As with fashion, the fragrance world has two distinct seasons; each replete with new launches to encourage you to ditch your current scent in favour of something fancier, fresher and altogether more contemporary.
So whether you’re tempted to update your fragrance wardrobe with something that’s a twist on an old favourite, or simply want to try one of the latest offerings from the likes of Frederic Malle or Tom Ford, here are 10 scents worth sniffing out this spring.
Paco Rabanne Invictus Intense
Invictus may not have shifted as many bottles as Paco Rabanne’s other big men’s fragrance, 1 Million, but it’s still a bestseller four years after it launched – a feat not to be sniffed at in the fragrance world.
This new flanker is warmer, woodier and creamier than the original, stripping out some of the first incarnation’s salty bite and adding warm, sexy amber (spring 2017’s key note), making it more suited to evening occasions.
It’s not the subtlest fragrance in the world, but if you’re a fan the original you’ll likely love this punchy reinterpretation.
Available at The Fragrance Shop, priced £68.50 for 100ml EDT.
Dior Homme Sport
An olfactory Craig David, Dior Homme Sport is a fragrance that every now and then likes to re-invent itself for a brand new audience. Legendary Dior perfumer François Demachy is once again tinkerer-in-chief, playing around the edges of the original to make it juicier, fruitier and a little spicier.
The result, which will replace the current version from 29 March, is a scent that’s still sporty but a little more mouth-watering, and one that’s not so much better than the original, simply different.
The original Dior Homme Sport is available at John Lewis, priced £49.50 for 50ml EDT.
Gucci Guilty Absolute
In something of a departure from previous fragrances bearing the Guilty moniker, Gucci Guilty Absolute eschews loud, in-your-face commercialism in favour of boutique fragrance style and sophistication.
Woody, earthy and – above all else – leathery, it’s as grown-up and gentlemanly as the original Gucci Guilty is youthful and brash. The quality of the fragrance, meanwhile, is echoed in the bottle design and colour of the juice, both of which reference fine cognac – something else that’s warm, complex and for connoisseurs.
One of this spring’s best new scents for men, Gucci Guilty Absolute has the potential to go on to make our best fragrances of 2017 list.
Available at John Lewis, priced £54 for 50ml EDP.
Byredo 1996 Inez & Vinoodh
Although originally released back in 2013, Byredo’s superb unisex collaboration between founder Ben Gorham and photographers Inez & Vinoodh is included here purely because fans can now have more of the stuff in the shape of a brand new 100ml version for spring.
So popular has this leathery, smoky and peppery one-off scent become that it’s been integrated into the Swedish fragrance house’s permanent collection. Give it a sniff and you’ll discover why.
Available at Harrods, priced £140 for 100ml EDP.
Joop! Wow!
Possibly Joop’s best fragrance since 1989’s ground-breaking Joop! Homme, Wow! is a delicious blend of woods, spices and comforting, creamy vanilla notes. Yet unlike many other gourmand fragrances out there, it refrains from being sickly sweet.
Sensual but in an understated way, it perfectly straddles day and night, making it a workhorse of a fragrance you’ll prize for its versatility.
The squat bottle, meanwhile, with its drinks bottle cap and simple label, is one of our favourites this season.
Available at Boots, priced £58 for 100ml EDT.
Davidoff Amber Blend
Like Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss and Armani, Davidoff has augmented its regular fragrance releases with ones under a more exclusive (and ultimately costly) banner. The brand’s latest bid to attract high-end fragrance connoisseurs to the brand is an eau de parfum based around one of this season’s most popular notes, amber.
Created by perfumer Olivier Pescheux, who worked on Balmain Homme and Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million, the third in the Davidoff Blend Collection is a resinous, spicy and woody affair whose overall vibe is fire-lit gentleman’s clubs.
Oh, just in case you sample it and smell something you can’t quite place, it also features a dash of succan absolute – an ingredient that smells like Jamaican rum.
Available at Harrods, priced £75 for 100ml EDP .
Jo Malone Whiskey & Cedarwood Cologne
Sounds bonkers, but rather than smelling like a bar top at closing time Jo Malone’s Whiskey & Cedarwood Cologne is a fragrance that’s sweet, heady and (appropriately given the name) faintly intoxicating.
Part of a new collection of colognes inspired by the unconventional lives lived by the famous Bloomsbury Set of writers, artists and intellectuals, the cologne is built around the smell of whiskey, rounded out with cedarwood, rose and an accord that’s meant to smell like waxed wooden floors (you know, where you end up after one too many.)
Available from 1 March at Jo Malone, priced £46 for 30ml cologne.
Tom Ford Bois Marocain
The well-turned out Texan’s latest Private Blend is a scent for grown-ups with a taste for the exotic. Inspired by the exotic culture of Morocco, this incense-based eau de parfum will appeal to guys who like the fusty, ‘churchy’ vibe of fragrances like Comme des Garcons’ sacrilegious Avignon and Diptyque’s L’eau Trois.
As well as featuring patchouli and cedarwood, it also includes thuya wood – a member of the cypress family, which has a spicy, slightly piney aroma, making it both warm and mysterious.
Available at Harrods, priced £250 for 50ml EDP.
Burberry Mr. Burberry Eau De Parfum
Following in the footsteps of Hermès and Chanel, Burberry becomes the latest luxury brand to launch an eau de parfum version of one of its signature men’s fragrances.
Mr. Burberry Eau de Parfum is designed to be warmer and more sensual than it’s eau de toilette counterpart, with cinnamon, patchouli and amber upping the ante and making the fragrance a more intense, more sensual and generally more suitable for nighttime. And just so you don’t miss the message, the bottle is darker this time too.
Available from 3 April at Burberry, priced £52 for 50ml.
Frederic Malle Outrageous
The creation of acclaimed perfumer Sophia Grojsman, this gender-neutral fragrance is as vibrant and zesty as the caipirinha cocktail (a Brazilian favourite) that inspired it.
Crisp and fruity with light floral overtones, it features notes of bergamot, tangerine, green apple, cinnamon and musk. Although titling it Outrageous is probably over-sugaring the cocktail a bit, it’s certainly characterful and, thanks to a delicious citrus zinginess, absolutely perfect for summer.
Available at Selfridges, priced £130 for 100ml EDP.
Credits: FashionBeans
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