On The Scent… of NEWS: poetic perfume pop-ups, Givaudan’s message in a bottle – and Giorgio Armani harnesses the ‘phwoar’ factor
There are more pop-up perfume adventures to be had in London this week, if you’re quick. And very encouragingly, there’s a distinct drive towards fragrance helping us all to become more sociably connected. Our newshound Amanda Carr – writer, trend-spotter and Barnes Fragrance Fair founder – keeps your finger on the pulse of all things fragrant
Aesop’s upcoming poetic perfume pop-up
One of the poems to accompany Aesop’s perfumes – in this case, Eidisis
Another perfume pop up in London – this time by beauty brand Aesop, who are turning their Regent Street store over entirely to its collection of 12 fragrances for a week, from 22nd September to 4th October 2026.
It’s in celebration of Aesop’s new Fragrant Fables Collection scent, the beautifully breezy Unforeseen, Aer, a modern reimagining of a traditional fougère, featuring lavandin, geranium and rosemary, and created by the brand’s oft-used perfumer Céline Barel. It’s created with Aesop’s distinctive aesthetic, a touch of warming nutmeg and a ‘Fabulist Accord’ – according to the brand – of fresh air. (Don’t we all want a some extra fabulousness somewhere in our lives?)
Each of the fragrances in the bookish-store will be accompanied by a bespoke fable–like poem (example pictured), to reinforce the power of storytelling in fragrance. We’re hoping for a library/perfumery combo where we can spritz and read at the same time – two of our favourite things to do on the ONS team.
With such a plethora of perfume pop ups happening around London (do make sure you catch the exceptional Penhaligon’s Who’s Who of London at the Royal Academy this weekend, if you can – read more here), can we plead with brands and retailers to maybe leave them in place for a little longer? A week is no time to organise a special trip!
Jonathan Bailey (image courtesy Armani Beauty)
Who’d like an ‘I Will’ from Jonathan Bailey at Armani?
In keeping with our recent story on the return of the 90s beauty behemoths to fragrance, Giorgio Armani has just released its first masculine fragrance in 20 years. I Will by Giorgio Armani is a dark, smoky vanilla and leather eau de parfum created for the brand by perfumer-slash-legends Nathalie Lorson and Alberto Morillas. New innovation has introduced a bit of #ScentMaxxing, with ‘4D Performance Technology’ bringing extended projection, sillage and longevity to the fragrance. The long-lasting scent leans into the snuggly, sensual side of leather and the more addictive lickability of vanilla, alongside brightening bergamot and grounding woody notes.
The fragrance is fronted by newly signed-up Giorgio Armani ambassador, Mr. Jonathan Bailey, who seems the perfect handsome-yet-approachable face for the fragrance, and represents the confidence, resilience and determination that inspired it. We would certainly be very happy to say ‘I Will’ to Mr. Bailey.
Givaudan’s Message in a Bottle
For fragrance house Givaudan’s recent trend-focused olfactive manifesto, ‘Message in a Bottle’, the company identified social connection and community as important sources of inspiration for future fragrance development. Designed as a resource for Givaudan perfumers and brand partners, the manifesto feels particularly timely amid today’s unsettled global climate: according to a recent American Time Use Survey, face-to-face socialising declined by more than 20% between 2003 and 2023.
Givaudan’s own research found that social belonging was among the most important concerns for 43% of women and 46% of men, particularly among Gen Z. The company believes fragrance may help bridge this sense of disconnection. Arnaud Guggenbühl, Givaudan’s Head of Global Marketing Insight for Fine Fragrance, has said that, during this ‘global pandemic of loneliness’, wearing perfume can be ‘a radical act of communication and a potential promise of social belonging’. It frankly feels a little like the Taoism red-thread theory – but expressed through scent.
We have certainly seen a huge swing towards recognising fragrance’s deep emotional connection with mood and wellbeing, with the way a scent makes us feel becoming almost as important as how it smells. It’s a clever next step to explore how fragrance might foster social belonging – and even help counter loneliness – as a reason to connect with perfume.
What might that look like in practice? Friendlier scent profiles? Socially beneficial ingredients? Party-inducing perfumes? We cannot wait to find out.
They’ve shared info on their Instagram – here – or to read more, visit givaudan.com
The Archaeology of Scent
More lab space for budding perfumers, this time in Paris, where founder of @perfume.archeology, Mathieu Saint–Dizier, has opened The Scent Lab, a safe space for writers, biologists, plant specialists, perfumers, aroma experts and anyone else looking to have a thoughtful and dynamic conversation around scent to hang out and be among friends. The space will also hold scent-based exhibitions.
M. Saint–Dizier is well known for his extensive perfume knowledge within the industry and his democratic approach to open formula access for perfumes. Excitingly, to celebrate the opening, The Scent Lab is running a competition via @scentlabparis on TikTok where for one year, there will be three perfume formulas to win each week. Doing the maths, with one winner every Friday for 52 weeks, that comes to 156 formulas!
This new space is ‘a new way of smelling perfume’ according to the founder; it’s a way to meet people face–to–face and build connections and relationships where everybody benefits. The future, it seems, is all about being sociable.
The Scent Lab can be found at 84 rue Quincampoix, 750003 Paris, near the Pompidou Centre.
And did you know…?
Movie star Elizabeth Taylor, who launched the first-ever celebrity scent, spritzed her bedsheets every night with her own White Diamonds fragrance. Muse PR founder Linda Land, who was lucky enough to work with Ms. Taylor, told us she never travelled without a bottle of her fragrance, which she loved, to make sure she could continue the ritual wherever she was staying.
