Green perfumes keep growing, changing

By Deborah Fulsang

It’s easier and easier to live green. We’re talking fragrance of course, since green is of the latest perfume trends gaining ground.

A trio of new releases—Nest’s new Verde spritz, Gucci Guilty Diamond Limited Edition Pour Homme and Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme Intenso—all celebrate green but in different ways.

In the world of perfume, green means green grass and leaves, fern, resinous galbanum and labdanum, aromatic green herbs such as basil, mint and thyme, and vetiver.

Of course green perfumes aren’t new. Consider Paco Rabanne’s classic Pour Homme fougère of 1972 for example, but also Chanel No. 19 which debuted in 1971; there’s also Vetiver from Guerlain, an iconic green which launched in 1959. More recently, we’ve welcomed full-of-personality green scents such as The Vert & Bigarade from L’Occitane, the green-bean-noted Green from Byredo and the bitter-and-beautiful green Untitled by Maison Martin Margiela.

This growth of green says to us that today’s perfume customer is becoming more educated, more sophisticated and more appreciative of scents beyond the basic. Because green is far from basic.

Global fragrance expert Michael Edwards spoke recently to Body + Soul in Australia on the topic of green.

“Greens have a checkered history,” he said. “People of [fragrance] education adore them, but to many women they are too assertively grassy. Historically they have not performed as well as your florals and other categories.”

As the consumer palate evolves and craves newness and change, and as these green fragrances also evolve from their bold grassy past, we think this will change.

Potential lies in new ingredient combinations, as the best green fragrances are nuanced and elegant, combining their verdant notes with floral, aquatic and woody essences that bring depth and charisma to the sum of their green-based olfactory parts.

Check these out:

Green, earthy & warm
Green grassy wild fern in combination with cedar and musk: This is the heart of this warm and delicious new fougère. This one sparkles (thanks to verbena leaves and vetiver too) with freshness and smells truly green without any dark resin-like aura or vegetal bitterness. Nest Verde EDP, $78 (50 ml), www.sephora.com

Green, crisp & aromatic
Gucci Guilty Diamond Limited Edition Pour Homme enters its green world via citrus (lemon and mandarin) and crushed green leaves, then moves on to aromatics of lavender, coriander, orange flower and neroli, and warm woods (cedar and patchouli). Gucci Guilty Diamond Limited Edition Pour Homme EDT, $99 (90 ml), www.gucci.com

Green, aquatic & spicy
Almost more creaminess and spice than green, Dolce & Gabbana Intenso mixes green basil with aromatic lavender and a watery accord. There’s also a hint of sweetness, which softens the overall impression. We assume that’s coming from an accord captured via headspace technology from the Milkwood tree, as well as hay and bran accords. And the spice? That would be the labdanum, sandalwood and Cypress layered beneath. So this is green, but also watery and spicy at the same time. A pleasant, easy-to-wear hybrid. Dolce & Gabbana Intenso Pour Homme EDP, $125 (125 ml), www.dolcegabbana.com

Check out the terrific lineup of classic green fragrances here at Body + Soul in Australia.

Discover more great green perfumes here.