Take 5 Bountiful Berry Scents
Sick of sugary scents? Incredibly realistic juicy but sharp berry notes are slicing their own path through the world of perfumery right now, and believe us – you need to get your noses on these…
WORDS: SUZY NIGHTINGALE
Raspberry adds a luscious sweet touch to this new Selfridges exclusive from Ormonde Jayne
There’s a bumper crop of berry-forward fragrances this year, and with our noses always a-twitch for micro trends shaping the world of scents, we were curious to find out why they’re suddenly so bountiful. Isabelle Jacob, Marketing Executive at British fragrance creation house CPL Aromas, explains that ‘Cherry proved that a single, recognisable fruit note could become a powerful olfactive focus for marketing; easy to communicate, immediately evocative, and emotionally resonant with consumers.’
Now that cherry-saturated trend has widened to a whole clutch of berries taking centre stage, Isabelle comments that feels like a ‘natural extension’ because they bring ‘a similar familiarity and nostalgia while offering a playful, accessible character that appeals to a broad audience.’
The major perfume retailers are seeing this berry explosion play out in-store, with Sephora having noted in their annual trend report that ‘Juicy Berries Are Back… And They’re Not Playing.’ Commenting on the fact this new generation of fruity fragrances are really pushing the berry notes in their compositions (rather than having a background melange of fruits), they said that ‘Berry perfume is very much a thing, with notes like raspberry, cherry and blackberry bringing that juicy, fresh hit that turns heads in the best way, advising customers that ‘If you’ve been craving something fun, fruity and instantly mood-boosting, this trend is for you.’
Karla Woolley, Head of Buying for The Perfume Shop, agrees, saying that ‘We’re seeing more interest in fruit notes that feel bold but refined.’ So, syrupy fruitiness has given way to a more realistic perfumed profile, and she suggests that ‘Raspberry offers sweetness with personality, which makes it perfect for perfumes that feel expressive rather than overly sugary.’
With a fragrant fatigue for overly-sweet gourmand fragrances, it seems we’re increasingly reaching for realistic ripe berry notes right now – their succulent sharpness offering a refreshing balance to the more sugary /syrupy fruitiness found in fragrances of Y2K’s notoriously fruity era. Partly this is due to modern extraction techniques offering perfumers materials that smell closer to actual berries freshly plucked from a bush, but it’s also got a lot to do with a shift in consumer taste.
When the shelves are crowded with vanilla and caramel creations, it’s perhaps only natural that we crave something different to excite our noses again. With berries to tempt every taste – ripe, juicy, sharp and spiced, entwined with roses or boldly blended with woods – there’s so many to choose from; but we hope the five fruity fragrances we’ve curated here prove the perfect starting point of your own berry obsession…
Ormonde Jayne Suede Silhouette
Founder Linda Pilkington told us at the recent press launch this new Selfridges exclusive has proved so popular it keeps selling out every time they make a new batch (and so it proves, according to their website at the time of writing! But do keep checking back – they’re whipping up more as we type…) No wonder, we say, because the raspberry is utterly glorious in this – properly sharp in a kind of freeze-dried photo realism and perfectly counterbalancing the rose and saffron’s textural, almost stroke-able opulence of the suede accord.
£225 for 88ml eau de parfum selfridges.co.uk
Jeroboam Oud Morning
It isn’t every day we get perfumers referencing their favourite breakfast as fragrant inspo, but luckily Vanina Muracciole was inspired by the freshly baked blueberry muffins she enjoyed while studying at Oxford University (rather than, say, a bacon sarnie). That light cake-y-ness provides a joyously smoothing blanket to contain the richness of the oudh in the base, but it’s all about the so-realistic blueberry note for us. Bursting with freshness, this Harrods exclusive is an instant feel-good fragrance from the very first spritz. Oud Morning (and afternoon, and night) indeed!
£290 for 100ml extrait de parfum harrods.com
Nishane Thorns Become Roses
A perfumed paean to ‘contrast, where brightness and shadow coexist,’ Julien Rasquinet redefines the rose by vividly highlighting its natural fruitiness with a ravishing raspberry and lychee, then plunging deeper into patchouli that made us sigh with pleasure, and a warm, ambery woodiness flecked with saffron’s leathery nuance and cardamom’s intriguing silvery spiciness. In the heart, violet leaf adds a stem-like realism to the rose while mimosa fluffs the edges, and luscious blackcurrant joins the raspberry, these berry notes singing throughout while the woodiness smoothes and grounds.
£195 for 50ml extrait de parfum harrods.com
Matière Première Black Currant
For all the Matière Première fragrances, co-founder and perfumer Aurélien Guichard excels at showcasing single, central natural ingredients used in their highest possible dosage, then surrounding that note with carefully chosen materials to compliment and reveal its innate facets. Here, an exceptional French Blackcurrant Absolute reveals ‘the colourful and additive nature of cassis.’ But forget girly berry scents of yore, because this is a blackcurrant that’s big, bold and nods toward crème de cassis blackcurrant liqueur produced in Burgundy. Fused with oudh and wrapped in leather, it’s hugely resonant and lingers lavishly.
£250 for 50ml extrait de parfum harrods.com
Phlur Berry Cream Hair & Body Mist
If you take your strawberries and raspberries with sugar and cream, this is the scent for you – they feel freshly picked and still dewdrop sparkled in this happy-making body mist, the succulence dunked in a bowl of whipped cream and sugared amber. Another key trend is also found in force, here, with ‘violet milk’ lapping at the sweetness in the heart, along with the twiggy verdancy of apple leaves and sharper hibiscus flower. As it warms, vanilla and amber provide a cushiony base of comfort, and altogether it’s an upbeat, fun and flirty take on the berry trend (and at a price to encourage liberal dousing of skin and tresses alike).
£39 for 237ml fragrance mist sephora.co.uk