the jungle. Top notes are very luminous, with a lot of sun and the more you go down, the more you smell the luscious effect, rich flower notes, you just imagine these beautiful flowers, birds and animals of the jungle.” Tropical Rain For Men, created by Nathalie Feisthauer, goes a slightly fresher and greener route with pink peppercorn, fig leaves, fig fruit, and vetiver.
The luxury hotel and spa brand has commemorated its newest opening in New York City’s Crown Building in Manhattan with a fine fragrance, Alta. Described as “embodying the splendour of the Gilded Age and dynamism of Fifth Avenue,” the fragrance—created by master perfumer Jacques Chabert, who has also crafted scents for the likes of Guerlain, Molton Brown, and Chanel—contains notes of saffron, cardamom, orris, leather, vetiver, and labdanum. Its name is derived from the Latin word for “high” as a nod to the towering skyscrapers of the city, with a bottle designed by architect Kengo Kuma and handmade from Paulownia wood.
The British luxury fragrance brand’s latest release pays homage to the Arabian Desert. Rose Dunes, created by Senior Perfumer Phillip Paparella, is a floral amber scent crafted around a rose heart. Green pepper, saffron, oud, leather, and sustainably sourced patchouli add spice and depth to the classic flower, bringing a warmth akin to the landscape’s daytime state, and a darkness to reflect its condition come evening time.
Experiencing a fragrance can be an emotional experience, but Régime des Fleurs takes said meaning to a whole different level with its newest release, Tears. The scent is inspired by founder Alia Raza's adoration of lilac, but also her interest in Stendhal Syndrome, a psychosomatic condition whereby an artwork can induce physical reactions such as chest pain, tears, even unconsciousness. Raza collaborated with perfumer Mathieu Nardin on the scent, which marries said floral notes with orris, olibanum, rosewater, green cognac oil, and ambergris. Whether or not smelling the fragrance will cause intense physical reactions remains at consumer discretion.
A purveyor of handcrafted, wild-harvested, and 100% natural fragrance, Spanish indie house Bravanariz has a special kind of commitment to the environment. It takes those ambitions one step further with Bee Brave, the company’s project to boost biodiversity among the hardworking insect colonies, working alongside organic honey producer Abellaires Empordanesos. Bravanariz is also spreading the buzz of their initiative with the release of Mel, a limited-edition perfume containing organic honey, organic beeswax (sourced from its very own Bee Brave hives in Can Bech de Baix), and regional flowers, from which the bees collect their nectar and pollen, such as immortelle, elderflower, chamomile, and linden.
When not busy launching NFTs with crypto artist Fvckrender, the indie breakout brand from Brooklyn is whipping up good old-fashioned perfume. The latest release, Leatherize, is the brand’s second fragrance enhancer edition: eau de parfums designed to be layered with other scents. Lending a more transparent, but still multifaceted character to its namesake material, Leatherize adds in a dash of peppery cubeb, herbaceous cistus, pale orris, saffron, vegan castoreum, cypriol, and myrrh for something smoky, spicy, and woody. The brand has also launched a new home fragrance in tandem with Leatherize: the Parquet Leather candle. Its scent embodies the smells one encounters in the world of basketball, from the leather of the ball to the wood of the parquet floors. In the scent lab, that translates into a mix of red oak, rubber, and maplewood.
An eco-conscious fragrance brand created by two industry veterans, Eauso Vert marries the world of luxury with upcycled ingredient transparency. Created by Tanya Gonzalez and Faye Harris, who met while working in influencer marketing for Too Faced under the Estée Lauder helm, the range launched with five flacons—Vanilla Embers, Joga, Sintra, Purple Noon, and Boozy Patchouli—topped off with 100% biodegradable caps. Accompanying the launch are curated playlists for every scent, as well as a hardback collection of personal essays from various beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industry figures on fragrance, entitled Un/Familiar. Described as "luxury that gives a damn," noses can discover the aromatic citrus vibes of Sintra, the spicy white floral stylings of Joga, the elevated vanilla creation that is Vanilla Embers, the earthy yet sensual Boozy Patchouli, and the warm, creamy geranium of Purple Noon.
The small-batch, handmade fragrance house J.Pera is not a traditional perfume brand. There are aromatic oils and incense to buy on the brand’s site, but founder and artist Jill Zachman’s ultimate passion lies in translating fine art into scent. Therefore, the brand’s stockists also tend to be museums and galleries such as the Museum of Latin American Art rather than your standard perfumery shop. The brand also looks to have impact outside of its own company parameter, donating 100% of all net sale proceeds from the scent Conservation, an ode to the temples of Bagan in Southeast Asia smelling of jasmine, incense, salt, sweet musk, and earth, to the Getty Conservation Institute. For the latest batch of creations, Zachman is focusing on scented incense called Vapor and Piedra for a project called Copobolo by sculptural candle brand Hu/Bstudio, inspired by the Nicaraguan volcano Cocobolo , debuting November 2022. Vapor contains mate, grass, hay, burnt coconut, and white gardenia notes to represent the Pacific side of the volcano, while Piedra pays homage to its eruptions with sea salt, earthy notes, and tobacco. She has also created an olfactory rendition of The Portrait of the Marquise de Miramon, Née Therese Feuillant (1866) by Jacques Joseph Tissot that contains notes of white ginger, cyclamen, and hinoki, set for launch in early 2023.
Following on from their Gatsby era-themed release, the British fragrance brand is channeling decadence of a different sort with Babylonia, an extension of the La Route de la Soie (The Silk Road) collection. Inspired by the vast array of spices and flora in the region, the fragrance is a powdery floral with gourmand notes. It opens with notes of davana herb and pink pepper, segueing from an iris butter, violet, bluebell, and orange blossom heart into a base of benzoin, white musk, vanilla, and praline.
With a brand name derived from a word that means “the act of loving in return,” and fragrances described as “an homage and olfactive portrait of an overlooked woman from history,” Redamance is looking to craft a unique olfactory experience. Founder/perfumer/anthropologist Marissa Zappas has launched three fragrances: Queen Nzinga, Imperia La Divina, and Ching Shih. Queen Nzinga of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms was both a leader in combat and also remembered as “Mother of Angola” due to her fight to protect those in her kingdom. Her olfactory portrait contains notes of rosy geranium, bittersweet tamarind, and resinous amber, for a warm yet powdery scent. Imperia La Divina was a Roman courtesan in the late 15th century, lauded by some as the first celebrity courtesan. The scent representing her is a musky, seductive floral with notes of rose, fruity cassis, sweet poplar buds, smooth sandalwood, and earthy oakmoss. Ching Shih is a nod to the Chinese pirate leader of the Red Flag Fleet. The fragrance contains notes of gunpowder, myrrh, orris, and osmanthus, rounded off with warm spices.
All-natural candle brand Boheme is inspired by the nomad bohemian woman. This season she is traveling to Italy and Spain. Completing the company’s Wanderlust Collection, Amalfi is an aromatic citrus with notes of lemon, fig, lavender, cardamom, and cedarwood, while Seville features the namesake orange along with sea salt, neroli, and patchouli notes. The brand will also be releasing a 10-piece set of the complete candle collection.
Glasshouse Fragrances goes art deco for the colder months with its Humidor collection. Housed in gold-foiled packaging as a reference to the Gilded Age, the range consists of three candles: After Hours (tobacco, spiced rum, and vanilla), Heavy Petal (tulip petals, smoked lavender, Indian spices, and patchouli), and Scarlet Nights (black cherry, almond, plum, sandalwood, and amber)—all offering some warmth and sensuality for when temperatures drop.
All-natural home fragrance brand Just Bee Cosmetics focuses on both the cosmetic and psychological benefits of scent. With their latest release, Jasmine and Orange Blossom Candle, the brand blended smooth, sweet honey with the full-bodied florals jasmine and orange blossom to create a scent which claims to combat mental fatigue and stress.
“The creative process behind the candle was to transcribe the pulpy effect of a mango with a twist that would make it unique and unexpected,” Givaudan Senior Perfumer Olivia Jan tells BeautyMatter of the brand’s latest creation, Nectar Pop. Jan achieved said outcome with a dash of chili pepper accord and lime to add an almost savory element to juxtapose the candle’s fruity and creamy notes of mango and coconut.
The Little Black Gallery x Timothy Han / Edition
Co-founded by former celebrity agent and publicist Ghislain Pascal, The Little Black Gallery is a London-based photography gallery, publishing house, and creative agency. Its ongoing series, Boys! Boys! Boys!, celebrates gay and queer photography, representing over 65 photographers from 30 countries, including those where gay rights are repressed such as Russia, China, and Iran. The company teamed up with esteemed artisanal perfumery Timothy Han / Edition to create the Bum candle. Handcrafted in England from skin-safe wax, its scent is a combination of white florals, cumin, vetiver, and animalic notes atop a base of patchouli and powdery musk “to celebrate the strength of male love.” $5 of sales support charities supporting the LGBTQ+ community and combating the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic.
