YOU DON’T KNOW ALL OF THESE BRANDS, BUT YOU SHOULD – PART IV

There are many fragrance brands (any rational would say, too many). Even to those of us that are involved with fragrances on a daily basis, it’s become impossible to keep up. Worst, a lot of the newer brands that take up space and attention don’t bring anything of interest to the table, while brands with something to offer are lost in the crowd.

The title of this series may be a superlative, but I think that even the most hardened fraghead will find something new to discover in each part. In total there will be 5 parts, highlighting 10 brands each and a 6th bonus part. I was fortunate to be introduced to a lot of lesser known brands via PR when I was doing photography work on Instagram, otherwise I may have never encountered them. Some of the other brands on the list, I know less thoroughly, but were for example stand-outs during store visits or events. You can click on the names to see all the fragrances they’ve released.

Happy explorations!

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

LORGA
Without question, one of the best lesser known brands. Their original collection had no misses and their follow-up releases were good as well. My favorite is one of the GOAT gourmands, Ambre Platine. It looks like Lorga is more focused on ‘more trendy’ sister-brand Fomowa Paris these days, but the Lorga collection is on another level.

V/SITEUR
I sampled the V/siteur line quite a long time ago, but could appreciate the artistry. Beach Bizzare (cannabis-y) wasn’t for me, Thousand Lakes I liked better, but Cecile Zarokian’s Cabaret Nocturne is my favorite.

EAUK
Eauk is a Dutch brand, so as a Dutchman, I couldn’t leave it off the list. It’s been years since I smelled the collection, but I remember it being quite nice (better than several other Dutch brands that have gained more traction). My clear favorite was Pomander.

LES ABSTRAITS
Brands started by ‘influencers’ or ‘YouTubers’ often get a bad rep (and I won’t pretend that I don’t understand why), but Les Abstraits is top-notch. Headed by Eugen (U Smells Good), made by Antoine Lie, with a good quality ingredient house behind it. My favorite from the first trio is Belle Ame and I’m curious about the 4th release that’s set to launch.

RAAW ALCHEMY
A new admission. I discovered Raaw Alchemy in the month of writing this and was pleasantly surprised. I’d need to give them full wearings to see how they hold up on my skin, but they all seemed likeable, with Room 64 making the best first impression.

HELLENIST
Hellenist has not released anything groundbreaking or new in my eyes, but it’s a fun, balanced and pleasant line so far. The fig is really good, but my favorite of the 4 releases at the time of writing has to be the iris, Les Bras De Morphee.

MAISON SYBARITE
A few brands have started releasing alcohol-free fragrances again (like Xerjoff Newcleus or Dior Sauvage Eau Forte); Maison Sybarite was the first alcohol-free sprayable perfume brand I’d come across. Their fragrances have a milky, lotion-like consistency, which is a bit unusual, but the scents are good. Amber Gaze was an instant-like, but Bed Of Roses is a true gem; both by Antoine Lie.

ORENS
This is another massively slept-on brand; top-notch quality and a stellar line-up so far. Most people that I know that have tried Orens would agree, but those people are far and few in between. I think the brand’s online presence needs a lot of work and the tall bottles are divisive, but the fragrances deserve a lot more hype. Serr D’Eden is great and Moire de Kalha perhaps even greater.

SUPERFUMISTA
A fun indie brand by Benjamin, who I’ve had the pleasure to sit down with during a Paris visit before. There are a couple of interesting ones in the older releases, with Infra Rose being my absolute favorite; the newer releases are very solid as well, for example Lemon Delight, which blows a fragrance like the popular Akro Bake out of the water.

TOBBA
Another brand that I’ve met in Paris. An Asian painter and Asian perfumer duo run this brand, but the scents feel quite traditionally French. I’ve noticed some overlap with several Frederic Malle fragrances, especially with my favorite Rose On The Shore, which should appeal to fans of Une Rose/Rose Tonnerre.