Top 10 Best Perfumes Of 2021 – Hovering In Limbo

Had I been typing these words a few weeks ago, they may have been more cheerful. But if there’s one thing the current global situation has taught us, it’s that a few weeks can be a very long time. And now, as we approach the end of the year, there seems to be less cause for rejoicing than there was in November. All the more reason, then, to celebrate the many pleasures brought to us by the realm of scent. So, for the next few minutes, let us ignore the prosaic realities of the outside world and indulge in a spot of traditional list-making: my Top 10 rundown of the best perfumes of 2021.

As always, a few thoughts on the year as a whole. If 2020 was an anomaly, then 2021 was arguably stranger still. Several releases that had been held back the previous year finally saw the socially-distanced interiors of retail outlets, but their stories and aesthetics dated from a very different, pre-pandemic world. And even scents that had originally been slated for a 2021 release had almost certainly been conceived at a time when Covid was nothing more than the stuff of sci-fi. So in the last twelve months, it’s felt as though there’s been a greater sense of disconnection between what’s been happening in our real lives and what fragrance brands have been persuading us to buy. Mind you, the lure of escapism has always been a powerful marketing tool in the fragrance industry, so perhaps the ‘disconnect’ played into the hands of many brands.

In terms of olfactory styles and profiles, the mainstream retreated even further into safe territories. Indeed, it’s difficult to think of more than a small number of memorable mainstream releases in 2021. As I noted at the end of 2020, this meant that an opening appeared for independent brands to barge in with bolder, more striking creations, and sure enough, many of them seized the opportunity, to great effect. 

We haven’t yet seen a legible, Covid-era perfume trend. Many claims have been made that we should expect a resurgence of nature-loving green scents, and this may yet turn out to be true. But the world’s major production houses are more than likely watching worldwide developments with just the same levels of bewilderment and uncertainty as the rest of us are, and they’re probably not going to invest in any radical new directions until the future is clearer. For the moment, playing it ‘super safe’ will no doubt remain the order of the day.

In light of all of the above, it’s perhaps not surprising that the number of creations vying for a place on my Top 10 wasn’t huge this year. That’s not to say that the scents on the list are in some way unworthy. Far from it: they’re all notable scents and I commend them to you in the strongest possible terms. But the competition wasn’t exactly fierce.

Of those which didn’t make the final cut, I should mention Tom Ford Ombré Leather parfum, a marked improvement on the original, and a welcome addition to the already-large catalogue of tannery scents. Acqua Di Parma showed us that woody ambers can be handled with charm in Bergamotto Di Calabria La Spugnatura. Geza Schoen found new stories to tell with Iso E Super in his trio of Molecule+ scents. And Panouge Absinthe Gaiac injected modern sophistication to the structure of spicy leathers. 

As per usual, the list below is based on fragrances that were new to me in 2021 — hence the inclusion of some older pieces of work. Keeping up with every single thing that’s released remains an impossibility for a mere individual.

Finally, before I present the list, I must take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your continuing support. The last 12 months haven’t been easy for us, for a range of different reasons, but thank goodness we can come together now and then to share our geeky, obsessive, unashamed passion for perfume. I certainly wouldn’t be able to keep doing what I do if it weren’t for your encouragement, generosity and optimism. So THANK YOU — you’re the most wonderful audience I could ask for, and I hope we can carry on our scented conversations for many years to come.

I wish all of you and your loved ones the very best for 2022: good health, plenty of laughter and lots of heavenly scents. I shall see you again in January.

And now, here’s the bit you’ve been waiting for: the Top 10 best perfumes of 2021, as selected by yours truly. Links are to the original reviews. And do check out my YouTube broadcast in which I run through the whole list and discuss it with a live audience. Here’s a link: Top 10 best perfumes of 2021 on Love At First Scent.

Enjoy!

Persolaise

Top 10 Best Perfumes Of 2021

Chanel Le Lion (Olivier Polge; 2020)

Is anyone surprised to see Polge’s leonine masterpiece here? Channeling Guerlain Shalimar, as well as Chanel’s own Cuir De Russie and Coromandel, it pays homage to the ambery leathers of yesteryear while updating the structure for the 21st century by making it airier and more luminous. Purring perfection.

Naomi Goodsir Corpus Equus (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2021)

Duchaufour explores territories he tends to avoid in this superlative addition to the already-exceptional Naomi Goodsir range. Fiery, intimate and convincingly equine, it gallops its way straight to your heart with its mane of smoke, leather and animalics.

Frederic Malle Synthetic Jungle (Anne Flipo; 2021)

Quite possibly the year’s most contentious high-profile release. Many found themselves unable to take the strident hiss of its greenness, while others were enamoured by its perplexing, super-saturated, palm-trees-on-Saturn hyper-realism. The composition’s boldness – coming at a time when the Malle brand is firmly within the grasp of the Estée Lauder behemoth – is reason enough to include it on this list.

Hermes H24 (Christine Nagel; 2021)

The critical jury’s still out on the merits of H24 – the brand’s first all-out masculine composition since the impossible-to-follow Terre from 2006 – but personally, I’m won over. Yes, H24 is impressive partly because it sees Nagel refusing to go down the woody-ambery route pursued by so many other brands. But it’s more than a mere rejection of trends, and its structure of lucid orchard fruit over silvery musks was one of the highlights of my summer.

Lous Vuitton Nuit De Feu (Jacques Cavallier; 2020)

In a strong period for the brand (which also saw the release of the excellent, if restrictively pricey Pur Oud), Cavallier travelled right back to the origins of perfumery to create this single-minded take on frankincense, featuring several varieties of the material swathed in musks and leather. Brooding, dangerous and compelling. 

Tauer Sundowner (Andy Tauer; 2021)

Tauer’s familiar, much-loved amber base provides a home for this wondrous take on tobacco, where spices, citruses and cocoa are employed to highlight the most suave facets of the central material. At a time when travel is severely constrained, Sundowner was one of the year’s most evocative olfactory journeys. 

Milano Fragranze Basilica (Violaine Collas; 2021)

The perfume world isn’t exactly lacking frankincense compositions. Indeed, another one finds itself on this list. But it’s rare that a perfumer manages to add a genuinely novel twist to the material. By using thyme, rosemary and a milky bread accord, Collas has framed it in a wholly unexpected, roasted-parish light and achieved one of the year’s true olfactory surprises.  

Les Indemodables Ambre Supreme (Antoine Lie; 2021)

The brand understandably makes a point of emphasising the high proportion of ambergris tincture in this composition. But Ambre Supreme is about so much more than the force of just one ingredient, bringing together cardamom, pepper, patchouli and immortelle to create a subtle, abstract effect, not unlike the curvaceous sensuality achieved by the original YSL Opium. A sophisticated composition that rewards patience and attentiveness. 

Tom Ford Soleil Brulant (Daniela Andrier; 2021)

The idea of a suntan lotion scent remains popular in perfumery, and it’s executed in memorably opulent fashion in Soleil Brulant, where thick, syrupy honey, coffee, pepper and jasmine writhe into view like scantily-clad figures in a James Bond title sequence. Slinky and seductive. 

Akro Smoke (Olivier Cresp; 2018)

Uncompromisingly loud and clear-cut, Smoke is exactly what its name suggests: an evocation of cigarette fumes so realistic, wearing it almost makes you feel the need to cough. And yet somehow, in Cresp’s expert hands, the overall effect isn’t suffocating, but wearable, elegant and ultimately moving. 

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