It seems that some of the more innovative perfume companies have been looking into their fridge for inspiration when it comes to developing their latest offerings. But fear not! You won’t smell like a salad or a vegetable patch: ingredients such as carrot, fennel, ginger and tomato are used to give a fresh earthiness to the scent, appearing often just in the background to take away some of the sweetness of more conventional citrus or floral notes. These are some of our current favourites.
Pacific Chill by Louis Vuitton
Apparently inspired by a breakfast smoothie, this lovely fragrance uses carrot and coriander to take the sweet edge off apricot. There are also hints of blackcurrant and basil in there (it’s like getting your six portions of daily fruit via your nose). The result is super fresh yet earthy too. We love it.
Aqua Media Cologne Forte by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
As fresh as its lovely green bottle, this fragrance from niche perfume superstar Maison Francis Kurkdjian uses fennel as a key ingredient. This gives a slight hint of aniseed along with the bergamot and verbena and makes it a really rather exhilarating and bright aroma perfect for spring.
Ingenious Ginger by Goldfield & Banks
No guessing the plant-based ingredient of this fragrance from Australians Goldfield & Banks. Ginger is the main component of this striking and bold perfume that has a sweetness too – almost like ginger beer. It’s still fresh and almost fruity too: think of the ginger as a mixer in a cocktail and you get the drift – it’s here to add a spicy touch.
L’Eau Rouge Heirloom by Henrik Vibskov
This fragrance, by Copenhagen renaissance man Henrik Vibskov, really pushes the envelope when it comes to the foodstuff trend. There is no doubt as to the presence of tomatoes here with a strong, leafy green aroma that smells like a walk through a greenhouse. It shouldn’t really work and maybe we were partly won over by the frankly genius bottle and packaging but this is really good.
From the Garden by Maison Margiela
Another fragrance using tomato leaf to evoke springtime in the peace of a garden is this one by Maison Margiela, appropriately called From the Garden. Mixing the salad vegetable (or is it a fruit? We never know…) with mandarin and geranium, it is earthy and green and feels maybe more lazy day in summer than spring energy. Much less work than digging that vegetable patch though.
