What are your Five Favourite Fragrance Houses?

[SharpieB]

Hey folks,

I thought it might be interesting to see what each other’s favourite fragrance houses are. Also tell us why and/or how many of their scents you own if you don’t mind.

Here are mine…

1. Tom Ford. I own well over a dozen TF fragrances. Almost all from their less pricy Signature and Resort collections. Such excellent variety.

2. Maison Francis Kurkdjian (MFK). I own 6 MFK fragrances and a ton of samples. Excellent French house.

3. Prada. I own 6 bottles and love most of what Prada makes.

4. Lattafa. 10 mostly clone/inspired by fragrances. Amazing Arabian fragrances for the $$$.

5. Dior. 6 fragrances. Dior Homme (Parfum, Intense, 2020, Sport, Cologne….) is likely my favourite fragrance lineup of all time. Sauvage and Eau Savage are excellent too.

So what about you?

 

[lasta]

1. Annick Goutal: 4, Sables is my favourite!

2. Aramis: Havana, JHL, Tuscany, PH all masterpieces and surpringsly affordable. At one point I had 92 bottles, cut down a lot over the years but kept every Aramis.

3. YSL: Rive Gauche, Kouros, Opium are staples.

4. Chanel: Antaeus and PM.

5. The rest are one-offs.

 

[Owen Bawn]

My tastes have changed as I grow older. I now lean toward fragrances that are, for want of a better term, barely there. Light citrus and soapy, perhaps a little powdery. Subtlety is now key.

As a result I'm drawn not only to old rather conservative houses but more specifically to their older and simpler offerings. So while I'd list Penhaligon's among my top 3 I want nothing to do with anything that has an elephant or Anubis for a bottle cap. Give me Blenheim Bouquet and Castile and if I'm feeling wild, Sartorial. That said, this list should not be surprising.
1. Floris
2. Acqua di Parma
3. Penhaligon's
4. Two, maybe 3 offerings from Dunhill.
5. Did I already say Acqua di Parma?

 

[Edinburgh]

Penhaligon’s of Yesteryear
Creed of Yesteryear
Geo F. Trumper
Czech & Speake
Houbigant

 

[Sinnbad11]

I'm on a bit of a niche fragrance kick at the moment so I would say:

1. Arquiste
2. Zoologist
3. Laboratorio Olfattivo
4. Ineke
5. Acqua di Parma

 

[SharpieB]

I'm on a bit of a niche fragrance kick at the moment so I would say:

1. Arquiste
2. Zoologist
3. Laboratorio Olfattivo
4. Ineke
5. Acqua di Parma

Interesting. I consider myself a fraghead that owns quite a few niche fragrances, but have never heard of Arequisite, Olfattivo or Ineke. I need to check them out.

I do love my Zoologist fragrances and it helps that I can drop by and see Victor in person as I pass by the Zoologist office frequently as he is local (near Toronto). He has some cool new stuff coming out late this year/early next BTW.

ADP has always been one of my summer scents. The OG, Intensia, Club, etc.

 

[AlphaFrank75]

My choices are based solely on vintage fragrances

• Guerlain
• Chanel
• Dior
• Ralph Lauren
• Giorgio Beverly Hills

 

[Sinnbad11]

Interesting. I consider myself a fraghead that owns quite a few niche fragrances, but have never heard of Arequisite, Olfattivo or Ineke. I need to check them out.

I do love my Zoologist fragrances and it helps that I can drop by and see Victor in person as I pass by the Zoologist office frequently as he is local (near Toronto). He has some cool new stuff coming out late this year/early next BTW.

ADP has always been one of my summer scents. The OG, Intensia, Club, etc.

I have Peau, Sydney Rock Pool, and Indigo Smoke from Arquiste. Each of them are excellent and fairly unique.

Indigo smoke is a lightly smokey, black tea and incense fragrance that lasts forever. It's my go to at the moment, my full size bottle arrived today.

Ineke Field Notes from Paris and Idyllwild are really nice.

Olfattivo makes some beautiful fresh fragrances in Pompelmo, and Arancia Rossa. My wife really likes the passion fruit note in the Rossa.

 

[SRLNY]

I have a small list of houses, but, then I'm perhaps not as hard core a frag head as others. One house, oddly, is a house from which I've only purchased one but will certainly get more. Otherwise, most of my scents are one-offs and I can't say the house, as such, has mattered. Here's the four I would list:

Louis Vuitton -- 6 -- I'm a huge fan of Jacque Cavallier-Belletrud. I like nearly everything he has done, and not just the LV line but his prior work for, among others, Bulgari (Tygar) or Tom Ford (Tuscan Leather etc), etc etc. I particularly like his freshies which, sadly, may soon get relegated for the season to my back shelf.

Les Indémodables -- 3 -- Another creator I seem to align with is Valérie Pulvérail. Vanilla Havana is hands-down one of my favorite scents but I've enjoyed others from the house, and have two more (Cuir de Chine and Ambre Supreme).

Le Labo -- 4 -- I found Le Labo scents to be unexceptional but to "just work." At least, they work for me.

St. Rose -- 1 -- Virtually unknown niche Australian/New York house but my wife came home one day with Juliet in White (a tangerine/tea freshie) that I adore. Then, when I was passing through Bergdoff Goodman in New York, I went and smelt the others and could have bought just about all of them, but held off on purchases for another day. That's why I've only got one. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm fairly sure that I'll get more the next time I can go to the store.

Of others mentioned already, I really have to go check out Zoologist. At least I've got a place near me that sells the line.

​

 

[Owen Bawn]

Penhaligon’s of Yesteryear
Creed of Yesteryear
Geo F. Trumper
Czech & Speake
Houbigant

I like the way this man is thinking. He probably smells good, too.

 

[Paul Bearer]

chanel
prada
amouage

 

[The Knize]

Wow, there was a time when I could have answered this!

Lorenzo Villoresi
after that I am not sure anymore
lots of the older versions of Aramis, Pens, C&S, and, I choke on this, Creed

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

I'm drawn not only to old rather conservative houses but more specifically to their older and simpler offerings.

If you haven't put your nose to Worth Pour Homme, I think you should check it out. In my own sad little mind, it seems like something between YSL L'Homme and AdP Colonia. It's a product of the 1930s, and I find it to be subtle, soapy, and classic. It's also not in fashion at the moment, so it's very inexpensive.

To OP's question, I guess I'm too picky. I can't think of any houses that have more than one fragrance I can't live without. If I were pressed, I'd say Creed... but Aventus is so far ahead of the rest, in my mind, it's difficult for me to commit even to that.

 

[Beto Salatini]

Guerlain
Chanel
Caron
Hermès
Dior

 

[ffourteen]

Still fairly new to the world, but I have frags from Chanel, Dior, and Guerlain in rotation.

Dior and Guerlain are easy to find samples of, but does anyone know a reputable place to get Chanel samples? I’m thinking classic scents like Cuir de Russie and Sycomore.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

1. Acqua di Parma
2. Tom Ford
3. Santa Maria Novella
4. Chanel
5. Hermès

 

[Jubejubilee]

Hermès
Dior
Armani
Yves Saint Laurent
Zoologist

 

[KCD]

Penhaligon's
Guerlain
Yves Saint Laurent
Aramis/Lauder
Ralph Lauren

 

[The Knize]

Lorenzo Villoresi
after that I am not sure anymore
lots of the older versions of Aramis, Pens, C&S, and, I choke on this, Creed

Hmmm, I realize now that the OP asked for number of bottles of each favorite house. That is probably not a good test of my favorite houses. I used to do a lot of splits with folks and most scents I do not really need a full 100 ml bottle of and do not like paying a premium per ml for, say, a 50 ml bottle. I would count as a once full bottles, bottles I bought "used" that had a lot left in them, and I am counting 50 ml bottles.

LV--I currently have what were once full bottles of Patchouli (2x), Musk (2x), Sandalo, Acqua di Colonia, Uomo, and Piper Nigrum, and I have had large splits of Vetiver.

Aramis--PH (I would say I have a semi-vintage version), Havana (vintage and new formula), Devin (new formula, two bottles), 900 (new formula), New West (new formula).

Pens--BB, HB, Castile, English Fern, Douro, Opus 1870, and I had had good-sized splits of Sartorial and Elixir.

C&S--I own what were once full bottles of O&C, Cuba, Citrus Paradisi, and Neroli, and I have had good-sized decants of 88.

Creed--I only own one, once full bottle, which I bought used, and that was of Silver Mountain Water. My wife has a full bottle of one of the versions of Aventus. I have had decent-sized decants of the following, but nothing really big of vintage Tabarome, Cuir de Russie, Bois de Santal, Himalaya Also, I suppose a decent decant of Windsor, which is now Royal Mayfair. Also of Feuille Verte.

​

 

[Marco]

Acqua di Parma: Colonia, Colonia Intensa, Colonia Essenza

Terre d'Hermes: Parfum, Eau de Toilette

Christian Dior: Fahrenheit, Eau Sauvage, Sauvage

Ralph Lauren: Polo Green

Floris: N°89