There are a few descriptors that inevitably appear in any spring fragrance story – floral, obviously, fresh, delicate, maybe citrus. So this year, we propose trying something different. Our edit of spring fragrances features a range of earthy, ambery alternatives for the season: think, more soil than flowers; green, rolling hills but with a factory in the middle of them; dry desserts rather than verdant landscapes.
Below, Wallpaper* beauty editor Mary Cleary selects the best subversive spring fragrances that are an alternative to the usual florals.
Ambre Levant by Louis Vuitton
Ambre Levant is the latest addition to Louis Vuitton’s Journey to the Middle East collection, an olfactory exploration of the region which takes oud sourced from Louis Vuitton's exclusive supplier as the central feature of each of the four fragrances. For Ambre Levant, in-house perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud enriched the weighty, resinous quality of oud with another ingredient traditionally associated with the region, amber, to create a potent blend that instantly announces itself when it enters the room.
While crafting Ambre Levant, Cavallier-Belletrud pictured the image of a glimmering palace, its silhouette warped by the heat of a desert sun. As such, the fragrance shifts between various notes – mandarin, cinnamon, white incense, labdanum, and ambergris – with the warm, golden quality of amber running throughout.
Mescal Musc by Horace
Horace’s fragrances are so popular that past launches have inspired fans to line up around the block of their Paris stores in order to get their hands on them. The reason is that the men’s grooming brand has found the perfect balance between creating high-quality scents that appeal to both fragrance aficionados and the most low-maintenance man, all at an accessible price point that appeals to anybody.
The brand’s latest launch, Mescal Musc, is a boozy blend of davana (a liquorice-y herb), vetiver, guaiac wood and birch tar. The smoky, musky quality of those notes is emboldened with a kick of spicy pimento pepper, for a heady scent with a lasting sillage. All of Horace’s fragrances are handmade in Grasse by IFF’s team of expert noses, and their unique mezcal-musk accord makes its first-ever appearance in the new fragrance.
Cuir Saddle by Dior
Dior’s Cuir Saddle is a unisex scent that sees in-house perfumer and fragrance-world superstar Francis Kurkdjian at his best. The fragrance, which was launched earlier this year, is a homage to Dior’s iconic Saddle bag, which became an emblem of early 2000s style when it made its debut at John Galliano’s Dior S/S 2000 ready-to-wear show. Inspired by the way the leather bag melds itself to the wearer’s body, Kurkdjian set about creating a leather skin fragrance that tempers the smoky and animalistic qualities usually associated with the scent in favour of florals and soft musks. The idea is to subtly enhance the scent of your own body chemistry.
Il Lanificio by Zegna
Zengna’s Il Lanificio is a men’s cologne that blends spring-y notes like freshly shorn sheep wool and warm vanilla, with a touch of gentle metallic notes inspired by industrial machines. The fragrance is part of the brand’s new Memorie collection, a line of six scents designed to evoke different moments from founder Ermenegildo Zegna’s life. Il Lanificio is a homage to Zenga walking around his wool mills in the Italian Alps, where the raw material is transformed into the brand’s famous cashmere.
Tucson by Astier de Villatte
Astier de Villatte's Tucson smells like dust, but in a nice way. It’s the musty, sandy dust of the desert with its dry air and arid landscape illuminated by harsh light. As far as spring fragrances go, this one is ideal for those who prefer their perfumes slightly animal-like and earthy, but want to keep it on the lighter side for the change in weather. Spray it on and top notes of strawflowers will immediately conjure images of tumbleweeds rolling in the wind, while notes of thyme give it that animal tinge, and heated birch gives it a scorched-earth quality. Notes of amber and resin ground it further to create a scent that is light but distinguished.
Crazy Basil by Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten’s fragrance line is dedicated to uniting contradictory scent profiles, and for Crazy Basil, those scents are an exceptionally vibrant, fresh note of basil with warm, slightly spicy notes of sandalwood and amber. The first spritz hits you with a foliage-like freshness that is brightened by the addition of subtle citrus notes, before settling into its rich, resinous base. As the fragrance's perfumer, Jean-Christophe Hérault, says, this is ‘a true-to-nature aromatic note of basil getting crazy with the vibration of cedarwood and amber’.