10 spring fragrances to try in 2020

The name of a fragrance is often an indication of how it’d smell like — at least according to Byredo founder Ben Gorham. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, he’s returning the power of scent to the wearer with the latest edition of Unnamed. Wearers are free to name the scents. “This is our way of celebrating the notion and uniqueness of smell,” says Gorham. Unnamed is an intriguing amalgamation with pink pepper, icy gin accord, soft and powdery violet, blanketed in earthy moss, as its central notes. The resulting scent is playful, creative, and entirely up to your interpretation. 

Available exclusively at escentials Paragon and escentials.com

Touted as a fragrance of freedom, the YSL Libre is distinctly fierce, and flamboyant. The first spritz is akin to a citrus shower, with cassis and mandarin as a sparkling introduction to its heart of jasmine and Moroccan orange blossom. French lavender essence gives the scent its unexpected herbal twist.

Available at all YSL Beauté stores at ION Orchard, VivoCity, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Metro Paragon, TANGS at TANG Plaza, BHG Bugis, and Takashimaya S.C.

The Mon Guerlain has always been a passionate tribute to femininity, but with its latest iteration, Angelina Jolie’s tenacity and strong personality is its anchoring muse. Bloom of Rose highlights the most romantic of flowers in extravagant doses of Bulgarian rose and Turkish rose absolute. Notes of citrus are toned down, while pears add sweetness and lightness. Vanilla, combined with patchouli and sandalwood, envelopes the scent with a subtle warmth. 

Available at Guerlain counters at TANGS Plaza, Takashimaya D.S., Metro Paragon, Sephora ION, Sephora Marina Bay Sands, and Sephora Ngee Ann City.

• • Tom Ford is back at it. Rose Prick is his latest cheekily-named scent from the Private Blend collection. While the scent contains a heavy dose of roses, it is nowhere as floral or soft as you’d expect. Drawing inspiration from Ford’s very own rose garden, the scent is like an untamed bouquet of  Bulgarian roses, the crème de la crème of the magnificent flower, which gives the scent its headiness. Rose de mai lends a delicate nuance. And lest you think you’re getting your grandma’s rose perfume, Sichuan pepper and turmeric prickles the senses. Together with Turkish roses, patchouli and roasted tonka, they make for a delicious smokiness. Notes of caramel and vanilla feature heavily, while balsam and musk grips the skin with a  lingering finish.

  Tom Ford Private Blend Rose Prick Eau de Parfum retails for $473 (50ml) and $1,202 (250ml). Available from 6 March at Tom Ford boutique at Marina Bay Sands #B1-128, TANGS at Tang Plaza, Takashimaya, Robinsons Raffles City, and available from 27 Feb at Sephora Ngee Ann City, and Sephora.sg.

If you’re wondering what luxury smells like, get a whiff of Amouroud Elixir. Its new, statement-making Amouroud Elixir Collection is composed of the world’s most rare and precious ingredients. Golden Oud has an Indian Agarwood resin core. Often feferred to as liquid gold, the sumptuous scent is layered with fruits, flowers and sophisticated sweet warm woods, Madagascan vanilla, natural Guaiac wood, and a patchouli Orris mist. The other two scents in the range so far are the Mysterious Rose, featuring a sublime blend of Damascus Rose, delicately layered with Bulgarian and rare Tibetan Rose, and the Noir Illuminé, an extravagant and rich perfume that plunges you into rich spices of cardamom, ginger, and wild cinnamon is lifted gently with black plum nectar, natural rose and tuberose, as well as the shimmering, juicy notes of passionfruit. Rounding it off with a delectable richness is dark chocolate, black vetiver and intense woods. 

Available at escentials ION and escentials.com.

Priced at $450 (75ml bottle) each, the Amouroud Elixir Collection is currently available at escentials ION and escentials.com.

Like a vivid bouquet, the new iteration of the Joy by Dior brings to mind flowers in full bloom, leaving behind a trail of juicy, exotic fruits. Rose grasse absolute and jasmine blend are brought into the concoction with zested bergamot and mandarin. New additions to this edition are the Madagascar vanilla that lends the scent a mellow appeal while a combination of sandalwood and neroli accentuate the scent with a milky richness. Finally, take in the powdery musks that gently lingers on your skin.

The new JOY by Dior EDP Intense ($125 for 30ml; $175 for 50ml; $252 for 90ml) and JOY by Dior Pearly Soap ($43 for 100g) are available at all Dior counters.

Diptyque has launched its first chypre fragrance: The Eau Capitale. It takes inspiration from Paris, a fitting muse as chypre is known to be made up of numerous components — much like the city’s diversity and rich cultures. A collector’s bottle, it’s illustrated with Art Nouveau references of peacocks, sinuous lines and architecture. An extravagant bouquet of roses sparkles with peppercorn-laced bergamot while patchouli encases the scent in a musky-sweet trail.

Available at Diptyque Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Robinsons The Heeren, escentials Paragon, escentials TANGS at Tang Plaza and www.escentials.com. 

Lanvin’s new scent is every bit as charming as its name. Modern Princess is dedicated to the rebel with a loving, tender heart. Its bottle resembles a ballgown and the metal ring brings to mind a crown. Despite its feminine flacon, the fragrance is citrus-heavy, with mandarin and pink grapefruit infused with fresh watermelon. Its subtle floral heart of osmanthus and jasmine lingers on skin with musk and cedarwood.

Modern Princess Blooming is available at Metro, TANGS, Takashimaya, Robinsons, BHG and Sephora.

Acqua Di Parma’s Signatures of the Sun is a collection of perfumes that uses the purest essence in its formulations. These scents are filtered through Colonia, the brand’s classic scent that celebrates the sun-kissed Italian landscapes with an olfactory signature of bergamot and mandarin, which the brand refers to as Golden Fruits.

The Camelia opens with the Golden Fruits, before pink pepper and cardamom pave the way for the delicate camellia, and sambac jasmine and magnolia meld with rose.

The Sakura, on the other hand, features the flower buds in a radiant blend of the Golden Fruits, with spicy pink pepper lifting the scent for a refreshing twist.

Available at Takashimaya, Robinsons The Heeren, escentials Paragon, escentials Tangs and escentials ION from April 2020.

Smell good for a good cause with Carolina Herrera’s 212 (VIP Red) scent, a limited edition launch that supports Red, an organisation that raises funds and awareness for the fight against AIDS. The spicy-floral scent for women energises its wearer with raspberry liquer and woody tomato in its top notes, before it settles into a hot spice accord sweetened with a rose essence and tiramisu.

As for the men’s scent, the fragrance is an irresistible hit of spice and smokiness, with ginger enhancing top notes of pimiento berry oil and cardamom, absynthe, and the tobacco-like Guaïac wood.

Available  at all major department stores, Takashimaya, Tangs Orchard, Tangs Vivocity, Robinsons Heeren, Robinsons Raffles City, Robinsons Jem, Metro Paragon, Metro Woodlands, Isetan Scotts, and BHG Bugis.