December 23, 2023
Before getting into the list and giveaway, I want to thank everyone who has engaged in any way this year. In 2023 my original Instagram was removed, so I had to start from scratch after more than 3 years of daily posting. Despite this setback, a lot of people stuck around and I was able to continue at a good pace. Add to that the growth of the site, which crossed 500K visits this week, and it’s safe to say we’re just getting started.
To celebrate, I present my favorite discoveries in 2023, my favorite releases of 2023 and my biggest giveaway to date!
Disclaimer: Releases for which I had (only) a PR bottle at the time of writing are labeled as #AD. I didn’t list bottles donated specifically for the giveaway as #AD, as they were received after the review and ranking.
Before getting into what I think were the BEST RELEASES of 2023, I want to highlight fragrances that I discovered this year (that were released earlier). Especially since it’s the first year I’m doing the awards, so a couple of 2022 releases just missed out, but are worth highlighting.
20. OmanLuxury ANGHAM (2020) [#AD]
Emelie Bevierre-Coppermann
A rather stoic, dark, leathery and spicy scent, but there’s a nice woody warmth underneath. Not for the faint of heart, as it’s on the smoky side, but definitely beautiful and probably my favorite OmanLuxury.
19. Headspace SANTAL (2022)
Julien Rasquinet
Headspace is a brand to keep on your radar. Their entire line so far has been stellar, but the one that I enjoy most has to be the comforting sandalwood of Santal.
18. Neshama SOULS ON FIRE (2022)
Simon Shaer
This was a finalist of the Art And Olfaction awards and I can see why. Quite a sensual and skanky jasmine opening with more of a sweet tobacco drydown that becomes easy going enough for anyone to wear.
17. Versatile Paris CROISSANT CAFE (2021)
Elia Chiche
I bought this one strictly because of the appeal of its name and it did not disappoint. The coffee is mostly in the opening, followed by a cozy woody-pastry drydown. The fragrance equivalent of a warm blanket.
16. Olympic Orchids BLACKBIRD
Ellen Covey
One of the strongest fruity fragrances that I enjoy. Blackberry, slightly mentholated at first, but very long lasting fruity afterwards. Fruits in a forest setting. Rather mature, yet vibrant and with a thick sillage.
15. Sarah Baker LOUDO (2021) [#AD]
Chris Maurice
I’ve been going back and forward between Loudo and Symmetry from the Sarah Baker x Chris Maurice Oud trilogy. Loudo is quite special and my first discovery, whereas Symmetry is more versatile; both are worth trying.
14. Les Bains Guerbois 1986 ECLECTIQUE (2021)
Bertrand Duchaufour
One of the coziest, sweet honeyed ambers on the market. The tobacco is subtle and the focus stays more so on the honey. Duchaufour’s 1978 Les Bains Douches may be even better, but this year, 1986 Eclectique joined my top discoveries.
13. Ormaie TABLEU PARISIEN (2022)
Team TechnicoFlor
This fragrance is for those that don’t shy away from a tuberose. This is spicy, sweet, powdery and it showcases the florals beautifully. It reminds me a tiny bit of Xerjoff Lunosa, one of my absolute favorites.
12. In Astra TISTAR (2022) [#AD]
Sofia Bardelli
Tistar is one of those fragrances that is somewhat understated and therefore you may almost forget how good it is. Green, aromatic, floral, but I get an unexpected chocolate powder dusting on top of it.
11. Beso Beach BESO PASION (2020)
Jordi Fernandez
To me, this smells like a mix of Essential Parfums Bois Imperial and Fig Infusion (my two favorites from that brand). I was surprised that Beso Pasion didn’t get a lot more hype online, since it has all the makings of a versatile winner.
10. Maison Sybarite BED OF ROSES (2019)
Antoine Lie
I mainly get a cardamom-milk infused iris and wood here with a subtle hint of rose. It’s rather sweet and milky in texture. This is a water-based fragrance, that surely feels different than most perfumes and it kept me intrigued throughout.
09. Noeme AMAN (2022)
Majda Bekkali
This is still on my own wishlist. A lactonic floral scent with a tinge of band-aid like gardenia. Semi-sweet vanilla throughout, but never letting go of its green and floral facets. Deceivingly demanding of a wear in my opinion, but a spectacular scent profile.
08. PureDistance WHITE (No. 06) (2021)
Antoine Lie
While there is another PureDistance in my best of 2023 list, White was the first one from the brand that caught my attention this positively. Silky smooth fresh linen and sweet sandalwood. Understated elegance at its best.
07. One Day SEOUL (2021) [#AD]
Michael Wong
One Day is one of the best brands to keep an eye out for as they are hopefully able to broaden their distribution next year. Oolong Tea is an award-winning gem, but this year, Seoul was another one that stole my heart as a mature, but relaxed coffee and vetiver scent.
06. Electimuss POMONA VITALIS (2022)
Christian Provenzano
My favorite from this house. Earthy green rose-patchouli, that goes from almost minty to sweeter, chocolate-y and sandalwoody. This is on par with Tom Ford’s Noir de Noir for me.
05. Roja Parfums ROSE PARFUM (2016)
Roja Dove
One of the Roja’s that you don’t see all that often and as it turns out; that’s a shame. This is a mature, mossy rose often compared to Guerlain Nahema. It’s one of the best Roja Parfums that I’ve smelled and I was lucky to pick up a bottle this year.
04. Maison Tahite COFFEE BOMB (2022)
Arturetto Landi
Coffee Bomb takes the already great and ever-popular Montale Intense Cafe DNA of coffee and rose and makes both aspects significantly better. Less focus on vanilla and more on coffee, with a much nicer rose note. I debated where to rank this quite a lot, but ended up this high, as it’s one of my most worn and my most recommended fragrance of the year. At €98/100ml it’s a great deal as well.
03. Les Abstraits BELLE AME (2022)
Antoine Lie
This came out in December last year, otherwise it would’ve ranked highly on my best releases list this year. A semi-sweet and, to my nose, nutty iris. Unlike any other iris that I’ve tried. Iris being my favorite note really made Belle Ame quite a special release to me. For transparency; I purchased this, dropped it and broke it, after which it was graciously replaced by Eugen, the brand’s owner.
02. Etat Libre D’Orange EXPERIMENTUM CRUCIS (2019)
Quentin Bisch
A unique and unnatural (in a good way) smelling rose. Very spicy with cumin adding a bit of an edge. Hypermodern with a plasticy feeling similar to the one found in ELDO Hermann A Mes Cotes, also by Quentin Bisch. Experimentum Crucis is my favorite of his creations after Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede.
01. Jazeel GHALA (2019)
Ali Alzaabi
Ghala made it onto my most recent overall top 10 list, so that’s how much it impressed me. This is one of the most oily, citrussy roses with a solid dose of skank in the opening. It feels regal and opulent in the best way possible. Heavy on the earthiness, but with a wet texture and a citrussy rose functioning as a ray of sunshine on top of it. This is far from the most mass-appealing fragrance on this list, but for those that appreciate this style of perfumery, it’s hard to find a fragrance as dense and as good as Ghala.
Moving on to my favorite releases of 2023! Please keep in mind, that there are of course many fragrances that I’ve not been able to test. I’ve kept it simple and personal. Here are my favorite releases of 2023, counting down to the #1.
25. Andrea MAACK SOLSTICE
Julien Rasquinet
Solstice achieves the near impossible, by making a fragrance with a watermelon note great. It kept the vibrancy of the fruitiness down for a more calming and mature wear.
24. Penhaligon’s THE OMNISCIENT MR THOMPSON
Fanny Bal
I feel like this wasn’t received with much praise, but I personally really enjoy it. Fizzy, milky iris with touches of light spices and growing (almost) gourmand. Not as eccentric or outspoken as I expected, but nice to wear nonetheless.
23. Ormonde Jayne ARABESQUE
Arabesque wears like a mix of a lighter, more fruity and more floral take on Tuscan Leather and Jubilation XXV to me. Saffron, rose-patchouli-oud and a playful blackcurrant fruitiness. Not my absolute favorite Ormonde Jayne, but a solid addition.
22. Fugazzi CASH FLOWER
Cash Flower is my favorite Fugazzi, alongside NoCologne, so the brand had a good 2023. This is a (burnt) sugary sweet, ambery rose with earthy and fruity touches that smells familiar and nostalgic to me, although I could never figure out what it reminds me of.
21. Teo Cabanel DEJA VU
Patrice Revillard
I’ve really been enjoying Teo Cabanel’s recent releases, especially Encore, followed by Deja Vu, which came out this year. It is playful, tart fruity and bubblegummy with an iris core. Fun, but in the right dose.
20. Frapin BONNNE CHAUFFE
Maehb McCurtin
A sweet campfire scent, with a burnt quality. It reminds me of a light version of Roja’s Parfums de La Nuit 1, mixed with Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir, which isn’t a bad thing at all. For transparency; I ended up receiving a PR bottle of this, but after my review and compiling this list (also, I’m giving it away for you).
19. V Canto ADUX [#AD]
Paolo Terenzi
Adux is one of my most worn fragrances from this list. The reason that it’s not ranked higher is its (lack of) originality. Adux feels like a riff on an Aventus-esque DNA, but with a more masculine leaning, mossy green tinge. It became an office staple in my collection.
18. New Notes LATTE DI CHERRY [#AD]
I’m rarely a fan of cherry and after trying the popular cherry Tom Fords, Kayali & BDK, I had low expectations for Latte di Cherry. However, out of all of them, I like this New Notes the most. Not per se for me, but it comes highly recommended.
17. D:SOL MMXVI SOMBRA [#AD]
Marie LeFebvre
Sombra would not be in my top fragrances to wear frequently this year, but its bravery deserves a solid ranking. Daring, unique, abstract; this is what niche is about. The most animalic and challenging to wear fragrance on this list by a margin.
16. Memo INVERNESS
Nadege Le Garlantezec
Inverness was a nice surprise, as I’ve not found many favorites among the Memo line-up. Interesting textures and a smoky fruity edge. It ended up reminding me of a much lighter version of the excellent, but sometimes overwhelming Marc-Antoine Barrois Encelade.
15. Electimuss AQUILA ABSOLUTE [#AD]
Julien Rasquinet
With Aquila Absolute and Vanilla Edesia, Electimuss delivered two interesting, rather spicy fragrances in 2023. Aquila Absolute is a bit tricky to wear with its cardamom opening, but the citrus cutting through it is one of the better facets of the year for me. Sidenote: Shout-out to Julien Rasquinet for a third appearance in the list.
14. Goldfield & Banks INGENIOUS GINGER
Hamid Merati-Kashani
Ingenious Ginger earned its place solely because of its opening. The citrussy and candy-like ginger is very pleasant, although for me the amberwoody drydown left something to be desired. Still, probably my favorite Goldfield & Banks release so far.
13. Fragrance du Bois LOVERS
Shadi Samra
I felt less than overly excited by Fragrance Du Bois’ releases in recent years, but Lovers saw the brand back in form. Probably my favorite from the house in quite a few years. I’m not the biggest saffron fan, but this is one of the first saffron-heavy fragrances that I’d gravitate towards.
12. Maison Crivelli OUD MARACUJA
Jordi Fernandez
Oud Maracuja garnered a lot of hype upon release and I went in my testing with some skepticism. However, what Jordi Fernandez has achieved here with prolonging this (welcome) passionfruit brightness in an otherwise loud and rather harsh fragrance is outstanding work.
11. Frederic Malle HEAVEN CAN WAIT
Jean-Claude Ellena
Not what I was expecting from this release, with it being quite sweet for a Frederic Malle. It reminds me a bit of sweet tobacco fragrances in the drydown, but the quality is there and it has grown on me in the few times I smelled and wore it. I need to explore it more, but Heaven Can Wait is a great follow-up (and relief) after last year’s disappointing Uncut Gem.
10. Parfums Dusita ROSARINE [#AD]
Pissara Umavijani
As a rose lover, it was easy to fall in love with Rosarine. This is a strongly honeyed rose, that’s easy to wear. At the same time, the texture is dense, thick and oily, making it feel elevated over many others in a similar direction. It might be my favorite of the Dusita range.
09. Gallivant ACCRA
Stephanie Bakouche
Accra was a noteworthy outlier this year, in a good way. Along with Sombra, it may represent the art of niche perfumery best in 2023 for me. Accra is an unexpected ride with a herbal opening, doing a 180 into sweet, smoky spices. Complex and non-linear, without being too daring to actually wear.
08. Areej Le Dore (THE HISTORY OF) INDONESIAN OUD
Russian Adam
Unfortunately, this is the only one from this History Of Ouds collection that I’ve tried. This only contains its namesake oud, but has sweet, spicy, earthy and woody dimensions. To me it reads mostly like a patchouli fragrance with cola nuances. Lucky for you, I liked it so much that I bought a back-up bottle, which I decided to share.
07. Byredo ANIMALIQUE
Jerome Epinette
Animalique may seem a bit misleading in its naming, but it’s one of the more beautiful fragrances that I’ve tried recently. A soft, plush, make-up bag leather with a lot of floral (violet) qualities. It goes surprisingly sweet, almost gourmand. I’d need to wear this more often, but it made a surprisingly great first impression.
06. Amouage SANTAL SOHAR ATTAR
Karine Vinchon-Spehner
While I enjoyed the 2022 attars, I can’t say that I found them exciting enough for their price tags. In 2023 Amouage expanded the range and Santal Sohar turned out to be my favorite of these newer Amouage attars by a margin. The most smooth and sweet sandalwood that feels made for this form factor. If money was no object, I’d have a bottle of this in my collection already.
05. Roja Parfums TAIF AOUD PARFUM
Roja Dove
This technically came out before 2023, as a store exclusive, but it was relaunched. Another one that I’d definitely add to the collection, were it not for the money involved. I did not expect to like this as much as Musk Aoud or Amber Aoud, but I think I may even prefer it. Keeping a similar feeling core, but adding a brighter, citrussy rose to make it more versatile. Up there with the best from Roja and a step above most of the brand’s other recent releases in my opinion.
04. Guerlain TOBACCO HONEY
Delphine Jelk
If you’re going to release a sweet tobacco anno 2023, especially as a brand of Guerlain’s stature, it’s bound to be scrutinized. More so, given what’s been a couple of disappointing years in terms Guerlain’s output. However, Tobacco Honey delivers and what it’s lacking in uniqueness, it makes up for in sheer quality and density. It’s much heavier on the honey than I’d imagined, so you have to have a sweet tooth. I think Tobacco Honey deserves to join the ranks of long-standing popular sweet tobacco references like Tobacco Vanille, Herod, Naxos or Triumph Of Bacchus. Credit where credit is due, hence this high ranking.
03. Eris DELTA OF VENUS
Antoine Lie
Delta Of Venus was a surprise late entry to the list (admittedly I could have some recency bias). The most photorealistic fruity scent that I can recall in a while. This feels rather simple, but beautiful. All aspects of the fruit (guava, which smells like nectarine or peach in this) shine here. It is juicy, watery, green, slightly bitter, with a white floral edge. Sidenote: This is the fourth fragrance in the list done by Antoine Lie, making him the most ‘awarded’ perfumer to me this year.
02. Amouage JUBILATION 40 [#AD]
Bertrand Duchaufour
I got Jubilation 40 right in time to make the final cut for these awards and I just had to make room for it. Higher up on the list than I was expecting. As a fan of Amouage XXV, this was my most anticipated release of 2023 and it turned out to be a great additional take on the DNA. More forest-like at first, but also more ambery sweet and resinous as it dries. A tad less fruity perhaps. It sits closer to the skin, but it has an amazing sillage up close. Since anticipated releases, especially flankers, often end up being disappointing, praise is deserved when one sticks the landing. Pricing of recent Amouage being a divisive factor understandably, but the quality and attention to detail is top-notch and it’s hard to picture a Jubilation flanker working out better than Jubilation 40 did.
01. Puredistance PAPILIO
Nathalie Feisthauer
Frankly, picking my number 1 for 2023 wasn’t all that hard. Ever since I smelled Papilio for the first time, I’ve been enamored with it. I’m quite picky when it comes to loving leather fragrances, but Papilio does leather with so much brightness, creaminess and sweetness that it doesn’t really wear as one. It has one of the best uses of ambroxan that I’ve come across. While classy, there’s enough levity and quirkiness to make it versatile and less demanding of a wear than most leathers. I feel like quality -and texture wise this release is hard to beat this year and it may very well be my favorite leather-ish scent of all time. For transparency; After sampling and reviewing it, I received a 17.5ml as PR (that you can win), as I purchased a bigger bottle for myself.
