It is time now, to look away from 2018 and turn attention to 2019. What does the next year have in store perfumery-wise? Will we see more celebrity fragrances? Will feminine scents reign supreme or will it be the masculines that are the most prolific? The answer is ‘who knows of course, but with a fast-paced industry such as perfume, it’s always good fun to try and predict what will happen. So, it’s time to get out the crystal ball and channel the perfume spirits for four 2019 perfume predictions. Let’s see how spot on I am in a year’s time!
#1 Sandalwoods
Thanks to cult niche brand Le Labo, sandalwood fragrances are cool again in a way that they haven’t been in a long time. But these new, modern sandalwoods are of a different ilk to the ones of history. They are smooth, lightweight and transparent, spinning this noble wood into something refreshing and clean. A good example of this is the crystal clear Century by dunhill, which spun the fresh, milky signature of sandalwood with a violet leaf twist for a dazzling, luminous quality. For a warmer, more unusual interpretation, Miller Harris’ Peau Santal plays up sandalwood’s creamy qualities, giving them the feel of warm skin. That’s just two of the super cool sandalwoods that launched this year; I reckon we will see lots more sexy, suave and startlingly fresh sandalwoods in the year to come!
#2 Label-Free Perfumery
Let’s be real; unisex fragrances are nothing new. They’ve been around for a lifetime, and it would be cheeky of me to call them a new trend. But it does appear that they are on the rise and many designer brands are moving away from ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ and using terms such as ‘unisex’ and ‘genderless’. What I like most though, is that some brands aren’t even bothering to call their fragrances unisex – they’re just launching them, working on the assumption that people will make their minds up. And shouldn’t that be the way? Fragrances without labels for people without labels? I sure as hell think so and I hope 2019 has more label-free perfumes in store.
#3 GIVENCHY
Last year I said that we needed to focus our attention on the house of Gucci and how Creative Director Alessandro Michele was turning their fortunes around regarding both fashion and fragrance. In 2019 I reckon that the house to watch is GIVENCHY. This year they relaunched one of their classic colognes, but the star launch is their relaunch of the classic L’Interdit. Created by a trio of genius perfumers (Dominique Ropion, Anne Flip and Fanny Bal) this reinterpretation of the 1957 fragrance is a frivolous floral awash with a bubblegum dose of tuberose and lots of fizzy patchouli. It’s rebellious, fun, and as the name would suggest, somewhat forbidden. If L’Interdit is anything to go by, I reckon we’re in for some serious Givenchy treats in 2019!
#4 Savoury Gourmands
Gourmands (fragrances with food notes) emerged in 1992 when MUGLER launched his chocolate-infused flagship ‘Angel’. Since then we’ve seen just about every single type of food stuff shoehorned into a fragrance, from caramel to caviar and coriander to…..wasabi! A recurring trend that we’ve seen over the last few years is the savoury gourmand, where unusual notes – notes that do not add sugar, but salt and umami, are used to provide unique twists. In Paco Rabanne’s Pure XS for Her, a sweet and salty popcorn note brings wonderful balance to a contemporary gourmand, blending caramel seamlessly with woods to give a sexy, skin-like feel that is rich and daring. More of these in 2019, please!
