Fiona Embleton
Cherry perfumes? For autumn? Now that actually is groundbreaking. Typically, once summer is in the rearview mirror, we trade in the sticky sweetness of fruity fragrances and hunker down with cosy amber, tobacco and vanilla.
But it seems the trending scent of the season is this glossy red fruit after all, with a 110% increase in Google search around “cherry perfumes” in the past 30 days alone.
Tom Ford arguably put cherry on the olfactive map by playing up its tart and smoky nuances. Now a new breed of cherry fragrances is picking up where the brand’s Lost Cherry and Cherry Smoke left off.
“Cherry has this unique ability to be both familiar and surprising,” says Audrey Semeraro, founder of the fine fragrance brand Edeniste, which has just launched the black cherry-laced Oud Ghazal. “It’s a note that can be layered with deep woods, rich spices, or fresh florals, making it incredibly versatile.”
So it’s no longer all about morello cherries that smell sweet like candy or syrupy like teenage lipgloss (though there is that, and rightly so). Now you can find cherry sidling up to toasted almonds for a nutty twist, rose for an elevated fruity floral and even mouth-wateringly edible chocolate.
Cherry perfumes can register as carnal, too. Landing on a bed of exotic spices or leather, more subversive cherry scents conjure up crimson cherry juice dribbling down your chin in a dimly-lit Parisian hotel room (preferably reclining on a velvet chaise longe with someone else dangling the cherry stalk above your mouth).
One scent is even spiked with a secret “love accord” that neuroscientists claim can fire up the pleasure centres in your brain.
“Cherry perfumes have taken off this year because they offer a unique combination of boldness and sweetness, which people are really craving,” notes Michelle Feeney, founder of Floral Street. “There is something irresistible about that juicy, ripe cherry note – it feels playful, but with a depth that makes it stand out. It’s perfect for those who want a fragrance that is fun yet sophisticated.”
Either way, cherry perfumes are taking their mission – that you don’t waste another minute on autumn’s predictable scents – very seriously.
More perfumes content: