Tru Fragrance is the first perfume company to ever to use only urban and community garden grown flowers in their scents. From 27 gardens around the city of Chicago, Illinois; lavender, two types of roses and violets were lovingly planted tended and harvested by local workers. All while beautifying a city and helping stimulate the local economy with jobs, Tru Fragrance is as grass roots as it gets. Each and every harvest will take some of that beauty distill it and blend it into another unique and limited edition fragrance The company’s dedication to sharing, healing and saving the earth shows through in the 100% recycled materials of the carton and the glass flacon.

The bottle design is simple, yet very pretty. Each one is etched with a number from 1 to 2150 bears a wooden cap and is delicately decorated with subtle violet flowers peeking through from the back and only the words “Tru Blooms Chicago eau de parfum” printed on it in curly lower-case script. Its delicate accents and sheer yet solid bottle capped with real blonde wood really fits the fragrance inside. “Urbs in Horto” (City in a Garden) is printed inside the box and the motto of the city. A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but perfume is really blooming, quite literally, in Chicago.

The initial spritz rises cool and green around you, with touches of soft sweet fruit against a cooler citrus. It has a dry grassiness underlying its developing bright floral heart. This is a pleasant surprise, as the PR indicated it would have “sparkling watery fruit accords”, yet it is neither too “aquatic” nor too “caloney” with just enough fruitiness to accent the other warmer fuller floral notes. Not unlike strolling through an actual garden, Tru Blooms Chicago has many well-blended flowers. Dry and soapy green lavender is balanced by a tarter vivacious violet, as roses droop heavily in the late summer/early autumn breeze and exhale the deep tenderness of new love. The combination these classic floral notes weave is a beautiful veil of scent that defies gender or age; and is 100% natural. As our walk through the garden ends, hours later, we are left with a light lingering woodiness and a musk note that is neither too animalic sweaty or sweet and whispers of flowers. Sillage: good. Longevity: slightly above average.

Hip Note Honey (Fall 2013) is another limited edition, this time a “hip note” scent that captures the elegance of a particular note. Honey has a soft balsamic quality and also can add a gourmand edge to perfumes. The blending of various honeys (such as blackberry honey and rose honey) helps softly raise other floral aromas, depending on what type of flowers were being pollenated by the bees. It can also add a sheer golden woodiness in the dry down. Perfumers Pierre Negrin and Ann Buzantian of Firmenich created this lovely scent that is so much more than a single note scent.

If it were not for the flowers, there would be no honey; so it is rather poetic that Honey opens with a silky delicate freesia, deep and rich hedione and verdant muguet. The soft yet enchanting floral aroma they weave is enchanting and the more I smell it, the more I WANT to smell it! Though this is intensely floral it is not overly feminine. Not too innocent or too naughty, the words impish elegance spring to mind. As it warms to the heart, and the golden sticky nectar begins to flow, the sweet soft aura of honey pervades. Creating using a “Smell the Taste” technology, this perfume has the thick yet sheer sweetness of honey impregnated with full flowers and sweet blossoms. One can almost imagine the hive of bees working effortlessly. The scent of sun-warmed wood covered with flower pollen frames the central theme of the soft amber kisses of honey absolute from Provence and a sheer sensual musk. Sillage: good. Longevity: average.

Monte Henige and Karen Weigert

This year is the second year that Tru Fragrance has planted and harvested in Chicago. The perfume I received and reviewed was in a box labeled “First Harvest” on the back. I salute Monte Henige (CEO of Tru) for what he has done for his community and for doing it in a green and sustainable way. It is as a perfumista that I take off my hat and bow at the waist; as both of these are not only great perfumes, they are pieces of history and symbols of civic pride.

Disclosure: Reviews based on bottles sent to me by Tru Fragrance and Beauty.

–John Reasinger, Senior Editor