Pantone names Emerald colour of 2013

By Deborah Fulsang

Green: it is the colour of healing and rejuvenation, of growth and renewal. When Carlstadt, N.J.-based colour expert Pantone announced recently that “Emerald”—or more specifically Pantone shade 17-5641—was the official hue of 2013, it was declaring that our immediate future was surely to be one of potential and rebirth, freshness and opportunity.
For the optimistic and fragrance-obsessed, we agree. Green scents have definitely been landing on our radar as of late, and we appreciate their clarity and good-zen power to bring balance. Which got us considering a few of our favourite green-at-heart spritzes: 

Chanel Bel Respiro: Fresh, crisp and slightly bitter, like a bracing breeze off the Mediterranean. But then again this perfume comes inspired by Mademoiselle Chanel’s weekend country getaway. Unusual, opinionated and so good.
Notes: Fresh green, leather, floral and aromatic essences.
www.chanel.com 

L’Eau de Chloe: Delicate, green and luminous.
Notes: Crisp, fresh lemonade with rosewater and patchouli.
www.chloe.com, www.sephora.com 

Byredo Green: Green but warm. No wonder, since this green is not about the crisp green of evergreen but an earthier, green bean-ness that was inspired by the perfumer Ben Gorham’s memory of his father.
Notes: Orange petigrain and sage on top; jasmine, rose, honeysuckle and violet in the heart; and tonka almond and musk in the base.
www.byredo.com

Lacoste Vert: Refreshing and aromatic, athletic and sophisticated.
Notes: Top notes of bergamot, verbena, grapefruit, melon, ozone. Heart notes of blue lavender, thyme, cardamom, birch leaf, violet leaf and fig. Base notes of bamboo grass, guaiac wood, ambergris and sandalwood.
www.shop.lacoste.com

Comme des Garcons Play EDT: This is an energetic, herbal, fresh green scent with a sensual undercurrent.
Notes: Mint of the mint used in Moroccan mint tea, lime, juniper berry, basil, jasmine, mastic (or lentisque), musky ambrette, vetiver and cedar.
www.comme-des-garcons-parfum.com, www.luckyscent.com  

“As it has throughout history, multifaceted emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Symbolically, [it] brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world.”
What better way then, we say, to face the future, than with a spritz or two of a fresh green fragrance that embodies this jewel-tone hue?

For more green fragrances, visit our Fragrance Buying Guide. 

For more information on the colours of the moment, visit www.Pantone.com