Show me the honey! Apologies to the makers of Jerry Maguire, I had to adapt that classic cinematic phrase to suit my purposes for this round-up of the best honey fragrances.
No surprises, honey hits the sweet spot with the ongoing popularity of gourmands. It’s also used to texture floral notes with a sunny aspect. Either way, I love how perfumers interpret the note, often recreating the variety of the real thing according to its nectar source.
I explore some of the genre’s most sophisticated options. What are your best honey fragrances?
Where known, the name of the perfumer is included in brackets after the name of the fragrance.
L’ARTISAN PARFUMEUR MÉCHANT LOUP EDT* (BERTRAND DUCHAUFOUR)
As their “perfumer in residence” for 10 years, Bertrand Duchaufour created beauties such as Timbuktu EDT, Nuit de Tubéreuse EDP and Dzongkha EDT for the pioneering French niche brand.
Méchant Loup (French for “Bad Wolf”) can be enjoyed as a conceptual fragrance of sorts – Little Red Riding Hood’s journey through the woods. The sweeter aspects – honey, praline and myrrh – are given a suitable twist with dark accents of chestnut, liquorice and woods.
At first this 1997 release didn’t tempt me that much, but now I can’t get enough of it. It’s a gourmand with bite.
L’ARTISAN PARFUMEUR TEA FOR TWO EDT (OLIVIA GIACOBETTI)
I can’t recommend this 2000 release enough. Twenty-two years after its launch, its beauty commands absolute respect.
From the first spray, there’s the rich woody smokiness of black lapsang souchong (a traditional Chinese tea). Cinnamon, anise and ginger soften the initial intensity with mellow spice, while a note of gingerbread adds a gourmand aspect. There’s more deliciousness in the drydown, courtesy of notes of powdery honey and dark vanilla.
Warm and welcoming, it’s the equivalent of an olfactory embrace. Just what we need in these turbulent times.
CHANEL BEIGE EDP (JACQUES POLGE)
Inspired by Coco Chanel’s favourite colour (“I take refuge in beige because it’s natural,” she said, according to the French luxury brand’s website), this EDP is a 2016 addition to the upmarket Les Exclusifs de Chanel private range. Who knew beige could be so vibrant?
The tropical tones of frangipani – all fruity creaminess – are blended with the spiciness of hawthorn to produce a lush mood. You’d never know Hawthorn is created in the lab through synthetic means. The sweetness of these florals is accentuated by a dollop of honey in a thoroughly refined Chanel way.
Nominally a female fragrance, Beige is unisex in my opinion and highly recommended for the more open-minded, olfactorily speaking.
MUGLER A*MEN PURE HAVANE EDT (JACQUES HUCLIER)
The original and innovative Mugler A*Men was launched in 1996 and each addition to the franchise manages to add something different to the theme.
Launched in 2011, Pure Havane is a gourmand tobacco fragrance. It’s sweet from top to bottom but has plenty of character to prevent it from becoming a cloying confection. It opens with the rich waft of cherry tobacco that’s supported by notes of honey and vanilla. Cacao and patchouli add depth to the mix, while an amber accord keeps it warm and cosy.
It’s the probably the most popular A*Men flanker and, for the record, it has not been discontinued.
DIPTYQUE VOLUTES EDP* (FABRICE PELLEGRIN)
Something chic, something comfortable, something understated…
Tobacco extends a warm welcome that’s impossible to refuse in this 2012 release from the Paris-based niche company, while an iris accord reveals her seductive powdery charms. Delicately sweet notes of honey and cinnamon add to the sensual ambience. Opoponax keeps it velvety smooth.
Everything is in perfect harmony in this stellar Fabrice Pellegrin creation. The EDT version, created by the same accomplished perfumer, is also a great option.
PARFUMS DE MARLY OAJAN EDP*
Parfums de Marly must be one of the most popular niche brands in recent years, with big releases such as Herod, Layton and Pegasus proving to be lucrative crowd-pleasers for brand founder Julien Sprecher.
A 2013 release from the less-hyped Arabian Breed Collection, Oajan gets the balance between accessibility and quality right.
Spicy cinnamon and powdery honey make for a great combo in the opening, with the fruity floralcy of osmanthus in support. The amber accord – lots of vanilla, benzoin and tonka bean here – is all about creaminess. Patchouli gives the EDP earthy depth.
Some of the house’s releases can be a tad aggressive, but this one is the epitome of elegance.
MEMO ILHA DO MEL EDP* (ALIENOR MASSENET)
Ilha do Mel. A small island off the coast of Brazil with beautiful beaches and Atlantic forests. The name alone of this 2015 release from the Paris-based niche house’s Graines Vagabondes Collection sounds exotic and far, far away from reality. I don’t need any persuasion to take a trip with this beautiful EDP.
Memo fragrances are layered and maximalist, and this one is no different. Juniper oil and hyacinth provide brief green freshness in the opening. And then a floral bouquet of broom, orange blossom, gardenia and especially jasmine are given a luxurious honey treatment. Which makes perfect sense seeing that Ilha do Mel means “honey island”. Musk and vanilla prolong the experience in the drydown.
It’s heady and sweet, but not ickily so. And as always with Memo, the bottle is gorgeous.
INITIO ADDICTIVE VIBRATION EDP* (MAURICE ROUCEL & PIERRE-CONSTANTIN GUÉROS)
I’m feeling all hot and bothered. And not because of the temperatures outside. I’ve just finished reading the website blurb for this 2016 release from the French niche brand’s Absolutes Collection: “a body of lustful scent in a magma of flesh.” Gulp!
Over-statement aside, this EDP deserves as much attention as the house’s big releases such as Oud for Greatness EDP and Musk Therapy EDP.
The combo of floral notes – apple blossom, orange blossom, vanilla orchid – is sweetly seductive stuff. The animalic honey note stands out among the potent bouquet, while musk maintains the sensual vibe in the drydown.
SWEET SEDUCTION: Is Initio Addictive Vibration EDP one of your best honey fragrances?
KILIAN GOLD KNIGHT EDP (PASCAL GAURIN)
The Paris-based niche brand founded by the heir to the Hennessy fortune, Kilian Hennessy, doesn’t mess around when it comes to luxurious fragrances and prices.
A 2017 release from The Cellars Collection, Kilian Gold Knight EDP is deliciously enticing from the opening notes of faintly liquorice-ish anise and crisply citrus bergamot. Honey and vanilla mingle to produce warm and smooth powderiness. The classy sweetness is maintained in the dark earthiness of the patchouli drydown.
One of the house’s best releases, it justifies its price tag. If you want something more obviously opulent, there’s also the 2009 release, Kilian Back to Black EDP, to sniff out.
CARTIER L’ENVOL DE CARTIER EDT (MATHILDE LAURENT)
L’Envol de Cartier was launched as an EDP in 2016 and I was immediately taken by its rich and complex treatment of honey. So, of course, I expected great things of the EDT version, which was launched very quietly in 2017. Let’s just say Cartier doesn’t do hype.
The EDT opens with a burst of clean citrus notes, with honey slowly developing in the background. When the honey takes centre stage, it’s a light and airy take on the note. Good news for those who might have found the honey in the EDP version too much of a good thing.
Artemisia adds a note of herbal interest, while the base of musk and guaiac notes balances the initial freshness of the scent. Unlike the EDP, there is no floral element and L’Envol de Cartier EDT is an altogether lighter and brighter affair. Beautiful simplicity at its best!
BEAUTY OF SIMPLICITY: Cartier L’Envol de Cartier is my favourite in this best honey fragrances selection.
BYREDO CASABLANCA LILY EXTRAIT DE PARFUM*
The Night Veils Collection (all extrait de parfum concentration) shows Byredo in a completely different light. No prizes for guessing the inspiration for Casablanca Lily, a 2019 release from the Swedish niche brand.
It opens with a combo of creamy gardenia and juicy plum. The sensual ambience picks up a notch with the appearance of slightly animalic Indian tuberose. There’s a hint of spicy carnation in the background too.
Sweet and pure, the honey accord is something to behold. It’s supported by the floral tones of a rosewood note.
AMOUAGE CRIMSON ROCKS EDP* (DOMITILLE MICHALON BERTIER)
Any doubts that the brand that put Arabian perfumery on the world map, under the creative direction of Christopher Chong, would take a dip after his departure in 2019 were laid to rest with this 2020 release. Part of the Renaissance Collection and inspired by the beauty of the Al Hajar Mountains, Oman, at dusk, this contribution to the best honey fragrances is one for the romantics.
That mood is on display from the warm and spicy opening notes of cinnamon bark essential and pink pepper. Two extracts of rose meet a Jujube honey accord, with its rich date-ish nuances, to create a suitably Middle Eastern vibe.
The drydown is on the woody side, with the earthiness of oak supported by vetiver.
MOLTON BROWN MESMERISING OUDH ACCORD & GOLD EDT* (SYLVIE FISCHER)
The British brand that’s best known for its bath and body products also produces quality fragrances such as this 2015 release.
The spicy freshness of notes of bergamot and elemi transitions to the warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg. A black tea accord adds a green dimension to the composition. It builds up to the drydown featuring rich and resinous oud in partnership with caramel-ish tobacco. Although in a secondary role, the honey accord contributes to the oriental atmosphere with soft sweetness.
If you’re feeling really indulgent, you could pair it with the matching Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold Bath & Shower Gel featuring 23.5-carat gold flakes. The 2019 EDP version (pictured here) has pronounced accents of saffron and styrax.
*These best honey fragrances are available in South Africa at Skins Cosmetics.
