We all have that one person in our lives who has worn the same fragrance for 10, 20, maybe even 30+ years and it’s time for a change. They seem welded to it, but just might be persuaded to make a change if presented with the right alternative!
At Lore, we are all about the expansion of horizons when it comes to fragrance, encouraging people to try new things and step out of their comfort zone a little, so we thought we might provide some recommendations for lovers of those classic, well-worn fragrances.
But given vintage-style, grandma-chic fragrances are trending in 2025, we thought that we’d also give some insight into the notes and styles that generally make a fragrance fall into this category. And why we absolutely love and appreciate them!
Aldehydes are aromachemicals that add a kind of fizzy feeling to a fragrance, think about them as the perfumery equivalent of champagne. Sometimes aldehydes can add a powdery scent, sometimes a cleanliness like soap, and of course, that sparkle and fizz, like champagne. Chanel N°5 popularised their use, but they’ve been used in many iconic fragrances since then! For wearers of those classic perfumes like Chanel N°5, Rive Gauche, White Diamonds.
Amber is one of the oldest notes used in perfumery. It was used in scents during ancient times for royalty to lightly scent themselves. Amber fragrances are generally made up of a mixture of ‘warm’ notes that create a cocooning effect via fragrance. Think warm vanilla blended with resinous notes such as labdanum, benzion and styrax, then blended with a hint of soft spices. The ultimate comfort scent, like a big hug of perfume. For lovers of Shalimar is one of the classic and iconic ambery scents.
These fragrances are filled with those creamy, powerful white flower notes of tuberose, jasmine and gardenia. They tend to have an intoxicating and powerful creamy floral tones to them, often accompanied by our favourite yellow flower – ylang ylang. These perfumes often also an animalic tone to them which is so interesting as the molecular makeup of gardenia resembles that of faeces. Sounds disgusting? You’ll be surprised at how this adds an alluring and irresistible facet to the fragrance, much like a pheromone effect. An historic and famous white floral that utilises all of the white flowers with intensity and seduction is Fracas by Robert Piguet and again, Joy by Jean Patou; below are some fabulous modern takes on the white floral fragrance.
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Always a classic, rose fragrances have been around for hundreds of years. From rose water, to rose petals, rose is often referred to as the queen of all flowers. Seen as a symbol of sensuality and romance, rose fragrances can vary depending on the type of rose used. Rose oil is also renowned for being an incredibly expensive ingredient in perfumery now, so you won’t often find the same level of concentrations of those from yesteryear.
These fragrances are always classic. Crisp and effervescent, citrus and aromatics smell like traditional ‘cologne’, almost barber shop-esque at times. The first cologne was created in 1709 by an Italian barber in the the German city of Köln (the French name for the city is cologne). So, you can see – cologne does not necessarily refer to a fragrance for men as so many have assumed over time. it is indeed a style of fragrance. Think the iconic 4711 fragrance, or even Acqua di Parma’s Colonia, both cologne-style fragrances for both men and women – citrus scents with hints of aromatics. They smell like clean skin…but better.
And lastly, we have woody, oakmoss scents – the iconic chypre fragrance. A category of fragrance that was once huge, and is making a bit of a comeback. These fragrances are dry and warm, this category often has a citrus opening and the remaining notes lie on a sumptuous bed of oakmoss and woods. With many sub categories of chypres, there are often floral, citrus, aromatic and fruity facets as a part of the blend. A popular and historical scent in this realm include Clinique Aromatics Elixir, so without further ado, lets meet some of our modern takes on chypre at Lore.
