Top Ten Perfumes of 2024 Lauryn and Oli
I will always agonise over an end of year list, just because it feels so damn final, especially in the realm of perfumery where the releases are so many and so constant. That said, the following are my top ten perfumes of 2024, fragrances released this year that I’ve smelled and have fully excited me – either because they a.) made me want to wear them or b.) they made me want to sit and study them, in some cathartic attempt to try and understand their craft better through writing. –Oli Marlow, Contributor
Oli’s Top Ten Perfumes of 2024
Nissaba Berbera (Fabrice Pellegrin & Coralie Spicher):The raw materials at the heart of Nissaba’s Berbera are astonishingly good – though you’d expect nothing less from a brand started by Sebastien Tissot, a man who previously worked for the fragrance giant Firmenich overseeing the quality, sustainability and sourcing of natural materials. The perfume itself uses three separate distillations (co2, molecular and vulcan) of the same grade of frankincense to ensure that the hero ingredient remains the spine of the fragrance throughout. As is the brand’s want, it’s made to pay homage to the native region of Somalian incense, using an array of other natural materials (myrrh, opoponax, elemi, peppers and nutmeg) prevalent in the area to paint the picture. As such it’s dry and mysterious, pointedly spicy and overtly woody. I don’t often fall for incense fragrances, but this… this is an impeccably balanced thing that fulfills all of my daydreams of quitting everything to get properly into woodworking. @nissaba.fragrances @fabnose @coraliespicher
Room 1015 Wavechild (Jerome di Marino): I wrote about this earlier this year and Room 1015’s Wavechild remains, some six months later, as one of my favourite unseriously-serious perfumes. By that I mean it’s fun – there’s little pretense to it and my gosh do I respect that. The watermelon note is bombastic and nostalgic, balancing on top of marine nuances conjuring fading memories of ‘90s beach holidays gone by. Its fragrance scored my summer and now it does that transportive thing to me, taking me back to the Cornish coast whenever I smell it. Wavechild is a unique idea (smell scaping Californian surf culture) executed flawlessly by perfumer Jerome di Marino. @room1015fragrances @jeromedimarino
Sarah Baker Peach’s Revenge (Chris Maurice): There was a period of time post-Esxence where it felt like everyone and anyone was talking about Sarah Baker’s Peach’s Revenge with a clear and hushed kind of revelry, which is why perhaps it has appeared on so many of my colleagues Top Ten Perfumes of 2024. Smelling it, you can see why… immediately. The rich, thick, titular tropical fruits come backed with a carnal caramel-ish hint that’s probably the result of a combination of the sulphuric side of the guava accord and some moreish amber molecules. Regardless of the how, it’s the what it does that is glorious – another unseriously-serious perfume that takes all the frivolity and pomp associated with a fruity perfume and delivers it with a singular juicy focus and a wicked undertone. @houseofsarahbaker @cdelaniche
Eau de Boujee Infleurno (Pia Long): Speaking of the sulphuric, Eau de Boujee’s Infleurno demonstrated further that such shadier undertones evident in the intensity of fruity aroma chemicals are there to be celebrated as much as they are utilised. Infleurno blossoms like a hyper realistic graphite drawing of a grapefruit with all manner of grey shading and cross hatching overlaid on top of a vivid and pocked citrus watercolour. It’s both arresting (in smell) and awesome (in approach) to smell someone figuring out a new way to present citrus aromas. Sure, we’ve had scorched terroir and volcanic air included as notes in perfumes before, but it’s what this mineral kind of dirt does to the scope of the grapefruit that I’m really enamoured with. It’s bold and it’s weird and it’s jagged and it’s awesome. Infleurno is another favorite from the team’s top ten perfumes of 2024 lists) @eau_de_boujee @perfumer.pia
Jovoy Paris Aqua Memorabilis (Vanina Murriaciole and Francois Henin): Jovoy Paris also did a similar thing with the clementine in their newest perfume Aqua Memorabilis: using slightly acrid, smokey aspects to colour the opening burst of citrus with something new and unique. Adding such a new, unexpected texture makes you contextualize the orange-ness of it all before a tone violet powers on through. The perfume also proved to be something of a conversation piece in certain circles, highlighting exactly just how moot a list of included notes can be. People read clementine and vetiver and jumped to a conclusion that proved to be miles away from the subtly classical, pithy, nuanced masculine lift in the heart. A reminder to trust your nose, not your eyes. @jovoyparis @verinavanina
Essential Parfums Neroli Botanica (Anne Flipo): In perfumery, there will always be tales as old as time and similarly there are ingredients that have been celebrated, bookended, re-visited, renewed and re-framed over and over again. But in spite of all that, Essential Parfums Neroli Botanica is a true delight. Anne Flipo worked to soften the neroli’s sharpness, enveloped it in a buttery, almost rubbery jasmine heart and cushioned it in woods and musk. Yes, it’s a classic combination you might well find in some form elsewhere, but in sticking to Essential Parfum’s manifesto of “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” whilst using such high-grade materials, Flipo has made something vivid and memorable. Roll on spring… (A top 10 favorite for Michelyn and Sandi) @essential.parfums @anneflipoperfumer
Arquiste A Grove By The Sea (Rodrigo Flores-Roux): Listing notes like olive, fennel, rosemary, clay and salt meant that Arquiste’s A Grove By The Sea was always going to attempt to confound expectations but it proves to be a very welcome shot of Mediterranean air within which you really can smell all of those herbal and mineral nuances. Principally a riff on a fig accord, the heart of the perfume eschews a lot of the coconutty nuances that are often present in such an approach and uses dry herbs to create a sense of baked-in heat, creating a vivid sense of the hot, stoney terroir illustrated within the perfume’s name. The dry down is sublime too, a hint of that ripe fig gets trapped in the cocktail of musks. @arquiste @rodrigofloresroux
Atelier Materi Ambre Papier (Celine Perdriel): Oddly enough, I spent a lot of time this year studying the smell of Papier d’Armenie to create my own resin heavy blend for use in a paper incense, so it proved to be some shade of kismet that Atelier Materi took inspiration from the same benzoin forward mixture for Ambre Papier. The eponymous paper facets are present in an amber composition that refuses to conform to the normal amber stereotypes: it’s dry, powdery and a bit coarse, all the time leaning away from any vanilla sweetness and diving further into the mirage and complexity of balsams. @ateliermateri @celine. perdriel.perfumer
Beaufort London Cape Wrath (Euan McCall): To celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary Beaufort London released a new trio of fragrances developed by perfumer Euan McCall (of Jorum Studio renown). They’re all inspired by the seas that surround Britain but it’s the glazed mastic tones and mossy allure of Cape Wrath that really caught my nose. Honestly, 99% of the time I struggle with the reality of ‘aquatic’ fragrances because my brain tends to amplify any sharp, salty Calone like molecules in a way I just can’t abide, but Cape Wrath’s scope is so much greener. It’s like staring into a mottled green oceanic abyss through a glass bottomed boat: the pepper and the incense represent the thick pane of glass underneath which a tumult of ambergris, seaweed absolute and oakmoss swirl. The balance McCall achieves in this is marvellous – I can only imagine the scope of the dosing intricacies involved. @beaufortlondon @jorumstudio
Jeroboam Your Oudhness (Vanina Muracciole): Maybe 2024 was actually the year of using salty aspects in new and different ways considering the number of times I’ve written so in this list alone? Regardless, Jeroboam’s Your Oudhness found those sodium nuances in the use of an aetoxylon wood called Gaharu Buaya, that grows only in the mangroves of Borneo. I wrote previously that the fragrance managed “ably to shift itself into this deluxe gloss of muted woody tones that feels super contemporary and classically luxuriant at the same time” and I stand by that. The perfume’s evolution and dynamic shift continues to fascinate me. @jeroboam_perfumes @verinavanina
Oli Marlow, Contributor
No introduction this year, I’ll let the top ten perfumes of 2024 speak for themselves. Let’s just say that 2024 was a killer year for niche perfumery. –Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Top Ten Perfumes of 2024 Lauryn
Anatole LeBreton Armonia (Anatole Lebreton): Anatole Lebreton’s line of perfumes is one of the most original and arresting in modern perfumery. From the smoky green lavender Grimoire to his baked pastry Brioche, LeBreton designs scents like no one else. Recently, he launched his new Artifacts collection, three stunners inspired by antiquity. Animalic, resinous Uruk and orange blossom-almond Kairos could easily have made this list as well as my favourite of the three, Armonia, whose name means “harmony.” This iris-leather-powder scent pulls off a hattrick of blending delicate classically feminine notes and with smooth, car-seat leather. It’s perfect on both men and women and is one of my top iris-leather scents to date. @anatole_lebreton
Angelos Creations Olfactives Pnoi (Angelos Balamis): OMG, if Angelos Balamis doesn’t do a boring perfume soon, I will pass out from repeated huffing of his brilliant range. This year’s remarkable leather frag, Pnoi, raises the ante yet again with a multifaceted homage to the gorgeous feminine tobacco perfumes of the 20s and 30s. It is as someone gave the original iteration of Tabac Blond a bath with one of those fine-milled, expensive French soaps. The effect is disconcertingly beautiful and sophisticated. Angelos again establishes that he is one of the best self-taught perfumers out there (and one its kindest guys). @angelos_creations_olfactives
Astrophil and Stella In Extremis (Meo Fusciuni): Guiseppe Imprezzabile is one of perfumery’s most poetic risk-takers. His beautiful range of fragrances under his nom de parfum, Meo Fusciuni, is outstanding: specific, disciplined but unusual, and some are remarkably beautiful. And they are like nothing else. Smell 2023’s Viole Nere and tell me if this stunning, dark iris-violet perfume does not make your heart ache just a bit. Imprezzabile’s work for other brands is just as good. This year’s In Extremis for Italian brand Astrophil and Stella is inspired by Caravaggio and, like the masterworks of the great 17th century painter, is a gorgeous study in chiaroscuro and has appeared as one of the top ten perfumes of 2024 for Michelyn, Danu and Karl. @astrophilstellaperfume @meofusciuni_parfums
Filippo Sorcinelli Sacristie des Arbres. (Filippo Sorcinelli): Filippo Sorcinelli gave Esxence 2024 its most stunning new collection of the year: Memento Extrait De Sacristie, which draws its inspiration from notable churches. Few perfumers can bring as much range and subtlety to incense in fragrance as Sorcinelli, and I loved every single perfume in the line. My particular favourite is Sacriste des Arbes, a tranquil, meditative walk in an ancient forest where incense is being burned in a nearby temple. While it traverses similar ground to Commes des Garcons Kyoto and Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles, Sacristie des Arbres is so gorgeously blended and heartbreakingly lovely that it deserves its own place among woody incense classics. @filippo_sorcinelli
Map of the Heart Abundance V.8. (Jacques Huclier and Amelie Jacquin) A creamy sandalwood extravaganza is Australian house Map of the Heart’s Abundance V.8. Woodsy yet sophisticated, with the star ingredient’s every delicious facet teased out by perfumers Jacques Huclier and Amelie Jacquin, and beautifully blended with mineral, resinous, and bitter citric notes. It’s a spicy, warm, layered sandalwood that wears equally well in heat and damp chilly autumn fog. One of my favourites from this excellent brand. @mapoftheheart
Masque Milano Catherine (Caroline Dumur): One of the most recent additions to Masque Milano’s Le Donne di Masque line, Catherine is as lovely as a field of jasmine after a warm spring rain. Stemmy green notes mingle with cut grass, woody touches, and violet leaf, resulting in one of the prettiest green florals to come out since Vero Profumo’s magnificent Mito. @masquemilano @carolinedumurparfumeur
Parfums Dusita Pelagos (Pissara Umavijani): Pissara Umajivani’s Thai-inspired range keeps going from strength to strength. Pelagos is inspired by the seas surrounding the Greeks islands, but to label it an aquatic would be inaccurate. This is a lovely mix of herbs, flowers and salt spray, laid on a leathery-sandalwood base that steers Pelagos away from the ozonic qualities of a traditional aquatic. Rather, Pelagos smells like walking through a hilltop village in the Aegean, the scents of tree wood, flowers, wild thyme and earth overlaid with local flora. It is a lovely achievement. One of the top ten perfumes of 2024 for Ida, Nicoleta, Danu, and Olya. @ploiuma @parfumsdusita
Sentire A Room With a View. (Nata Dyshliuk): The most exquisite floral fragrance I smelled at this year’s Esxence was not being exhibited but came from a handful of samples extended to me by Nata Dyshliuk, a Ukrainian perfumer based in London. A stunningly ethereal but indelible linden-lilac confection, this is a carefully constructed, airy fragrance so poignant that it feels like nostalgia for something you’ve only dreamed of. @olfactive_impression
Sultan Pasha Joyeuse (Sultan Pasha): Ok, disclaimer: Sultan Pasha is a close friend. But he is also an exceptionally talented artist, known primarily for his fantastic range of attars. Joyeuse, like the breathtakingly beautiful Sacred Scarab Pasha did for Zoologist, is a foray into classical French perfumery. A perfectly pitched green fougere of the old school – so much so that I initially too it for a green chypre a la Germaine Cellier until the lavender expanded in the top – that still feels fresh and current thanks to a fascinating, subtle seaweed note and pinches of mint and sage. This is the single fragrance of 2024 I have worn most this year, and for good reason: it’s pretty damned perfect. Somewhere in the great fragrant beyond, Germaine Cellier and Geo. Trumper are wearing this and nodding in approval. @sultanpasha78
Qimu and Musicians Guitarist: Shanghai based brand Qimu and Musicians was new to me this year. The house’s four weirdly wonderful rock- n’ roll-inspired fragrances include one of the most grab-you-by-the-guitar strings perfumes of 2024’s Esxence. Guitarist twangs with sour berries and acid-green vines, all wrapped around what I think is chrysanthemum – floral, fruity but dry as Chablis. This is an original, vibrant, eye-opener. This brand is now squarely on my radar. @qimuand
Photo courtesy of Meo Fusciuni
Top Ten Perfumes of 2024: Perfumer of the Year Meo Fusciuni: Viole Nere, In Extremis, BUOI and the mineral-spattered rain scent Last Season … all in the space of 12 months. Meo Fusciuni is one of the most unique, poetic noses in artisan perfumery. And his booth at perfume shows is otherworldly; full of his original writings, atmospheric photography, and armlike tree branches that seemed to have gotten lost on their way to a tangled forest. Wearing his fragrances is like finding yourself walking down a city street or country lane and suddenly finding yourself in Jim Jarmusch film. Magic. @meofuscuini_parfums
Photo courtesy of the perfumer
Top Ten Perfumes of 2024 Rising Star: Nata Dyshliuk
Sultan Pasha introduced me to the talented and gracious Nata Dyshliuk at Esxence 2024 after singing her praises. When she gave me a handful of generous samples, I was gratified to find that she earned the praise. Her Atelier 14 is a marvel of ingenuity and smells exactly like a hot steam iron and freshly laundered linen, while the bespoke Emerald Wind is a classical green chypre so deliciously sharp yet rounded that I automatically wanted a bottle. I hope she adds Emerald Wind and Room with a View to her permanent collection soon because any lover of beauty should seek these out. Nata is one to watch. @olfactive_impression –Lauryn Beer Senior Editor
For our Finale Top Ten Perfumes of 2024 Giveaways
Thanks to the generosity of Angelos Balamis, we have a 30ml Bottle of Angelos Creations Olfactives Pnoi for a registered reader in the USA or EU only. You must register or your comment will not count. (check out the limited time offer of a 15 ml and a soap in the same compound, so blind buy if you are in the EU).
Grazie Mille to Masque Milano for a 35 ml of Le Donne di Masque Catherine for a registered reader. You Must register. in the USA or EU only.
Milles Mercis to Essential Botanica for a 100 ml bottle of Néroli Botanica for one registered reader in the USA or EU.
Let us know what you think of Oli’s and Lauryn’s top ten perfumes of 2024. What sparked your interest? What do you want to try or have tried, where do you live and which you would like to win AND WHY. Please leave a quality comment. Draw closes 1/5/2024
Winners for all Top 10 perfumes of 2024 posts will be announced within 10 days of the draws closings.
Draws are still open for Rachel and Karl’s top ten perfumes of 2024 which include Astrophil & Stella In Extremis, Rogue Perfumery Absolue de Mousse and Darren Alan Perfumes Songes a Fleur here last day is January 1/2/25 and Olya’s and Steven’s, last day is January 3, 2024 for a chance to win Sarah Baker Peach’s Revenge and Nicolaï Parfumeur-Createur Pavlova here
This is a wrap for our editors and contributors top ten perfumes of 2024. Thank you to our readers, viewers and our friends-in-fragrance who sponsor our giveaways. We are so appreciative. All of us at CaFleureBon wish you a scent filled and safe 2025. May you, your loved ones and your families enjoy health, prosperity, and abundance.-Michelyn and the team
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