Men’s grooming has always been a potentially profitable business for any company. That is, as long as the products on offer manage to capture the imagination and develop a loyal following. Most men simply buy what they need from the local supermarket or pick it off the shelf of the high street chemist, it's easy, but it wasn’t always like this. Back in the Victorian period, hair and body preparations were displayed in neat rows and embossed glass bottles, and this plastic-free approach is thankfully returning. So, 229 years after it first launched, it’s time to rediscover Rowland’s Macassar Oil courtesy of The Dandy Gent.
Green scents are for spring, citrus fragrances are for summer, woody perfumes are for autumn and amber concoctions are for winter. This is the rule that many fragrance fans still adhere to with a vengeance, and it’s always surprised me. The point of perfume is that it’s individual and transportive, whether that’s in a physical or emotional sense, so to have a fragrance pigeonholed to a particular season is something that we really need to stop doing. The perfect example is Green Spell from Eris Parfums. Originally thought of as a spring-inspired delight, it’s time to discover why it’s perfect for colder months as well.
With many of us having experienced the hottest summer on record, the deepening switch to darker and colder winter months has not been universally welcomed. It may have been hot but we learned to live with it, and so it’s a shock to the system as temperatures start to plummet. If only there was a way to regain a little of that almost forgotten heat. Well luckily there’s help at hand in the form of the latest fragrance release from the travel-inspired Gallivant. With the company having already made numerous successful stops around the world, destination twelve sees us heading for the sand dunes of Abu Dhabi.
There are certain markers that happen throughout the year that signal a new season or celebration is approaching. This could be leaves changing colour on the trees, the first tips of the daffodils breaking through the soil, or the scent of chocolate as Easter eggs begin to fill the shelves. When it comes to the festive season however, you can’t get a better signal than the launch of the Fragonard Christmas Candle Collection. Every year sees beloved scents temporarily return in newly-inspired packaging, and 2022 is no different. Drawing on their strong relationship with UK audiences, it’s time to discover An English Christmas.
There aren't many perfume houses that have managed to survive the journey from historic fragrance to mass market crowd pleaser, because these two styles of scent usually resonate with very different groups. The change often happens because of a change in tastes, but it’s the act of recognising this that can mean the difference between a company continuing or closing. Grossmith is an example of a historic company that survived by cleverly switching to post-war fragrance fashions, but their original perfumes really are still the stuff of legend. Remastered and reinvigorated, it’s time to rediscover the iris-laden Shem-el-Nessim.
As hard as we try, time can often be cruel to both people and companies. The first flush of youth or success can be replaced by a faded lustre and an ageing appearance. Now, people can have a little bit of cosmetic help to regain their sparkle, but reviving a company is a much bigger challenge. Corporate takeovers, selling the company outside of the founder’s family, both of these can see the original ethos reduced to a shadow of its former self. So, when it was announced that Atkinsons was going to get a facelift it was met with a wave of excitement, and 24 Old Bond Street was the glorious result.
Scent is often described as having the ability to conjure up the memories of long-forgotten people, places and events. However, you’re not always in control of where those memories will take you. It could remind you of the scent of a ex-lover, or bring back images of an old address, but it even has the power to stimulate a little bit of scented time travel. A fragrance that is based on a time or place outside of our own experience runs the risk of being difficult for customers to relate to, but L'Appartement de Madame de Florian from Charles Wong perfectly combines romantic Parisian danger with unexplained mystery from another time.
The subject of sustainability and safety is one that goes far beyond just the perfume industry, but that hasn’t stopped it being a major topic of discussion amongst both high street and niche fragrance customers. We’ve all become much more conscious in recent years about what goes in and on our bodies, and companies have tried to address this with both spin and science. It’s often thought that “sustainability and safety” comes at a financial cost, at least that's what we usually see when we get to the checkout, but Müller have smashed this idea with their new hej:pure trio of clean and environmentally-friendly fragrances.
There are times when the most carefully thought out product launch, whether that be perfume or literature, can end up taking on a whole new relevance. What starts out as a focused interpretation of a place or time can, without any preconceived intention, become associated with a completely different subject. When Electimuss London decided to launch their newest perfume, Vici Leather, it was designed to sit comfortably within the existing Nero collection. Samples had been sent out, reviewers had been briefed, and then the passing of the longest reigning monarch shone a different light on this new launch.
