Celebrity perfumes you haven’t heard of

Ariana Grande to Tilda Swinton: Celebrity perfumes run the gamut from flash to philosophical.

You’ve heard of Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds—the best selling celebrity perfume of all time and, some would argue, the first celebrity fragrance of the modern era. You’ve also likely read about the latest spritzes from One Direction and Rihanna. Likewise Ariana Grande’s recent perfume foray. And there’s Beyonce. And Paris. And Celine. And Madonna.

It’s not just today’s pop princesses and past-generation stars, however, that make up the celebrity scent business. There are countless A-list influencers who are playing in perfume, and we bet you had no idea!

These influencers also seem to take the art of perfumery seriously. This, we consider in contrast to the perfume insider’s skepticism regarding typical celebrity scents: That they’re typically more about the flash, the sequins and the buzz, than they are about the actual juice.

Forgive us, but these other celebrity scents are almost anti-celebrity celebrity scents, having been quietly released without mass-marketing fanfare.

Richard E. Grant’s scent: the scent of London and the stage

Many of my generation know Richard E. Grant from Spiceworld, but he has also appeared in Gosford Park, The Iron Lady and recently in a guest role on Downtown Abbey. His scent, launched in 2014, Jack, features notes of lime, marijuana, mandarin, clove, pepper, nutmeg, oud and tobacco. Says Grant, “I’ve been led by my nose all my life… to finally have a perfume of my own, is a the realization of a boyhood dream.” The unisex fragrance is a collaboration with Anya Hindmarch and perfumer at IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances), Alienor Massenet.

This past spring, Grant also launched Jack Covent Garden—an attempt to capture the essence of the iconic British neighbourhood; it also references the fruits and flowers that actors receive on opening night. This second fragrance includes notes of orange, lime and ginger with peppercorn, carrot oil, iris and musk.

The scent won the Best Independent Fragrance in 2015 from the UK-based Fragrance Foundation Awards. For niche lovers, it’s a hit: Editor Odessa Paloma Parker of The Globe & Mail newspaper counts this spritz as one of her favourites.

Richard E. Grant Jack, $190 (100 ml), www.jackperfume.co.uk

Tilda Swinton’s fragrance channels the essence of home, by way of Rumi

Modern-day style iconoclast Tilda Swinton, known for her roles in Only Lovers Left Alive, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, collaborated with L’Etat Libre d’Orange to create a warm and comforting scent. It was launched in 2010 and inspired by a poem by poet and theologian Rumi. Swinton, in collaboration with perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui, wanted to evoke the sense and scent of home—her favourite smell. What does home smell like for Swinton? Ginger, vetiver, tangerine, neroli and pumpkin are all notes that combine in this comforting and spicy toilette.

With Swinton’s name attached to it, you can expect this scent to be graceful, but also unusual. She is known for her independent style and career choices: We still can’t forget her shoot with Tim Walker for Stranger Than Paradise for W Magazine in 2013 that showed Swinton in photographs inspired by artists (Dali, for instance). Embracing the unusual, Swinton poses in dream-like settings with an emphasis on the surreal, the weird and the bizzare—but also, the undeniably beautiful.

Tilda Swinton and Etat Libre d’Orange Like This, $179 (100 ml), www.sephora.com

Jane Birkin’s perfume: a ’70s memory

Jane Birkin—she of Serge and Jane, mother, political activist and ’60s fashion icon—joined forces with perfumer Lyn Harris to create a bespoke fragrance in 2006 for Miller Harris London.

Birkin explained her vision for the perfume: musty bookcases, her father’s pipe, the Metro in the old days. Her drawings even make up the packaging. After two years of back and forth between Birkin and Harris, they finally settled on a scent with notes of oakmoss, neroli, patchouli, amber, musk and vanilla. It may not smell exactly like a musty book, it does however evoke a sense of a different time.

Miller Harris L’Air de Rein, $203 (100 ml), www.bathandunwind.com

Catherine Deneuve’s perfume: je ne sais quoi elegance

Catherine Deneuve, known for her roles in Repulsion, Dancer in the Dark and Indochine, was the face of Chanel No.5 in the late 70s. She is even credited for boosting the perfume’s sales in America. It is her own perfume creation, however, aptly named Deneuve, that earns her a spot on this list.

The Deneuve perfume, with notes of oakmoss, sandalwood, basil, jasmine, iris, violet, aldehydes and bergamot, won the FiFi award for Woman’s Fragrance of the Year – Specialized, in 1982. Launched in collaboration with Avon, it was the star herself who reportedly picked the design, the packaging, the notes and the advertisement.

Although discontinued, you can still find this spritz on eBay.

Catherine Deneuve Deneuve, available on ebay.ca

So tell us, what is your favourite celebrity fragrance? Tweet us, share your thoughts on Facebook, or Instagram your fave and let us know!