I always wonder how the fragrance industry can possibly improve on its previous twelve months of releases, but 2023 has once again been an incredible year for perfume. It felt like a big melting pot of styles this year, with no particular “trend” overtaking any other, but the independent companies really did take the big corporations on at their own game. Whether you are a niche lover or a high street stalwart, there was something for everyone. So, as we approach the end of 2023, it’s time to look back at twelve months of articles on stephanmatthews.com and, while once again channelling my inner Blyton, pick My Favourite Five.
Perfume was once the stuff of extravagant opulence and unbridled beauty, but recent years have seen that change somewhat. The gloriously bespoke bottles that accompanied a new launch have all but been replaced by pedestrian square-sided flasks, and there is very little beauty in a clear glass container. Of course, the juice inside the bottle is what really matters, but making it visually appealing to the eye doesn’t hurt either. When La Perla decided to reimagine their fragrance offering in 2021 it also extended to the bottle, and the result is magical. So, with warmer days on the horizon, it’s time to discover the sparkling Vila Sorrento.
There are scents from our childhood that have such a strong association that they almost conjure up an emotion inside you rather than a memory. That wonderful wash of happiness, or sadness in some cases, cannot be contained and bursts through the dam-like walls of our very souls. Sometimes even the description of a fragrance does it and that was exactly what happened to me when I read about Teisenddu by Frassaï. Proudly described as “the first woman-owned niche fragrance house from Argentina,” I knew that I had to discover more about the fascinating links with my native Wales.
