The tree has been brought down from the loft and, if you're anything like me, you're also desperately trying to remember where you put the fairy lights. This can only mean one thing, it’s Christmas! Alongside all of the traditions that go with the festive season, my annual contribution is recommending which flickering piece of scented magic needs to take pride of place in your home this year. We often fall back on the old favourites in December, but I'm going to ask you to try something a little different. This year’s choices have been harder than ever, but the time has finally arrived to reveal my Top Five Candles for Christmas.
There are many accolades that are thrown around the world of perfumery but, when it comes to choosing the person who has singlehandedly championed the cause of synthetics, there’s only one Geza Schoen. His earth shattering release of Molecule 01 back in 2006 created ripples that are still being felt in both commercial and niche perfumery today. The public became fascinated with the futuristic Iso E Super ingredient and there was a stampede to try the first “scent of yourself” fragrance. More Escentric Molecules perfumes followed but the love of the original never disappeared. So, fifteen years later, Molecule 01 has had an exciting facelift.
After the incredible reduction in the number of fragrances that were launched last year, and I’m certainly not saying that it was a bad thing, this year sees some of my favourite perfume companies expanding their catalogues. It feels as though we have definitely been spoiled over the past few months, and I think we all deserved a little scented excitement, but the latest release that should be on everyone’s Christmas list has just arrived. I’m talking about Naples from Gallivant. This is a company that I’ve followed since it first started back in 2017 and, fantastically, they’ve struck gold for the tenth time.
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” There can’t be anyone that hasn’t heard that expression, and the past year and half has tested it to the extreme. Changes in circumstances have forced companies and individuals to adapt like never before. When the usual way of earning a living suddenly disappeared, it quickly became apparent that there would be little help. The theatre industry was severely hit, with shows cancelled and closed, but one actor had the idea to turn the uncertainty into some much needed relaxation. Paul Keating launched RestN, and he is tipped for some seriously scented success.
I don’t know whether you would call it a trend anymore, because it feels like it’s now part of our everyday lives, but the drive for natural products shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. With a greater interest in what goes into our fragrances, creams and potions, a whole new group of companies have appeared with the promise that they can offer what customers are demanding. Balancing natural credentials with legal formulation requirements can often be difficult though, but one company that have achieved it with their debut fragrance is Jones & Modha. Let me introduce you to no.1 and their promise of “natural plant alchemy”.
One of the aspects of perfumery that many people struggle to come to terms with is the worry that their observations of a scent might not match other people’s. The ingredient lists and fragrance stories all try to guide you to a particular scented impression, but it doesn’t mean that you’re actually going to get there. We all interpret scent differently, have different memories, and recognise different ingredients, so it makes sense that we’ll all pick up different aspects. This is the principle behind the newly launched Oddity fragrance brand and, with their full encouragement to trust your own instincts, it's time to discover Naked Dance.
The idea of using childhood as the inspiration for a fragrance is always going to be fraught with dangers, quite simply because everyone’s childhood is different. What resonates with one person may not be familiar to another. Add into the mix a fashionable ingredient and you also have a second level of preconceived ideas that carries the potential to disappoint. So, when Sarah Baker announced that her latest fragrance would combine childhood memories and oud, there was a definite intake of breath. Could the inspiration and the ingredient really be brought seamlessly together and offer something truly original?
There’s nothing I enjoy more than spending an hour or two wandering around the brocante markets in France, and usually coming away with far too many things to fit in my suitcase! So, with travel still a little limited, it’s wonderful that these types of elevated flea markets seem to have really taken off in the UK as well. It’s the excitement of finding the missing piece of a dinner set, a lost childhood memory, or even something that you wonder how you've ever lived without. Kilted Quarter is one of these new UK companies, but they’ve also launched a range of brocante-inspired candles that are guaranteed to have perfume lovers rushing to order.
