Fragrance is super subjective. What smells good or bad to you is dependent on so many factors – biology, scent association, tradition, culture… the list goes on. So, in that way, we don’t believe there’s actually any such thing as a “gross” fragrance – we say one man’s putrid is another man’s perfume.
With all that in mind, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of our more controversial fragrances (the ones that are designed to be more challenging than pretty) and talk about some of the reasons you might want to smell “gross”.
OUR GROSSEST FRAGRANCE – SÉCRÉTIONS
A niche fragrance cult classic, Sécrétions Magnifiques is a challenge even for the bravest of perfume lovers. Formulated to smell like all the human body’s secretions – blood, sweat, spit, semen, milk – it’s simultaneously disturbing and intriguing.
NOTES
Top: Marine Accord, Salt Accord, Aldehyde
Middle: Blood Accord, Milk Accord, Adrenaline Accord
Base: Sandalwood, Iris, Opoponax
SCENT MEMORIES – MANNISH BOY
Sometimes you may be attracted to a “gross” fragrance because it’s attached to a fond scent memory for you. For Laura, it’s a mothball note in Vararoha’s Mannish Boy. The smell of mothballs certainly isn’t for everyone, but they remind Laura of her childhood home, so she feels warm and fuzzy with just a spritz of this fragrance!
NOTES
Top: Linden Blossom, Rosemary, Heliotrope, Lemon
Middle: Frankincense, Cedar, Mothballs
Base: Cypress, Agarwood, Juniper
HAPPY BRAIN CHEMICALS – VAPOR BLOOM
Apparently our brains get excited when we smell something we know might be dangerous or bad for us, but is low enough in concentration that we know it won’t hurt us. Kind of like a VR racecar… but for your nose. Vapor Bloom by ÖRÖK FRAGRANCES is the perfect example of such a scent due to its “gas” accord. No more smelling the air at the petrol station – smell this instead!
NOTES
Lime, Gas, Orange, Metallic, Rhubarb, Warm amber, Heliotrope, Vanilla, Woody notes
SEX – FOUL PLAY
The fact is, the smells elicited by the human body can elicit arousal, whether those smells are good or not. Like how your partner’s BO can smell good to you but not to someone else – the same principle applies. Notes like indole and oud (both contained within The Raconteur’s Foul Play) smell alluring and sensual in small quantities, but in their pure form they can actually smell fecal! We think this fragrance strikes the perfect balance.
NOTES
Dirty Leather, Bad Buddawood, Loose Labdanum, Criminal Coumarin, (Should be) Illegal ISO E Super, Performance Enhancing Patchouli, Banned Benzophenone, Inappropriate Indole, Misbehaving Musk, Out of bounds Oud, Corrupt Cypress
At the end of the day, perfumery is an artform that is supposed to make you feel something, and wearing a fragrance is one of the more powerful forms of personal self expression. At Lore, we’re big believers in wearing whatever makes you feel good – who cares what other people think?
If any of these fragrances intrigued you enough to give them a try, you can sample them via one of our Custom Sample Packs here, otherwise come in store and see how they make you feel.
