Aromatic perfumes

The herb garden in a bottle

An aromatic perfume is built on herbs and green aromatic plants. The typical ingredients are lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, mint and juniper, often rounded off with citrus, pepper or tea. Their oils are rich in terpene-like molecules, which is why they smell fresh, camphorous and slightly bitter. The family is also the home of the fougere, a classic structure that combines lavender with oakmoss and a sweet, hay-like note such as coumarin.

Four faces of aromatic

• Herbal and woody: rosemary, sage or thyme over vetiver, cedar and patchouli.
• Citrus aromatic: zest, peppermint, mint and tea for a crisp, bright effect.
• Fougere and amber: lavender or rosemary with oakmoss, sandalwood or amber.
• Spiced aromatic: pepper, cardamom or juniper adding warmth.

Aromatic perfumes in the collection

• Amouage Reflection Man is filed by Amouage as fougere and amber: rosemary, red pepper berries and bitter orange leaves lead to neroli, orris, jasmine and ylang-ylang, then vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood and cedarwood.
• Pernoire Yuma is aromatic and citrus according to Pernoire: Swiss mint, peppermint, yuzu and bergamot, then Alpine breeze, edelweiss, ginger and cashmeran, then dry amber, vetiver, musk and patchouli.
• Lorenzo Pazzaglia Ginfusion is citrus and aromatic with a long list: many citrus fruits and peppermint on top, green tea leaves, juniper, gin spirit, tarragon, lemon balm and vervain in the heart, and cedarwood, vetiver, sandalwood, cardamom, wild juniper, oakmoss and amber in the base. See Lorenzo Pazzaglia.
• Les Eaux Primordiales Cèdre Superfluide pairs pink berries and thyme with everlasting flower, plum and rose, over ambroxan, saffron, Australian sandalwood and vanilla. Les Eaux Primordiales calls it aromatic, floral and spicy.
• Tiziana Terenzi Orion is called green by Tiziana Terenzi: bergamot, red currant, apple and pineapple, then patchouli, birch, jasmine and thyme, then incense, amber, agarwood (oud), musk and cedar.
• Orto Parisi Viride has no pyramid: Orto Parisi describes a robust green character, herbal plants and a floral crown.
• Stéphane Humbert Lucas Pink Boa opens on rosemary, bergamot and blackcurrant, puts vodka, raspberry and basil in the heart and closes on patchouli, amber, olibanum and musk. See Stéphane Humbert Lucas.

How to choose an aromatic perfume

Start with the herb you like. Rosemary and lavender give a clean, classic feel. Mint and peppermint are cool and crisp. Thyme and sage are drier and earthier, and basil is greener and sweeter. Then look at what carries them: woods and vetiver keep the effect dry and elegant, amber and vanilla soften it, and citrus makes it lighter. Aromatic perfumes are generally comfortable by day, outdoors and in warmer weather.