Winter Warmers

Flora Danica 1761

Using 92% organic olfactive materials, the olfactory experience of Flora Danica’s fragrance 1761 is uncannily similar to a leaf through the actual Flora Danica, a botanical atlas covering all of Denmark’s naturally occurring plants. A zesty, euphoric opening of citrus and cardamon gives way to aromatic sage and fecund juniper heart. The brand has emphasised the influence of hygge, the Danish art of cosiness in their philosophy, and 1761 suggests a crisp countryside walk, the scent of burning wood wafting gently through the air.

Orto Parisi Cuoium

With enough leather to make Tom of Finland proud, Cuoium is another outstanding entry into Alessandro Gualtieri’s avant-garde fragrance house. Talk about nuclear performance: I applied just three spritzes of Cuoium’s juice, rich with animalic, patchouli and incense notes, and even after days of wear, Cuoium’s seductive aroma lingered on my shirt, suggestive of something untamed and agrestal. A polite leather this is not, but for those of us who love to live on the wild side, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a better product.

Aesop Virēre

Is there anything more comforting on a gloomy afternoon than clasping a Japanese earthenware cup brimming with green tea, with a square of some citrussy cake sat beside it? Maybe you’re more of a yerba mate person, with its bitter, vegetal undertones, paired with a plump fig. In either case, Aesop has you covered with Virēre, which proves that green perfumes aren’t just for spring. With notes of cypress and tea leaves, Virēre begins all verdant freshness, before Greek mastic resin, yerba mate and scorched hay notes offer some welcome counterbalance. There is a truly Zen quality to Virēre, one perfect for those clear, contemplative winter days.

Meo Fuscini Buio

Having one of those endless dark nights of the soul and don’t want to go it alone? Cult Italian brand Meo Fuscini has captured the journey from darkness to light in their new launch Buio, the Italian word for (you guessed it), “dark”. Starting off strong with resinous frankincense, you are taken back to the Nativity scene and its quivering sense of possibility, before blossoming osmanthus transports you to the court palaces of imperial China. Just as you feel you have lost your bearings completely, a cade oil-smothered musk announces itself, and the dark that once felt imposing is transformed into a space of serenity. Few perfumers are making fragrances as ambitious and downright cinematic as Fuscini.

Unifrom Winter Saga

Perfume oil, with less projection but an often stronger intensity, will always be a more intimate olfactory experience. For the cult Swedish brand Unifrom, sensuality is evinced from crisp ginger and the resonant echoes of clove, atop a base of fir tree and musk. It’s a pleasing contradiction, a fragrance that suggests both the vast, verdant Swedish forest and the touch of a partner in a tiny wood cabin.

Kingdom Botanica

In the time before shipping containers, plant hunters would roam the globe to capture precious flowers in the hopes of propagating them. Scotland’s first fine fragrance house Kingdom took inspiration from the plant hunters of yore with Botanica, whose notes span far further than Scotland’s rocky terrain. Rich with spiced blossoms, unctuous myrrh and earthy patchouli, Botanica was created to celebrate 350 prolific years of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, speaking to a wider tradition of journeying the world through scent without ever having to leave your home.

Dries Van Noten Crazy Basil

Part of Dries Van Noten’s beloved Eaux de Parfum series, the brand isn’t lying about the “crazy” in Crazy Basil. It is a remarkably photorealistic basil, as herbaceous, zingy and anise-accented as the real thing. Just as you are considering spritzing your tongue with this green juice, lavender and hinoki wood announce themselves, and the fragrance becomes something more classic and timeless. Perfect for when you want to be transported to the Neapolitan coast with a pizza at your table and salt in your hair.

Horace Oud Rose

There is something pleasingly audacious about Oud Rose, the second fragrance from French skincare brand Horace. It might be hard to picture rose, that most delicate of flowers, holding its own against the tar-like intensity of oud, but Horace manage to balance the two elements with nuance and tact. Before that musky oud reveals itself, two types of rose – one sprightly and fresh, one jammy and sensuous – are announced, complimented with creamy sandalwood. Above all, it’s a fragrance not afraid to have fun, one that demonstrates that male fragrance doesn’t have to always be spice bombs.