Top 10 Best Perfumes Of 2022

Around twelve months ago, when I was composing my end-of-year post, I wrote that most perfume brands played things safe in 2021. Little did I know that 2022 would cause me to reconsider what I mean by playing it safe. No doubt because of the ongoing, long-term effects of the pandemic, as well as the political situation in Europe and the worsening financial crisis around the world, the overall sense since last December has been of perfume creators retreating into protective cocoons: resorting to predictability, relying on the power of perennially bestselling styles, and biding their time, presumably waiting for the outlook to improve.

The key difference between 2021 and 2022 is that the former’s lack of adventurousness manifested itself primarily in mainstream brands: when it came to independent houses, a few dared to tread into unexplored territories, especially at the start of the year, when there was perhaps some cause for hopefulness. But in 2022, the malaise extended to everyone, across the entire spectrum of the industry. 

In other words, this hasn’t been an especially inspirational period in terms of olfactory artistry or innovation. We’ve had more than our fair share of releases that have been simplistic, derivative and forgettable. Sadly, I suspect 2023 won’t be significantly better, as it’ll take far longer than a year for a meaningful measure of optimism and boldness to return. 

Having said that, we were treated to a few noteworthy compositions, and it gives me great pleasure to present some of the most commendable to you below: my list of the top 10 best perfumes of 2022. As ever, the rundown is based only on those fragrances which I managed to try at some point over the course of the last year; it goes without saying that I wasn’t able to sniff every single release that made it onto the market.

If there’s one thing that links many (but perhaps not quite all) of the entries on the list, it’s a decision on the part of the creators to opt for unusual, maybe even downright weird means of adding a twist to a familiar structure. I won’t let the scented cat out of the bag just yet by revealing any specific names, but when you scroll further down, you’ll find peas, fennel, metallic notes, terpenic-medicinal facets, pepper, rocket fuel and even head-scratchingly-green plastic employed within the context of leathers, vetivers, iris and white florals, amongst other structures. Perhaps the only way to stand out against the unremittingly drab, grey wall is by leaning towards strangeness. Whatever the cause of this penchant for the peculiar, it proves that although there’s never anything entirely new under the sun, and although the market continues to present us with something in the region of 2000 releases per year, it is still more than possible to add a novel inflection to compositions we think we know inside out. In other words, the potential for creativity remains undiminished. 

Before we get to the list, I must take the opportunity to thank all of you for your ongoing support. I realise I do this every year, but that doesn’t make the sentiments any less sincere. There is absolutely no way that I could carry on doing any of this if it weren’t for all of you. Your kindness, generosity and cheerfulness encourage me to keep going, even when the thought of juggling yet another video or yet another blog post with the many demands of Real Life threatens to become overwhelming. So I am sending tons and tons of heartfelt thanks to you all. You’re the best readers and followers I could ask for, and I hope we continue growing this gorgeously scented little community of ours for many years to come.

I wish you nothing but the best for the year ahead. May it be filled with peace, happiness and good health for everyone. And now… here’s the bit you’ve all been waiting for…

Top 10 Best Perfumes Of 2022

Links below are to the original reviews. This is a link to the YouTube video that goes with this post: Top 10 best perfumes of 2022 on YouTube Love At First Scent.

Akro Ink (Olivier Cresp; 2022)

For his first addition to Akro’s debut scents, brand co-owner Olivier Cresp delivered a bizarre, irresistible stunner. Using vetiver, jasmine and musks to evoke the strange, blood-like, metallic quality of ink, it is one of the year’s most striking – and, in my case, most worn – pieces of work.

Hermes Violette Volynka (Christine Nagel; 2022)

Don’t be fooled by first impressions. Although it may initially appear to be a traditional leather, this latest entry in the Hermessence range gradually reveals several contrasting facets, from the sweet floral suggested by the name, to an intimate, gender-crossing sensuality. In short, it starts off as unassuming as a violet, and ends up being as powerful and haunting.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Iris De Gris (Quentin Bisch; 2022)

The standout from a collection that offered a compelling exploration of vegetal notes, Bisch’s homage to the greens of Chanel No. 19 plays with peas, mint and a no-holds-barred dose of musks to create a vision of sweeping, retro elegance. 

Quartana Ierofante (Luca Maffei; 2022)

Rocket fuel, leather and vetiver push Ierofante into the realms of the supernaturally astronomical, taking the wearer on a journey from discord to tranquility. An atmospheric and affecting piece of work, with more than a few echoes of the much-missed Bulgari Black. 

Penhaligon’s Legacy Of Petra (Nathalie Gracia-Cetto; 2022)

A word of warning: most Penhaligon’s releases admired by yours truly tend to be discontinued before their time. So if, like me, you were taken with this Biblical-feeling blend of myrrh, fennel and liquorice – like a night-time vision of some endless, rocky landscape – then add it to your collection without delay.

Masque Milano Sleight Of Fern (Stephanie Bakouche; 2022)

To create this tremendously modern take on the fougere structure, Bakouche decided to emphasise its sense of strangeness, lending the florals a curious, medicinal-camphoraceous feel. The result is compelling, original and highly wearable: a bouquet of fantasy ferns put together by the inhabitants of a distant asteroid. 

Marc-Antoine Barrois Encelade (Quentin Bisch; 2022)

Love it or hate it, Encelade turned out to be one of the year’s most distinctive pieces of work, thanks to its bombastically green, 1980s-fake-snow-spray-with-rhubarb opening, as well as a vetiver base so tenacious, it would give plutonium a run for its money in the half-life stakes. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but kudos to Barrois for daring to release it.

Ulrich Lang Lethe (2021)

Appropriately enough for a scent named after a memory-wiping river, Lethe operates at the edges of one’s awareness, with a gauze-like blend of cedar, musks and ambery notes that keeps shimmering in and out of view. Oblivion has never been so tantalising. 

Diptyque Opsis (Fabrice Pellegrin; 2022)

For the very first exclusive they’ve ever offered to a retailer (it had to be Harrods, of course), the folks at Diptyque asked Pellegrin to take inspiration from London’s theatre world and put together a ghostly essay on iris, pepper and musks. It may be subtle, but Opsis manages to hold the wearer’s attention throughout its silent, unassuming development. 

Les Abstraits La Douleur Exquise (Antoine Lie; 2022)

Superbly named. Impeccably balanced. Brilliantly conceived. The first scent from Eugen Nizic’s brand employs a vintage-inflected presentation of rose, leather and patchouli to present a heartfelt olfactory meditation on love, loss and renewal. An extremely promising debut. 

Persolaise

[Samples provided by the brands, with the exception of the L’Artisan Parfumeur, which was obtained by me.]

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