5 edgy fragrances to try this season

Besides having a fashion line stocked globally and dressing some of the most influential women in the world (such as former First Lady Michelle Obama, Julianne Moore and Reese Witherspoon), Jason Wu can now add another milestone to his illustrious career: creating a women’s fragrance. This is his first solo beauty project, and it’s a feminine fragrance that’s filled with florals like jasmine sambac, iris, fig and sensual woods, with a slight hit of pink pepper. As for why Wu chose jasmine sambac as a key ingredient for the fragrance? “I smelled over 300 to 400 raw ingredients in the beginning. It was a blind test with Frank (Voelkl, the master perfumer),” Wu told Forbes. “We kept smelling things to see what I reacted to and what didn’t I react to. There was one scent I kept going back to and it ended up being the jasmine sambac. I was trying to figure out why I liked it so much and I realised it’s because when I grew up in Taiwan, I was always hanging out with my cousin, who was like my big sister, and our neighbours had a wall of jasmine outside. We’d string them up and use it as a room scent. It brought such great memories for me."

Launched by style columnist Bee Shapiro of The New York Times, Ellis Brooklyn is a eco-conscious brand that focuses on fragrances produced in small batches, body skin care that’s mostly natural, and candles housed in recycled containers. Our favourite spritz from the range is Myth, which covers off bergamot, ambrette seeds, cassis, pink lotus, jasmine, patchouli and liquid musk. Altogether, the scent is sweet (without being sickly), and really easy to wear. Personally I’ve worn this almost on a daily basis and I’ve received numerous compliments on how interesting the scent composition is. It’s something I like wearing on a dreary day where I need a pick-me-up. Highly recommend.

Another sustainable beauty brand we’re loving is Clean Reserve; their fragrances are powered by a facility that uses only solar energy, the wooden caps come from certified sustainably managed forests in Spain, and the alcohol content comes from corn for a more refined product. Citron Fig EDP is zingy and fresh like a summery cocktail, with top notes of ginger and lemon oil, middle notes of cardamom, mandarin and mint, and bottom notes of smooth sandalwood and cedarwood.

The Miller et Bertaux brand was created by Francis Miller and Patrick Bertaux in a location that first began as a shop in Paris before it eventually started producing fragrances. One of the most wearable unisex scents that they have is Study #23, which is a muddle of incense, patchouli leaf, smoked cedar, yellow flowers and sandalwood, and it’s a fragrance perfect for those that like floral scents but are looking for something with a woody twist.

Most well-known for his womenswear that consists of elegant silhouettes and gorgeous fabrics, Derek Lam has also entered the beauty space with a line of spritzes elegantly packaged in tall cylindrical bottles. One that took us by surprise the most is the Silent St. EDP, which is like a breath of fresh air with its simple composition of airy florals and white musk, and is the kind of perfume you’d wear with a silk cami or white linen shirt.

For more fragrance tips, check out our guide to finding your signature scent.

What’s your favourite fragrance to wear? Tell us in the comments below.

Main image credit: Sevak Babakhani