Since ancient times, perfume has been considered a synonym for beauty, sexuality, high style and success. Entire companies work on the ideal scent. But there are, to put it mildly, strange scents in the empire of beauty that can cause surprise and even disgust.
1. Anti-perfume Comme des Garcons “Odeur 53”
This French brand announced itself to the world in 1963, and already in 1981 its first show was held in Paris. Everyone present was amazed by what they saw, and called the collection "a trend of the post-nuclear era." And in 1994, the brand presented its perfume collection, very far from the classic and familiar aromas of the average person. Anti-perfume "Odeur 53" was released in 1995. The perfume received this name because it included ingredients that no one had ever used as components of perfume before - the smells of nail polish, iron oxide, rubber, freshly laid asphalt, etc. In total, 53 ingredients were used in the perfume. In 2000, the Comme des Garcons brand released the perfume "Odeur 71", which included 71 natural and synthetic ingredients.
2. Blood Concept - "bloody" perfume
This brand was founded in 2000 and is inspired by blood, the most studied liquid in the world. Four unisex perfumes corresponding to four human blood groups - that's what surprised ordinary people the creators of the brand. All types of perfume have metallic notes - after all, that's exactly what blood tastes like.
3. "My DNA Fragrance" - a fragrance with the DNA of its owner
These perfumes are made to order individually based on the buyer's DNA. The customer is sent a kit with which he takes a DNA sample. Then the collected material is sent to the laboratory, where scientists create a fragrance that matches the DNA taken. In addition to this option, there are also fragrances with celebrity DNA - for example, Marilyn Monroe.
4. Perfume for weight loss "Prends-Moi"
This perfume was released by the joint efforts of the Swiss company Veld's and the French brand Robertet. They contain substances that, when applied to the skin, promote the production of endorphins, which suppress appetite. The breakdown of fats is also activated in the body due to the content of such ingredients as carnitine, caffeine, and spirulina in the perfume. According to research, this perfume really works, reducing the desire to snack. The aroma itself is very pleasant, classic, contains notes of citrus and bergamot.
5. “I hate perfume” – fragrance by Christopher Brosius
The creator of this line of perfumes used to work as a taxi driver and during his service he managed to hate the cheap, foul-smelling perfumes that some of his clients used. So the perfumer created his favorite fragrances without using alcohol. His collection includes such perfumes as “Picking Apples,” “Summer Kitchen,” and others.
6. "Cannabis Santal" - unisex hemp perfume
This "narcotic" perfume went on sale in 2006. It includes notes of cannabis, but the aroma is not intoxicating at all. The forest scent emanating from this perfume gives peace and serenity. In addition to cannabis, the perfume contains notes of bergamot, sandalwood, patchouli, orange and chocolate.
7. Perfume with a rejuvenating effect from Harvey Prince "Ageless"
The brand, which produces anti-aging cosmetics, has embodied the ancient idea of the "elixir of youth" in the perfume "Ageless". It includes components that evoke associations with youth in the person inhaling its aroma. Among the ingredients are pink grapefruit, pomegranate, mango.
8. Mono-perfume “Demeter”
The brand does not accept mixing several fragrances in one bottle, and offers a series based on a single scent. Among the line of fragrances are perfumes with the scent of baby powder, a garden after a rainstorm, raspberry jam, etc. The advantage of these perfumes is also that they can be mixed and create new, original fragrances.
9. Book scents "Paper Passion"
This perfume was released by the German book publishing house Gerhard Steidel. They immediately became popular with bibliophiles who adore the aroma of a newly published book. The packaging is stylized as a book volume, and the perfume itself is released in women's and men's versions.
10. "Paint" by Boudicca - visible perfume
This fragrance was released in 2008 by British designers. After spraying, the perfume leaves traces of cobalt color on the skin, which gradually disappear. The main notes of the perfume are opium, juniper, nutmeg, citrus, sage.
11. Muscs Koublaï Khän
Muscs Koublaï Khän is often said to be one of the “dirtiest” musks in the history of perfumery. It is compared to a cat litter box, a camel driver’s armpit, a zoo in a third world country, and other unpleasant things. In addition to musk, this fragrance contains a note of cumin (a seed often used in spices), civet (a secretion from the glands of animals of the viverrid family, from whose feces the famous kopi luwak coffee variety is collected) and costus root, which is rightly attributed to the smell of not quite fresh hair. But, as often happens, there are also lovers of the fragrance who speak very tenderly of it. In their opinion, this is the scent of wildness, sensual, animalistic, sexual, aggressive. An amazing mixture of animal and plant musks, dissolved in warm amber bliss. The scent of an unmade bed, which was left a few moments ago. And fur, two under a fur blanket.
12. Endless desert - L`Air du Desert Marocain Tauer Perfumes
Moroccan Desert Air - this is the romantic name of this fragrance. And it fully corresponds to it. Nature in general often serves as a source of inspiration for perfumers, but more often there are options on the theme of forests, meadows, gardens, but creating a desert aroma is a difficult challenge.
I don't know what new-fangled chemical molecules were used to create such an atmospheric composition, in which you can almost physically feel the hot wind, sand, dried herbs, and subtle spices. But it turned out very beautiful and unusual. At times, something animalistic slips through, perhaps a subtle hint that the desert is not completely deserted, that there are Bedouins and camels somewhere in the distance. But this note does not spoil the aroma, on the contrary, it makes it even more interesting.
13. Snow, melt water, soil - Sienne l'Hiver Eau D`Italie
"Winter in Siena" is our spring, when water can't decide which physical state is more suitable for it: liquid or solid. This scent has nothing in common with the usual synthetic aquatic perfumes, here there is real snow, the first thawed patches, wet wood and the first timid greenery.
- Top notes: violet leaf, geranium and fern
- Middle notes: iris, truffle and olibanum
- Base notes: labdanum, guaiac wood and hay
If you have ever walked through a forest in March/April where there is still snow, but the air is filled with that weightless, but familiar "smell of spring", then consider that you are already partially familiar with Sienne l'Hiver. Add an Italian accent in the form of moss, subtle notes of greenery and expensive wood to the melting ice and you get "Winter in Siena". Over time, the aroma opens up on the skin and acquires a more green-woody sound, so that you can observe all the phases of spring during the day, from the last snowfall to the first flowers.
14. Pirate Party - Don Xerjoff
This fragrance is part of the Join the Club Xerjoff collection, where each composition, as the name suggests, is dedicated to a specific community, something like a closed club.
- The fragrance composition includes notes of gunpowder, tobacco, whiskey and burnt sugar.
Don is a fragrance about a club where they like to play "Mafia" (whether it's a joke or not is a big question). It contains all the stereotypical signs of a "real mafioso": strong alcohol, expensive pipe tobacco, gunpowder smoke. And with such strange ingredients, the fragrance turned out, in my opinion, very tasty and a little romantic. Gunpowder and smokiness give it originality, but they do not cause shock, but rather interest and curiosity, and the slipping sweet alcoholic-tobacco notes only decorate this composition. For me, it is more associated with pirates, mysterious distant islands and fun parties. And this is more of a glamorous movie image, and not real pirates.
15. Fire, smoke and roasted chestnuts - By the Fireplace Martin Margiela House
The entire series of "replicas" at MMM are associative fragrances connected with a certain place, atmosphere or event. Each of these bottles is interesting in its own way, but for this article I have chosen the most unusual one - a fragrance that imitates the smell of a fireplace. For each of these fragrances there is an indication of a certain event or location, for "Fireplace" it is 1971, a wooden chalet and winter in the Alpine resort of Chamonix.
- Top notes: pink pepper, orange blossom and cloves
- Middle notes: chestnut, guaiac wood and juniper
- Base notes: vanilla, Peruvian balsam and cashmeran
There are quite a few warm and smoky perfumes, but only Maison Martin Margiela managed to convey a complex accord of smoke, burning wood, and sweetish resin notes so realistically. After some time after applying to the skin, chestnuts and something else sweet, similar to dried fruits, appear, but the smoke and wood remain. The aroma is cozy, atmospheric, and warming, but be prepared for someone to regularly sniff and ask, “Is there a fire somewhere?”
16. Library - Byredo Library
Byredo has a legendary candle Library (Library), and fans of the brand have long been asking to release a fragrance with the same scent. They were met, and now this scent is available not only as a candle, but also as an eau de parfum, as well as a home fragrance.
- Top notes: plum, peach
- Middle notes: peony, violet
- Base notes: leather, patchouli, vanilla, musk
The perfume turned out to be not so much about books, but about the atmosphere of a library or just a cozy home. A little leather, a little dust, woody notes, a sweet soft enveloping base. A fragrance for relaxation and rest. A great company for it is a large comfortable chair, a cup of aromatic tea and a stack of lifestyle magazines or family photo albums. An excellent combination will turn out, in the now fashionable hygge style. And, to be honest, for this very atmosphere, a candle is still better suited than perfume. So if you can’t find the fragrance on sale (and it was a limited edition and is now rarely available), don’t be upset, the candle is no worse.
17. Are you bringing contraband? — Black Afgano Nasomatto
"Black Afghan" has already become a cult fragrance and brought the Nasomatto brand worldwide fame. And I could not help but mention it in my article. Of all the unusual fragrances, this one is perhaps the most popular and widespread. I do not know whether its creators expected such a resounding success or it was a creative experiment, but the fact remains: many people like to smell like this.
- Top notes: hemp and green notes
- Middle notes: resins, woody notes, coffee and tobacco
- Base notes: incense and oud
In principle, the name of the perfume accurately reflects its character, and all the notes declared in the pyramid are also easy to recognize. Smoky, heavy, resinous, with character - this is all about it. And hemp is the main chord. Oddly enough, the overall picture turns out beautiful and even elegant in its own way, but some misunderstanding on the part of law enforcement officials is possible.
18. Feel like a fish - Womanity Mugler
Many people think that salty fragrances are an invention of the last couple of years. But in fact, long before Olympea Paco Rabanne and Aqva Divina Bvlgari, the strangest and saltiest fragrance was released by the great and terrible Thierry Mugler. Each of his creations provokes disputes and multi-page discussions on perfume websites. Some do not understand and do not accept his fragrances at all, while others consider them genius. For my article, I chose the most controversial Mugler fragrance in my opinion - Womanity.
Black caviar combined with figs, how could you even think of such a thing? Fruit pulp, juicy greens and salty sea notes, even from an organoleptic point of view, all this seems strange. For some, this aroma seems like the embodiment of freedom: the cold sea, the coast, the forest, the wind and the flight. For some, it is the embodiment of femininity and sexuality. And for some, it is fish in seaweed or a metal bucket (or all together). It is definitely worth trying, the aroma is sensational, unusual and unlike anything else.
19. The smell of money - Andy Warhol Success is a Job Bond No. 9
Does money smell or not, what do you think? The perfume house Bond No 9 thinks so. And so that no one has any doubts about this fragrance, the bottle is decorated with the famous dollar sign, performed by the king of pop art Andy Warhol.
- Top notes: coriander, cardamom, mandarin, bergamot and nutmeg
- Middle notes: jasmine, tuberose, plum, red pepper, May rose and iris
- Base notes: vanilla, patchouli and benzoin
For me, this is not so much the aroma of rustling banknotes, but rather an associative series with "old money". Not in the sense of old papers, but all this noble luxury, passed down from generation to generation. As if you found yourself in an elegant, but not pretentious mansion, where you are even afraid to touch things. This is truly a perfume for a person who has achieved success: soft, expensive, but calmly sounding, with occasionally slipping notes of antiques behind polished glass. A beautiful aroma, but you need to match it internally.
By the way, Bond No 9 also has the aroma of “new money”, or rather cyber currency, stock exchange funds and sparkling open space offices. Fresh, invigorating, businesslike and tonic, with the telling name “Wall Street”.
20. Motorcycle - Ambrarem Perfume History
A unique scent, I have never smelled anything even remotely similar anywhere else. On the official HdP website, this perfume is described as "animalistic oud" and also as "A lethal dose of power". Can you imagine anything from these definitions?
- Top notes: elemi and pink pepper
- Middle notes: iris, saffron and oud
- Base notes: sandalwood, amber, vanilla and castoreum
I couldn't either and ordered a sample from the official website (by the way, they have a very convenient service, you can get acquainted with other fragrances of the brand). It is very difficult to recognize anything from the declared notes, in this fragrance they are somehow unusually played out. My first association was "these are hot tires", such a specific smell of smoking worn rubber. Then the aroma changes, notes of soft tobacco smoke, rough leather appear in it, something mineral-diesel slips through. And such a confident beautiful masculine base of woody-resinous-sweetish notes appears. All this in total, in my opinion, adds up to a beautiful shiny bike. And perhaps the presence of its brutal owner somewhere nearby:).
21. Garden plot - Wild Strawberry & Parsley Jo Malone London
We, city dwellers, often lack greenery and fresh air. And if there is no opportunity to escape to the village or to the dacha for the weekend, you can use a suitable aroma. And at least mentally transfer to a place where it is quiet, there is a lot of greenery, there is no hot asphalt and exhaust fumes.
- Top notes: tomato leaf, blackcurrant, green notes and parsley
- Middle notes: wild strawberry, violet leaf and basil
- Base notes: oak moss and white musk
Jo Malone has a whole series called The Herb Garden, which recreates the aromas of garden herbs, flowers, vegetables and berries. This collection has 5 perfumes: "Lavender and Coriander", "Carrot Flowers and Fennel", "Nasturtium and Clover", "Sorrel and Lemon Thyme", "Strawberry and Parsley". They are all very fresh, green and pastoral. For my article, I chose the last one, "Strawberry and Parsley", as the closest and most understandable to us. It really smells like "summer outside the city": tomato leaves, country herbs, forest glades and strawberry jam. And it is not as simple as it seems at first glance, only it lacks durability, but this is a common problem for Jo Malone.
22. Concrete wall - Concrete Comme des Garcons
For those who, on the contrary, dream of an industrial scent, there is a very suitable conceptual fragrance. Comme des Garcons are always inspired by rather strange things, and this time they decided to make a perfume that touches on the eternal philosophical themes of creation and destruction. And if earlier the basic structural units of the objects around us were organic, now they are metal and concrete structures, so there is definitely logic here.
- The fragrance composition includes notes of Sandalwood
According to the manufacturers, specially processed sandalwood notes and several other synthetic molecules that imitate metal and resins are used to create this fragrance.
This fragrance should definitely be tried before buying, preferably on the skin. Because on me, for example, there were no notes of raw concrete or even plaster. There was only burnt fatty milk. Also extravagant, of course, but not what was expected. Lucky ones smell cement, wet plaster, and wooden beams in it, maybe you will be lucky too?
23. Absinthe - A Taste of Heaven by Kilian
The creator of the brand, Kilian Hennessy, was born into the same family that has been producing the world-famous cognac for many years. Perhaps that is why, so to speak, paying tribute to the merits of previous generations, the perfume house by Kilian has so many fragrances with notes of various alcohols. And to my subjective taste, these are the fragrances that they produce especially well. Apple Brandy - apples, cinnamon and oak barrels. Black Phantom - black sweet coffee with rum. Vodka on the Rocks - vodka with ice and bitter, cool spices.
- The fragrance composition includes notes of African orange blossom, geranium, bergamot, rose, wormwood, lavender, patchouli, oakmoss, amber, vanilla, tonka bean and costus.
And for my article I chose the scent that seems to me to be the most beautiful and unusual of Kilian's scents. This is truly a "paradise taste", space and magic. Bitter - sweet absinthe with ice, a blend of herbs and flowers, somewhere in the background of a note of hot chocolate, noble wood and exotic flowers. This combination of sweet and bitter, hot and icy is mesmerizing. An extremely seductive scent, pleasant for girls (but I'm not sure, maybe I'm the only one who likes the smell of absinthe so much that it makes me dizzy:)), and men should wear it.
24. Blood, sweat and sex - Secrets of Magnificence
Etat Libre d`Orange is probably the most outrageous perfume house. And if you are really looking for something extraordinary, then this is the place for you. Even the names of the fragrances can easily shock unprepared people. Just imagine the wide-eyed eyes of your friends when, when asked "What do you use?", you answer "Fat Electrician", "End of the World" or "Real Blonde".
Secretions Magnifiques is the most daring fragrance from Etat Libre d`Orange. The name translates as "wonderful secretions," and that's exactly what you'd think. The perfumers wanted to create something reminiscent of all the fluids secreted by the human body. They mixed it all together and got a fragrance that imitates a mixture of blood, sweat, and saliva.
- The fragrance composition includes notes of iris, sandalwood, opoponax, coconut, milk and seaweed.
To put it mildly, it all smells strange and unusual and causes a variety of reactions in those around you. In stores, testers of this fragrance are hidden and given out only to the initiated, because if you apply it to your wrist, like when testing a regular perfume, there is a risk of scaring off all the buyers. In high concentrations, all this smells disgusting and is not at all attractive. But nevertheless, the fragrance is actively sold and has its fans, in microdoses it can give its wearer (or wearer) that very elusive aura of sexuality and attractiveness, like these elusive pheromones.
25. Eastern Bazaar - Fareb Pierre Guillaume
An unusual fragrance that contains the most recognizable and beautiful notes of the East. Not those suffocating and heavy ouds and oils that we are used to feeling in Eastern perfumery. This is more like a walk along the streets of a rich and fairy-tale town, with colorful shops, incomprehensible ligature inscriptions, surrounded by various spicy aromas and bright flowers.
- The fragrance composition includes notes of immortelle, ginger, leather and sand.
The list of notes is apparently incomplete. The aroma changes and reveals itself in a variety of ways, all of them on the theme of the East. First, it's ginger tea and dried fruits, then sweetish-spicy spices and leather. At times, something edible and appetizing, similar to pilaf, slips through. And closer to the base, aromatic resins, ginseng and noble woody accords appear. The overall mood of this perfume is warm, sunny and spicy. I find the overly intrusive edible-spicy notes bothersome, but maybe someone has been looking for just such a scent for a long time?
