Best L'Heure Verte by By Kilian Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Perfumer: Nicolas Beaulieu

Conjuring the complexity of iced absinthe where the balance of heady wormwood and fresh ozonic greenery surrounds violet leaf for a seductive euphoric tone. This is set against a dark aromatic base that is smooth and warming. The head-turning diffusion of sweetened leathers and earthy woods offers a contemporary enticing edge.

Coniferous bliss of a high altitutude forest. Quiet wisper of centruries old giants conversing in their woody rustle language. 

For Hindus, Kailash is the home of the mountain god Shiva and a sign of his power symbol om. Legends say that  Garuda was born on the top of  the mountain to protect the men's race from disasters sent by the serpents' race of Nags.

Important notice:

Anna Zworykina’s blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes). Her blends are sensory experiences, closer to works of art created in the scented plane (rather than, say, visual or audio).

Certain essential oils and absolutes that are used in her 100% natural perfumes may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Anna Zworykina’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). This said, Anna Zworykina has acquired a huge fan base over many years and people interacted with her blends for quite a while now. We are not aware of any reports of any skin reactions so far.

However, Anna advises that those who are prone to allergic reactions, pregnant and nursing women, as well as people with chronic illnesses to be extra careful. Before trying natural blends, study the list of ingredients and consult with a doctor if you are not sure or a had a history of allergies. If you do decide to put these blends on your skin (unable to resist the temptation) always test the blend on the inside part of your elbow first and wait.

Do not spray these blends liberally as a cloud in the way you would spray a conventional perfume. Anna’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

Feret Parfumeur, a French family business producing toiletries and perfumes since 1865 are launching a classic theme of patchouli and spices but with a contemporary linear architecture and lovely playful licorice twist.  

Vanilla’s in the name, but it’s not the name of the game, here. Instead, vanilla’s a team player with sticky, resinous labdanum, enigmatic orris and dark’n’dirty vertiver and patchouli. White chocolate smooths out the rough edges, while a lick of licorice adds an exclamation point!

Perfumer: Christophe Raynaud

A moonlit leather made with velvety violet leaves and smooth cool orris, all studded with cardamom, dry cedar and spicy earthy cypriol.

In the Beso trio, Beso Negro ("kiss of the darkness") represents the sleepless nights of the busy holiday island: velvety darkness, golden lanterns, cooling sea breeze, stars, and sand.

Chambre Noire reveals itself from the shadows using the spotlight of the vibrant top note of peppery schinus molle before presenting its dark woody heart of dry patchouli and sweet incense. This shadowy gem rests on a soft cushion of prunes, violets, vanilla and musks.

This extrait is named for the archipelagic country in the South Pacific Ocean, source of the sandalwood in the base. Vanuatu is a lively, confident blend of spices (black pepper, cardamom, cumin) dappled across characterful woody materials (sandalwood, patchouli, cedar and papyrus). Putting meat on the bones is fig milk, with violet leaves adding sharp sparkle. A fragrance for unexpected adventures.

“In rifleing the closet of the ladie, they found a pipe of oyntement, wherewith she greased a staffe, upon which she ambled and galloped through thick and thin, when and in what manner she listed”
– Proceedings Against Dame Alice Kyteler, Prosecuted for Sorcery, 1324

Hexensalbe, also known as witches’ flying ointment, was a hallucinogenic salve used in witchcraft in the middle ages. It was a mixture of extremely poisonous ingredients that produced an ecstatic trance with powerful sensations of flying, images of otherworldly creatures and a primal sexual hunger. 

But where did the witches’ broomstick come in? The ointment was too poisonous to eat, so instead it was applied to other soft membranes, commonly the genitals. Because of the erotic effects of the high, the salve would often be rubbed directly onto a phallic object like the end of a staff or a broomstick. (Now that’s what we call “riding a broomstick”!)

Given which aspects of the history of hexensalbe have been suppressed, it would seem that the one thing more terrifying than witches is female sexuality. This fragrance celebrates the forbidden rituals of personal power, summoning the ancient ways with dark aromatics: wormwood, liquorice, belladonna and black hemlock. Voluptuous tuberose and vibrant patchouli ensure a long and blissful trip.

From the heart of the Mediterranean scrub, where the air hums with resin and sun-drenched leaves, Ladano rises — a fragrance shaped by the slow pulse of Cistus ladanifer. For centuries, this golden resin has been gathered from the wool of animals, breathing its scent into fabric and skin. Here, labdanum glows rather than burns — thick, balsamic, embracing. It’s animated by tickly aromatics: licorice, celery seed, cinnamon leaf and immortelle.

The primal sap of the forest. The dew-soaked ground releases the smell of damp earth that awakens an animal joy. A soft cloud of oak moss and mushrooms rises. Sandalwood envelops, clary sage enlivens. The benzoin drydown reveals amber and resinous notes, prowling like a wolf.