I'd been trying for years to make this happen, and the other day, it finally did: Neela Vermeire, of Neela Vermeire Creations, came into my virtual studio for her first interview on the channel, during which she discussed her latest release, Neith, as well as her thoughts on the current state of the industry and working with her long-time perfumer, Bertrand Duchaufour. A day before Neela's interview, I was honoured to host two equally important members of the independent scent scene: Valerie and Remi Pulverail of Les Indemodables. They took me through the creation of their brand new…

We're nearly always told that January is a time for renewal, but for many of us, autumn marks the start of the new year, so it was with this in mind that I put together my list of the Top 10 perfumes for autumn 2026: scents that encourage a quiet, inward-looking rejuvenation. Here's a link to the video, followed by a list of all the perfumes covered, with timestamps: Top 10 best perfumes for Autumn 2026. Neela Vermeire Creations Neith (Bertrand Duchaufour) 9:25Hermes Barenia Pleine Fleur (Christine Nagel) …

Please click on this link for my YouTube and Substack reviews of: Jean-Paul Gaultier Fleur Du Male (2026) and Jil Sander Salt, Shiso, Vanille, Mahogany, Sesame and Lily. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Please click on this link for my YouTube and Substack reviews of: Jean-Paul Gaultier Les Ateliers Gaultier and Lolita Lempicka 2026 re-launch reviews. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Please click on this link for my YouTube and Substack reviews of: Guerlain L'Heure Bleue (2026), Tom Ford Ombre Leather Reserve, Byredo Future Memories and Le Labo Shiu 25 reviews. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

- Is quiet about to become classy once again? I suppose, in some circles, it’s never really stopped signifying classiness, but certainly in recent years, most high-end, aspirational brands have marked themselves out from the competition by pumping their work full of the most diffusive, most strident ingredients in the palette. Indeed, at least one sales assistant has told me that some customers specifically ask for scents that will continue to cling to fabric even after a thorough wash. (Don’t ask me why anyone would want this — it takes all sorts.) However, over the course of the last few months, I’ve noticed some houses turning the volume down a tiny bit.

- By all accounts, back in the 1990s, when it first appeared, Mugler Angel was a flop. However, key figures such as Mugler himself and, crucially, Vera Strubi, believed in it. The people with the power to keep the scent going — back then, it was the Clarins group — focussed on the long view and didn’t clip their new baby’s wings. After a while, the scent came to find an audience. And, as is well known, once that happened, it ended up being one of the best-selling releases of all time. To read the rest of this post, please click on this link to my Substack: Thoughts on Slow Perfumery. Persolaise

If Gabrielle is the Chanel perfume I most frequently forget exists, then Coco Mademoiselle is the one I most struggle to understand. Goodness knows, I’ve smelt it enough times. Since it first appeared in 2001, it has been as ubiquitous as fragrance gets, making it all the way to the wardrobe of a very close relative of mine, who wore it for years. So my incomprehension certainly doesn’t stem from a lack of familiarity. I hasten to clarify that it’s not the scent itself that I’ve always found a bit baffling — after all, its basic fruity patchouli structure is one that pretty much all brands have adopted at some point over the last few decades, probably in an attempt to emulate the success of Mugler…

Image: @nicfordphoto I'm teaching at a perfumery school for 10 years, and we look at what our elders have done, and what history has to teach. The first thing we learn is that our craft is something extremely recent. We are really the kids on the block of the artists. What I’m teaching to my students is that we’re in the beginning of a new crowd, and we have to stay very humble, because we have everything to build. We have much more to do. At the recent London launch of The Merchant Of Venice…

Unless you've been held captive on a remote island by a lusty witch for the last few months, you'll be aware that the most anticipated movie of the summer is Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. It's arrival is now just around the corner, so I thought I'd mark the occasion over on YouTube by pairing some perfumes with Greek gods, all the way from Athena to Zeus. Here's a link to the video, followed by a full list of the scents I covered, with timestamps: Top 10 perfumes for Greek gods

Please click on this link for my YouTube and Substack reviews of: the entirety of the Jovoy range, vintage Davidoff Zino, Guerlain Absolus Allegoria Florabloom, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess (2026), The Lab Co Violet Riot, Zadig & Voltaire This Is Him, Zadig & Voltaire This Is Him - Burning Love, Armani Acqua Di Gio Profondo edt, Van Cleef & Arpels First edt. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

For my rundown of the best perfumes of the year so far, please click on this Substack link: the best perfumes of 2026, so far. Persolaise

Please click on this link for my YouTube and Substack reviews of: Les Indemodables Cafe Arabesque, The Merchant Of Venice Renaissance and Fine Scents Joie De Sannes, Eminence, Fashionably Late and Maze Of Dreams. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Please click on this link for my YouTube and Substack reviews of: Christian Dior Dior Paradise; Neela Vermeire Creations Neith; Etat Libre D'Orange Let's Pretend; L'Objet Delphes. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

As the longest day of the year approaches, it's time to present another seasonal Top 10. The loose theme for this summer's list -- no doubt a response to the invidious headlines thrust upon us every day -- is 'perfumes that are good for the soul'. Here's a link to the video, followed by a list of all the perfumes I covered, with timestamps: Top 10 best perfumes for Summer 2026.

At 5:30 pm on Wednesday 15th July, I'll be hosting a Meet The Perfumer event at Harrods in London, during which I'll be talking to Givaudan perfumer Jordi Fernandez about Nihilismus, his latest creation for Etat Libre D'Orange. If you're able to join us, it would be wonderful to see some of you there. Tickets are £40, redeemable against a purchase on the day. To book, please click on this link: Persolaise in conversation with Jordi Fernandez at Harrods, July 2026. Persolaise

Please click on the following link for my Substack post on new scents that are taking us back to the eighties: Top 10 modern eighties perfumes. Persolaise

Please click on this link for my Substack reviews of: Tauer Patch Absolue; Liquides Imaginaires Ame De Fleur; Nez 1+1 Symbiosa; Les Eaux Primordiales Elevation; Matiere Premiere Metal Lavender; Born To Stand Out Free Coco; Nuxe Men Le Parfum; Trudon Carmen; Serge Lutens La Nuit Tombee; Reservation debut collection. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Please click on the following link to be taken to my Substack reviews of the perfumes below: Guerlain Tabac Sahara, BDK Velvet Tonka extrait, Matiere Premiere Vanilla Powder extrait and other reviews. Guerlain Tabac SaharaBoy Smells Suede Pony & TantrumMatiere Premiere Vanilla Powder extraitBalmain DestinElorea Haenyeo, Jang, Git, Hanok, Inflorescence, Gentle Shower, Hazy Blue, Be By My Side, Heaven, Earth, Water & FireQhue Provenance, Ode De New York, EmperiumBDK Velvet Tonka extrait|Electimuss Aquila Absolute, Vesper Reverie, Trajan, Imperium, Reverie HazeGoldfield & Banks Rose MagnitudeKilian Her Majesty Persolaise

Please click on this link for my Substack reviews of: Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Cologne Forte; Diptyque Orpheon eau de toilette and new candles; Marc-Antoine Barrois B87.135; Balmain Rose De Soie; Miller Harris Tea Tonique eau de parfum and extrait; Miller Harris Soufflot; Maison Crivelli Musc Nurasana; Montblanc Neroli Letters; Peosym Gullal. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Two new interviews for you. The first is with Eris founder Barbara Herman, in which she discussed her latest release - Mother's Milk, composed by Antoine Lie - as well as her thoughts on the current state of the industry. The second is with journalist Jo Fairley, and it covers the launch of the new On The Scent Media platform, comprising a podcast, a website, a magazine and what Jo says will be a busy calendar of events. Here are links to both broadcasts: Barbara Herman, Eris, live interview -- Jo Fairley, On The Scent Media, live interview. - Enjoy! Persolaise

- As I type these words, the fragrance world is abuzz with the news that Estée Lauder might be purchasing Puig, the company that currently owns several perfume brands, including L’Artisan Parfumeur and Penhaligon’s. I dare say the takeover (or are they calling it a merger?) will go ahead, which is why I find myself wondering what it spells for the latter house’s most iconic creations, not least Lily Of The Valley, the Michael Pickthall composition which this year marks its 50th anniversary. To read the rest of this post, please click on this link to my Substack: Penhaligon's Lily Of The Valley review. Persolaise

- Here's a link to my Substack post on Hermes Un Jardin Sous La Mer, Hermes Musc Pallida edp, Van Cleef & Arpels Les Classiques and the debut trio from Ode Ona. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

- Here's a link to my Substack reviews of Eris Mother's Milk (Antoine Lie), Gucci Ylang Ambrato (Jean-Christophe Herault), Gucci Lignum Idealis (Alexis Grugeon), Olfiction Lab Editions (Pia Long), the book Demo Accords by Pia Long and H&M's Lily Of The Valley candle. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Call me a dewy-eyed softie, but I think the world would be a better place if we spent a bit more time on maintaining friendships. So for my list of Top 10 perfumes for spring -- the season of rebirth and renewal -- I decided to focus on scents that, in one way or another, capture everything that's best about the unique relationship that can develop across months and years and decades between a group of true pals.

- Amongst the divisive genre of green perfumes, perhaps none are more contentious than those which attempt to capture the smell of fig leaves. The vegetal, green-pea-and-bell-pepper compositions such as Chanel No 19 may not set the world’s tills on fire, but they do have plenty of devotees. And at the other end of the green scale, the scents that aim to replicate the bracing sharpness of freshly cut grass (Cartier…

- Please click on the link below to be taken to my Substack reviews of the following perfumes: Tom Ford Oud VoyagerGuerlain Royal Extract IIITrudon Midnight Omen, 45° & MystiqueAnforh Aire, Kist & SornParle Moi De Parfum Looking For VanillaMemo Marfa, Madurai & African LeatherÅnd Fayre Here's the link: Tom Ford Oud Voyager, Guerlain Royal Extract III, Memo Marfa and other reviews. Persolaise

A few years ago, Veronique Spoturno -- Francois Coty's great-granddaughter -- launched the Spoturno perfume brand with the legendary Christopher Sheldrake (Ambre Sultan, Muscs Koublai Khan, A La Nuit, amongst many others) as her perfumer. The other day, they popped into my virtual studio for a live interview in which we discussed the creation of the brand, the formulation of both…

For reviews of Christian Dior Cuir Saddle, Le Labo Violette 30 and L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Amant please click on this link to my Substack: Christian Dior Cuir Saddle, Le Labo Violette 30 and L'Artisan Parfumeur L'Amant. The post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn’t have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

Escentric Molecules -- the brand that continues to win fans and divide opinion with its single-ingredient Molecule 01 -- is twenty years old. To mark the occasion, co-founder and perfumer Geza Schoen popped into my virtual studio for a live interview in which we talked about his two new releases (Molecule 01 + Champaca and Molecule 01 + Cistus…

For reviews of Acqua Di Parma Colonia Il Profumo Millesimato, Born To Stand Out Dirty Milk and the entire collection from Stora Skuggan, please click on this link to my Substack: Acqua Di Parma Colonia Il Profumo Millesimato, Born To Stand Out Dirty Milk and Stora Skuggan showcase reviews. This Substack post is not behind a paywall and you shouldn't have to subscribe to be able to read it. Persolaise

For this year's Valentine's Day list, I've gone back to the library and matched some famous fictional couples with perfumes. Here's a link to the YouTube video: Perfumes for iconic couples - Valentine's Day 2026. And this is a link to the accompanying Substack post: Perfumes for famous fictional couples.

- This post has been moved to my Substack. To read it, please click on this link: Top 10 perfumes for fictional couples. Persolaise

- For years, the arrival of a Frederic Malle perfume has been a cue for a total nerd-fest. But the brand’s latest release, Contre-Jour, pushes the opportunities for geekery to greater extremes, urging us to read and consider it through many more lenses than are normally used to peer at the subject of a review. For a start, the very fact that it’s the first scent since 2024 from what was once a peerless brand means it’s worthy of the highest level of attention.

Smoking may be a socially dubious activity these days -- and rightly so -- but there's no doubt whatsoever about the allure of tobacco perfumes, which is why I featured them over on YouTube the other day. Here's a link to the video, followed by a list of all the scents I covered, with timestamps: Top 10 best tobacco perfumes

We're trying something different. For the foreseeable future, the usual post-video updates will appear not here, but on my Substack. However, they will NOT be behind a paywall and you will NOT have to subscribe to the Substack if you want to read them. If the system doesn't work, we'll revert to the updates on Persolaise.com. So, for a round-up of the latest series of…

- I confess I keep forgetting about the existence of Gabrielle. In my mind, the last high-profile, mainstream, feminine release from Chanel was Coco Mademoiselle. And yet, the Gabrielle line has been growing. The original edp came out in 2017 (has it really been nearly eight years?), followed by the Essence in 2019 and the parfum in 2022. And in late 2024, we were given 

- It’s often people in the most dire situations, with few opportunities to enjoy the finer things in life, who insist that those with the ability to keep creating beauty must carry on doing so. In territories torn to pieces by conflict, the thirst for self-expression and creativity becomes more acute, as though the individuals caught up in the maelstrom want and need a reminder of what it is that they’re fighting and suffering for — a symbol of a future existence in which the idealistic aspirations inherent to art might come to be realised.

For this year's final review episode of Love At First Scent, I covered new releases from Comme Des Garcons and Zoologist, as well as Quentin Bisch's much-hyped Black Creme for Born To Stand Out. Here's a link to the episode, followed by the full list of the scents I covered, with timestamps: Born To Stand Out Black Creme…

Perfume as a light with which to combat the darkness -- that was the theme of my latest seasonal Top 10 broadcast, in which I presented my scented recommendations for winter 2025. Here's a link to the episode, followed by the full list of fragrances covered, with timestamps: Top 10 best perfumes for winter 2025.

Festivals of light -- no matter what they may be called -- are needed more than ever at the moment. So as we approach Christmas, regardless of whether it happens to be a festival you celebrate, I would like to wish you and all those dearest to you the very, very best that life has to offer: excellent health, plenty of laughter and an abundance of beauty to appreciate and enjoy. May 2026 be peaceful for us all. Persolaise

- Reading between the lines, it would seem that Royaume is the brand’s update of the Section D’Or range, which launched in 2014 to loud protestations about its exorbitant price tag. One presumes that as the Gratte Ciel seem to have had their day, the folks at Lutens decided the house needed another ‘haute’ collection, and the bling-fully packaged Royaume…

My recent set of Love At First Scent broadcasts spanned the entire timeline of modern perfumery, from Fougere Royale via the 25th anniversary of Kenzo Flower to two brand new collections and the re-orchestration of Coty Ambre Antique. Here are links to all the episodes, followed by further thoughts on some of the scents: Coty Ambre Antique review…

Please click on the link below to be taken to my Substack reviews of the following perfumes: BDK ImpadiaMontale Oud SapparotJeroboam BohaFerragamo Sublime LeatherTauer L’Air Du Desert Marocain Noir, Rose Absolue & HeraudOrto Parisi Stercus & MegamareEtat Libre D’Orange Above The WavesL’Artisan Parfumeur Contes Du LevantCavalli SerpentineD’Annam Japanese WhiskeyChloe Tubereuse Lazuli Here's the link: Tauer L'Air Du Desert Marocain Noir, BDK Impadia, Etat Libre D'Orange Above The Waves and other reviews. Persolaise

I don't even want to think about how many (ie few) days are left until Christmas... but I know that one way or another, the day will be upon us before too long. Until then, you might find my annual gift recommendations useful if you're on the lookout for something scented to buy for your nearest and dearest. Here's a link to the list, which features offerings from Neela Vermeire, Les Indemodables, Chanel, Goutal, Guerlain, Hermes, Trudon, Coty, Sainte Cellier, Nyita, Kenzo, Moschino and many more: Christmas gift recommendations 2025. Enjoy! Persolaise

Foxes, wolves and serpents -- just three of the creatures that came up in my recent set of Love At First Scent episodes, during which I covered new releases from L'Entropiste, Gucci and Nos Republic, amongst others. Here are links to all the videos, followed by further thoughts on some of the perfumes: Gucci Muschio Mineralis, L'Entropiste Ensang Noir…

The other day I reached episode 600 of my Love At First Scent series, but as I didn't want to devote any portion of that instalment to anything other than interviewing Patricia De Nicolai, I thought I'd use episode 601 as an opportunity step back and mark the milestone. Cue: an Ask Me Anything session. As ever, the range of topics that I was prompted to cover was wide, from my thoughts on the current state of the Frederic Malle brand, to my connection with the BBC's 2010…

For the 600th episode of my Love At First Scent series, I was joined in the virtual studio by a very special guest: Patricia De Nicolai, founder of her eponymous brand, member of the Guerlain family, recipient of France's Chevalier De La Legion D'Honneur award, former president of the Osmotheque, and creator of some truly beloved perfumes, including New York…

- We are under stress. We have many players selling stock. They are discounting. We don’t know where they got the product from. It could be on social networks, it could be on Snapchat. We don’t know if they are original. And this is stressing the traditional players like us who are paying rent, training staff, doing things by the book.

There was a time when the word ‘Tauer’ was almost entirely synonymous with the idea of independent perfumery. Zurich-based Andy Tauer — a self-taught perfumer who started his brand by selling his wares at a friend’s shop — represented all that was best and most authentic about the non-mainstream side of the industry. Things have changed since then. The notion of indie scent-making is markedly different from what it was a few decades ago, and Andy’s style and approach to his work have also gone through a bit of a transformation.