Your favorite noses (and why)

Relatively new so hopefully this thread is categorized in the right place....

I LOVE that the collection section of Parfumo will calculate my top noses based on what I own 🥰. I've always wanted to do this manually but the task felt too gargantuan. Problem solved! So I'm starting this thread to share my top noses and why I like their work. Hoping others will chime in and do the same!

My top 3 comprise of a 3-way tie between the following (owning 6 bottles from each):

🏆Antonie Lie🏆

Why I love him: I listened to an interview where he said current philosophy on formulation is to pair exquisite naturals with the right synthetics to enhance and compliment the former. This is exactly what I like to see. I also love that he is an independent perfumer (not contracted to any of the big formulation houses) and is willing to do compelling work for indie brands and briefs that catch his fancy creatively.

Works I love: The entire house of ERIS is impeccable. I also think he can do amazing things with rose (see Eau de Protection and Bed of Roses )

🏆Euan McCall🏆

Why I love him:Generally inspired by botanicals and lesser known vegetation from his native Scotland, and has a flair for wildly inventive and totally unique formulation.

Works I love:His personal brand Jorum Studio does incredibly quirky and entirely singular scents. I own several bottles, but even when I find the scents too strange to own, I always enjoy sampling virtually everything he comes out with. He's also proven he can work in a more refined style (though sometimes no less challenging!) through his scents for Senyoko that fly largely under the radar.

🏆Marc Antoine Corticchiato🏆

Why I love him: A little in the vein of Euan McCall, though Marc precedes him, he often draws inspiration from less prestigious plants that are neglected from other perfumer's palettes. His blends are a little less quirky and more mature though. And can we talk about RANGE😲🤩?!?! His personal house Parfums d'Empire has so many well regarded scents in all different genres that have won love and acclaim over the years.

Works I love: Before PdE he did amazing stuff for the long defunct (and criminally under-known) La Parfumerie Moderne. I own Années Folles , Cuir X , and Désarmant . And he also did the cult neo-classic Œillères

🏅Honorable Mentions right on their heals, 5 bottles each from...🏅

Christopher Sheldrake - Lutens obvs, but also Rauque

Olivier Pescheux - Diptyque baby!

Instead of listing 10 acclaimed French perfumers, I'll give you a list of 3 women and 3 men whose work I enjoy the most (and have smelled at least 4 scents from them this year). Great thread btw!

Karine Vinchon-Sphener - I love her use of cumin and boozy notes. She creates chameleon-like scents that keep on changing. Her creations are full of contrast, yet work as a whole.

Overture Man

Fate Man

Myths Man

Memoir Man - Heavily reformulated though, the last good batch was "G"

Cécile Zarokian - While her work isn't as refined as Karine's, the hype she gets is deserved. I love her use of spices and the contrast between spices and sweet notes. Also her signature anise.

Opus XIII - Silver Oud

Opus XIV - Royal Tobacco - Reformulated, look for the original "G" batch

Epic 56 Woman

Outlands

Sonia Constant - She mostly works on designers but still has a very special place in my heart. I know that I can expect florals, spices, a distinctive "main character" note and a sweet drydown.

Ombré Leather (2018) Eau de Parfum

Noir Extreme Eau de Parfum

Moonlight Patchouli

For Him Bleu Noir Parfum

Quentin Bisch - Do I even need to introduce Quentin? The crazy alchemist whose divine synthetic creations are more pleasant on the nose than perfumes with raw materials. I prefer his work with niche houses, but I can't deny the success of his designers either.

Carlisle

Ganymede Eau de Parfum

Purpose

Kenzo Homme (2022) Eau de Parfum

Jordi Fernández - The master of leather and oud accords. His work is the perfect bridge between western and Middle Eastern perfumery. Similarly to Cécile, I love his use of spices and sweet notes. He also took the leather vs raspberry (or fruity notes) category to the next level.

Oud Stallion

Oud Cadenza

London Extrait de Parfum

Haltane

Worth checking out: Oud Maracujá, "Cuir InfraRouge | Maison Crivelli" and his work at Widian / AJ Arabia.

Pierre Negrin - I promised I wouln't list oldschool French perfumers, but Pierre is godlike. His scents are incredibly polished, but at the same time they have such a distinctive, rough character.

Interlude Man

Opus VII - Reckless Leather

Journey Man - Again heavily reformulated, look for the "G" batch (or earlier batches)

Sunshine Man

Also worth mentioning: Portrayal Man, Serenity and British Leather.

@Wusubi - oh gosh, thanks for the lovely and detailed breakdown of some great noses! I was a little sad my top results based on my collection didn't include any women, so I'm glad you highlighted some good ones. I knew Cecile Zarokian does a lot of work for Amouage, for example, but didn't know there was another woman who featured prominently in the works of the house. I also love cumin so I am definitely going to look into Karine Vinchon-Sphener more. Very cool!

Liz Moores - Every fragrance I’ve tried beckons me into a relationship I didn’t think I wanted. Each is always so much more than the first impression. They feel alive, complex, dynamic, mature, responsive, assertive, sensual. The time and care she puts into each composition becomes evident with each wear.

I have:

Anubis

Spell 125

Working my way towards a full bottle of Tobacco Rose

Her use of ambergris in particular is magical. In interviews, her point of view and dedication as an artist is clear and engaging.

@Tealight10 oh Liz Moores is a good one! Anubis is my partner's signature scent (and I like it a lot too). 

It seems to not be a fair fight lol, Daniela Roche Andrier has at least 8 of my favorites and the closest would be Quentin Bisch with 3.

Here are those 8 and admittedly some are flankers:

L'Homme

L'Homme Intense

L'Homme L'Eau

Amber pour Homme Eau de Toilette

Luna Rossa Black

Luna Rossa Carbon

Luna Rossa Eau de Toilette (wearing today as well as yesterday)

Bottega Veneta pour Homme Eau de Toilette

Jacques Guerlain because of the creativity, his love for perfume I sense in his creations and because the only way I can stand vanilla in perfume, is when it's part of guerlinade.

@Stardust23 Oh wow, you have a true favorite! There's something satisfying in that, and I bet it's nice to know you'll likely love other things Daniela does so you can follow and sample with confidence.

@Ringtale I am super fussy about vanilla too! I wish I had a hack for it like you do, knowing that if a specific perfumer handles it you won't mind it. I feel like I am always stumbling around in the dark, risking it whenever I sample something with a vanilla note. 

Oh you really should try (sample first) some guerlain's then, maybe not Shalimar, that - for me - has too much vanilla, but maybe L'Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum or Jicky Eau de Parfum (sampled that one, it is lovely, but I have to sample it again). Oh and seeing what you like, I think you would love Mitsouko Eau de Parfum. No vanilla listed, but a good reference for Guerlinade , a beautyful chypre.

Totally…she could come out with anything and Im probably buying it. I think Givaudan itself seems to have great perfumers in general, their own great accords etc. 

Jacques Polge, Coromandel Eau de Parfum is one example of many, Olivier Polge, see Le Lion de Chanel, Patricia de Nicolai, see New York Intense, Cecile Zarokian, see Tempête d'Automne.

Others who I want to begin exploring further incude Guiseppe Imprezzabile (Meo Fusciuni), Spirito , and Francesca Bianchi, The Mariner's Rhyme.

Marie Salamagne at Fermenich has done some lovely work. Atelier des Ors Rouge Saray and Maison Margiela By the Fireplace are two of my favorite vanillas. She has nosed a lot of fragrances from Guerlain Mandarin Basilic to Black Opium. 

Such an awesome thread! 🤩👍

I actually wrote a whole blog article series here about my favourite noses about a year ago, so here we go:

My Favourite Noses

Part 1: Anne Flipo

Part 2: Rodrigo Flores-Roux

Part 3: Max Perttula