7 Niche Fragrances We Can't Stop Wearing
We’ve always celebrated all things niche fragrance here at Escentual, and we love how fragrances within this category can often challenge our perceptions of what scent can be. Whilst niche concepts sit outside the mainstream, it’s always been essential for us to make them accessible, and in this edit, we’re shining a light on seven new niche launches that you need to get your noses on.
1. Serge Lutens La Dompteuse Encagee
Serge Lutens is the father of niche perfume, or maybe the quirky uncle. Either way, he is famous for putting niche perfumery on the map, exploring olfaction through a cerebral, hard to pin down approach that has resulted in some of the greatest fragrances of all time. For this reason, any new Serge Lutens launch is exciting. La Dompteuse Encagee does not disappoint. It’s an icy, venomous tuberose with sharpened claws and an unforgiving stare softens into a warm, tropical blend of frangipane and almond. Expect mentholated beauty that unfurls into something much more glowing with time. It’s so ‘Serge’ we can’t help but love it.
2. The House Of Oud What About Pop
Is there a smell more pleasing than the warm, toasted, and buttery scent of freshly popped popcorn? Well, there is What About Pop from The House of Oud. Don’t let the ‘Oud’ in the name fool you; not everything from this house focuses on oud and What About Pop is a perfect example. Here you’ll find sweet and salty, buttered popcorn (caramelised and delicious) accented by milk cream, vetiver, and woods. We have a sneaking feeling that it’s even more delicious than the real thing.
3. Histoires de Parfums 7753
If you could capture the scent of the enigmatic Mona Lisa, how would it smell? What fragrance would she have worn to complement her wry smile? These are questions explored in 7753, the newest fragrant story from Histoires de Parfums. 7753 is wonderfully crisp and fresh tuberose that throws in a touch of makeup powder, a squeeze of fig, and flower stems for good measure. It’s cool and soft but also refreshing and airy, with a juicy, decadent quality. Much like the Mona Lisa, 7753 is a beguiling transformative perfume that says so much, expressing a joyful emotion in a calm, subversive manner.
4. Acqua di Parma Oud & Spice
You may be used to thinking of Acqua di Parma as the purveyors of classic Italian colognes overflowing with sunshine and citrus, and you may not necessarily associate them with the rich smokiness of oud. But in truth, Acqua di Parma is a multi-faceted house that covers all areas of olfaction, and their latest offering, Oud & Spice, is a wonderful ode to fiery pepper and intensity of oud. It’s a whirlwind of a scent, ablaze with hot, colourful spices of pink pepper and cinnamon, accented by the tang of raspberry and the underlying smoke of oud. It’s a smouldering scent with the suave and sophistication one expects from Acqua di Parma – a
real treat.
5. Miller Harris Reverie de Bergamote
With a name like ‘Rêverie de Bergamote’, you may expect this latest launch from Miller Harris to be an airy, refreshing citrus scent, but there’s a lot more going on within this beautifully sunny, yellow bottle. Inspired by a lazy Sunday morning spent enjoying the more relaxed things in life, Rêverie de Bergamote is a beautifully modern and wonderfully aromatic fougère, lightened by a shimmering bergamot note. Dry, herbaceous lavender is contrasted by plush, creamy sandalwood and moss to create a completely genderless scent that smells as pleasant as a Sunday morning feels.
6. Initio Oud for Happiness
Initio is a brand that loves to create unique twists on familiar themes, and Oud for Happiness is a perfect example of this. Created to transport the wearer to an imaginary paradise, Oud for Happiness contrasts the rich, smoky and leathery facets of oud with the juicy, zingy quality of ginger, the dark, anise vibes of liquorice, and the soft, luxurious texture of vanilla. The result is a warm, contrasting, and comforting fragrance that smells like an oud and vanilla cocktail served with a drizzle of orange syrup. We have one word: yum.
7. Parfums de Marly Oriana
If you’re a fan of Parfums de Marly and, specifically, their best-selling fragrance Delina, boy, do we have a surprise for you? Meet Oriana, a decadent and delicious treat that delicately folds beautifully bright citrus notes, tangy fruits, and plump, pink marshmallows into orange blossom-flavoured Chantilly cream. Yes, it smells as good as it sounds, and even though it’s overflowing with mouth-watering gourmand notes, it never feels heavy and possesses a refreshing airiness that makes it feel delightfully floaty. We’ll take two servings, please.
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