Sécrétions Magnifiques burst (seeped? dripped? spurted?) onto the perfume scene in 2006. Though I’ve been intrigued by many Etat Libre d’Orange perfume descriptions, I’ve not had any luck with the fragrances. The perfumes are usually rather mild compared to their PR claims, names and artwork. On its packaging, Je suis un Homme features a handgun with the barrel in the shape of a firm penis, but it smells like Hermès Bel Ami — calm, reserved and a tad conservative. The woman Rossy de Palma is bold and quirky; her eponymous Etat Libre d’Orange fragrance is an Eau d’Italie Paestum Rose clone. Tom of Finland? About as raunchy as an éclair. Belatedly, I’ve found that Sécrétions Magnifiques does live up, in part, to its name (keep the sécrétions, nix the magnifiques).

Breast milk, blood and semen are but a few of the ‘inspirations’ for Sécrétions Magnifiques. Nourishment, preservation and orgasm comprise the Sécrétions Magnifiques manifesto; the perfume salutes the human body and its fluids...

The short film that the Brothers Quay made to promote the new Comme des Garçons fragrance, Wonderwood, opens with the words "Someone who loved wood more than words can say...", and Comme des Garçons describes the fragrance as a "positive overdose of woods, woody notes and synthetic wood construction (wood gone mad)". They're not kidding. Have they not yet made the fragrance that screamed WOOD loud enough to suit you? Then do try Wonderwood.

Wonderwood was developed by perfumer Antoine Lie, and it includes all the wood notes a wood freak could ask for, plus some spices to liven things up: Madagascan pepper, bergamot, incense, nutmeg, cristalon (a floral fruity note with rosy, plum and apple nuances), cashmeran, gaiacwood, cedar, caraway, javanol (sandalwood), sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli and oudh. What is smells like, mostly, is — you guessed it — wood...

Next up from Comme des Garçons will be Wonderwood, due to launch in late June:

An evocation of exuberance...

For me this will be the winter of Comme des Garçons Daphne Eau de Parfum. Within half an hour of a dab from a sample tube, I was at my computer ordering a bottle, budget be damned. Its warmth, complexity, and femme fatale vibe were irresistible. At the same time, I think hordes of perfume enthusiasts will detest Daphne. Its sweet thickness might drive comparisons to marshmallow fluff and talcum powder. But I'm smitten.

Perfumer Antoine Lie created Daphne using notes of bitter orange, incense, saffron, rose centifolia, Tunisian jasmine, tuberose, iris, patchouli, oud, amber, and vanilla. Essentially, Daphne is an oriental scent featuring tuberose with all the baroque fixings. It's named for Daphne Guinness, a British celebrity who seems to have earned her fame mainly through eccentric chic and a prominent family.

Daphne opens with bitter orange and tuberose...

Socialite, heiress and fashion icon (she has been described as the best dressed woman in the world) Daphne Guinness will launch Daphne, her debut fragrance, in September. The scent was made in collaboration with Comme des Garçons. Guinness noted that perfume "...takes you away from the everyday and you are transported to something in your past. It’s a very mysterious thing..."

Ermenegildo Zegna has launched Zegna Colonia, the line's latest fragrance for men:

With Zegna Colonia, the brand unveils its personal vision of ‘la Dolce Vita’. A parenthesis of peaceful happiness bathed in the warm embrace of the Italian sun. A snapshot of an elegant silhouette and the entrancing eyes of a man dressed in white linen, captured in the space of an instant...

The woody citrus fragrance features notes of yuzu, nutmeg, geranium, cedar, amber and musk...

The fragrance was developed by perfumer Antoine Lie, and the notes include bergamot, white pepper, leather, saffron, sensuous woods, musk, amber and cedar...

“For Davidoff Adventure, my inspiration has been what I dream about adventure…a dream of wild nature where bright colors and hot spices blend with the humid freshness of the rainforest and the sensuality of exotic woods,” Antoine Lie, perfumer*

I don’t know how much traveling Lie has done, but with Adventure, he’s stayed on the beaten path and only dreamed of wild places and rough journeys. Davidoff, who may have reined in Lie’s more daring ideas, makes many claims in its Adventure ad campaign: Adventure “explores uncharted fragrance territory” “is daring and elemental” and was “inspired by … wildernesses and raw, masculine emotion.” “Rainforest,” “wild earth,” “intense thrill,” “discovery,” “exoticism,” and “challenge” are reference points for the aura Adventure aspires to capture. This is all reminiscent of Ralph Lauren’s ad campaign for its Polo (armchair) Explorer fragrance...

État Libre d’Orange Tom of Finland was created by perfumer Antoine Lie and contains aldehydes, lemon, birch leaves, cypress, galbanum, pine, suede, musk, gray amber, pepper, saffron, tonka bean, iris, geranium, vanilla, vetiver, and styrax. Men, as you spray on Tom of Finland don’t be afraid; keep in mind it “has no sexual orientation”...