Hawthorn

The Merchant Of Venice

La Fenice Pour Femme opens on hawthorn and mandarin — a thin, fruit-tinted floral wash that reads more pastel than juicy.

L'Occitane en Provence

The 2014 Arlésienne opens with mandarin orange's sunny brightness, quickly warmed by saffron's gentle spice — a combination that evokes Provençal afternoons without heavy-handedness.

L'Erbolario

Mandorla is a study in restraint.

L'Erbolario

Legni Fruttati — fruity woods — opens with an unusually generous top note collection: pear, magnolia, orange blossom, damask rose, and hawthorn layer a fruity-white floral brightness that's lush without being cloying.

Hermès

Cuir d'Ange begins with heliotrope and violet, both note names suggesting powder, but here arriving almost dry — the aldehydes give them a cool metallic edge.

Perris Monte Carlo

Mimosa Tanneron is a soliflore in the Ellena minimal style — mimosa absolute lifted with hawthorn, a dewy rose ghost in the heart, and white musk to extend the trail.

Comme Des Garçons

Comme des Garçons 2011 opens with an assertive collision: aldehydes crackle alongside warm saffron and raw leather, producing something that reads simultaneously sharp and animal.

Pierre Guillaume

Neroli opens bright yet waxy, its citrus petal edge sharpened by hawthorn's dry almond-green facet that keeps the citrus from turning sweet.

Le Labo

Labdanum dominates with a sticky, resinous amber quality that smells simultaneously leathery and honeyed, while castoreum and civet add a feral musk that clings to skin like warm fur.

Penhaligon'S

Blasted Bloom is the female partner to Blasted Heath, and the wind has changed direction.

Sylvaine Delacourte

Smeraldo opens with yuzu and pear delivering a clean, bright tartness.

Zara

Opens with a bright, slightly green rose supported by lily of the valley and geranium — an herbal-floral start that softens quickly into the unusual heart of chocolate and walnut.

Wild Perfume