I am a total sucker for Perfume. I know it, everyone who knows me knows it, and everyone who reads my reviews knows it, too. While this might sound like a totally normal statement for a beauty editor to make, things are particularly severe in my case. I own nearly 100 bottles of the stuff. And while I don’t (and wouldn’t) wear all of them, I couldn’t possibly bring myself to part with a single one. You see, I surround myself with fragrances all day long, so I appreciate great perfumes so much that, even when they don’t appeal to my personal tastes, I like to keep them and smell them from time to time.
To me, a great perfume (whether it’s citrusy, woody, or sweet) evokes emotion. It might make you want to scrunch your face up in a tight ball, but if a perfume gets an overwhelming response from you, I think it’s doing the right job. The very best perfumes make you feel something. And it’s for this reason that I don’t give time to scents that champion specific notes—I want my perfume to swaddle me up in a blanket of nostalgia and sentiment. So when I first heard about Phlur, the new kid on the perfume block, I was intrigued.
I stumbled across Phlur on TikTok when U.S. creator Mikayla Nogueira went viral after describing the brand’s Missing Person Eau de Parfum as “a person that you love and that you miss.” Within five hours, the perfume had sold out and racked up a hefty waiting list. Now that is a perfume that evokes emotion. I had to try and get my hands on it.
Founded by entrepreneur and influencer Chriselle Lim, Phlur champions fragrances specially crafted and blended to evoke intimate memories, tell a story, and communicate a specific mood. While not a perfumer herself, Lim has enlisted the help of superstar perfumers to create each scent. I’m talking about the noses behind Le Labo Santal 33, Byredo Gypsy Water, and Glossier You, to name just a few.
Miranda Kerr is a fan of Phlur fragrances.
What’s shocking is that, after snagging all of Phlur’s fragrances, I want to keep every single one—all nine of them. And I actually want to wear every single one. The bottles are understated and chic, giving off slightly more colorful Byredo vibes, which is something I want to touch upon while we’re here. Even though I’m not a daily wearer of Byredo (I keep Blanche, De Los Santos, Open Sky, Violet Haze, Gypsy Water, and Mojave Ghost in my collection), the brand’s ability to evoke emotion and memory through scent really has set a precedent for how a great perfume should be crafted. And while I fully appreciate every Byredo perfume out there, I can’t say I’d wear all of them. In fact, I wouldn’t wear every fragrance from any perfume brand—except for Phlur.
If, like me, you’ve also found yourself intrigued by Phlur’s new presence in the beauty world, keep scrolling for an honest review of each of its perfumes.
Key notes: skin musk, bergamot nectar, sheer jasmine, fresh cyclamen, neroli blossom, orange flower, sandalwood Australia oil, blonde wood, white musk. Perfumer: Constance Georges-Picot, known for La Prairie Life Threads. This is the one that started it all. I’m going to put it out there and say this is my least favorite Phlur fragrance. It’s not that it’s not stunning. It’s just a little too soft and subtle for me. It’s the non-perfume-wearers perfume. It’s sweet and skin-like, reminiscent of, well, a person you miss. While most fragrances of this ilk might smell like vanilla and remind you of warm cashmere blankets, Missing Person is all human. Rather than being gimmicky, it really is like burying your nose into the neck of your loved one after a long day without them, acting as a safe, comforting delight. It’s barely there, but maybe that’s the beauty of it.
Key notes: Italian bergamot, rose, pink pepper, patchouli, sandalwood. Perfumer: Nathalie Benareau, known for Victoria’s Secret Bare. One whiff of this, and I’m a child, lazing around the flower beds under the summer sun while my mum carefully prunes the garden. It’s fresh and carefree but delightfully intense. With a zingy hit of nose-tickling pink pepper, it’s invigorating enough to unleash the childish play in anyone. Améline proves that, while Phlur can branch out into a variety of fragrance families, the brand manages to add a familiar human element to each of its creations.
Key notes: cardamom, bergamot, mimosa, violet, vanilla milk, sandalwood, tonka beans. Perfumer: Jerome Epinette, known for Byredo Gypsy Water, Byredo Velvet Haze, & Other Stories fragrances, Oribe Cote d’Azur. For me, Not Your Baby is the standout in Phlur’s lineup. While it’s not my absolute favorite, its mouthwatering sweetness has my soul melting into the floor. At first, it’s childlike and sweet, but before you even have a second to process what’s happening, it’s warm and spicy, like a sticky pain au raisin that’s just been pulled from the oven. And even though all of this sounds like a lot, I can assure you it’s refreshingly wearable and not imposing.
Key notes: bergamot, lemon, wet greens, cyclamen, ylang essential oil, golden gardenia, jasmine sambac absolute, tuberose, vanilla, skin musk, sandalwood, ambrox, cedarwood. Perfumer: Frank Voelkl, known for Le Labo Santal 33 and Glossier You. When I first smelled Phloria, I had to take a moment to myself. I really don’t like the tendency to dramatize reactions when writing about fragrances, but this is true. It takes me back to my childhood holidays. If I close my eyes, I’m floating carelessly on a rubber ring, gazing at the blossoming flowers in the trees above and letting my fingers trickle over the top of the water while the poolside people around me mist themselves with tanning oils. It’s bliss.
Key notes: fig, bergamot, hazelnut, white florals, sandalwood, vetiver, musk. Perfumer Nathalie Benareau, known for Victoria’s Secret Bare. If I had to choose a favorite Phlur perfume, Hanami would be it. At first, it’s sticky, warm, and citrusy (it smells undeniably expensive), but it soon transforms into a sweet envelope of snuggly comfort. Hanami is the familiar hug I’m itching to jump into when I’m five minutes away from home after a stressful day of holding back tears. It’s a haven.
Key notes: bergamot, lemon, jasmine, saffron, cyclamen, sandalwood, vanilla musk, amber, moss, cedarwood. Perfumer: Robert Gaudelli. As the latest addition to Phlur’s perfume family, Somebody Wood is a magnificent woody concoction. I’d say it’s the least emotive, but that doesn’t mean somebody else won’t find it memory-evoking. It’s spicy, filled with bone-warming heat, and deeply woody, like stepping into a pub after a particularly crisp winter’s walk with open fires crackling away in every corner.
Key notes: timut pepper, forest air, violet, green tea, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, oakmoss. Perfumer: Gino Percontino, known for Hollister Free Wave and Banana Republic Vintage Green. Sandara is the most wearable perfume of the bunch. I think you’d struggle to find someone who doesn’t love it. It’s sense-clearing and fresh but not in a mossy, forest-walk way. Instead, it’s green and floral. Most of all, though, it smells expensive. If Sandara was a spa, it would be a hill-top oasis at the Four Seasons.
Key notes: apricot, plum, cardamom, jasmine absolute, peony, agarwood, tonka beans, sandalwood, labdanum. Perfumer: Jerome Epinette, known for Byredo Gypsy Water, Byredo Velvet Haze, & Other Stories fragrances, Oribe Cote d’Azur. Don’t be put off by the premise of apricot in the name of this perfume if apricot isn’t your thing. Instead of being juicy and sweet, Apricot Privée is fruity and spicy, like baked plums bubbling away in an AGA cooker and mulled wine being stirred on the stove. Unlike other scents of equally warming delight, it’s not headache-inducing or attention-seeking, sitting instead like a veil of spicy, familiar comfort on the skin.
Key notes: Italian bergamot, cassis leaves, crisp apple, rhubarb, fresh freesia, jasmine, lily of the valley, maté absolute, orris concentrate, vanilla orchid. Perfumer: Gil Clavien, known for Boy Smells Flor de la Virgen. Worlds away from anything else Phlur has created, Lost Cause is crisp, marine-like, and totally unique. Far from your standard rain-like smell, it’s sweet, zingy, and means business. It’s a perfume that will have people chasing you down the street. If I had to choose one Phlur perfume to wear every day, Lost Cause would be it.
This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK. Next up, these are the best perfumes of 2022, according to beauty experts.
