Monday, 13 January 2025

WHITE TEA by Elizabeth Arden

A bottle of the perfume White Tea EDP from Elizabeth Arden
January is the perfect time to take a pause after the madness of Christmas and hunker down before the deluge of new perfumes start coming at us like cabs off a rank. In the never-ending quest for increased sales and contented customers, the big brands are gearing up to build on the successes of 2024 with the latest flanker and hottest trend, but there are also some hidden gems out there that are waiting to be rediscovered. So, we’re heading to the high street to spend some time with Elizabeth Arden, and perhaps even introduce you to your new perfume in the form of White Tea Eau de Parfum.

Elizabeth Arden is a name that is synonymous with the finest skincare and a strong collection of fragrances, but those scented wonders came much later in the company’s timeline. When Florence Nightingale Graham launched the brand in 1910, under the now famous pseudonym, no one could have imagined that the Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue would spawn a worldwide beauty empire. A full colour and skincare line arrived in 1916, followed in 1930 by the legendary Eight Hour Cream, before this true pioneer stood shoulder to shoulder with her fellow suffragettes in 1944. Quite a woman.

The perfume side of Elizabeth Arden first quietly began in 1922 with a trio of flower-inspired fragrances, which was followed by a further four scents in 1929 that took the founder as their inspiration. However, the major scented breakthrough came in 1936 with the famous Blue Grass. Originally created by the house of Fragonard, this would be the perfume that put Elizabeth Arden on the map. This perfume retained its following over all of those decades, before Red Door in 1989 arguably took the Arden crown. The following years saw many successes, and a few misses, and then White Tea arrived in 2017.

The box for the perfume White Tea EDP from Elizabeth Arden
It could be argued that White Tea was an attempt to draw on the worldwide success of the 1999 Green Tea, but it obviously needed to go in a very different scented direction; the new fragrance was a woody floral while the original had been a citrus aromatic. Happily it became a strong seller, and so an EDP retelling was released in 2022. This was created as a more intense version, sharing many of the same core notes, but it was released with a new wellness angle. Using VivaScentz™ technology, the perfume promised to instil feelings of joy, peace, confidence, and comfort. But how does it perform on the skin?

The perfume opens with a wonderfully uplifting blend of mandarin and clary sage, but it’s also immediately joined by the promised white tea accord. It has a transparent, aquatic quality that is cleverly supported by the inclusion of rose water. This ingredient really does provide a delicate floral note, rather than the more robust essential oil or absolute, but you're also treated to a touch of semi-animalic jasmine as well. It’s this that seems to link beautifully to a tonka bean and amber pairing, and even a hint of earthy vetiver. Interestingly, as the perfume develops you get the intriguing return of a green citrus, before a smooth sandalwood delivers that promised feeling of confidence and comfort.

White Tea Eau de Parfum is available from Boots, and all online sellers, priced at £25 for 30ml, £37 for 50ml, and £48 for 100ml. [Sample provided by Revlon]

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