Best Tubereuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

An iconic classic in its own rite, Quelques Fleurs is a true ingenious scent of its time. The French perfumer, Robert Bienaimé, unveiled Quelques Fleurs the first true multi-floral blend ever created, in 1912.

Since then, his perfectly-balanced, refined bouquet has become modern perfumery’s peerless criterion for pure, meticulously-crafted, multi-floral accords. Prior to his bold invention, floral fragrances had been mainly singular flowers, or florals combined with various nuances of herbs and spices. Bienaimé’s singular triumph is remarkable for its secret, mythical formula. Upwards of 15,000 exemplary flowers and 250 prestigious raw materials are diligently-curated in the creation of a single ounce of perfume.

Delirium is a voluptuous bouquet of tropical abandon: decadent gardenia, heady jasmine, honeyed champaca, ripe narcissus, creamy frangipani and delicate white lotus. Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, every breath is an addictive journey into the blissful unknown. With Delirium, the wearer becomes the dreamer and the dream, lost in a world where anything is possible.

In India, flowers are sacred symbols and an essential part of daily life. “Malli Nadu” means “land of jasmine”, inspired by the paradise of perfume ingredients found in India. There’s jasmine sambac, cultivated in India since antiquity, with its radiant fruity/green sheen and animalic undertone. There’s tuberose, an opulent, powerful floral, along with davana, an aromatic plant unique to India with a profile that vibrates between apricot and herbaceous. Palmerosa oil supplies a geranium-like lift, while Indian vetiver and sandalwood deepens and softens the composition. Perfumer Ilias Ermenidis sought to translate the romance of India into this luminous scent, which he calls “a fragrance for lovers”

Tuberose is arguably the most divisive and polarising floral note due to its narcotic and carnal tones, here Pierre Guillaume pays tribute to its couture complexity.

The camphorous and medicinal opening of PG17 Tubéreuse Couture, is softened by shoots of green ripe jasmine and a sour tart accord created by rare South Asian citrus kalamansi.

PG17 Tubéreuse Couture soon develops in a creamy, fleshy and opulent tuberose bouquet. Ylang-ylang heightens and supports the buttery and lactonic (milky)  tones of tuberose, sweetened by a base of sugar cane and benzoin.

A daring and head-turning scent, PG17 Tubéreuse Couture is a wonderfully dramatic interpretation of this flamboyant flower, in its pure, unadulterated state.

Definitely not for wallflowers.

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

White is a bright and lively fragrance built around the friction between hot spices and suave florals. The cinnamon, clove and cardamom opening suggests candied red hots, which makes it all the more surprising when the melange of rose de Mai and lily of the valley softly asserts itself. The undertone of tagete, with its bitter herbalness, keeps White from getting too “pretty-pretty”.

Bo-Bo is named after a Spanish folk dance.

This perfume is a beautiful harmony of fresh which is carefully put together from the citrus bliss of mandarin, shy bitter-green of lily-of-the-valey, soft orange blossom and dry vetiver.

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.

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.

Anna's blends are more like smell experiences or perfume escapes, pure fun for connoisseurs looking for something beyond perfumes created with the help of modern synthetic materials.

For Second Skin we wish to invent a verb “to indulce”, a mix ‘indulge’ and ‘dolce (sweet)’. The flowers in the heart (ylang-ylang, jasmine and tuberose) have been ‘indulced’ in cognac, immortelle, ambery resins and indeed sweet cloves.

Being natural only blends, Anna's perfumes have a very peculiar projection: close to skin, quiet but excitingly complex upon a closer sniff.

Please be aware that natural perfumery has to be patch tested before continual wear.

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.