For as long as ÇaFleureBon has been giving end of year Best Fragrance awards (2010), (2011), (2012), (2013), (2014), (2015), (2016) (2017), (2018) there was always the question, “was this a good year for perfume”? Can we even judge Best Fragrances? What one editor loves another might not like…but instead of judging we look at the Best Fragrances of 2019 Annual wrap up as truly personal choices of fragrances that moved us, were well constructed and transported us. As we head into a new decade, Ermano Picco and I give you an overview of the year that was, (which for me was more about the people than the perfume). Over the next few days, you will read the top ten Best Fragrances of 2019 from Ermano and me, Sr. Editors Ida Meister, Despina Veneti, Gail Gross, Lauryn Beer, as well as Sr, Contributors Elena Cvjetlovic, and dana sandu.
Best Trends: Neo gourmands and specifically coffee. Even if its grown-up addictive flavor is not new in perfumery (let’s remember the avant-garde Jean Laporte’s Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Santal Noble from 1988), this year we counted about 30 launches featuring coffee as a key ingredient, from fragrant cheap thrills from Yves Rocher, the latest Chanel Les Exclusifs Coromandel parfum (Olivier Polge), to the niche Rubini Tambour Sacré (Cristiano Canali) or the site-specific Odeur du Théâtre du Châtelet by Caroline Dumur for Comme des Garçons in collaboration with Théâtre du Châtelet. –Ermano Picco
And the return of rose perfumes (not that they ever go out of style) but modern takes were everywhere!!!! While there are still creative directors who don’t disclose the perfumers who compose their fragrances, there is more transparency then in years past. This shouldn’t be a trend… it should become a best practice. Also Master perfumers who step away for a moment from the comfort of just creating for big companies’ briefs to start their own brands such as Olivier Cresp’s Akro and Aurelien Guichard’s Matiere Premier Parfums –Michelyn Camen
Time to move on:
The fruity in-peachment. Fruity notes can be a distinctive and winning character in fragrance if cleverly made. Frankly I am pretty exhausted of smelling the same generic pear-peach-red berries dull fruit salad in both gourmand soft orientals and soft florals. If you want to play this feature, either on the juicy, crunchy or pulpy side, please go for it with uniqueness! –Ermano
Let’s put a stop to the negativity and divisiveness between bloggers, video fragrance reviewers and Instagram posters. There’s room for everyone, as long as there is respect for the art of perfumery and for each other. –Michelyn
Alberto Morillas 2019 (credits Getty Images Europe)
Hardest Working Person(s) in Perfume:
Firmenich perfumer Alberto Morillas was surely one of the hardest working veterans in the perfume industry. Just try to google his name and you will find the creations he signed this year are about 30 between designer (Gucci, Bulgari, Chopard, Ferragamo) and niche (L’Artisan Parfumeur). He’s also quite active on social media sharing his everyday life as well as public events. I sometimes wonder if he ever sleeps. –Ermano
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Sultan Pasha and Sarah McCartney
I might as well give this award to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes and Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays every year, but for different reasons in 2019. Where Dawn was incredibly prolific (over 20, you will see her perfumes on many a best fragrances of 2019 list over the next few days), Sarah shifted gears and composed less but began running artisan perfume classes and sharing skills, because she “believes secrecy is leading to misunderstanding and panic”. She also launched online workshops for $1 a month on Patreon.
Special recognition goes to Sultan Pasha of Sultan Pasha Attars, who I can assure you doesn’t sleep and spends over 90 hours a week on his gorgeous perfumes, which have a uniqueness to them that is almost mystical.–Michelyn
Jean Claude Ellena via WWD
Perfumer of 2019: Jean Claude Ellena does it again. His comeback for Frédéric Malle is the result of a three years joint research with Floral Concept on raw materials and formulation. It definitely marks a new evolution of his style and his ability to evolve after a 40 year career. In addition we loved his Perris Monte Carlo Jasmine de Pays, Rose de Mai and Baliflora for Laboratorio Olfactivvo –Michelyn and Ermano
Honorable mention to Olivia Giacobetti for Best Perfumer of 2019 for IUNX Talc and NARS Audacious. – Michelyn
Etienne de Swardt of Etat Libre D’Orange via Etienne
Best Creative Director of 2019
Etat Libre d’Orange’s Etienne de Swardt who along with perfumer Daniela Andrier brought us the first Artificial Intelligence co-created perfume She was an anomaly. –Ermano
Photo Twisted Lily
From the genius mind of the Rimbaud of Perfumery, Etienne de Swardt were four perfumes in 2019, all as his style inhabit the realm of film, art, literature and his own intergalactic planet. Ermano mentioned She was an Anomaly; add the rose majesty of Experimentum Crucis, the cinnamon spicy rose of The Spice Must Flow and the soon to be reviewed 500. Bravo.-Michelyn
Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi of Masque Milano via Masque Milano
Best Niche House:
Masque Milano had a great year, releasing very different perfumes like Love Kills and Kintsugi yet keeping high standards of quality and cohesiveness. Moreover in the last months they previewed a new line entirely dedicated to women: Le Donne di Masque with two amazing creations that surely won’t pass unobserved next spring. Thus they win a Best Fragrances of 2019 award from both of us-Ermano and Michelyn
Murat Kutran and Mert Guzel of Nishane Esxence 2019
Nishane had a particularly brilliant year, with the magnificent Ani by Cecile Zarokian, Nefs, UNUTAMAN, Muskane, Florane, and Safron Colognise.–Michelyn
Francesca Bianchi and Antonio Alessandria
Best Indie house:
Francesca Bianchi Perfumes: What a stellar year for Francesca Bianchi. Francesca created five fragrances, all memorable: Etruscan Water, Lost in Heaven, Sex and the Sea Neroli, creamy and carnal and The Black Knight. Each an example of her particular deft handling of raw materials, and taming them so they are wearable olfactive art as well as innovative compositions. My favorite was Lost in Heaven, which is one of the first “animalic” fragrances that really spoke to me in years, with its honeyed florals, soft spices and gourmand overtones. Her exclusive for The Perfume Lounge to celebrate 10 years, Cuir Soyeux feels like suede and silk on bare skin –Michelyn
Antonio Alessandria Parfums. Looking back at Antonio Alessandria’s path, it’s evident he has a strong artistic vision and how it pushes him to always improve technically and too always develop original takes on the inspirations deeply rooted in Sicily. Combining severe high-mass incense with gourmand notes that wouldn’t smell trivial or vulgar was quite a challenge. With Dies Aurorae he managed to deliver at the same time a sophisticated neo-gourmand and an original incense, a comforting and uplifting fragrance able to convey both spirituality and innocence.-Ermano
Best Natural Perfume house:
Hiram Green, an amazing year once more for Hiram Green. He does for rose in Lustre what he did for leather in the award winning Hyde. Voyage 2019 was another natural beauty. – Michelyn and Ermano
Best Natural perfume: Providence Perfume Co. by Charna Ethier Drunk on The Moon is a new take on tuberose with a boozy sherry accord that left me giddy. It’s one of the best perfumes of the year, in any media-natural or otherwise. –Michelyn
Credits Frederic Malle
Best Fragrance of 2019:
Editions de parfums Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir –Ermano
Michelyn…. This is the first year I didn’t name one but I have a top ten best fragrance of 2019 list tomorrow
Worst fragrance of 2019 (or most disappointing …)
I really had great expectations on the new Hermès Jardin sur la lagune. Of course Les Jardins is probably the most “Ellenistic” line among the Hermès perfumes, an aerial inspiration that came straight from Ellena’s impressionistic poetry from the early 2000, conflicting with the compactness of the typical Nagel style. Add that it is likely that the marketing people at rue Faubourg 24 aim to change the Hermès signature to attract a new clientele. The result is a pleasantly annoying floral that shouts its emptiness with a dash too much dry woods.-Ermano
photo by Clayton
Best Bottle: We really loved the debut of NARS in perfumery. NARS Audacious’ bottle is modern, chic, and above all its mix of thick glass, graphic lines with the nail lacquer motif leaking from the opaque black box definitely exudes the DNA of the brand. The scent created by Olivia Giacobetti with notes of incense and frangipani is a stunner as well.-Michelyn and Ermano
Photo Twisted Lily
Best Packaging presentation- A new category… I was blown away by the simplexity and attention to detail in the presentation of Floraiku, the collection devoted to the culture of Japan and art of incense. Each perfume is elegantly packaged in a bento box and the stoppers are wrapped in woodblock inspired motifs-Michelyn
via Accademia del Profumo
Best Limited Edition:
The fragrance Accademia del Profumo celebrating Leonardo da Vinci after 500 years from his death. After the success of the exhibition Leonardo Genio e Bellezza (Leonardo Genius and Beauty) curated Maria Pirulli that displayed in Milan, Venice, Bologna and New York, Accademia del Profumo launched a contest among the International players of the Perfumery and Design Industry to create a perfume dedicated to the Italian Genius who also created perfumes and cosmetics for the Milanese Court of Ludovico il Moro. The outcome is an amazing spiced woody fragrance inspired by oak (a tree Leonardo admired) created by award winning Symrise perfumer Emilie Coppermann around a majestic cypress note and a special pepper extraction. The fragrance bottle is a unique contemporary artwork by designer Franz Degano of Quinto Lancio Studio. The perfume that’s not commercially available has no name but bears under the disc cap the rebus “Ponti in core” (keep it in your heart) taken from the Forster I Code. –Ermano
Photo courtesy of Hans Hendley
Hans Hendley Bloodline for American Perfumer: The most beautiful cedar centric perfume of any year. Alongside his father’s cedarwood oil, Hans used a tincture he made with pieces of white pine fatwood, an artisan distilled pinyon pine needle oil, and a five-year-aged vanilla bean tincture. Only 15 bottles were made; I hope David Kern brings it back – Michelyn
Photo: Ermano
Best Fragrance Event: Esxence Official Party at the beautiful Neoclassic Palazzina Appiani was indeed a major event in one of the most beautiful and unusual places downtown in Milan. It was amazing to enjoy the most festive people in perfumeland on the huge stairs facing the Arena – Ermano and Michelyn.
Worst bottle: I have rarely seen a designer fragrance with a worse flacon than Dolce & Gabbana K. A standard tall bottle with generic graphics topped by a pretentious golden crown with blue cabochons.- Ermano
Best bang for the buck:
Zara Emotions – the collaboration between Zara and Jo Loves gave us pretty nice bangs for the buck (40ml at € 15.95 each). Favorites are the sparkling Vetiver Pamplemousse and the heady Tuberose Noir.-Ermano and Michelyn
Rising star:
Euan McCall of Jorum Laboratories courtesy of Euan
I thank the perfume gods and The Silver Fox for bringing to my attention the talented Euan McCall of Edinburgh-based Jorum Laboratories. He is a perfumer you will be reading much more about and have read about on these pages. He’s the nose behind the brand Senyoko Paris and has his own brand Jorum Studio. Two of my top ten fragrances this year were authored by him so stay tuned.-Michelyn
via the Fragrance Foundation
My rising star perfumer is Mackenzie Reilly. She’s not only talented, she loves connecting with nature and giving her own twist to classic accords, especially with unexpected mineral brilliance. After some years under the mentorship of Master Perfumer Carlos Benaïm, she released her first creation A lab on fire California Snow in 2017. This year in particular she worked hard on various US lines such as Maison d’Etto (Macanudo, a crisp green woody narcissus), Polo player Nacho Figueras line (Palm Beach) and part of the Yellowstone collection by Caswell-Massey, an amazing project partnering IFF botanists who studied endangered species in the park with the living-flower technology. I believe she will bring a new touch to American perfumery in the coming years.-Ermano
Photo by Despina Veneti
Best Fragrance Book of 2019
Perfume Legends II, the revised work by Michael Edwards updated to 2010 includes new Modern Masterpieces as Serge Lutens Feminité du bois and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. To summarize this book in a sentence or two doesn’t do it justice, so we urge you to read Sr. Editor’s Despina Veneti’s thorough book review here. –Michelyn and Ermano
Ermano notes that a Italian Biologist and Neuro-scientist at Max Planck Institute in Frankfurt Anna d’Errico wrote “Il senso perfetto” (the perfect sense), an interesting book of scientific dissemination about how the sense of smell works, as an honorable mention.
Best Fragrance of 2019 Collaboration:
Accolades to Nishane Ani especially for the collaboration between Turkish creative directors Murat Katran and Franco-Armenian perfumer Cécile Zarokian. Ani takes inspiration from an ancient city at the borders of Turkey and Armenia. This long lost place, an ideal bridge of peace and knowledge between two populations embodied in this collaboration gives hope for the future. –Ermano
I have to recuse myself from my real picks for best collaboration- ÇaFleureBon‘s Red Queen by Sarah McCartney of 4160Tuesdays and Amber Jobin of Aether Arts Perfumes Circe, as I was the creative director of both. Antonio Gardoni I LOVE YY with ScentbarNYC, is a voluptuous ylang ylang that demonstrates why Antonio Gardoni is one of the best indie perfumers on the planet, gets my vote and a warm welcome to New York. –Michelyn
Best Ad:
Gucci Memoire d’un odeur featuring Glen Luchford’s images perfectly portrays the scent and bridges the ‘70s nostalgia and values found in Alessandro Michele creations for the brand.-Ermano and Michelyn
Worst Ad:
It’s Dior Sauvage Parfum advertising campaign once more featuring Johnny Depp. “We are the land” directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and it couldn’t be worse as we are still scratching our heads. What’s the message ? We’re offended as was most everyone so the ad was pulled after being publicly criticized for cultural appropriation. –Michelyn and Ermano
Best Designer Fragrance:
It’s a tie with Gucci Fading Autumn acqua di profumo by Alberto Morillas and Armani Privé Orangerie Vénise by Dominique Ropion. Both are in the exclusive offerings from the designers, but indeed they are worth a try. The first is a decadent mossy load of patchouli with plummy hints that make it playful and bohemian-chic. The latter is a spicy orange blossom topped by the minty sparkle of buchu leaves and backed by a glamorous trail of mossy Cedarwood-Ermano
It might be polarizing but Gucci Memoire d’un odeur with its retro-70s aromatic green-ness and startling chamomile accord has niche appeal. It’s a risk for the commercial market and might change perceptions of what a designer fragrance can be. –Michelyn
photo by Hernando
Best Celebrity fragrance: Famed Polo Player Nacho Figueras had teamed up with IFF perfumers including Carlos Benaim on a new line of pricey, but worth it fragrances. that are currently only sold at Bergdorf Goodman. Mr. Figueros is an ambassador to Sentebale, which is a charity co-founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex to help raise funds for children and young people affected by HIV. My favorite was Windsor, homage to the Prince and has an absolutely stunning English Honeysuckle accord. All the proceeds go the charity. Let me recap: beautiful fragrances, much loved celebrity, proceeds to charity, gorgeous bottle. –Michelyn
credit Baruti
Best perfume you want to drink or eat:
Baruti Perverso with its mix of booze, salty roasted hazelnuts, cocoa and caramel fudge indeed delivers its notes in a mouthwatering tobaccoish trail.-Ermano
Robert Greco for Perris
Perris Monte Carlo Arancia di Sicilia: Blood orange. The most iconic citrus from Sicily is known as the Orange Sanguinella; bright red and grown on the slopes of Mount Aetna. I find the warmth of the amber and the contrast of coffee against the citrus suits my skin regardless of the season. –Michelyn
Best flanker:
Chanel Gabrielle Essence. Though less daring and unique than the original perfume, this Gabrielle flanker bears a more elegant sillage with creamy-woody floralcy redolent of some amazing tuberose bouquets that have been stars of the niche market for several years. –Ermano
Sex and The Sea Neroli from Francesca Bianchi. I love it even more than the original. –Michelyn
Best Fragrance Name:
Etat Libre d’Orange Spice Must Flow. Being a Dune and David Lynch junkie, since I read about the perfume, I couldn’t help but thinking of an ad featuring Reverend Mother Mohiam and her sisters.-Ermano
Ma Nishtana: Translated from the Hebrew “Why is tonight different” from the Passover seder’s Four Questions. I was wondering what happened to Prin Lomros the very talented Thai perfumer who was an art and olfaction award finalist? He started a new collection under the brand Parfums Prissana.
RIP Senior Editor Robert Hermann
MVP (Most Valuable Perfume Person):
Senior Editor Robert Hermann who left us this year, October 1, 2019. From Michelyn’s written tribute:”Robert Herrmann brought light and love to his local community, to his family, to his many many friends, and to the fragrance world. We will miss his thoughtful and insightful perfume reviews, his sense of humor and for me, personally, his friendship and love.” Michelyn and Ermano
I mourn a special friend in fragrance, Gaia Fischler who passed away late November. Gaia wrote one of the first (and best) perfume and makeup blogs called The Non-Blonde. –Michelyn
Best Buzz:
The storied House of Caron has a new in-house perfumer: Jean Jacques. Formerly working at Takasago, Monsieur Jacques is well known for his amazing creations for Isabey, like the iconic Gardenia or the charming Ambre de Carthage, or again for off-beat commercial scents like Courrège Hyperbole. Bridging Ernest Daltroff heritage is not an easy task for sure, so I wish Jean Jacques the best-Ermano
Have you heard? The cult niche brand Commodity which went abruptly out of business in April 2019, leaving perfumistas all over the world in tears has a second act. It was purchased by US niche perfume Distributor Europerfumes on October 31, 2019. That’s no trick, just a wonderful treat for those of us who love the brand- Michelyn
Hall of shame (…less than impressed…)
I am less than impressed with brands sprung from nowhere with no concept trying to get attention relying on influencers. It’s no surprise six months later you see 40% off sales on their online shop. Please be credible and come up with an idea. Or pay for it and rely on professionals, because likes don’t necessarily turn into competence or even sales. –Ermano
Hall of Fame 2019
The Première Dame of Perfumeland Madame Patricia Nicolaï who celebrated this year the 30th anniversary of the brand she founded with her husband. Many accolades and rivers of fragrant beauty have passed and definitely she’s been a role model for young women in perfumery. Moreover what a better way to celebrate than launching a daring, innovative fragrance as Baïkal Leather Intense, a must smell of this 2019 indeed and now for the new decade the upcoming Angelys Pear – Ermano and Michelyn
Honorable mention: Amouage former creative Christopher Chong who led the brand for 12 years bridging the Amouage heritage with amazing creations like Jubilation and debuting successful projects as the Library collection and the candles. His beautiful goodbye to the Omani brand is a stunning green floral, Love Mimosa featuring a youthful crisp fruitiness that makes the best fragrance in the Secret Garden collection.-Michelyn and Ermano
Best Fragrance you never heard of:
Photo © Leah Meltzer
Redamance Queen Nzinga: Created by Brooklyn perfumer Marissa Zappas and her mentor Olivier Gillotin,this luminous vintage inspired amber is translucent and for me brings to mind the transparency and depth of Olivia Giacobetti. It also gets my honorable mention for best bottle, as the custom flacon by Jonas Bowman is breathtaking.-Michelyn.
I had never heard of Les Indemodables collection which smells gorgeously French with a certain je ne sais quoi. Their Cuir de Chine smote me with its osmanthus loaded rendition of the 1919 Tabac Blond fierceness. The whole line is part of L’Aterier français des matières, a brand founded by Rémi Pulverais to pursue an almost made to measure excellence, from the quest for uncommon raw materials to the final product as a remedy to the flattening of perfumery. –Ermano
BUT there’s more….
Thanks to Marissa Zappas we have a draw for a 15ml bottle of Redamance Queen Nzinga for a 15 ml bottle USA registered readers only. (You must do this here)
Thanks to the incredible generosity of Euan McCall of Jorum Studio we are offering a complete sample set of the Progressive Botany Vol.1 collection (6 x 1ml), for one registered reader in the EU, USA or Canada
Francesca Bianchi is offering a discovery kit of her 9 fragrances (does not include Cuir Soyeux) for one registered reader in the EU, USA or Canada
To be eligible, what did you think of our Best and Worst fragrances of 2019. Have you tried any? Do you have favorites? Draw closes 1/1/2020
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There is no spilled perfume.