While some may shy away from giving fragrance as a gift this year, with the influx of boutique perfumers and their handcrafted gems, dare we say: live dangerously! Truly, like the world of perfume, there is a scent for everyone. So mix it. Try a fresh and lively floral for the witty coworker or a woodsy unisex option for the platonic happy hour teammate. For those more prone to classics, even old school perfume houses are readjusting their signature scents to keep up with the times and stay current.
Check out our list below for five of our favorite holiday fragrances and the people behind the scent.
1. For the Fashionista
For the high-end Miss or Mrs. in your life, Strange Invisible Perfumes, based out of Venice, California, has just the ticket with their Musc Botanique. Layered with geranium and frankincense, this bright and complex scent is 100% natural, using organic and biodynamically grown botanicals. Fresh and alive, the clean and simply chic bottle leaves the perfume to do the talking with its musky, white amber undertone and vivacious aromas. Ready for a day on the beach or wrapped beneath a blanket near the fireplace, Strange Invisible is a unique product sure to impress anyone who receives this perfume.
2. For the Mister
A unisex scent, the Brooklyn-based fragrance, CILICE EDP, is handcrafted using perfumer’s alcohol instead of oil and leaves an unmistakably woody aroma in its wake. Evoking old world gentlemanly class, think a cigar parlor meets prohibition era speakeasy: balsam, incense and leather. Euphorium Brooklyn’s mission is to recreate a Victorian-era perfumery and awaken the senses to a world just beyond today. The CILICE EDP is a serious scent for the modern-day wearer.
3. For the Travel Maven
With TSA’s bottle size rules, perfumes and everyday fragrance are typically left on the dresser when headed out of town, but for the traveling inclined in your day-to-day life, this travel set from Arquiste is airplane friendly and packs quite the floral punch. Featuring four floral scents created with natural extract, these eau de parfums were created to inspire and convey a particular time and scene in history. Be transported to an orange blossom field near the French-Spanish border in 1660 with Fleur de Louis or head to a 1400s Aztec festival heady with Mexican tuberose and marigold. Attentively crafted and curated, Arquiste is an exciting new face to the fragrance game. So while the wanderer may enjoy these travel-sized bottles even a homebody may be transported to a new world with just a quick spritz.
4. For the Bestie
For your partner in crime, the Thelma to your Louise, a roll-on fragrance, like the Ames Soeurs from JOYA, is a lavish way to make sure your BFF is treated right this holiday season. Not only does the New York City-based fragrance collective utilize environmentally friendly practices, but this unisex scent is equal parts tough and rugged, as well as warming and floral. Amber and orange blossom fuse together creating a smoky rich aroma underpinned by grapefruit and sweet musk. Do be warned, a bestie may not always be inclined to share so be careful not to get too attached to this roller before you wrap it up and hand it off.
5. For the Francophile
Though a classic she will always be, Chanel has revamped its signature scent for the woman today. Still bursting with pristine and fresh aromas, the N°5 L’EAU hums with lemon and citrus zest meets a floral bouquet of rose, ylang-ylang and jasmine. Subtle hints of cedar and white musk add depth and richness to the high-toned perfume making this a new take on the beloved fragrance. Simple and effortless, this scent is true to self but with an updated twist.