SWEET ALMOND BLOSSOM by Floral Street

The link between perfume and the arts is one that has been explored many times in the past - whether that’s its similarity to music with the notes and chords or its sensory use as a surround scent at exhibitions - but the most recent discussion centres around whether the creation of a fragrance should be thought of as an art form rather than merely a product. The olfactory impact of a scent clearly mirrors the visual impact of a painting, so why not recognise it? Floral Street has taken this one step further with their latest Vincent van Gogh-inspired fragrance release Sweet Almond Blossom, and the result is an absolute delight.

Floral Street is an award-winning fragrance house based in the UK, and was founded in 2017 by Michelle Feeney. She wanted to bring fine fragrance to the modern woman, and empower them to explore the many facets of themselves through scent. The debut eight fragrances were an exciting alternative to existing brands, with the beautiful illustrations printed onto the back of the bottles so that they shine through the front, but the perfumes also didn’t compromise on ingredients. Sustainability was at the very heart of the business, and it’s as strong today as it was six years ago.

Securing the life of any perfume house can be a daunting challenge when it launches, but Michelle was very clever to give the original eight fragrances two years to find their fans before tempting us with any more. Then in 2019 Electric Rhubarb appeared before being joined in 2020 by Arizona Bloom. Giving those original perfumes the chance to breathe before the range was expanded truly helped to cement Floral Street in the minds of the both the UK and worldwide customers. It’s a wonderful success story for the company, but there was something even more exciting on the horizon.

In 2021 Floral Street partnered with the Vincent van Gogh museum to release the fragrance Sunflower Pop, clearly using his famous Sunflowers painting as inspiration, and its popularity demanded a follow up. So, two years later, Sweet Almond Blossom has been created by perfumer Jérôme Épinette. This time the Sweet Almonds painting was chosen, with its blue hues, and the challenge was taken to translate the work of art into an equally impressive fragrance. With its underlying message of awakening and hope, Floral Street have realised a perfume that, with Christmas on the horizon, is a guaranteed stocking filler.

The fragrance opens with a delicious blend of pink pomelo, passion fruit, and mandarin, so you have a sweetly citrused fruit quality with a beautifully juicy touch. However, the almost immediate development sees a realisation of apple blossom come through, conjuring delicate white and pink petals under a clear blue sky, before a cherry-pie heliotrope adds an almost gourmand edge to the scent. The matcha tea in here provides an interesting green nuance, think about the leaves of the tree, and there’s even a slight hint of almond. The final arrival of the sweetened sandalwood completes a fragrance that is easy to wear, a delight to smell, and the perfect gift.

Sweet Almond Blossom is available from the Floral Street website at floralstreet.com, and also from John Lewis, priced at £28 for 10ml, £68 for 50ml, and £108 for 100ml. [Sample provided by Floral Street]

Posted by Stephan Matthews at 07:00:00

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Labels: Arizona Bloom, Electric Rhubarb, Floral Street, Independent, Jérôme Épinette, Michelle Feeney, Niche, Sunflower Pop, Sweet Almond Blossom, Vincent van Gogh