There’s no shortage of innovation and imagination in fall’s lineup of fragrance launches. Whether you’re looking for bold and audacious or soft and dreamy, consider your entire scent wardrobe covered. By SOUZANMICHAEL GALWAY
THE INSTANT CLASSIC
Three years after its launch, Merit Beauty, everyone’s favorite minimalist brand, has entered the world of fragrance with Retrospect Extrait de Parfum. Formulated with a blend of classic ingredients-bergamot, ambrette, orris, vanilla, musk and moss-Retrospect is a bottled-up ode to timelessness. Created in Paris by renowned nose Fanny Bal, the scent was developed as an extrait de parfum, the most concentrated and long- lasting form of perfume. It opens with a fresh burst of bergamot before wearing down into something else entirely-a scent that is deep, dry and sensual. Retrospect is both a daytime and an evening scent. It’s timeless, seasonless and for all occasions-not a mere once-in-a-while olfactory fling. Make no mistake: Merit Beauty’s first fragrance is in it for the long haul.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS “I wanted everyone to be able to crumple up a leaf, put their nose to it and remember that the olfactory world is all around us, says French perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. We’ re seated at an intimate dinner by the Perfumer’s Garden-Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s partnership with the Palace of Versailles—outside the Chateauneuf Orangery, at the heart of Versailles’s Estate of Trianon. Earlier that day, I spent the afternoon exploring the Perfumer’s Garden, which opened in 2023. “Versailles holds a very special place in my heart,” says Kurkdjian. “I have a long history here. I studied at ISIPCA, the perfumery school here, and I danced at the Chateau de Versailles. I wanted to give back to Versailles what it had given me in terms of inspiration and wonder” In the garden, guests have the chance to explore more than 300 different plants and flowers that honor the rich history of fragrance. “The goal was to arouse visitors’ wonder at the multitude of flowers and scents while simultaneously connecting them with the history of the site, he explains.
Connecting with the past seems to be a recurring theme for the perfumer these days. Kurkdjian’s latest launch for his eponymous brand is APOM (which stands for A Part of Me), a nod to his own past. Maison Francis Kurkdjian fans may recognize the name-it previously belonged to two separate scents by the fragrance house, APOM Pour Femme and APOM Pour Homme, which launched back in 2009. “l have the freedom to revisit my own legacy, he says. The new scent is a merging of the two previous formulas, combining lavender and orange blossom over a sweet amber base. “For the new APOM, I took the best of both: the feminine version’s sunny sensuality and the masculine version’s elegant addictiveness. Over dinner, I ask Kurkdjian about his creative process and the order in which he works. Does he first commit to a particular ingredient and build from there? Or does he imagine the type of scent he’s after and then work backwards? The answer, I’m surprised to learn, is neither. “I’m driven by the story,” he says. “First l think of a name, and then I seek a feeling that matches. For Kurkdjian, the story of APOM is intertwined with the story of perfumery at its core: “It’s a part of yourself that you leave with others.
THE GOLD STANDARD
It’s the golden age of florals. Meet Million Gold for Her Eau de Parfum, Rabanne’s first- ever grand floral scent. (Think bold and audacious with a heightened sense of drama, plus a flair for the dramatic.) Crafted by a group of four world- renowned perfumers, Million Gold is a blend of sparkling rose and delicate white flowers that is contrasted with salty, mineral musk notes and rounded out with vanilla-bourbon absolute. The contrasting notes create a game of tug-of-war between traditionally feminine and masculine accords-one that ends in an over-the-top eruption that’s equal parts thrilling and addictive. If neither side wins, then perhaps they both do.
THE DESERT ROSE
Roses are red, violets are-wait, back to the roses. Narciso Rodriguez’s latest launch, All of Me Intense, is an intensified version of last year’s All of Me and features rose notes at its heart. Crafted by perfumers Dora Baghriche and Daphne Bugey, All of Me Intense is a blend of florals. white musks, geranium bourbon and vanilla-pod absolute. Floral skeptics need not apply. Narciso Rodriguez All of Me Eau de Parfum Intense, $152 for 50 ml
THE COLD-WEATHER COMFOR
It is the season to curl up by the fireplace with a warm, comforting beverage of your choice. In the case of Emporio Armani’s latest cologne, that beverage is rum, notes of which open Stronger With You Absolutely alongside those of bergamot. What follows are notes of lavender, smoky cedarwood, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar-coated chestnuts. It’s at once spicy, addictive and oh-so-cozy.
THE SWEET ESCAPE
Introducing the latest addition to the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance family: Devotion Eau de Parfum Intense. A bold, intensified version of last year’s Devotion, the new fragrance retains many of the original’s beloved notes (such as Madagascar vanilla and orange blossom) and was developed by the same nose as the original: Olivier Cresp. The main difference between the two-other than sheer strength- is that Devotion Intense replaces its predecessor’s candied-citrus top note with rich, comforting hazelnut. The result is a gourmand scent that’s deeply sweet, creamy and utterly delicious.
THE COLLECTOR’S ITEMS
Loewe Perfumes has teamed up with fellow Spanish brand Lladro-known for its high-end lighting, homewares, accessories, sculptures and porcelain figurines—on a collection of three new eaux de parfum: Agua, 001 Woman and Earth. Agua is a refreshing floral fragrance that draws inspiration from the Spanish-rock-rose wildflower and is blended with uplifting bergamot and orange-flower absolute. 001 Woman is inspired by early-morning light and formulated with notes of jasmine, linen and musk. And Earth is floral, ambery and musky, made up of notes of truffle, pear, mimosa and violet. Of course, the limited-edition flasks (only 600 of each scent were made) are all topped with porcelain flower caps that have been individually handmade and hand-painted by a Lladro artisan-a five-day-long process for each flower. Loewe x Lladro Collection, $1, 380 for 100 ml.
THE DECADE IN THE MAKING
“Without audacity, there’s no creation, says Christine Nagel, director of olfactory creation for Hermès Parfums, during an intimate gathering in a private residence on the rocky shores of Ontario’s Lake Muskoka. Behind her, the water sparkles in the afternoon sun through bronze-clad windows. Nagel has been at the brand for a decade and had been dreaming up Barenia, the latest scent, for just as long. After all, it’s Hermes’s first foray into the world of chypre fragrances. Chypre is used to describe an olfactory family defined by a combination of notes- typically bergamot, rose or jasmine and patchouli and oakmoss. The result? Complex scents that are simultaneously fresh and woody. featuring notes of butterfly lily, miracle berry, oak and patchouli for a finish that Barenia is an updated chypre, is mysterious, bright, rich and totally unique. Hermes Barenia Eau de Parfum, $157 for 60 ml
THE EXPLORERS
Dreaming of an Italian getaway? Consider your vacation scent covered. Guess’s Amore collection features four fragrances, each inspired by an Italian destination. There’s Portofino (a woody, fruity scent with mandarin and salted vetiver accords), Roma (a floral amber fruity fragrance with notes of pear, sugared rose and amber), Capri (a floral, woody scent featuring bergamot, ylang-ylang and musks) and Venezia (a floral amber with notes of pink pepper, Tuscan orris and vanilla infusion). Guess Amore Collection, $49 for 100 ml
THE NATURE LOVERS
Nature is at the heart of Les Essences de Diptyque, the brand’s latest collection of five eaux de parfum. Each fragrance pays homage to a natural substance, using scent to evoke thoughts of things not usually associated with the sense of smell: coral, mother-of-pearl, tree bark, water lily and desert rose.
“Coral has no scent, but it evokes an atmosphere, says Alexandra Carlin, the perfumer behind Corail Oscuro Eau de Parfum. “l was inspired by its intense red color, its chiseled, fiery shape and, above all, its salinity. But I didn’t want to create an aquatic fragrance, as that would have been too predictable. So to translate this impression, I delved into the idea of salty texture. I also wanted to express the contrast between the light reflecting on the water’s surface and the depth of the sea.” To bring these elements of salt water to life, Carlin used a blend of natural leek extract, ambrette seeds and sandalwood. And to represent the intense pink color of coral, she turned to Rosa bourboniana.
For Lunamaris, perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin was inspired by mother-of-pearl. “Its layers create a mesmerizing effect” he says. To develop a similar olfactory effect, Pellegrin overlapped different raw materials to represent the way that color and light coincide in mother-of-pearl. This was done via a blend of pink pepper, incense and labdanum absolute. “I wanted to convey its iridescent nuances, says Pellegrin.
In the development of Lilyphéa, perfumer Nathalie Cetto took her inspiration from water lilies. “I’d always observed them as thick, fleshy leaves floating in water, says Cetto.“I translated the aquatic freshness through violet leaf and ginger. I used warm vanilla accords to evoke the comfort of this light, floating leaf and create a veritable perfume cocoon.
Has anything ever sounded quite as wonderful and tempting as a perfume cocoon?
THE SOUTHERN BELLE
“The first beauty event I ever went to was a fragrance launch, and it blew my mind, says Bee Shapiro over a video call. “From that point on, I thought about fragrance in a different way; I saw that it could tell a story. Shapiro, longtime beauty columnist for The New York Times, founded her perfume brand, Ellis Brooklyn, in 2015. “Often, when we get fragrance stories from other brands, they’re not modern or realistic” she says. “They’re these old-fashioned, fantastical, wonderful stories, but they don’t reflect how we live our daily lives. Enter Dear Sky Eau de Parfum, Ellis Brooklyn’s latest launch, which Shapiro describes as a modern fruity floral. “I was like: “Why are fruity florals always so girlie and lighthearted? Why is it always the same stereotype over and over again?’ With Dear Sky, I wanted to explore the likeability of a fruity floral but make it our own” she says. Inspired by the American West, Dear Sky features radiant notes of honeydew melon, strawberry leaf and white peony for a fruity finish that’s sweet and fresh yet substantial. “I’d been spending a lot of time in Texas and was inspired by the sunset light in Texas Hill Country,” she explains. “I love the feeling that anything is possible there. It’s a spirit that is tied to the idea of the American West-the dream to blaze your own path.
THE GLOBAL SENSATIONS
For Bottega Veneta’s first fragrance collection under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy, the house found inspiration in its hometown of Venice (a longtime hub of cross-cultural trade) and in its famous style of weaving together leather strips, called intrecciato-a Bottega Veneta signature since 1975. The collection features five fragrances, each of which interweaves hero ingredients from First, there’s Colpo di Sole, featuring notes of French Angelica oil and orange-blossom absolute from Morocco; Come With Me blends Italian bergamot with French orris butter; Acqua Sale combines woody laudanum absolute from Spain with Macedonian juniper oil; Deja Minuit is made with geranium from Madagascar and Guatemalan cardamom; and, lastly, Alchemie marries Brazilian pink pepper Prepare to be taken around the world in five spritzes. Bottega Veneta different countries. and Somalian myrrh. Fragrances, $580 for 100 ml
THE HOPELESS ROMANTIC
“Patchouli is difficult; it’s very earthy and camphorous, says perfumer Delphine Jelk over the phone from Corsica, France. “It has a lot of failures, which is what makes it so polarizing. People either love it or hate it. That’s exactly what I wanted. Not every fragrance can be for everyone, you know. Indeed, Jelk took the earthy ingredient to an extreme place with Guerlain’s latest scent for the brand’s L’Art & La Matiere collection, creating what she describes as a patchouli overdose. The inspiration behind the scent? A couple walking through Paris at night. “You can feel their passion, says Jelk. “I imagined one of them was wild, like patchouli, and had to be tamed by the other. That’s where the vanilla notes come in. Vanilla softens the patchouli and makes it less wild” The scent is then rounded out with iris and aldehyde notes. This fragrance is about love, explains Jelk. “So the couple spends the night together, and I wanted to incorporate the smell of an unmade bed and of clean, white sheets. There’s almost a tension within the contrast of notes. As for the bottle? “Red is the color of passion and love” she says. “Of course, it’s also very Parisian-red nails, red lipstick, red lights throughout the city at night. And Paris is where love can live in freedom.
THE FALL FLORAL
If a warm, comforting floral scent is on your fall wish list, look no further than Marc Jacobs’s latest launch, Perfect Elixir. A rich and opulent evolution of the original Perfect Eau de Parfum- which launched in 2020—and crafted by the same perfumer, Domitille Michalon-Bertier, Perfect Elixir features notes of purple rhubarb, golden amber woods and vanilla-bean extract. It’s the perfect (no pun intended) luscious, creamy scent to help you transition from warm weather to the colder months. Marc Jacobs Perfect Elixir, $189 for 100 ml