Best L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Brocéliande is a bewitching concentrate inspired by the enchanted forest of Arthurian legend. Combining the power of the forest with the magic of the animal world, this extrait’s bergamot and lime opening leads to an unexpected wander through ginger, cinnamon and iris. A whisky sweetness rubs up against the velvet leather of civet and castoreum.

Aromatic sage, coriander and black pepper combine with mandarin and lemon for laid-back sophistication. Vetiver and musk give it muscle, while orris provides lean, refined woodiness. 

Early morning, October 1175, Calabria

The cool night air dissipates under the sun’s first rays. The ripe citrus in the field has absorbed all the water of the morning dew and the farmers are ready to work on the misty green fields, speckled by the bright yellow of the citron. They leave their woody cabin and take a deep breath…

A collaboration with Miguel Matos.

Clean, abstract and intriguing. Is it the smell of the new velvet seats in a dark cinema? Or the conditioned cool air? Or the fragrant echoes of trendy perfumes floating in between the spectators?

Cinematic is put together from an overdose of clean white musk, crisp hazy cashmeran, dry savory spices and a few drops of bitter carnation essence.

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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The Riviera. The Mediterranean fills the horizon. You’re driving along a coastal road with the roof down, feeling free. In this extrait, lemon caviar, zesty ginger and icy cardamom puts jut in your strut, while tomato leaf, neroli and black tea summons an aromatic dance. Frankincense and cypriol offer shade in the sunshine.

Perfumer: Paul Guerlain

Pergola opens with the most incredible rush of twisted green vegetation and instantly transports you back to the heyday of that decadent walkway. There is so much happening in here but the notes of galbanum, bergamot, and ivy are particularly spectacular. The floral heart is a swooning blend of narcissus, tuberose, and jasmine but the pergola’s passage of history is provided by an earthy pairing of patchouli and vetiver. You get a real impression of its heritage from touches of resins and moss and, whilst it’s described as a fougere, there is definitely a feeling of the most glorious aromatic chypre.

An electric collision of molecules: the effervescence of spicy pepper seeds suspended within darkness. Dry, fizzing Madagascan pepper cracks open against fiery cedarwood. Rich Akigalawood (upcycled patchouli with a peppery/woody profile) blends in blazing harmony with the caramel powderiness of tonka bean. A musky accord softens any sharp edges.

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu 

‘O absent presence, Stella is not here’

The fifth and final instalment of the Revenants collection draws inspiration from the Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sidney. In his Sonnet sequence ‘Astrophel and Stella’ Sidney develops and captures the essence of a haunting… the presence of one that is always felt but never seen.

‘Now I, wit-beaten long by hardest fate,

So dull am, that I cannot look into

The ground of this fierce love and lovely hate,

Then some good body tell me how I do,

Whose presence absence, absent presence is;

Blesst in my curse, and cursed in my bliss.’

Blazing sunlight glistens then fractures on the roiling surface of an angry tropical sea. A caravel bobs among the waves, its tall sail blasted by hot, salty winds. Dangling beneath the ghostly vessel, a curtain of lethal tentacles sways menacingly in the swell. The Portuguese man o’ war drifts, letting its unwitting prey approach. Up to 100 feet long, their lacy tentacles exude crippling venom with the merest touch. In an instant, the prey is paralyzed, and as its organs slowly liquify, the colony of zooids begin to feed.

While it’s wise to avoid a Portuguese man o’ war in the wild, prepare for danger and excitement when you encounter this Zoologist perfume. Crisp ginger and metallic gunpowder deliver a fiery sting to open, before casting you adrift on a wave of briny seaweed absolute, immortelle and geranium. You’ll thrill to this enticing scent where the only pain is the delicious pang of longing.