The numbers are in—according to reports from The Washington Post, Euromonitor International, and Circana, not only has the multi-billion-dollar behemoth that is the fragrance industry recorded an august two-figure growth in 2023 as new designer bottles drop and reimagined classic scents return to the shelves, but sales of the US$64.4 billion (HK$502.25 billion) global fragrance market have been on a steady incline this year, too.
The Post’s analysis of this boom points to fragrance as the fastest-growing category in the beauty sector, thanks to men and first-time buyers driving the rise in sales and revenue of brands the likes of Chanel, YSL, Dior, Le Labo, Jo Malone, and Tom Ford, to name a few.
Come September, the biggest names in the field—Jo Malone, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Chanel, and Valentino—will dispense their latest scents. In the meantime, taking top notes from the above-mentioned reports, we knocked on the doors of the most elite aromatic designers in the hopes of getting a whiff of what’s already in store this summer. From the classics (Tom Ford) to the fashionable (Dior and Versace) and the novel (Brunello Cucinelli ventures into scents for the first time), the following fragrances have us swooning.
Brunello Cucinelli
Just this past May, Brunello Cucinelli unveiled the Brunello Cucinelli Pour Femme and Brunello Cucinelli Pour Homme fragrances at a star-studded bash at Regent Hong Kong. Both scents were inspired by the Umbria region in Italy, with a touch of aromatic splendour and a wisp of quiet luxury. A new chapter in the story of the brand—the personal and business successes of Brunello Cucinelli were jointly celebrated just a few months ago—the men’s fragrance is a refined blend of angelica, black pepper, ginger, and sage, courtesy of a fruitful collaboration with French master perfumer Olivier Cresp.
Shop here.
Tom Ford
If the past decade is anything to go by—with the release of wallet-distilling perfumes like Bitter Peach, Lost Cherry, Velvet Orchid, and other magical potions with vivid titles—exceptional scents are to be expected from Tom Ford. As per an early report by JP Morgan, Tom Ford fragrances help to propel the brand to among the top 10 most prestigious in China based on sales, a huge part of the company’s achievements, and the latest drop can certainly only strengthen that sweet smell of success.
Released just seven months ago in the US, you can now find the latest unisex eau de parfum Vanilla Sex at Tom Ford Beauty in Hong Kong. Its top notes are vanilla tincture, vanilla absolute, floral notes, bitter almond, sandalwood, tonka bean absolute, and Ultravanil—the ingredients read like a baking recipe, which is why it is only fitting that the scent itself has a florid, almost pastry-like essence and resonance. Vanilla Sex is light, airy, and quite frankly, delicious.
Shop here or at Lane Crawford here.
Dior
Fashion history repeatedly proves that when Dior does something, it does it right. Instead of confining itself to just one perfume, the La Collection Privée line features three fragrances to encapsulate the essence of summer. The limited-edition scents are housed in couture cases adorned with the Dioriviera 2024 toile de Jouy motif: Dioriviera in emerald green, Eden-Roc in yellow, and a blood orange hue for the floral Jasmin des Anges.
To the jet-setting crowd, the unisex eau de parfum trio will ignite memories of the south of France, its scents vividly bringing back memories from the region—and its harmony of top notes are a reminder of Dior’s ideal of la dolce vita and celebration of the season. As Jasmin des Anges’s name suggests, the fragrance has the heady charisma of a jasmine bouquet, blended with apricot nectar and honey. Dioriviera’s dance between fig and rose has a more feminine mystique, while the Eden-Roc’s gentle sophistication is a tribute to the pleasure-indulging Cap Eden-Roc location, just south of Antibes on the Côte d’Azur.
Shop here.
Versace
The latest adverts from Versace featuring actor Channing Tatum, returning to his roots as a model, have spread online and on billboards across cities overnight, causing quite the media stir. As the eau de parfum for men, Eros Energy—part three of the existing Eros and Eros Flame family of fragrances—lands on our storied shelves, clips of Tatum chasing after an arrow as the star of the new Versace Eros campaign have gone viral.
Like in most perfume adverts, the storyboard is theatrical, with many flashes of striking visuals, overwrought masculinity, and a questionable respect of physics. But how’s the scent? Pretty good, in fact. Perfect for the season, the designer drop has soothing citrus top notes of blood orange, lime, grapefruit, lemon, Sicilian bergamot, and mandarin orange. Fit for olfactory seduction, the base notes are musk, patchouli, and oakmoss, while the middle notes are white amber, pink pepper, and blackcurrant. The yellow bottle is in line with Versace’s signature Greca and Medusa motifs with the crowning glory of a bronze-coloured cap reminding one that it’s a jewel to possess Eros Energy this sizzling season.
Coming soon.
All images courtesy of their respective brands.
