Best Explorer by Boadicea the Victorious Alternatives & Similar Perfumes
Explorer by Boadicea the Victorious is an oriental fragrance that blends fresh green galbanum and bright bergamot with warm amber and labdanum. The addition of orange and floral touches like rose and orris root adds complexity and depth, while cedarwood grounds the composition with a smooth woody base. Those seeking a scent in this vein should focus on the balance of fresh citrus and earthy resinous elements that define Explorer’s character.
Inner War by Ourte £115.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- bergamot
- candy floss
- coconut
- labdanum
- rose
- Aromagroups:
- floral
- woody
The never-ending war between what you “should” do and what you want to do. Where being loyal to your dreams and desires clashes with societal expectations. Well, here’s where the conflict ends. Inner War is an amber carnival of too-muchness, a stop at the candy floss stand, a ravenous kiss on the big wheel. This extrait is a billowing cloud of talcum powder and almond, suggesting delicate heliotrope. Curling like tendrils into the air is a phantom, licorice-like anise, adding freshness and subtle weirdness. Rose supplies the syrupy “mmmmm” that glues together ambroxan, vanilla and patchouli.
Civet by Zoologist £240.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- civet
- coffee
- labdanum
- orange
- ylang-ylang
- Aromagroups:
- floral
- leather
- unconventional
As the sun sinks over the dense tropical forest, civets emerge warily from the thickets. Under a carpet of narcotic flower blossoms, a smattering of coffee berries peppers the ground. The moist air is heavy with mossy aromas that penetrate every crevice, but the musky scent of the civets dominates; their marked territory daring one to enter at one’s own risk.
Civet pays homage to the age-old ingredient, civet, as well as chypre perfumes of bygone days – perfumes that refused to be intimidated by raw, alluring, animalistic musks. Civet is a moody and complex brew entwined in mystery. It opens with a spicy floral accord, threaded through with dark coffee tones. Slowly it prowls forward, unraveling base notes of leather, moss and vanilla that combines with distinctive civet musk to create a bewildering, sophisticated scent with the promise of a sultry nighttime rendezvous.
Perfumer: Shelley Waddington
Absent Presence by Beaufort £125.00
- Key notes:
- bergamot
- galbanum
- leather
- vetiver
- violet leaf
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- leather
‘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.’
Adèle by Marie Jeanne £110.00
- Key notes:
- bergamot
- galbanum
- tomato leaves
- verbena
- vetiver
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- green
- woody
Perfume: Alexis Dadier
Galbanum, bergamot and tomato leaves create an exquisite citrusy woody diffusion. Marie Jeanne, known for the outstanding quality of their materials, have excelled, offering a beautifully rich green fragrance.
Pergola by Exaltatum £130.00
- Key notes:
- bergamot
- fougere
- galbanum
- ginger
- green grass
- hay
- lily-of-the-valley
- Aromagroups:
- green
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.
St. Paul's by Exaltatum £130.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- bergamot
- frankincense
- incense
- labdanum
- orange blossom
- pink pepper
- Aromagroups:
- floral
- leather
- vintage/old school
- woody
The floriental baroquesque parfum St. Paul's embodies an adoration and admiration to the spectacular era of Baroque. This style in architecture, music, art, sculpture demonstrates exalted movements, clear details, intense light and dark shadows, emotional exuberance, richness, extravaganza, which distinct baroque from other style.
The English baroque represents iconic St. Paul's Cathedral, which dome has long dominated the London skyline.
The perfume opens with the precious orange flower and jasmine absolutes with a hint of dried and juicy fruits, contrasting with the darker woody and balsamic base.
Panorama by Olfactive Studio £140.00
- Key notes:
- fir
- galbanum
- labdanum
- violet leaf
- wasabi
- Aromagroups:
- green
- woody
For their 7th fragrance, Olfactive Studio have taken inspiration from a photograph of the famous Sheats-Goldstein house in L.A. Built in the 1960s by architect John Lautner the house is built into the hillside, creating a seamless link between the natural environment and a man-made structure.
Panorama opens with an unusual savoury accord of spicy wasabi, creating a hot haze that shimmers over a lush canopy of cut grass, bamboo and lemon.
Bright fig illuminates the densely green undergrowth before fading into a smooth warm base of myrrh and labdanum whilst fir balsam echoes the urban rainforest of the opening notes.
Panorama, an olfactory view like no other.
Ambra by Lorenzo Villoresi £135.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- ambergris
- galbanum
- Aromagroups:
- vintage/old school
- woody
From a rich prelude of fresh Galbanum and Cistus notes, with marine undertones and spices, emerges the deep scent of balms, resins and Incense, Labdanum, Myrrh and Frankincense, which herald the enveloping, sensual undertones of Ambergris accompanied by animal notes and aromatic woods.
Copper by Comme Des Garcons £155.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- galbanum
- ginger
- metallic notes
- Aromagroups:
- citrusy
- green
- spicy
A high-contrast fragrance: metallic/vegetal, bitter/sweet. Copper opens as a galbanum bomb: the sap of the Persian perennial producing its characteristic grassy bite. Copper elicits strong impressions: from “peas growing in a sun-baked greenhouse” to “a cashmere scarf permeated with cigarette smoke”, with the unifier being “comforting”, due to its soft path to a faded tobacco-vanilla drydown.
Molinard de Molinard by Molinard £75.00
- Key notes:
- amber
- galbanum
- jasmine
- vetiver
- Aromagroups:
- green
- vintage/old school
- woody
ike a marvelous floral symphony, Molinard de Molinard is the ultimate romantic fragrance, a sumptuous bouquet of renowned sophistication. Made of two famous grasse flowers : Rose Centifolia and Jasmine Grandiflorum, deliciously complimented white white flowers like Narcissus and Ylang-Ylang, to wrap up over its delicate woody and oriental notes.
This timeless scent embodies a history of universal loyalty, Grasse in all its splendor!
About Explorer by Boadicea the Victorious
- How does Explorer by Boadicea the Victorious differ from these similar fragrances?
- Explorer combines fresh galbanum and bergamot with warm amber, orange, labdanum, and floral notes such as rose and orris root, finished by cedarwood. The fragrances listed share some of these notes but often introduce different accords like animalic, powdery, smoky, or green herbal elements, resulting in variations in character and intensity.
- What fragrance family does Explorer belong to?
- Explorer is classified within the oriental fragrance family, characterised by warm, rich, and often resinous or spicy notes.
- Which notes are key to Explorer’s scent profile?
- Key notes in Explorer include galbanum, bergamot, amber, orange, labdanum, orris root, rose, and cedarwood, combining fresh green, citrus, floral, and warm resinous elements.









