I hope everyone who celebrates had wonderful time with people (and furry creatures) important in your life. One more holiday to go – and then another year waiting for the next holiday season. Oh, well… Meanwhile, let’s see what this year brought us in terms of our common hobby.
Saturday Question #246:
What Are Your Top 10 (5? 3? Any?) Favorite Perfumes of 2024?
Do you remember years in the past when bloggers ran multiple lists of the best perfumes of the year, sometimes in different categories, from different authors… These days, I wouldn’t trust most of the lists that are made to place affiliated links to those products. But in our almost hermetic environment, let’s name those perfumes that impressed you in 2024. And if you can’t come up with anything created this year, it might be something significant that you tried this year for the first time.
My Answer
I was sloppy this year with my record keeping: I still have some records that are stored in the text file that I need to transfer to my database. So, I might be a couple of perfumes off. But looking through my database, I see that in total, I tested just about 15 perfumes created in 2024.
Out of these 15, I kind of liked 3 of the 4 perfumes in Jo Malone‘s Scented Mementos limited edition collection (Ginger Beer, Passiflora and Emerald Thyme) and two perfumes from The Estée Lauder Legacy Collection (Azuree Legacy and Estee Legacy). But this “like” was as in “it was pleasant, I might consider finishing my sample,” and it haven’t resulted in buying anything.
The only new favorite that I want to mention was 2023 Ormonde Jayne release, Arabesque, that I tried and appreciated this year.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
This year has been almost perfume-free for me – illness and bereavement take away the joy of wearing perfume and have also physically affected my sense of smell. But the one constant that calms me and brings a little pleasure is FM’s Synthetic Jungle. I had never even tried it before, so it was by luck that I was sent a sample. It’s not a comforting smell, but somehow it eases stress. No idea why!
Mmm, interested perhaps in Ginger Beer …. I used to like Origins’ Ginger.
Wishing you a happy 2025.
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I just tried Synthetic Jungle, which has been renamed Synthetic Nature, and really liked it a lot!
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In the first 6 months of this year, I wore less perfume not to disturb Rusty, and in the second half of the year, I wasn’t always in the mood to even think about what to wear. But I’m trying to do it more often.
My issue with Synthetic Jungle is … its name. It’s ironic because in perfumes I do not mind synthetic ingredients (I prefer a combination, but would rather go for all-synthetic than all-natural), but I’m so opposed to synthetic fabrics in modern clothing that just reading this word sets me against this perfume (even though I don’t mind its scent).
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I agree that it is not a very appealing name and also why I had never bothered with it before. And Jungle is not really appropriate either – perhaps that’s why they have replaced this with Nature (I find this renaming rather odd, and wonder if they have actually reformulated it). I am just glad that eventually I tried it, in spite of its name.
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All the best for the end of the year and into 2025, Undina. I still need to sample the Estee Lauder Legacy collection. Though, it wasn’t long ago they arrived in Australia. Here’s my post from the other day with my top scents. I did sample a lot of perfume this year, so I had a large sample size to choose from, so to speak. https://leavenocologneunturned.com/2024/12/27/best-perfumes-of-2024/
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Your list is impressive! I’ll follow some of your recommendations.
I’m still curious about perfumes, and when I have a chance, I try new creations. But I am not sure that I still have it in me going through hundreds of new perfumes a year.
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Thanks. I’m curious to see what you’ll make of them, Undina.
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To my surprise I tested 17 fragrances created in 2024. Last couple of years, I hardly tested any new fragrances. I liked 8 of them, no loves. The ones I liked most were Epona by Papillon, Philtre by Hiram Green, Infuse by Akro and Ruade by Parfum d’Empire.
My favourite discoveries this year were Lost in Heaven by Francesca Bianchi and Coven by Andrea Maack.
Whishing you all the best for 2025
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Thank you, Sylvia.
I haven’t tried any from your list, which isn’t surprising. I will definitely try to get a sample of Epona since I really liked the last two perfumes from the brand.
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By far my favorite 2024 fragrance is Parfums de Nicolai’s Une Fleur en Mai, a beautiful muguet fragrance. I haven’t tested many new 2024 fragrances, but I really liked the set of LBTY fragrances that were created in 2023 and 2024 for Liberty London (I have samples of them all), and Serge Lutens’ La Fille Tour de Fer, launched in 2024. Papillon Perfumes’ Epona got my attention, in a good way, at Les Senteurs in London, where I also tried and liked Cloon Keen’s Báínín (but the Cloon Keen I actually bought was Lá Bealtaine).
Not a 2024 launch, but I’ve been enjoying Hiram Green’s Arbolé, which I bought almost immediately after trying a sample early this year, which is rare for me. For Christmas this year, I got Après l’Ondée edt, from the Les Légendaires collection of Guerlain. It’s very lovely, a soft floral with anise in the opening.
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I spent much of the year playing catch up on sampling perfumes 2023. I had the chance to samples quite a few from 2024, but some I will not get to until the new year. These were the perfumes I liked out of the bunch I’ve sampled thus far.
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I really enjoy reflecting back on my favorite scents released during the year even though I agree with others, I feel like so many I tried were catching up from previous years vs actual 2024 releases.
Darren Alan Perfumes and Astrophill & Stella were both “new to me” brands this year. The rest were houses I’ve loved for quite some time and always follow their new releases.
My top ten for 2024 are:
Hiram Green PhiltreTauer HeraudJanuary Scent Project Northern FlickerScent Trunk Starlight SesamePapillon EponaLe Jardin Retrouve Violette KewAstrophill & Stella In ExtremisDarren Alan Perfumes Songes a FleursProvidence Perfume Co Vanilla VellichorBaruti Mono No Aware
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sorry for the formatting of the list (cut and paste did not work well!)
Hiram Green Philtre
Tauer Heraud
January Scent Project Northern Flicker
Scent Trunk Starlight Sesame
Papillon Epona
Le Jardin Retrouve Violette Kew
Astrophill & Stella In Extremis
Darren Alan Perfumes Songes a Fleurs
Providence Perfume Co Vanilla Vellichor
Baruti Mono No Aware
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sorry for the formatting of the list (cut and paste did not work well!)
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sorry about the bad formatting… here’s my top ten:
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I tried very this year but two blew me away. Chanel Comète and CHANDU Aunti Emma. Both gorgeous. Happy New Year Undina. Sending Bussis and love.
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little this year*
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2024 releases that made my heart sing were Papillon Epona, Marc-Antoine Barrois Tilia, though I need to test it further. The surprise was EL Legacy Azuree which I adore. I found a new bottle for 1/3rd of RRP on eBay. God bless those “influencers”!
Another I bought blind via a crowdfunder is 4160 Tuesdays Tempest Rose. A very beautiful clear rose. The bottle has its own Burlesque pastie & tassel.
For me though 2024 has been a year of exploring two main perfume genres. Vanillas & lipstick/makeup fragrances
There are other 2024 releases I want to sample
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I need to sample Tilia. I’ve seen a number of people recommending it on various sites.
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Thanks. I’m curious to see what you’ll make of them, Undina.
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I think Papillon Epona may be the only new perfume by any brand(!) I tried this year, and I loved it.
I did try a recent release by Ormonde Jayne that I appreciated – like you with Arabesque, though I have not sampled that one – namely Kashmir.
And I retried OJ Champaca for the first time in about 13 years, and it was a happy reunion, shall we say.
Wishing you all the best in 2025!
PS I do feel a shadow of my former voracious testing self that you know, haha.
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I’ve only really liked a few this year. Sillage X by Manos Gerakinis and two by Biename’. Biename’ is an old house revived recently. They have updated and re-issued two scents that I quite like– La Vie en Fleurs and Fleurs de Ete. La Vie en Fleurs is a heliotrope centered scent reminiscent of Carner Barcelona Tardes, but with less of a powdery finish. Fleurs d’Ete is a gardenia and tuberose scent. I also liked Tomavicci’s “Xanat” by Christian Provenzano. It’s a coffee gourmand, but not nearly as sweet as most of that ilk. It has good development and lots of woody base notes, including some oud. Surprisingly, I really like it.
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