Today we’re helping Kevin, who is looking for the perfect leafy green fragrance:
My favorite smell is of leaves. You know when you take a leaf and break it open and this wonderful green and alive smell comes out? Love.
Kevin would like to find that scent for no more than $140. He lives in Vancouver and so has access to good perfume stores, and he’d prefer to shop in person, not online. Here are some other details about Kevin:
He’s studying biology at university
He says he tends to be impulsive, excitable, frank and easily affectionate.
He loves reading, and he says loves to bake, although he’s otherwise a lousy cook. He’s also a long-distance runner.
Kevin tends to wear earthy, warm fragrances, which he feels work better on his skin, and he says fresher scents sometimes come off sour. He likes notes of vanilla, tonka bean, vetiver, tobacco leaf, patchouli, peppermint and musk. He is open to feminine fragrances, but he cringes when he smells things from Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. His current rotation includes CK Obsession (for men), CK Obsession Night (for women), Burberry Brit and Burberry London, Chanel Allure Homme, Givenchy Pi, Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male, Fendi Life Essence, and Un Crime Exotique by Perfumerie Generale. He also likes Dior’s Hypnotic Poison.
Kevin doesn’t like lavender or fresh scents, and he avoids aquatics as they don’t work well for him.
The only applicable scent that Kevin has tried so far is Guerlain Vetiver. He liked it but it wasn’t what he was looking for, and the dry down was a little powdery.
What say you?
Note: image is you’ve got mail. [cropped] by e³°°° at flickr; some rights reserved.
83 Comments
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CB I Hate Perfume’s Burning Leaves? There;s also a ‘Leaves’ range by Comme des Garcons. I havn’t tried either of them, but read reviews of them and sounds like they could be a goer?!?!?!
PBI to say that’s a wonderful scent, but not really green at all.
Oops, should have said I was talking about the CB I Hate Perfume. The Leaves series has some green, esp. the Calamus.
CB I Hate Perfume’s Black March and Wild Hunt are both very fresh sappy green. I haven’t smelled Memory of a Kindness in a long time – but that has a strong Tomato Leaf note. As others have mentioned – Brosius does a number of excellent accords of leaves, herbs and plants. Perhaps if you call the gallery directly and ask nicely, they can send you a sample kit.
I also like a number of the Demeter scents. Grass is nice, and I recall liking Linden as a green scent. Greenhouse is VERY green, almost smotheringly so. L’Artisan’s Fleur de Liane has a similar humid green quality you might get a kick out of, but some perceive it as strongly aquatic.
Sisley’s Eau de Campagne is a very leafy classic cologne by Jean Claude Ellena- it’s actually too green for my taste.
MPG Iris Bleu Gris. About the greenest stemmiest scent I know. Never mind the iris bit, it smells like a snapped green leaf stalk to me.
Estee Lauder Aliage-it’s green, green, and green.
I second the Aliage-It’s a great leafy green scent. And you can find it for a song, the staying power is excellent.
What, no Paris Hilton?!
I’d suggest Diorella for that green, green not flowery scent. I’d also try out the L’Artisan line..there are all sorts of interesting options; I was thinking of L’Eau de L’Artisan, for ones. Also, not green, but you strike me as a Bois 1920 Come La Luna kinda guy…very woody, a little musky and patchouli. And I love it!
Happy hunting!
If leaves + grass is ok, try Miller et Bertaux Green, green, green & green.
well, ok–Robin just made the mostest, greenest suggestion I can think of….but here are two that make me think of stems and leaves and damp soil: CB I hate perfume Wild Pansy and Violet Empire.
Wild Hunt is worth a try, too, and M#1, Narcissus.
Leaves and green make me think of L’Artisan Parfumeur Piment brulant, which I find great for this season. The unicorn spell is also supergreen and my husband wears it too.
Miller et Bertaux’ Green, green, green & green, is my very favorite green scent, but for a different kind of leafy scent (tomato leaf) try Stecca.
What is Stecca?
Stecca is Hilde Soliani’s tomato leaf scent. Spendy, but it lasts a lot longer on me than the Demeter. I think CB I Hate Perfume also has a tomato leaf scent, but I think it’s more than just that one note, whereas Stecca is really only tomato leaf.
I forgot to add Iris 39 by Le Labo and Malle’s Lys méditerranée, both very green to my nose
I recently had the pleasure of sampling several Chanel Les Exclusif scents. I love the green notes in Bel Respiro. Would this be masculine enough?
I was also going to suggest Bel Respiro, so seconding that!
I can’t believe Robin beat you to mentioning M&B 3G ! You must be working around reading at NST —-I hate it when work interferes with my blog reading…..
Sort of… it’s snowing and traffic was so backed up, I just turned around and came home to work for awhile before heading in later. Haven’t started that work part yet, though.
Arent there 4 g’s?
Yes, 4 Gs…but it’s #3.
Isn’t it a delightful fragrance? Sigh….I wish I could afford a FB of that green springy goodness. I realized that it’s also outside of Kevin’s price range. Maybe a nice-sized decant?
I think Kevin should try a scent by Issey Miyake. At least on me, that was about as green as it gets (since MetB #3 mentioned above comes across more cedary than green on me), although the longevity is a little lacking. Still, it’s well within the price range, and well worth a shot.
Chanel Cristalle EDT, Diptyque L’Ombre dans L’Eau, CB: IHP Memory of Kindness, Hermes Un Jardin en Mediterranee, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Flora Nerolia (if you can find some) or Herba Fresca, L’Artisan Fou d’Absinthe and Lubin Le Vetiver are all pretty green.
And if you don’t mind the (not overwhelming) cucumber/melon accord, Hampton Sun Privet Bloom might be an option.
Byredo Green, or Annick Goutal Mandragore, maybe. Mandragore does have anise, but it seems more generally herbal to me. And I haven’t sniffed the Byredo yet, but I was intrigued by the review here – by NST Kevin, I think.
Here’s the review link. http://www.nstperfume.com/2009/02/26/byredo-green-fragrance-review/
And — oops, looks like it’s out of Monday Mail Kevin’s price range, sorry.
but a decant would be an option….then if he LURVED it enough , the range might be adjusted to accommodate it eventually…..
Hi – long time lurker, first time posting. My recs:
Biehl Parfumkunstwerke (did I spell that right? lol – did it w/out looking it up!) MB02 and DSH (dshperfumes.com) for a smooth, rounded green. Also Thierry Mugler for green-citrus, lovely in warm weather. And a BIG 2nd to the aforementioned CBIHP Wild Pansy, M&B 3G and Chanel Bel Respiro. Have fun, Kevin!
Oops – that was meant to be DSH Celadon as the rec.
I really like Sisley’s Eau de Campagne. I’ve just tried the lotion, not the cologne, but I think it’s just the uncompromisingly green — and beautiful — green that Kevin is looking for. He might also check out some of the earthier vetivers. Our NST Kevin just reviewed Etro’s Vetiver. I found it to be a beguiling, rooty-earthy green.
Sorry about the clumsily phrased post. I’m only half awake and I stick to that excuse!
Eau de Campagne has been reformulated recently and smells very different to my nose. I don’t remember whether it would still scratch the green itch: I was too depressed by the reformulation of a favorite.
Sad but true: now more “sport” than green. But some vintage EdC would be perfect!
Oh, this is sad. I’ll bet it was the old Campagne that I tried. Well, it’s one off my wish list. But too bad for our Kevin!
You, my friend, are in need of some Philosykos.
Crushed leaves over unripe figs and cedar.
Otherwise, ByRedo Green is a nice one, as is anything containing a whole load of galbanum. Chanel no. 19, Issey Miyake a scent, Sisley Eau de Campagne… [insert others I'm sure there are but which I am forgetting at the moment because galbanum is not my favourite note]
Oh, Philosykos (by Diptyque) is a must-try!
Oh, the galbanum mention made me think of another… Miller Harris’s Fleurs de Bois. That’s a nice, galbanum-rich woody scent (I don’t get nearly as much in the way of floral notes as the name might suggest).
Are you looking for a summer green, or a winter green? My thoughts tend more towards evergreens (juniper, pine, fir balsam, etc.) when i think of masculine greens.
Try:
Paco Rabanne Pour Homme
Ralph Lauren Safari
Yves Saint Laurent Kouros
Creed Baie de Genievre
Miller Harris Terre de Bois
You should sniff these in store but seriously consider purchasing online. You will save yourself 30-80% buying at wholesale prices rather than retail prices.
I think “Bois d’Orage” by Frédéric Malle is definitely worth a sniff. The top is resolutely green/”leafy” and the drydown is woody (mostly Cedar). I remember it’s available in one store in Vancouver (can’t remember which one sorry; Kevin should check the Editions de Parfums by Frédéric Malle website for details). Don’t remember the price either but I guess the smaller bottle should be compatible with his budget.
Les Nez The Unicorn Spell.
Guerlain Acqua Allegoria Laurier Reglisse might work for you, Kevin. If you’re up for some scent-hunting, the discontinued Jean Patou Vacances is very green to me; I suppose it’s technically a floral, but it smells like spring ferns to my nose (actual ferns, not nasty fougere-y-ness).
The greenest scent I know is Paul Smith for Men ( NOT the newly launched Paul Smith MAN). PS Men is all about newly mown grass, a little violet, some vetiver and fig leaves. It’s light and fresh and you should be able to find the (small and green) 30 ML bottle for maybe 30-40 dollar.
Kevin, you lucky man. Like me, you live in Vancouver. Do yourself a favour and take yourself down to The Perfume Shoppe in Sinclair Centre (and no, I’m not on commission, everybody; I just mention TPS that often because it’s such a great resource).
Ask the owner Nasrin to help you out. Off the top of my head, I’d say ask to try the biehl gs02. You know the smell of cottonwood trees as they start to grow those delicate, sweet green leaves in early spring? That’s gs02.
A couple of Parfumerie Generale’s you might find green but not too, too green (you like warm, earthy scents too, so we don’t want to go all screechingly green on you) are Corps et Ames, a firm and racy chypre, and Jardins de Kerylos, with green fig and sycamore wood. You might also just have a sniff of Bois Blond; yes, it’s pale woods, but it’s also galbanum and grass. You just might like it best of all. Good luck.
thanks for the tip, I’m from vancouver too and i was hoping to hear about a couple places to check out fragrances.
The only leafy thing I can think of is Roger and Gallet’s Shiso, which might be too feminine. The line as a whole is not expensive.
I’m in Vancouver too, so my real help is with locations of some of the suggestions. CB I hate perfume, some of them at least, is at Gravity Pope, Biehl Parfumwhatsit, and lots of help from Naz, is available at the Perfume Shoppe, and Diptyque and Malle are at Holts….
Oh, and maybe the new Ninféo Mio from Annick Goutal mentioned here on NST today will be right up your alley. It should be here early next year at The Bay. Octavian’s review is rather compelling, I must say. The link to it is on the thread.
SJP Covet. I detested it. May work for him.
Since Kevin likes vetiver, I’ll add Turtle Vetiver by LesNEZ, which is a green version, at least at the beginning.
Clinique Wrappings is quite madly green, among all the other things going on in there (a huge lunge of aldehydes at the beginning, a neutral floral heart, a sorta leather chypre base). Stunningly, colossally green. If you can find it (it’s available only at Christmastime, so now would be the time), try it.
I would also second the Miller et Bertaux and SJP Covet.
If price and availability were irrelevant, I’d say Chanel No. 19 extrait – it would work just fine for a man, IMO. I still think it’s worth sending off for a Perfumed Court sample.
Le Labo Jasmin 17? Also a feminine, but it hasn’t been mentioned, so I thought I’d mention. It doesn’t feel girly to me.
Creed Original Vetiver? But try it several hours into the drydown – it gets less fresh and green the longer it’s on.
When it comes out, Parfumerie Generale Papyrus de Ciane? Supposed to be a “woody green”. I’m excitedly waiting.
Hermes Vetiver Tonka? Elegant standoffish vetiver.
Again largely ignoring availability issues, Vintage Vent Vert. Possibly also modern Vent Vert, but I find it much more feminine.
Second the Vetiver Tonka.
I 3rd Vetiver Tonka.
CB I Hate Perfume also has several grass and leaf accords, some of them available from the website. Unfortunately, I don’t think that he offers sample sizes of the accords.
for a warm, outdoors-y, forest green you could try Ormonde Man or Ormonde Woman…. or Yatagan (full blast pine forest). More woody than green but might work for you.
I love Ormond Man!
There are some good recommendations above, but for “leafy”, I most highly recommend the following:
- Diptyque Philosykos (more about fig leaf than fig fruit)
- Profumum Victrix (a bit herbaceous, but absolutely delicious)
philosykos —yummm, yes, absolutely—try philosykos!!!
Jatamansi by L’Artisan is a juicy green with some spice, very interesting. Le chevrefeuille by Annick Goutal is also very green and not really floral (doesn’t smell anything like honeysuckle, to my nose). Jo Malone’s Lime, Basil and Mandarine has an interesting basil leafy note. Noir patchouli by Histoire de parfums also has a leafy note up top. Onice by Omnia (not by Bulgari) is different, with a very green anise or fennel note. You might also try Hermes rouge, which has some other things you like. someone recommended Saveur d’artichaut as a twiggy green floral, but I have not been able to find any yet. Have fun searching!
First thing that came to mind- Falling Leaf Moon from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Don’t think it is exactly what he is looking for though.
I would add Givenchy III, a dry, green chypre I think would be nice on a fellow and Chanel Sycomore because, to me, it literally smells like a freshly snapped green twig in a cool green forest (with a campfire in the distance).
I’ll second Givenchy III which is a supremely wearable green chypre. I’ll also recommend Chanel Pour Monsieur as a very classic green chypre. And Hermes Amazone smells exactly to me like dried and fresh leaves. Annick Goutal’s Matin d’Orage smells exactly like a freshly snapped branch and is very interesting. You might like to try Tauer’s Vetiver Dance. And, it’s a litte outside of your requirements, but you might like to test Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel. FdS is an amazing fresh herbacious, sage & woods fragrance that is like nothing else. You may not like it, but it just might be the thing!
CB I Hate Perfume’s Black March is very green and earthy, kind of like gardening in early spring when the soil is still cold and moist. For a warmer green, you might want to try Ineke’s Balmy Days and Sundays, a green floral musk. Happy hunting!
Second the Sisley, but have not smelled the reformulated version.
For a cheap thrill, try Manifesto (Isabella Rosselini) which might only be available online at this point. Tomato leaf, green and juicy.
Calyx (Prescriptives) – someone said that they will shut down their makeup/skincare business after the holiday, but Calyx was supposed to be maintained.
Fidji – Guy Laroche – another one that is online only.
Sous le vent – Guerlain – maybe? I still recognize the Guerlain base which is somewhat of a turn off.
And stop by your local LUSH store and try their ‘Go Green’ just for the heck of it.
i can’t help but think that something with a tiny tiny amount of oudh in it might be a step on the way to the final answer. unfortunately, i have no specific suggestions….
anyone?????
Good idea. Montale Louban is new and would be very much worth checking out while you’re at The Perfume Shoppe, Kevin. It’s a green incense-rose-leather oudh with shot with aged patchouli and sandalwood, and it’s really nicely blended.
Another new Montale to check out, this time oudh-less, is the new Boise Fruite. It’s got tart lime peel and strong leafy notes, cool and dark with an especially good, rich vetiver note on the drydown. Notes are violet leaves, Italian bergamot, Mandarin tree leaves, Lime, Indonesian vetiver, Mysore Sandalwood.
Let us know how you did!
You might try Annick Goutal Eau de Camille. I find it to be a lovely warm green–like ivy and privet sitting in the sun. It does have honeysuckle as well, but the flower is definitely not the star of the show; and while it’s delightfully green, it’s definitely not “fresh.” I’d encourage you to try it if you’re at a Goutal counter. Actually, check out Robin’s review right here on NST! She says (among other things) that “The green in the top notes is slightly bitter and dark, and very like just-crushed leaves and stems”–sounds similar to what you’re looking for. Good luck!
For crushed leaves:
Frederic Malle French Lover-crushed, green aromatic foliage. Similar: Van Cleef & Arpels Cologne Noire, Histoires de Parfums 1828.
Frederic Malle Angenlqies sous la pluie-light wispy crushed angelica, pepper and cedar, beautiful
Ormonde Jayne Ormonde Man- imo, the best “forest floor” for men.
Chanel Bel Respiro-bright green in the characteristic sharp aldehydic Chanel way. Marketed for women, even better on men (I own a bottle of this) also try No. 19, 28 La Pausa and Sycomore from Chanel, especially Sycomore, a lovely green smoky vetiver.
From your list of notes:
Czech & Speake Cuba-mint, tobacco, rum… strange dirty concoction, very distinctive
Guerlain Homme-personally not a massive fan, but it’s got a nice rum/mint opening before a greenish warm woody base
Frederic Malle Geranium pour monsieur-wait for the gorgeous creamy mint drydown.
Etat Libre d’Orange Fat Electrician-green wet grass vetiver and lovely creamy vanilla, strange combination, works very well
Hope we can help!
I don’t know about green and leafy, but Cuba is an amazing scent.
OR–how about something like Y by yves saint laurent??
“Y is a clean, soft green chypre that”
has ‘the sharp tang of vetyver and a rush of green leaves,’
and is “slightly gender-ambiguous”?
just a thought…
Chanel Bel Respiro
Try Eau de Lierre from Diptique. It’s named after ivy, and although I only sampled it once, it smelled exactly like a freshly broken stem, or a peapod just snapped. Very fresh, very green!
Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil
haha! I was gonna say Unicorn Spell also…so green at first, but the drydown could be too powdery…what about MDCI? Le Rivage des Syrtes? Orange blossom?
Tauer’s Vetiver Dance? Very green and “botanical”, smells like spring soil with sprouting plants…..
jacomo silences a great cheaper version of chanel no 19
In no particular order:
Menthe Fraîche by Heeley
A gorgeous, very green, very unusual, mint fragrance. Got a rave from Chandler Burr.
A decant of Sous Le Buis
Boxwood. Sublime. Check out the review on “I Smell Therefore I Am”. It’s the perfume I most want to be re-introduced. And hey, the perfumer is Canadian. (was available at Posh Peasant and a Russian website…)
Bvlgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert
Why has no one mentioned this genius and very influential fragrance?!
DSH Celadon Green
Check the review on “I Smell…”
CB I Hate Perfume
Christopher Brosius did a “Green Series” of accords; check the website, there are too many to list.
Wild Hunt is the scent of an ancient forest in the heat of a summer afternoon.
Memory of Kindness is the scent of green tomato vines growing in fresh earth.
Forgot to suggest:
Absinth by Nasomotto (very warm, green and sexy)
Nu Green by Honoré des Prés (super light)
Ichnusa by Profumum (dry fig, cut grass)
Comme des Garcon’s Calamus (wonderful!)
I second the vote for EL Aliage and will put in a vote for the original Azuree. It’s herbal, mossy, woody, leathery, and very, very green.
AH – Sienne L’Hiver by Eau D’Italie!! It is quite a ‘cold’ scent, and earthy and forest-like. I’m not sure it is ‘leafy’ exactly, but it has a fresh, outdoors quality to it that conjures up wet earth, truffles etc.
Also, not suer if anyone has mentioned Reverie au Jardin by Andy Tauer? That has a sappy, herbaceous greeness and is based around mountain lavender (nothing like the usual Regency England lavender one usually expects lavender to smell like!)
This is a description fo Sienne L’Hiver from Lucky Scent:
“It opens with fresh, torn leaves – so green and vivid you can smell the sap. The last stragglers of fall crushed beneath your feet as you head down a path away from the world on that late November moment when you realize that Fall has officially crossed into winter. The subtle sweetness of roasted chestnuts intertwines with cool, misty iris root and the aching scent of wood smoke. There are hints of white truffle and black olive. Clean and earthy and close to the skin, this is not designed to entice or bedazzle, but to lead you into deep conversations over an espresso with a long-lost friend. Comforting and contemplative.”
Try Bandit by Robert Piguet (the EdT is for men but the Edp is good and Parfum is gorgeous.)