When looking for a perfume, many people say they want something “sexy” or something “fresh.” Perfume houses are hip to that, and tend to market their wares with smoldering starlets or oceans and dew-tipped garden flowers. (That is, unless they can play both sides and put the starlet on the beach.)

The popular sexy fragrance is easy to define. Start with a friendly fruit note, add amber, vanilla, and maybe patchouli, toss in a shot of jasmine and the obligatory rare jungle orchid, and presto: sexy perfume. A clean fragrance can take a few different approaches. It can be citrusy (many colognes), ocean-like (Issey Miyake Eau d’Issey), fizzing with steamy aldehydes (Narciso Rodriguez Essence), or soapy (take your pick of the Clean line). It can finish with cool wood or vetiver, or — more likely these days, it seems — a wave of laundry musk.

Giorgio Armani has raked in good money selling fresh fragrances. Acqua di Giò, both the feminine and masculine versions, have been best sellers since the mid-1990s. Acqua di Gioia is the brand's latest try for the “fresh” vote, and it plays up both the ocean and laundry musk angles of clean...

Giorgio Armani will launch Cuir Noir in December. The new unisex woody oriental fragrance joins the Armani Privé La Collection des Mille et une Nuits series...

From Nina Ricci, their popular Nina fragrance in the Snow Princess edition: "Winter is her favourite season. As the air is filled with snow flakes, trees sprinkled with golden dust and leaves...it's a magical moment." £52 for 80 ml Eau de Toilette at John Lewis in the UK...

Giorgio Armani's Emporio Armani line will launch Emporio Armani Diamonds Black Carat fragrances for Her and for Him in October. Both fragrances were developed by perfumer Jacques Cavallier...

Giorgio Armani has launched La Femme Bleue, a new limited edition perfume for women. The name comes from Armani's spring/summer 2011 fashion and beauty collections, and the scent joins the Armani Privé collection...

From Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Limited Crystal Edition Fragrance: "A sensual and extraordinary Extrait de Parfum (Egyptian jasmine, Damascus rose, South African marigold, Yemeni frankincense tears and Malaysian gurjum balsam)." The bottles are Saint Louis crystal; a total of twenty 200 ml bottles were made... ]]> More limited edition collector fragrance bottles, with the usual disclaimers: in most of these cases, the juice is unchanged, just the bottle is “special” (or not, as the case may be), and some of these may not be available in the US.

From Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Limited Crystal Edition Fragrance: “A sensual and extraordinary Extrait de Parfum (Egyptian jasmine, Damascus rose, South African marigold, Yemeni frankincense tears and Malaysian gurjum balsam).” The bottles are Saint Louis crystal; a total of twenty 200 ml bottles were made…

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Donna Karan has launched DKNY Men Summer 2011 (shown above left; see the women's DKNY Summer here). The limited edition summer fragrance is described as "a bold contrast of freshness and woods"...

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Giorgio Armani launches Armani Code Sport this month. The new fragrance for men is a flanker to 2004's Armani Code (originally Black Code), and promises "freshness, excitement, adrenaline and seduction"...