One of my favourite perfume groups are the Green scents. Green perfumes tend to focus more on the foliage of the flowers and tend to be fresh with a slightly sharp edge as opposed to the sweetness you get with flowers.  This is often due to the addition of aromatic green leaves, grasses and herbs. As you can imagine, they are often shared or unisex scents, as they are simply fresh and invigorating vs traditionally “pretty” or “sexy” feminine scents that have sweeter more floral notes. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good floral, but I also adore the crisp fresh breeze of a scent that comes with green scents. They evoke the feeling of being outside, maybe in a meadow or a garden, either in warm sunshine or even a cool fresh rain shower. Coming into our hot summer months, these are perfect and I crave them. Here are just a few of my most loved Green Perfumes:

Balmain Vent Vert The Mother of All Green perfumes, in my humble opinion. Now, this has been reformulated since it was originally created in the late 40s, and there is much consternation over different versions. I will keep it to the present version that looks like the bottle in the photo ad above. It is simply green perfection.  There is a touch of  floral sweetness in this one, but only a breath of it. It is like sweet grass on a hot summer day with a gentle breeze blowing through it, carrying the scent through the air. A key ingredient in many green scents is galbanum, which is a plant resin. It has an intense green scent  with a peculiar musky/skin accord.  This was heavy in the original Vent Vert and is more gentle in this version but still there. Gorgeous. This is my biggest compliment getter without question and one that just becomes “me”.  The edt has fantastic lasting power and it’s perfect for day or night.

Sisley Eau de Campagne I was telling a friend about this the other day. It was a really hot day & I’d spent the day outside in the sunshine. After showering & changing I spritzed some of this one on. I described it to my friend as “showering with fine, expensive French soap, then settling down to enjoy good food & wine in a garden in provence”. It really has the sense of “garden” in it, which is likely due to the tomato leaf note, which is bracing and GREEN. It was launched in the 70s and has a cool laid back feel to it, with that cool French “je ne said quoi” feel. Very unisex with a soft dry down that stays close to the skin, Eau de Campagne has a cooling calming effect. Perfect for hot summer days and nights, and perfect for sharing.

Estee Lauder Aliage Another oldie but a goodie, with a super duper dose of galbanum, Aliage is also from the 70s. It was created as the first ever “Sport Scent”  as it had a real outdoorsy feel to it, and was not a fancy schmancy ladies floral to wear when you are sitting around having tea. Aliage plays tennis, golf and probably hikes too. There is a slight butch feel to this scent I find, but I love it. This may be the uber does of galbanum which is so earthy, but is helped along by pine, vetiver and oakmoss. It IS earthy and a wonderful scent to wear in the heat. Its sold “under the counter” at Estee Lauder counters in the US (sadly not in Canada) as you have to ask for it, like a dirty little secret. At less that $40 for a bottle, this is a brilliant and unique scent that every green perfume lover needs to own. In true Estee fashion, it goes on strong and stays all day. Perfect!

Chanel Bel Respiro From the Chanel Exclusif collection, Bel Respiro is named for the week-end house that Mademoiselle Chanel bought in Garches in 1920, which means “nice breathing”.

Great name when you consider it does smell like standing outside in a lush green garden inhaling the scents around you.  It evokes leaves and wet summer air after a shower, and does have a clean soapy accord. There is a touch of the sweetness and galbanum of Vent Vert in this. I am reminded of VV whenever I wear Bel Respiro. This one is soft and gentle and easy to wear, perfect for summer.

Chanel Cristalle Another iconic Chanel scent, this one from the 70s, Cristalle spells green, fun yet elegant and stylish. To me this is a light airy green, like a soft summer breeze. It smells just like summer, with a dash of citrus to keep it cool. Caveat- only the Eau de Toilette is worth wearing in my humble opinion. They made an Eau de Parfum in the 90s in order to deepen the original scent to make it “wearable” during cooler months and to perhaps make it last longer on the skin. Light airy scents tend to lack longevity but in my opinion Cristalle fails as an Eau de Parfum. It looses it’s spirit and soul and becomes heavy and weighted which to my humble nose, does. Not. Work. Keep it light, wear a Halston flowy wide leg pantsuit or wrap dress and you are ready for a hot summer day.

 

Remember, Cristalle is the perfume that Chris Noth once said- aka Big on Sex & The City- brings him “to his knees”. Duly noted… (ps- another obscure 70s scent by Molyneux “Quartz” smells sooo close to Cristalle, even the names are similar. Worth sniffing out if you can find it. It’s usually quite a deal…)

 

YSL “Y” This beauty is a green chypre from the 60s and I adore it. It is cool green and sexy, and for someone feeling confident and standing tall.

It has a slight sweetness to it from flowers but there is a cool dry accord that comes from the aldehydes and perhaps the woody notes. It tends to have a slightly soapy accord on me but not everyone pulls soap from this. I happen to love soapy notes so I’m good with that. It is soft and quiet, never loud, and would be perfect for any occasion.  It does have some patchouli in the base which I find lends it a slightly sexy feel in the dry down. I can’t explain why it feels elegant but it just does. It lasts hours on my skin too. Worth trying as it is available for a song online. My friend Dane generously gave me his big bottle. Get it while you can.

Creed Aubepine Acacia  This one is discontinued so I apologize in advance if, after reading this, you decide you want it. It is quite sad that they took this one out of rotation as it is so lovely. Simple, clean and green with gentle floral notes, it was created in 1965 and worn by Brigitte Bardot ( I prefer to think of her in her 1960s incarnation as opposed to the clazy rady she is now…) and it has an endless summer on the beaches of France feel for sure.

There is a slight fruit note that comes from the bergamot on the top but otherwise it is galbanum, hawthorn and mimosa. Vetiver isn’t listed but it seems to smell vetiver-ish and there is a bitter green note that is somewhat addictive in this. Love it, it is just gorgeous and made more so perhaps by the fact that it feels so rare when I wear it. This is another compliment getter and I feel like sultry Bardot on the beach in capris with messy hair drinking wine when I wear it. Fun fact- she also wore Vent Vert so she was a lover of green scents…  I have heard  that it is only available in the Creed Mothership shop in London (or is it Paris?) in the massive jugs for around $800 in case you REALLY want some.