Party Of One

A new generation of perfume lovers is ushering in a trend for fragrances that champion the unique and the understated

- Persolaise

YOU CAN’T ACCUSE MILLENNIALS of not knowing exactly what they want. They have to sip their flat whites in hipster-friendly cafès. They have to buy their seeded loaves from artisanal bakeries. And they have to post their Instagram updates -pouts at the ready-at the precise moment when most of their followers are online. So it’s not surprising that they’re equally picky when it comes to perfume. However, in this area of their trend-setting lives, they’ve evidently chosen to play things low key: Vast numbers of them have embraced the style of scent that has come to be known as ‘your own smell, but better’.

Typified by Micro Love from Jusbox and the upcoming Genetic Bliss from 27 87 Perfumes, to name but two, these are fragrances that refuse to shout. Quite the opposite. Their aim is to remain so quiet that they become indistinguishable from their wearer, creating an almost magical aura that envelopes the body with a subtle second skin of scent. They form an alchemical bond with their super-savvy millennial owners, accentuating the natural aroma of the wrists and necks upon which they’ve been sprayed. In other words, they help you project your own smell, but better. Get it?