Best The Smell of Freedom by Lush Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Matilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon I, was known for her breasts (“le plus beau décolleté”) and her talent as a painter. She also hosted a celebrated 19th-century Parisian salon attended by the greatest artists and writers of her time. This namesake perfume is an olfactory salon of provocative white florals (ylang-ylang, narcissus, jasmine) given tropical succulence with passion fruit and papaya. Mathilde’s heady brightness is softened by iris and sandalwood.

This “divine flower” is a luminous, untamed floral that captures the serenity of nature in motion. It starts bright and light: lemongrass and passion fruit, opening up to peony and lily of the valley. Watery, ethereal cyclamen drenches the richness of jasmine, ylang-ylang and narcissus like dew over a meadow. The drydown is green, a mingling of eucalyptus and sage with peppermint, juniper and pine, grounded by 
Mysore sandalwood and a hint of vanilla bourbon.

This perfume is perfect for the time-travelling adventurers among you, perhaps going incognito as a runaway princess at a fin de siecle European royal court.

In 1864, Prince Oscar of Sweden and his wife Sophie bought the Skabelycke estate overlooking the majestic Öresund strait, where they created their summer palace.

This summer palace is known today as Sofiero (Sophie-Ro) one of Europe's most beautiful parks.

As you step through the gates of Sofiero, you are enveloped by a calm feeling of happiness as a sea of flowers floods your senses with hundreds of different forms and colours.

The perfume is designed to transport you to this floral paradise on a warm and sunny summer day.

From the park you wander into the palace, where the antique wood panelling emanates nuances of sandalwood and amber, infused with fresh sea air through the open windows.

Let this sumptuous formula transport you to Sofiero.

The largest Chinese community in Italy is located in the Tuscan city of Prato. The main drag, Via Pisoiese, is an “everything everywhere all at once” bustle of Chinese signs, 24-hour restaurants, holiday-bright colours, white Porsches emblazoned with Hello Kitty. The street is accidentally hipster, underground on purpose, eccentric by nature — reflected in this fire horse of a perfume, Cavallo di Fuoco. In it, mint and celery lead unexpectedly to a hurly-burly blend of pomelo, ginger, Chinese jujube and honeyed Chinese oud. Just like the dynamic fire horse in Chinese astrology, this smellscape is bold, untamed and full of life.

Limited to 36 bottles, 38% extrait.

Blended with:

Pomelo tincture,
Osmanthus absolute,
Chinese Jujube absolute,
Persimmon fermented tincture,
Sichuan Pepper tincture,
Ginger essential oil,
Kaffir Lime tincture,
Rose Buds absolute,
Ginseng tincture,
Celery tincture,
Bamboo tincture,
Clove tincture,
Mandarin essential oil,
Wild mint tincture,
Chinese oud.

Important notice:

Zanini blends are living botanical compositions, crafted entirely from natural materials and free from synthetic fixatives or stabilizers. As with all things living, subtle variations are part of their nature: over time, you may notice a gentle evolution in colour, texture, or the appearance of natural sediment. These are not imperfections, but part of the character of the raw materials themselves.

These blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes) and 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 Zanini’s 100% natural blends may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Zanini’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). 

Zanini advise 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. Zanini’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

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

This woman is on a journey, a quest to discover the answer to that eternal mystery – where is love? She peels away the layers of her private needs, her personal longings. She follows an instinctive path, to that place where now meets then, and she recognizes that the answer was there all along. And how does it feel, to find the scent that brings you home? Like this.

This monster of an “anti-perfume” is simultaneously clean and dense, the olfactory interpretation of the building material. Aptly encased in a grey concrete bottle, this eau de parfum is an astonishingly diffusive blend of sandalwood, rose and spices, with a powerful smoothness that mimics the material's satisfying surface.

Santal takes its inspiration from a Sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s which has then been given a distinctive contemporary edge.

Lively and full of contrasts, Dancing Light is a reflection of the northern lights that inspired it. Icy mint and Siberian pine needles bring a breath of coolness. Then a bouquet of bright white flowers with jasmine, neroli and seringa, dances in the heart warmed by the sandalwood.

Perfumer: Sidonie Lancesseur