Men's, women's or unisex perfume: how to read the label
To choose between a men's, women's and unisex scent, it helps to look at how the house presents the fragrance. Mancera created Red Tobacco "for him," with fruit, tobacco, incense and amber accords meant for winter, while Amouage presents Guidance as feminine, with pear, almond milk and incense. Then there is a large group of fragrances declared unisex, such as San Babila, which pairs raspberry, Damask rose and Indian incense with saffron, birch, oud and benzoin. If you would rather browse a pre-filtered selection, see our men's fragrances and women's fragrances collections.
For a fresh, citrus scent
If freshness is what you are after, citrus is a good place to start, and in our catalog it ranges from traditional colognes to marine notes. Nero takes its cue from traditional colognes, with mandarin, lemon and Calabrian bergamot, jasmine and a leather base. From Orto Parisi there is Bergamask, which opens on bergamot, an Italian-grown citrus, and recalls the smell of freshly hunted prey.
Citrus can also be paired with aromatic herbs or marine notes. Hartley is a fresh, aromatic men's classic, with bergamot and lemon, a heart of lavender and rosemary and a base of musk, cedar and sandalwood. For marine notes there is Dubai Bahar by The Spirit of Dubai, an aquatic woody scent with lime, lemon and marine notes over vanilla and amber.
For lovers of woody fragrances and oud
Among woody scents, the wood comes paired with very different notes, from citrus to spice. Aventus, the eau de parfum Creed has offered since 2010, blends Calabrian bergamot and a pineapple accord with smoky birch, patchouli and musk. Santal 33 by Le Labo has Australian sandalwood and cedar with cardamom, iris and violet, plus leather notes. From Montale, Arabians Tonka revisits Arabians in a more opulent version with tonka bean, at once spicy, fresh and warm.
Oud also shows up in different pairings, from fruit to rose. Oud Maracujá by Maison Crivelli sets the wood against passion fruit, with Turkish rose absolute and Somalian frankincense. Black Aoud by Montale combines rose, labdanum leather and oud oil. More compositions from this family are in our woody fragrances.
For sweet notes: coffee and vanilla
If you love gourmand scents, you can choose between those built on coffee and those built on vanilla. Intense Café by Montale has a rose heart in an Arabica blend and a base of amber, vanilla and white musk. Black Coffee from our house line also centers on coffee, with vanilla milk and a powdery accord.
For vanilla, Montale offers Sweet Vanilla, with fresh apricot and Madagascar vanilla, and Dark Vanilla, where vanilla is the lead note, accompanied by oud. Vanille West Indies by St Barth combines vanilla, creamy caramel and orchid.
In our house line, sweetness also comes from honey. Ferdinando opens on nutmeg, lemon, honey and white flowers, with a heart of cashmere wood, cinnamon and jasmine sambac and a base of tonka, vanilla and cedar. Alessandro can be worn by men and women and has bitter almond softened by honey, with a powdery note.
For a perfume off the beaten path
For something different, there are fragrances born from a very specific image. Black Afgano by Nasomatto sets out to evoke hashish, and Megamare by Orto Parisi the salt water of the deep sea. Annone by Pantheon Roma, signed by perfumer Arturetto Landi, is a deep, animalic scent with ambers, musks, spices and resins from the East.
Concentration tells you how dense the fragrance is. Megamare, Black Afgano and Gozo by Jeroboam, which celebrates the Maltese island, are estratti. Annone and Oud Maracujá are extraits.
Among niche houses there is also Liquides Imaginaires with Blanche Bête, with its milky whiteness, and Dries Van Noten built Soie Malaquais on centifolia rose, hand-picked for just a few days in the early mornings of May. To find your way among independent houses, see our niche perfumery.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if a perfume is authentic?
Buy it from a retailer authorized by the fragrance house. On the product itself, check that the batch code printed on the box matches the one on the bottom of the bottle, and that the printing, cap and sprayer are cleanly finished with no rough edges.
What is the difference between estratto and extrait de parfum?
There is none: estratto and extrait de parfum are two names for the same concentration. Orto Parisi presents Megamare as an estratto, as Nasomatto does with Black Afgano, while Annone by Pantheon Roma and Oud Maracujá by Maison Crivelli are offered as extraits.
What is a unisex fragrance?
It is a fragrance the house does not present as masculine or feminine. San Babila from our house line, for example, is declared unisex, with raspberry, Damask rose and Indian incense at the top and oud and benzoin in the base. Alessandro can also be worn by men and women, with bitter almond and honey.
What is a good men's cologne for winter?
Mancera associates Red Tobacco with cold winter days. It is a men's fragrance made "for him," seeking a balance between fruit, tobacco, incense and amber accords, and the house designed it for men who want to project a strong, decisive personality.
What is a good fresh fragrance?
Among the fresh scents in our catalog is Hartley, an aromatic men's classic with bergamot, lemon, lavender, rosemary and musk. Blue Talisman by Ex Nihilo pairs pear and bergamot with musk and amber notes, while Dubai Bahar by The Spirit of Dubai has lime, lemon and marine notes.
What is a gourmand fragrance?
It is a fragrance built on notes that recall food, such as vanilla, caramel, coffee, chocolate and candied fruit. Intense Café by Montale pairs coffee with rose and vanilla, while Vanille West Indies by St Barth combines vanilla, caramel and orchid. Black Coffee from our house line is also coffee-based.
What are niche fragrances?
They are fragrances from independent houses. Our catalog includes, among others, Nasomatto with Black Afgano, Orto Parisi with Megamare and Bergamask, Ex Nihilo with Blue Talisman and Kajal with Lamar. Then there are Pantheon Roma with Annone, Maison Crivelli with Oud Maracujá and Liquides Imaginaires with Blanche Bête.
Which fragrance has a milk note?
Liquides Imaginaires describes Blanche Bête as having a milky whiteness, like an innocent, pure force with a seductive, mystical mood. A milk note can also be found in Guidance by Amouage, with pear, almond milk and incense, and in Black Coffee from our house line, with vanilla milk.
