Think you hate vanilla, or that you’ve tried every type? Think again! This week the award-winning perfume podcast host Suzy and Nicola rate and review five of their favourite vanilla fragrances (five each, that is. Obvs). Encompassing hip-swivelling seduction, a stunning high street body butter, hugely powerful fragrant talismans, and summery every-day wearability, there’s also a truly affordable modern classic vanilla – created by a Master Perfumer who trained at Chanel, created scents for Frederic Malle, Guerlain, Gucci, Amouage and Atkinsons; but THIS one can be snapped up for under £32! From delicious to depraved: dive on in…

This week, hosts Suzy and Nicola welcome back dear perfume pal and friend of the pod (star of two previous episodes), the multi-award-winning fragrance writer, presenter, content creator and now AUTHOR, Alice du Parcq!

Alice has always been ‘on a mission to decode perfume in a fun, relatable and objective way.’ Now, added to her perfumed portfolio will be an incredibly gift-able (to self or scent-loving friends) book, created in collaboration with none other than The British Library, called The Philosophy of Perfume.

Out in October, we’re sure, like us, you cannot WAIT to read it, and in this episode, Alice gives a sneak peek at what you expect to find inside, plus the entire story of how the book came to be, and why she burst into tears in a library…

This week’s On The Scent Podcast is a truly madcap sniffathon encompassing [*takes a deep breath*] wild seascapes, fragrant ghosts and a notorious rake; a thrillingly spicy summer scent to set your senses tingling; a fruity treat based on a perfumer’s favourite breakfast; a splendiferous peacock strutting its scented stuff; a stunning sueded rose; perfumes pulled straight from the vegetable patch; Harrods exclusives to swoon over; a seriously affordable new niche house; a mesmerising myrrh, and a sneak peek into Alice du Parcq’s forthcoming book… AND there’s a Listener Prescription answered. Phew!

This week’s episode of the podcast has a particularly intriguing guest, as Suzy Nightingale and Nicola Bonn sit down with BeauFort London founder, Leo Crabtree, to trace a fascinating journey. From the formative fragrances he wore as a teenager to the moment he realised scent could become a storytelling medium for his fascinations with maritime might, Shakespearean drama, and the awe-inspiring power of nature. 

Embracing the heat, and leaning into the ‘Sunscreen Scent’ perfume profile this week, the fragrant duo are following on from the BONUS episode available to Patreon subscribers in which they explored their favourite scented sunscreens. Flipping that fragrant theme on its head, this time it’s all about those solar, ‘holiday in a bottle’ type perfumes, and they find themselves particularly drawn to those with a vintage vibe.

Later in the episode, Nicola answers a listener question from someone who had fallen head over heels for spicy tonka / vanilla fragrances way out of her budget, and seeks affordable scents to satiate this new olfactory obsession…