PEACH'S REVENGE by Sarah Baker Perfumes

There are certain perfume brands that, happily for fragrance fans around the world, stay true to their original inspiration and ethos. It’s very easy for companies to swerve off in varying directions once their name is known, but this can lead to confusion amongst followers and uncertainty for new disciples. You'll have heard the old adage that “familiarity breeds contempt”, but in the world of fragrance it’s actually something to be respected and admired. Sarah Baker Perfumes launched with a promise to bring some Hollywood glamour to scent, often through literary inspirations, and this holds true with her new Peach’s Revenge.

If there is one thing that fans of Sarah Baker know then it’s surely that her perfumes are adept at capturing moments, emotions, and desires. Her collection ranges from the coquettish to the rumbustious, but are always layered above a sincere heart. It’s this attention to the “collection as a whole” that has given her the enviable following she has amassed since she launched back in 2015. Labels and bottles may have been tweaked, the range of fragrances may have been streamlined, but the final curated offering provides excitement, fascination, and even a little bit of education.

For her latest perfume, Sarah Baker had turned her attention to an ingredient that is often a supporting player rather than the lead role. Peach’s Revenge has been given the usual exciting backstory by Sarah, so you feel like you are following a scented script, but it’s also very free to interpretation. I’ve always loved this aspect of Sarah’s fragrances, and Peach’s Revenge is no different. Her story includes a Machiavellian villain, adult sensuality, and threatening danger, but where would I be taken? Well, Chris Maurice’s creation has transported me to 1922 London, and a dose of the Queen of Crime.

The Secret Adversary was Agatha Christie’s second novel, and includes her only mention of Peach Melba. The heroine, Tuppence, comes into money and insists on spending it at The Piccadilly on “unlimited hors-d’œuvre, Lobster a l’américane, Chicken Newberg, and Pêche Melba”. The villain in the book comes to a sticky end thanks to Agatha’s favourite poison, cyanide. This gives off an aroma of bitter almonds, which you detect in Peach’s Revenge, but the stone of the peach also contains a substance that can create cyanide when digested by enzymes in the gut! So, are you ready to embark on some Agatha Christie sleuthing?

Peach’s Revenge opens with a delicious blend of peach, nectarine and guava but, right at the beginning, there’s a vanilla ice-cream quality. This combination points beautifully to the Peach Melba, with its traces of berry sauce, but the arrival of the spiced heart takes us in a different direction. The use of cardamom, ginger and cinnamon add a delicate green heat to the scent, and link seamlessly to a powdery bitter almond/sour cherry aroma. The latter is the infamous smell of cyanide but, before things become too dark, a wash of sweetened amber and peppered labdanum confirms that good has prevailed once more. Peach's Revenge is a great addition to the collection, and a welcome excuse to go adventuring!

Peach’s Revenge is available from the Sarah Baker Perfumes website at sarahbakerperfumes.com, and also Jovoy in London, priced at £145 for 50ml. [Sample provided by Sarah Baker]