Fresh Fragrances

Fresh Fragrances

Fresh fragrances comprise mainly of these subfamilies: Aromatic, Citrus, and Water. There’s no mistaking this style, with aromatic effects immediately detectable on the nose, invigorating and enlivening the wearer. The earliest tradition of wearing perfume starts with refreshing scented waters, with essences and oils of floral, herbal, and citrus extracts. These fragrances are to be worn with measured abundance, and bring to mind carefree summer days.

The Citrus Category

Citrus ‘hesperidic’ fragrances are often as you expect them to be, and tend to derive from the aromatic oils expressed from the skins of these fruits, from lemon, orange, bergamot, lime, and all the rest. Often wedded with herbs, orange blossom or neroli is another frequent feature that marks the Eau de Cologne genre, in which 4711 (from 1792) is the exemplar. Traditionally fleeting; like a flash of freshness, modern citrus fragrances add notes such as white musk, tea, or amber-wood molecules to add longevity while twisting the scent in new directions.

Beloved favourites include Colonia (Acqua di Parma, 1916), Eau Sauvage (Dior, 1966)  Eau d’Orange Verte (Hermes 1979), Lime Basil and Mandarin (Jo Malone 1991), cK One (Calvin Klein 1994), and Neroli Portofino (Tom Ford, 2007). 

From our range, check out Saint Clement's (Heeley) and Verveine d’Eugene (Heeley) for traditional offerings, and L’Humaniste (Frapin), Orange Star (Tauer), and You or Someone Like You (Etat Libre d’Orange) for modern offerings. Also try our Citrus Sample Pack.

The Aromatic 'Fougere' Category

The first ‘modern’ fragrance was an Aromatic Fougere, a delightful template of cool-and-warm contrasts in which lavender, geranium, and fern make up its body. This category is harmonised contrasts, with many herbal, spicy, amber, and zesty features all-over. This is traditionally a masculine category, with famous examples including Jicky (Guerlain, 1889), Equipage (Hermes, 1970), Kouros (YSL, 1981), Drakkar Noir (Guy Laroche, 1982). There are many!

If you’re curious about the category, we recommend trying our Fougere Sample Pack, which includes 6 examples of the style.

The Water Category

Or the ‘Aquatic’, this family offers exactly what it describes - fresh effects redolent of sea breezes, deep blue oceans, thunderstorms, and crashing waves. A fairly modern family, powerful synthetics make it a long-lasting fresh favourite. Its heyday was the 1990s, with Calvin Klein’s Escape (1991), L’Eau d’Issey / Pour Homme (Issey Miyake, 1992/1994) Acqua di Gio (Armani, 1996), and who could forget the Fougere-slanted Cool Water from Davidoff (1988)?

From our range, seaside visions include the photorealistic Sel Marin (Heeley) and Millesime Imperial (Creed), with many scents featuring aquatic aspects, such as Squid from Zoologist.