Lauryn Beer (left) and Ida Meister (Right)

Now that you have heard from Ermano and me, (our top ten 2021 fragrances here) and (The Best Fragrances of 2021 here) we continue our Top Ten 2021 Favorite Fragrances lists wrap up with Senior Editors Ida Meister and Lauryn Beer. Ida lives in South Boston, Massachusetts and Lauryn in Washington DC (440 miles away); their choices are very different. Now it’s time to reveal their respective Ten Best fragrances of 2021 -Michelyn Camen, Editor-in-Chief

A blessed season to you all! The past year brought radical changes to my door (and to so many others) for better and for worse. There were many fragrances which I was unable to sample – so my list may appear very different from my colleagues. Two trends in 2021 perfumery strike me: the emergence of verdancy, which represents a desire to connect with the natural world; and the ongoing gourmandization of fragrance regardless of their classification, which points to an overall public craving for comfort on a grand scale (which is hardly surprising given the continuation of the pandemic and its variants). * You will note two ties – both of which happen to involve natural perfumes. These were SO amazing that I agonized over them, and only a tie would feel fair. -Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumer Editor

 In no particular order:

 

Cavatina (Parfums Dusita) by Pissara Umavijani: What can possibly be added to Senior Editor Despina Veneti’s elaborate description?  It’s among the most exquisite muguet perfumes ever made, fin. Both Anamcara and Cavatina are heartbreakingly lovely – but this one ensnared me; it’s le printemps dans un flacon.  Notes: Bergamot (Calabria),  Litsea Cubeba (China), Petitgrain (Paraguay), Muguet Accord, Tea Rose Accord, Jasmine (India & Egypt), (Egypt), Ylang-Ylang (Indonesia), Siamese Woods (Vietnam), Ambrette Seed (India), Sandalwood (Australia), Vanilla (Madagascar).

Don’t Explain (DSH Perfumes) by Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz: Dawn’s entire Women Artists Series is brilliant as a whole body of work. For me, a diva gardenia in full flush – redolent of greenery and bleu cheese, on the verge of divine decay – is my idea of heaven. For those who lament (and I’m among them) the lifelike Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia and Yves Rocher Pur Desir de Gardenia (so magnificent, true and discontinued) this is a welcome addition to their fragrant wardrobe. Notes: Ambergris, Australian Sandalwood, Blue Cheese Nuance (accord , Butter co2, Castoreum, Civet, Gardenia, Grandiflorum Jasmine, Leafy Green (accord), Leather, Musk, Orange Flower Absolute – Spain, Sambac Jasmine, Tiare Absolute, Tobacco Absolute,Tuberose Absolute, White Button Mushroom (accord).

Elegy (Jorum Studios) by Euan McCall: I wasn’t joking when I referred to Elegy as possessing a radiant beauty which in time fades, much like the soft whispering cobwebs which cling to Miss Havisham’s wedding gown, her evanescent beauty. Whether such an ebullient waltzing floral is a favorite (it is mine!) or not, Elegy’s unsparingly elegant composition is a wearable work of art (my husband is not by nature a floral fellow, but he too was bowled over by it). Notes: bergamot, Scottish local lavender, honeysuckle, petitgrain and heather absolute, jasmine absolute, orange flower absolute, rose absolute, geranium Bourbon, ambrette seed, benzoin, cedar absolute, patchouli absolute, hay absolute, oakmoss absolute, musk, labdanum absolute, oud, ambergris

Amouage Epic Woman 56 (Amouage) by Cecile Zarokian: I purchased the original Epic Woman without a second thought when it was first released; I loved it that much. A lovely colleague sent me a sample of the extrait and it arrived at the very last minute (for list-making, that is): richer, deeper, true to the 2009 debut in every way – EXCEPT MORE. Epic 56 Woman is an amplified version which lies closer to the skin than the edp – but so glorious that it makes you wonder whether you ought to purchase it anyway. Notes: Cumin, Pink Peppercorn, Cinnamon, Centifolia Rose, Geranium, Jasmine, Tea, Amber, Musk, Oud, Frankincense, Guaiac Wood, Orris, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vanilla.

Evernia (Ormonde Jayne) by Geza Schoen and Linda Pilkington: this marvelous chypre, so classically lyrical and uplifting – was just what the Ormonde Jayne house needed. I adore the genre and can never get enough oakmoss, so I knew the moment I sprayed it that it would be one of the finest fragrance releases of 2021. Everyone can pretend that they’re a dryad: impossibly silky and deliciously green. Notes: Sicilian bergamot, cassis absolute, cardamom, pink pepper, coriander seed, orris butter, lily of the valley, freesia, jasmine, violet, Moroccan rose absolute, oakmoss, Cashmeran® (IFF), sandalwood, musk, opoponax, Iso-E Super®

Kyoto (Diptyque) by Alexandra Carlin: for originality alone, Kyoto would have to be included on this year’s list. Add to its novelty the lilting Turkish rose, balsamic vetiver, earthy beetroot note and lemony incense and there can be no doubt about its floral vegetal allure. I’ve sprayed it on both men and women – and frankly, it’s gorgeous either way. Yes, you might want to sample it first just to be certain that you love it, too. Notes: Turkish rose, vetiver, incense, beetroot accord

 

Tie: Les Larmes d’Aden (Parfumeurs du Monde) and  Androgyne 16020 (Parfumeurs du Monde)

 

 Les Larmes d’Aden (Parfumeurs du Monde) by Thierry Bernard: Thierry Bernard describes his glowing Les Larmes d’Aden as a honeyed amber inspired by Yemen: I’m going to want a full bottle of this mystical perfume, so complex and comforting. The galbanum doesn’t dominate, it’s an accent; Les Larmes is a symphonic perfume full of beguiling harmonies. Notes: beeswax absolute, citron, neroli, incense, jasmine, galbanum, myrrh, blue ginger, labdanum

 

Androgyne 16020 (Parfumeurs du Monde) by Isabelle Gellé: Androgyne is classified as a leather chypre; Isabelle cites the USA as her inspiration, but more precisely, it’s trailblazing aviatrix Amelia Earheart. If you are a hardcore leather lover (guilty as charged) who wearies of beast-mode aromachemical leather perfumes which act as an olfactory icepick  – but you still crave an intense fragrance, you’ve found it. If you’re not a leather fan or adore suede, just walk away; more for the rest of us. Notes: cardamom, yuzu, mandarin, leather accord, violet, juniper berries, vetiver, patchouli, birch

 

Tie: Pangolin Violette Rose (Velvet and Sweetpea’s Purrfumery) by Laurie Stern/ Aftelier Joie de Vert (Aftelier) by Mandy Aftel: these two beauties constitute my other natural perfumery tie. They differ from one another, so a direct comparison would be like figs and eggplant – impossible.

Aftelier Joie de Vert (Aftelier) the voice of joy is both green, profound, and velvety. Anise hyssop adds its fennel bulb verdancy to this unusual perfume laden with oakmoss and dusted with pear and coriander for good measure. Joie de Vert is multi-tiered; its joyous bigarade/orange blossom heart is a true pleasure. Notes: anise hyssop, oakmoss, fire tree, orange flower, pear, styrax, bitter orange, coriander

 

 

 

Pangolin Violette Rose (Velvet and Sweetpea’s Purrfumery) by Laurie Stein: orgasmic jasmines and a dash of carnation contribute richness and intensity; a dollop of Choward’s violet candy dangles flirtatiously before your nose. Floral, woody, and benefiting a noble cause; it’s haunting. Notes: jasmine auriculatum, jasmine sambac, violet, carnation, Indian rose Edward, Persian rose otto, Bulgarian rose, Turkish rose, Egyptian violet leaf, cocoa, Tamil Nadu sandalwood, New Caledonia sandalwood, orris concrete and absolute, Tahitian vanilla

 

Spell 125 (Papillon Artisan Perfumes) by Liz Moores: this was a love-at-first-sniff for me, hands down. Suavely spiritual, it shares DNA with my beloved Sultan Pasha Thebes 1 and Guerlain’s legendary Djedi. Its longevity is spectacular and Spell 125 smells marvelous in every season. Notes: white ambergris, Siberian pine, black hemlock, green sacra frankincense, ylang ylang, Indian sandalwood.

 

Treachery, Barrel-Aged 2021 (Maher Olfactive) by Shawn Maher: aged for nearly half a year in a custom charred oak barrel. I loved the original Treachery last year, but the full-blown smokiness of this newer incarnation is even better than the first. Now I’ve been seized by the desire to smoke a pipe and retreat to a cabin in the woods with a blazing hearth. Whiskey blended with a fruity tobacco may not be exactly like an Ardbeg or Islay single malt, but it’s just as pleasurable. Notes: tobacco absolute, labdanum, cocoa, vanilla absolute, davana, whiskey, spices, saffron, berries, sweet almond, oakwood absolute.

 Honorable Mentions all win awards: Attaupe (January Scent Project) by John Biebel; Tapestry (Sarah Horowitz for American Perfumer) by Sarah Horowitz-Thran; Water Nymph (Phoenix Botanicals) by Irina Adam; Muga (Bravanariz) by Ernesto Collada; Jovoy Make it Musk Collection; Maher Olfactive Sagan Dalya; Perfumology Sudu Te; Rogue Perfumery Vetifleur.

2021 was no one’s favourite year. Yet, even while we trudged through another 12 months of pandemic, creativity in artisan perfumery continued to flourish. With few in-person perfume events to launch new fragrances and soaring postage costs, it has not been an easy time for many independent houses. Still, brands found innovative ways around the problems with Skype events, Q&As with perfumers and creative directors, and special boxes with samples and accords to help trace the evolution of their new fragrances. A special shout out here to Masque Milano, whose deliciously creative packaging and sample/accord boxes were a highlight of the last year. Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

In alphabetical order, here are my  best ten fragrances of 2021 that helped make the year  to remember in a good way.

Aedes de Venustas Encens Japonais (Bertrand Duchaufour)

The latest in Aedes de Venustas’s wonderful signature line, Encens Japonais is a timeless woody incense from master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour that feels like Christmas eve folded out of origami. There’s a lovely strangeness in the juxtaposition of Japanese incense – which has always given off a quality of steam and damp wood to me – and homey smells of fresh fruit, rose and timeworn leather. In the opening, there’s the fresh, tingly smell of crushed pepper with the fruity tang peppercorns have when they are just ground. A squeeze of orange coupled with the spice puts me in mind of mulled wine, and in a few moments, there a creak of old leather. All the while, a soft drift of incense swirls upwards bringing along a faint scent of tea candles. Encens Japonais is the smell of sitting by the fire at home in midwinter, a cup of warm punch nearby, its soothing, enveloping warmth a talisman against the cold.

 

Aether Arts Mayan Chocolate (Amber Jobin): The always inventive Amber Jobin presented a terrific riff on gourmand with Aether Arts Perfume Mayan Chocolate. Mayan Chocolate is the smell of cacao in a primeval time warp, a cup of unsweetened cocoa drunk in an ancient forest amid Mayan ruins. With a startlingly realistic cacao, the perfume develops into the smell of baked cake where someone’s forgotten the sugar in parallel with the smells of wild, damp greenery. Piquant chili pepper adds a touch of sizzle and paprika, its smoky, ochre. Flowers smooth out the compositions’ bitterness, while milky-anisic palo santo and copal help create a sense of environment, of being somewhere wild and arboreal. This is one of the wonderfully weird fragrances that will have you smelling your wrists compulsively all day.

 

Blocki Esprit D’Amour (Lionel Nesbit): Spritely Esprit D’Amour is an updated version of the brand’s original line of fragrances from the early 1900s. An airy, modern floral that is as romantic as a Belle Epoque bouquet, Esprit D’Amour is also so fresh and vibrant that it never feels like vintage throwback. The result is absolutely delightful: clovery, flowery, and as cosseting as a longed-for embrace: the perfect perfume to waltz to in a dress with a swirling skirt. And it wears beautifully in the worst humidity or the chilliest rain. With a harmonious blend of lavandin, tonka, sandalwood and lily-of-the-valley, Esprit D’Amour’s lighthearted, dreamy perfume is perfect for anyone drawn to scents with vintage DNA but modern style or that are just flat-out lovely.

 

 

Curionoir Diaphanous (Tiffany Witehira): A translucent, shimmering floral set on a bed of warm, spicy saffron, New Zealander Tiffany Witehira’s Diaphanous is an eccentrically lovely fragrance whose every note feels like something that is just beginning. It starts with a vibrant glow of sweet-tart mandarin juice mixed with young jasmine blossoms, moving into underripe melon and Chablis grape and crushed green shoots. Diaphanous jetés from its radiant opening and slowly settles into embers of spice dominated by saffron. For a long time afterwards, the flowers and spice leap and exchange with each other like trapeze artists. Diaphanous puts me in mind of Marion, the wistful aerialist of Wings of Desire. With its strange, aching beauty, Diaphanous could have been her fragrance.

Les Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle Synthetic Jungle (Anne Flipo): Anne Flipo’s creation for Frederic Malle is as verdant and stylized as a Rousseau jungle. With as many gradations as malachite – oakmoss, vetiver, basil, and galbanum, this could have been green on acid. Instead, Flipo reins in the acidic and bitter qualities of her ingredients, mixing them skillfully with the classic trio of flowers and pinch of powder from that gorgeous green-floral queen, Chamade that gives a nod to classic perfumery. But Synthetic Jungle is more than homage; rounded out with styrallyl acetate – an aromachemical that brings to mind an edgy gardenia – fleshy ylang ylang and jasmine, Flipo’s gorgeous peridot siren feels like the sexier sister to the angular green chypres of the early 70s but skewed modern with a knowing dash of quirk.

Les Indemodables Vanille Havane (Antoine Lie): When is a gourmand not a gourmand? When it breaks down its inspiration into component parts, mixes them with cocoa powder, rum, rolls them over unsmoked cigars, and becomes Les Indemodables Vanille Havane. Vanille Havane is a fantastic voyage through the vanilla bean, passing through aromas of raisins and prune, tropical flowers, tree bark, plastic, dessert spices, leather, and more. Using grand cru in-house extracts in high concentrations, perfumer Antoine Lie captures the bean’s myriad facets in a delectably warm, beautifully crafted fragrance all but certain to wipe away unfortunate memories of dumbed-down, candy floss synthetics. Vanille Havane is smoky, boozy, sumptuous, and one of the most gorgeous vanillas I’ve ever smelled.

Masque Milano Lost Alice (MacKenzie Reilly): My favourite gourmand of 2021 is this delightfully English tea and cake confection from perfumer MacKenzie Reilly and Masque Milano creative directors Riccardo Tedeschi and Alessandro Brun. With great inventiveness, just the right dash of eccentricity, and just the right level of sophistication, Lost Alice is the newest in Masque Milano’s Opera Collection. Its inspiration comes, of course, from the central scene of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter’s tea party, where the aromas of the English tea in its china pot mingle with cream scones, bread and butter, and carrot cake in a procession of notes that are, in Wonderland style, not always what they seem but always what they are. The tea accord smells remarkably like the real thing, astringent, tannic, flowery and slightly smoky. Dreamy, clever, luscious and sophisticated, this is one of the  best, most beautifully composed tea scents ever made. I’ve been wearing it all year.

 

Milano Fragranze Galleria (Dominique Moellhausen): The new, Milan-centric line from Alessandro Brun of Masque Milano, Milano Fragranze introduced eight new fragrances this year. While it was a hard not to settle on the jubilant incense of Basilica as my favourite, Galleria is such a perfect embodiment of its inspiration, the stunningly elegant market, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, it had to be my choice. Galleria combines a wonderful roast coffee note, straight out of a Milanese coffee house, with an exceedingly elegant fine leather note in the heart. Violet and orris add a touch of upscale face powder while juicy citrus notes bring the sun beams that flood the Galleria’s mosaiced floors on a spring afternoon. If you are looking for a high-end leather fragrance with a twist, this is your girl.

 Rubini Nuvolari (Cristiano Canali): Now talk about suave. Nuvolari from Cristiano Canali and Rubini creative director, Andrea Bissoli Rubini, pays homage to Italy’s greatest auto racer with a refined, confident vetiver and oud fragrance that Rubini describes as “a hymn to the madness of a racer.” Canali creates an intriguing tension between overlapping fast-developing notes such as the pepper and petrol accord and slower, denser aromas like oud and vetiver that parallel the race. With its smooth elegance and dash of trademark Rubini eccentricity, Nuvolari perfectly captures its namesake’s James Bond-like aura and the tension and excitement of the auto race. II also represents some of Canali’s most sophisticated work to date.

Sarah Baker Loudo (Chris Maurice): The name of Sarah Baker’s latest fragrance is a pun on the Latin word for play, ludo, and gives a hint to the perfume’s nod to childhood games as well as its riff on the oud at its center. Baker intended Loudo to be a “showstopper oud” but also to reconsider that ever-trendy ingredient in modern perfumery. Loudo’s centerpiece Laos oud smells of old, cracked wood and leather like that of an old chair brought down from the attic. Combined with a gourmand undercurrent that references classic childhood sweets – in particular, ice cream parfait – with cherry, vanilla and white chocolate, Loudo is irresistible. The dessert notes hopscotch alongside the burnished, very grown-up oud and agarwood accord in the heart, adding a frolicsome touch but never pushing the composition into overtly gourmand territory. It is adult, toothsomely fun and very wearable. My favourite of Sarah Baker’s perfumes to date.

 

 

What did you think of Ida’s and Lauryn’s and ÇaFleureBon Ten Best Fragrances of 2021?

We will be back with our top ten tomorrow, as well as over the next few days with Despina, Emmanuelle, Nicoleta, Rachel, Steven and Olya will award their favorites form 2021. There will be MANY DRAWS.

Thanks to the largesse of Euan McCall of Jorum Studio we are offering a 30 ml flacon of Jorum Studio Elegy  for one registered reader in the USA and EK. You must register here or your comment will not count

Thanks to the generosity of Ann from Indigo Perfumery for a bottle ofPapillon Perfumes Spell 125 for one registered reader in the USA Only(be sure to register or your comment will not count), 

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