Best Eau de Citron Noir by Hermès Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

An opening of citric and fizzy lemon combined with bright lime and bergamot, salty and refreshing, just like those Mediterranean summers.

The sharp salty accord lends further depth and keeps the lemon note true throughout the long-lasting dry down; interspersed with the bright combination of musks and patchouli.

Perfumer: Kévin Mathys

In this perfume story, the smoky gaiac aroma is gliding across a fresh and boundless ozonic void.

The story is open to interpretation: you can smell the waterproof canvas of the parachute gear in the abstract clean woodiness of the formula; or the air from under the tarpaulin you pull off a glider in its hangar; or think of any scenario involving flying machinery and an unlimited supply of fresh air.

The perfumer wanted to achieve a hazy floating shadow of an aroma, evoking a sensation of endless dark blue space, the calm humming of an engine, and hints of gasoline or machine oil. A worthy heir to the grandpa of all hazy smoky formulas inspired by airplane wings: Guerlain’s Vol de Nuit.

Inspired by the innovative use of materials that allowed 18th century clockmakers to construct the first truly accurate marine chronometers, Lignum Vitae combines elements of wood, metal and salt to produce a truly unique, transportive fragrance. Lignum vitae itself is an incredibly dense wood - the only wood which is guaranteed to sink in water - which is indigenous to the Caribbean and the north coast of South America. The brand’s nautical theme is enhanced wonderfully by caramel, a madeleine cake accord and a cool winter lemon note which provide a truly unique gourmand experience akin to smelling warm shortbread, muffins or cupcakes.

In combining unexpected and exotic raw materials, Beaufort London celebrates the innovative spirit which brought to an end the search for lost time, and permitted the safe passage of ships across the world.

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The Sniff on Lignum Vitae:

"An innovative gourmand fragrance with a masculine slant, Lignum Vitae by Beaufort London is something rather unexpected. And who doesn’t love a plot twist?"

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Under the luminous moon, smouldering embers glow with the mystery of ancient night rituals. This is a ceremony of smoke upon smoke upon smoke: birch tar, black tea, leather, frankincense. The austerity is softened by notes of amber and labdanum, deepening the mystery of the enveloping darkness.

Perfumer: Alexandre Illan

“Suze” (SOO-zeh) translates to “tears” in Serbian.Tears may not have a physical scent, but they release an emotional essence that lingers in the air like an unspoken perfume. This emotional extrait is a strange swirl of spearmint and ghostly flowers: pale jasmine, magnolia and lily-of-the-valley. Orris butter upholsters the complexity, while a solemn base of benzoin and fossilised amber grounds the experience.

This composition is 25% parfum concentration, with 88% natural ingredients. Capped with Spanish Nero Marquina marble in a delicately etched glass bottle. 

A fresh citrus perfume featuring the vintage citron note (‘cedro’ in Italian), with its delicious sour-sweet, musky aroma.

As always, Perris go for the best materials they can source from around the world. They procure the citron (citrus medica in Latin) right where it originates from the province of Cosenza, Calabria, on the southwestern coast of Italy. The diamante citron is uniquely non-acidic citrus with a fresh and sweet flavour. It is often used for culinary purposes, so you might catch a bit of a cute citrus candy or limoncello in the aroma of Cedro di Diamante.

At one point in the 80’s, citron was nearly abandoned by perfumers because of the high content of furocumarins, which had become restricted. Modern technology enables perfumers to extract the citron oil without furocumarins, and the citron note can now be enjoyed in perfumes again.

A cool, weightless breath that glides over the skin like the crisp poplin of a freshly-tailored shirt. Air is fashioned through contrasts: an ozonic accord swirling through the dissonant tang of blackcurrant and lime. This dark, metallic fruitiness cuts through the composition, enlivening the woody/amber base with a juicy green tension.

Perfumer: Alex Lee

An iconoclastic perfume built around the aromatic intensity of oregano, an unexpected raw material that conjures sun-scorched leather. The opening salvo of this extrait is sharp and fresh: lime, cardamom and rosemary. As the oregano emerges, arid and fierce, it’s offset by creamy Australian sandalwood and smoky vetiver, adding tension and depth. The trail then turns darker, denser, with Indonesian patchouli, cistus labdanum and oud wood.

Perfumer: Céline Perdriel

Named after the Portuguese city of Faro, where the yuzu in this perfume comes from.

A miraculous aural hologram of a sky-high yuzu meringue pie. Far is a vivid perfume built around yuzu grown in the region surrounding the Portuguese parish Faro do Alentejo. This scrumptious gourmand adds texture to its virtual calories: it’s fluffy, creamy, even crunchy, if you consider the buttery biscuit crust effect at the base.