Yesterday I featured the first six out of the twelve perfumes that were launched last year by Dries Van Noten – those all featured floral notes. Today’s perfumes are all focused on woody, fruity and citrus notes, and if you’re like me and you prefer more traditionally male-oriented perfumes, these will be the ones for you. Like I said in yesterday’s post, all the perfumes were made to be genderless, so keep that in mind, and also I personally believe that if you like a perfume you should wear it, no matter who it’s intended for – if you like the notes give it a go.
85%+ of the ingredients in these perfumes are of natural origin, adding to their sustainability, and the bottles are refillable – you can buy refills at the Dries Van Noten website. They come with a little key that lets you unscrew then reattach the pump of the original bottle, and also a funnel to prevent spills.
This post features six Eaux de Parfum: Fleur du Mal, Voodoo Chile, Cannabis Patchouli, Soie Malaquais, Rock the Myrrh, and Santal Greenery.
Fleur du Mal (English: Evil Flower) is the work of perfumer Quentin Bisch, who also created the Eau de Toilette Sur Ma Peau for Dries Van Noten. This year he created Purpose for Amouage, and he has also developed Quatre en Rose for Boucheron.
I really love the Fleur du Mal bottle – it’s half violet, and half tortoiseshell-inspired.
The top note of this perfume is Peach, the heart notes are Jasmine and Osmanthus, the base notes are Suede and Amber.
If you’d like to try something similar, there’s Amber N°53 by The Perfume Master (top note: Peach; heart note: Jasmine; base note: Amber), though it may be hard to find. For something else with Peach as a top note and a base note of Leather, there is Talbot Runhof’s Purple Tweed (top notes: Peach, Aldehyde; heart notes: Iris, Rose, Violet; base notes: Leather, Almond, Musk).
Voodoo Chile comes in a bottle with a bottom half of etched metal, and it’s my favourite out of all these perfumes. The top notes are Cannabis Accord and Rosemary, heart notes are Lentisque and Patchouli, base notes are Cedarwood and Sandalwood Essence.
Lentisque, also called mastic, is an evergreen shrub related to the pistachio tree. It’s the resin from its branches that get used in perfume, and this resin has a fresh scent similar to pine and cedar.
Voodoo Chile was created by Nicolas Beaulieu, who is also the perfumer behind Aromatics in White for Clinique and L’Eau de Liesse for Courrèges.
This perfume is really like nothing else I’ve ever smelled, and I’m not really sure I can call it a Chypre, though it has a similar mix, but I’ve found these two perfumes that are Chypres that might be good to try instead to get that mix of herb/fresh/woody, and both feature Rosemary: C’est Paris! Pour Homme by Carven (top notes: Cypress, Lemon, Rosemary; heart notes: Lavender, Hazelnut, Violet Leaf; base notes: Moss, Patchouli, Sandalwood), and the 1966 classic Eau Sauvage from Dior (top notes: Lemon, Rosemary, Caraway, Fruity Notes, Bergamot, Basil; heart notes: Carnation, Coriander, Jasmine, Orris, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood; base notes: Musk, Oakmoss, Vetiver, Amber).
The bottle for Cannabis Patchouli is a beautiful combination of green glass and deep brown wood. This fragrance is another of my favourites from the collection – it’s the contrast of the freshness from the Bergamot and Cedar and the depth from the Patchouli and Musk.
This perfume was created by Nicolas Bonneville; he also developed BôHaras for La Manufacture’s Opus Matières collection and Patchouli Oud for Affinessence.
The top notes of Cannabis Patchouli are Bergamot and Cedar Leaves, heart notes are Sage, Patchouli and Incense, while the base notes are Musk and Vetiver.
For an alternative, you can try Mon Roi by 12 Parfumeurs, though it’s missing the Patchouli (top notes: Bergamot, Lavender; heart notes: Cardamom, Incense, Pepper; base notes: Cedarwood, Musk, Vetiver). Nardo by Monom is a pure perfume with similar notes that sounds absolutely amazing: the brand website lists Bergamot, Mandarin, Spikenard Flower, Jasmine, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Ambergris, White Musk, Vanilla Berry, and Tonka Bean for its notes.
Next up is my favourite bottle, with a combination of glass and Chinese-style blue-on-white porcelain. Soie Malaquais (English: Malaquais Silk) was created by Marie Salamagne, who was inspired by the silk dresses in Dries Van Noten’s Parisian Quai Malaquais boutique. Salamagne also created Blossom Me for Paco Rabanne and B.Blumarine for Blumarine.
The top notes in Soie Malaquais are Bergamot and Blackcurrant, heart notes are Rose and Silk, and the base notes are Chestnut and Cocoa.
Poirier d’un Soir by Miller Harris has some similarities (top notes: Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Pear, Sugar, Tagetes, Rum; heart notes: Peony, Rose, Spice, Birch; base notes: Cashmeran, Cedarwood, Ambrette), and I also came across Ensis by V Canto, an Extrait de Parfum (top notes: Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Green Notes, Violet; heart notes: Blackcurrant, Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Ozonic Notes, Rose; base notes: Amber, Cocoa, Patchouli, Metallic Notes, Musk).
Rock the Myrrh comes in a bottle made of glass and French-hand painted porcelain. The perfumer who created this fragrance is Amelie Jacquin, who also developed Splendid Vanilla for Roberto Cavalli and Honeyed Tobacco & Oud for Habibi NY.
The top notes of this perfume are Cypress and Pink Pepper, heart notes are Myrrh and Patchouli, and the base notes are Suede and Benzoin. It’s got a really particular scent, and to be honest I’ve put it on my never-ending wishlist.
Like with many of these perfumes, I couldn’t really find anything that’s similar, but for similar heart notes, there’s Siene by Tiziana Terenzi (top notes: Cypress, Juniper; heart notes: Incense, Patchouli, Iris, Myrrh; base notes: Amber, Honey, Musk, Sandalwood), and Mystic Incense by The Merchant of Venice (top notes: Caramel, Salt, Dried Fruits; heart notes: Incense, Woody Notes; base notes: Cocoa, Incense).
The final perfume is another one on my wishlist – Santal Greenery. The bottle is made of opaque white glass with a contrast section featuring a leafy print. This perfume combines Fig and Sandalwood, but also has some freshness to it with the citrusy top notes of Bergamot and Grapefruit.
It was created by Nisrine Grillié, who has also worked with Quentin Bisch on Moncler pour Femme for Moncler, and with Natalie Gracia-Cetto on Dolce Lily for Dolce & Gabbana.
Top notes are Bergamot and Grapefruit, heart notes are Fig and Violet Leaf, base notes are White Musk and Sandalwood.
For something along the same lines, you could try Formentera Woman by Agua de Baleares (top notes: Bergamot, Grapefruit; heart notes: Floral; base notes: Musk, Sandalwood), or there’s also Dia Woman by Amouage (top notes: Bergamot, Cyclamen, Fig, Sage Tarragon, Violet Leaf; heart notes: Orange Blossom, Orris, Peony, Rose, Peach Blossom; base notes: Cedarwood, Heliotrope, Incense, Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Gaiac).
If you’re not sure which one to pick, there are discovery sets and travel sets available, and there’s also a range of creams and soaps if you’d like something extra or as a gift for someone. There’s also a set of silk foulards based on the bottles so you can put a whole set together. Buying perfumes online is tricky but luckily you can get two free samples with each full size perfume that you buy at the Dries Van Noten website – it would be a good idea to take one sample of your full size perfume as a tester before opening, and then getting the second sample in any other that you’d like.
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