Love is in the air

For some, it’s a morning coffee brought to you in bed, its tannic earthiness mixing with the brightness of freshly cleaned sheets. For others, it’s the raspberry-rich aroma of a hand-delivered, freshly cut bouquet of roses. I’m a fan of the fragrant flower, but this year, I’ve been considering other scent options for the most romantic time of year: unfamiliar florals, vivacious green notes, and intoxicating, resinous woods. Check out my Valentine’s Day fragrance highlights below!

Tilia - Marc-Antoine Barrois

Though rose may be traditional for Valentine’s Day, I think it’s time we gave linden its flowers too. For the unaware, linden is a tree that grows tiny, deeply aromatic flowers, and in Marc-Antoine Barrois’ Tilia, their honeyish scent is expressed beautifully. Tilia is an endless summer holiday of a fragrance: blooming jasmine and orange blossom meet the clean sweetness of linden, all underlined by a cosy base of georgywood and Ambrofix. I first smelled the scent on a rainy December day at the Marc-Antoine store in Mayfair and I was struck by how lovely it was, like drying off in a fresh towel after a summer’s lake dip with your love. 

Orphèon - Diptyque

When I first got my nose on The effect is remarkably lovely, like drying off in a fresh towel after a summer’s lake dip with your love., I got waves of eyelash-fluttering bliss that I associate with a transcendent bite of food, a deep morning stretch, or a particularly ecstatic night out dancing. No surprise, then, that Orphèon was inspired the titular jazz club underneath the original Diptyque store in Paris. It's really unlike anything I’ve smelled before, a piney, resinous top note of juniper berries rests upon pillowy cloud of jasmine and a calming cedarwood base. It's swoony, beautiful and reportedly the signature scent of Gillian Anderson, which is the only cosign I need.

Ma Bête - Eris Parfums

If you’re looking for something to awaken the beast within, go for Eris Parfums’ musky and vivid Ma Bête. The fragrance has an irresistible origin story: at the premiere of the 1946 film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Marlene Dietrich screamed “Damez-moi ma bête!” at the screen, preferring the rugged beast over the manicured prince. Perfumer Antoine Lie has captured this sense of erotic abandon with neroli, nutmeg and a whole lot of animal funk. Like the titular beast, it's bolshy and brooding, with a deceptively gentle heart. 

Violette 30 - Le Labo

Le Labo fragrances are perfect for date night: light enough as not to be distracting but with enough presence to impress any partner. Violette 30 is a lovely addition to their range, a woody number with notes of white tea, cumin, and, of course, the titular violet. There's none of the cloying, medicinal quality you might associate with Parma Violet sweets, only a yielding, creamy sweetness. Proof that the skin scent trend shows no signs of stopping in 2026, Violette 30 is an appropriately sensual addition to everyone's favourite niche perfumery line. 

Synthetic Nature - Frederic Malle

Love is easy, pure, straightforward. Romance on the other hand?Complicated, exhilerating, faintly nauseating, sometimes downright unhinged. Synthetic Nature by Frederic Malle perfectly captures the vertigo of a crush with a full-on floral and green gauntlet. Lily of the valley, basil and hyacinth conjure a garden on the brink of bloom: lush, bright, almost too alive. Yet the slightly sour, banana-like aroma of ylang ylang provides that feeling like your heart is about to beat out of its chest. It’s a riveting, high-voltage take on a fougère fragrance, and a sharp reminder that in dating, as in life, it’s a jungle out there. 

Eden Bond - Ode Ona

With Eden Bond, Hong Kong-based brand Ode Ona gets straight to the bedroom but this serene, skin-close scent is anything but carnal. Rather, Eden Bond is closer to a gentle caress, meant to evoke skin, bedsheets and the everlasting bond of love. Bright orange flower and ginger are offset by the musky sweetness of angelica and the anchoring familiarity of vanilla. The overall effect is clean and relaxing, like drifting into a light sleep during a couple’s massage and awakening to a chilled glass of herbal tea. One for the romantics!

Éminence - Fine Scents

Consider Éminence the little black dress or the tailored suit of the perfume world: statement-making, excellently crafted, and with brilliant longevity. Beginning with a bright marine opening, the fragrance settles into a mellow cedarwood and patchouli base. There's no screeching, “look at me” theatrics, just a whole lot of quiet presence. In fragrance, as in dating, finding something that simply works will always outlast the drama of endless highs and lows, of novelties and fleeting infatuations.

Celestia - Nyita

What better way to demonstrate love than showing your love for the world? Nyita forefronts sustainability in their range of perfume oils: all raw materials are traceable to their producers, and they use artisan extraction processes instead of polluting petrochemical methods. Celestia, which comes from the Latin for “heavenly”, is just that, like a ray of sunshine bottled. Wear it for someone who brings out the sun in you. 

Shop the selection below!