I'll let you in on a secret. Lately, there's one French fragrance brand that has been mysteriously wafting on just about every beauty editor and fashion insider I know. Wearers of this fragrance brand have told me first-hand that they are often inundated with compliments when they wear it. You'd be right in thinking that it might be one of the usual suspects of French perfumery, like Diptyque, Chanel or Guerlain. But what if I told you that you that I've discovered a niche French fragrance brand that's been sending the industry into a frenzy, and it costs just £35 a bottle?
While many are cautious about sharing their signature fragrances, I'm here to spill the beauty beans because, quite frankly, it's just too good not to share. The brand in question is Bon Parfumeur. Founded in in France in 2017 by Ludovic Bonneton, the fragrance house now has 13 perfumers who create these coveted scents. The fragrances are housed in minimalist square bottles, colour-coded by fragrance type. Pink denotes fragrances that belong in the floral family, red is amber and spicy, yellow is fruity, and so on. Within those fragrance families, each fragrance is also labelled with a three-digit number and the three key fragrance notes, which not only looks stylish on a vanity table, but also is handy, as the notes you see on the bottle are what you get. It takes guesswork out of decoding a whimsical or abstract perfume name and makes shopping for fragrances online a whole lot easier if you know you are a fan of a gourmand fragrance or love sandalwood notes in your perfume. You can easily shop the colour-coded bottle for each fragrance family. Outside of its main collection of fragrances, it also produces perfumes in collaboration with fashion brands such as Carne Bollente and YMC.
Bon Parfumeur's 301 fragrance collaboration with Carne Bollente.
The bottles also come in 15ml, 30ml and 100ml, so you can experiment with the scents and commit to a large bottle once you've found one that you love. The brand also encourages wearers to mix and match their fragrances to create their own signature scent—because who doesn't love a personalised fragrance?
Instantly intrigued by the concept and the number of editors who adore the brand, I reached out to Bon Parfumeur to put some of the best-selling fragrances to the test. These are the ones that are guaranteed compliment generators.
The Best Bon Parfumeur Fragrances
Fragrance family: Aquatic
Key notes: Italian lemon, mandarin, ivy, grapefruit, rosemary, pink pepper, nutmeg, sea spray, cedar, cypress, white musks
"The one I usually douse myself in is 801," says Who What Wear affiliates editor Emily Dawes. "It's fresh and a little masculine but really unique." This aquatic scent showcases sea spray and grapefruit, making it a refreshing and breezy scent.
Fragrance Family: Cologne
Key notes: Bergamot, lemon, mandarin, rosemary, neroli, jasmine, lavender, petitgrain, musk, orange blossom
"I also like 001 with fleur d'oranger petit grain and bergamot," says Dawes. This is a must for citrus lovers who like zesty and refreshing fragrances.
Fragrance family: Spicy amber
Key notes: Cypress, cumin, ylang-ylang, thyme, cardamom, jasmine, coconut, cedar, sandalwood, benzoin, patchouli, amber
If you love warming, spicy fragrances with sandalwood, then you're bound to love this scent. Warm amber and creamy sandalwood are given a spicy twist with cardamom. Plus, sandalwood is a must if you want to smell rich.
Fragrance family: Vanilla
Key notes: Almond blossom, apple, Madagascar vanilla, heliotrope, caramel, sugar, musk, sandalwood and benzoin
One of two in the fragrance family, this vanilla-based fragrance is guaranteed to get you compliments. It's both velvety and warm, as the sweet notes are tempered by the sandalwood and musk, which steer it away from being sickly sweet. Instead, it's intoxicatingly beautiful.
Fragrance family: Floral
Key notes: Bergamot, cardamom, lavender, Damascene rose, lily of the valley, white cedar, sweet pea, amber, crystal, patchouli, musk
This interpretation of rose is sparkling and light, with an airy, carefree mood to it. It smells a lot like a springtime breeze coupled with the comforting smell of fresh laundry thanks to the cosy notes of musk and white cedar.
Fragrance family: Aromatic
Key notes: Grapefruit, bergamot, pineapple, pepper, rosemary, eucalyptus, nutmeg, incense, liatris, white wood, amber
Aromatic scents tend to focus on herbaceous and spicy. Think vibrant herbs and warming spices you might cook with. This scent combines both and manages to be refreshing and warm at the same. Grapefruit and bergamot add the refreshing twist to the grounding scents of coriander, wood and eucalyptus.
Fragrance family: Cologne
Key notes: Lemon, bergamot, mandarin, juniper berries, ginger, nutmeg, tabacco, tonka bean, patchouli, musks
Think of your favourite gin and tonic, and you have 004. Bitter notes of gin and juniper berry pave the wave for the sparkling mandarin, lemon and bergamot. It's happy hour bottled.
Fragrance family: Vanilla
Key notes: Cypress, incense, elemi, bergamot, candied plum, cinnamon leaves, cedar, patchouli,
labdanum, sandalwood, musk, vanilla
Dark and sweet, this is another fragrance that will have people running after you to ask what scent you are wearing. Candied plum takes centre stage in this fragrance, and it combines beautifully with herbaceous cypress, mysterious incense and sweet vanilla.
Fragrance family: Wood
Key notes: Bergamot, pink pepper, grapefruit, pepper, violet, cedar, sandalwood, vetiver
One for woody fragrance lovers, this combines three of the best-smelling woods: cedar, sandalwood and vetiver. A sprinkling of pink pepper, violet and grapefruit add lightness.
Key notes: Orange, basil, ginger, cognac, cinnamon, clove, geranium, plum, patchouli, labdanum, vanilla, tobacco.
Bon Parfumeur lists this fragrance under its "special" fragrances, which don't fall under a tradition fragrance category—they're a little harder to pin down. This particular scent is woody, smoky, spicy and addictively intoxicating.
Fragrance family: Fruity
Key notes: Pear, red fruits, neroli, rose, jasmine, vanilla, white woods, grey amber, musk
Fruity fragrances are often associated with the sickly sweet fragrances we may have worn as a teenager. However, this is the grown-up, sophisticated version of fruity fragrance. Bright notes of pear and neroli are given an edge with creamy white woods, warming amber and sultry musk upon dry-down.
Fragrance family: Gourmand
Key notes: Bergamot, hazelnut, yuzu, iris, praline, liquorice, cashmere wood, amber, musk, patchouli
Gourmand fragrances feature those sweet notes we associate with delicious treats. Think praline, ripened fruit and decadent chocolate. Hazelnut and praline are key notes in this fragrance, which are combined with iris—one of the most expensive raw materials used in perfumery.
Key notes: Violet leaf, lemon, nutmeg, cypress, sage, olibanum, styrax, incense, leather, tonka bean
If you're after the finest of perfumery ingredients, then Bon Parfumeur also produces a line of premium scents under Les Privés. However, they still sit within an accessible price point. This one smells mysterious and moody with expensive-smelling leather, creamy tonka bean and refreshing violet leaf.
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