Fragrance: Lemon scents

L-R: Avalon by Murdock (£70), Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligons (£58), Jean-Marie Farina by Roger & Gallet (£32), Verbena Eau de Toilette by L’Occitane en Provence (£38).

The fruit of the lemon tree has been used for it’s refreshing and cleansing scent for hundreds of years and this is no surprise – is there anything that smells cleaner and crisper than a freshly halved lemon? Not only is it the perfect addition to a cocktail, it is a wonderful base for a perfume and here are my top four “lemony” scents. Links to each are in the title.

Avalon by Mudock
Like all four scents on trial here, the top note is fresh and heady lemon. Murdock claim it is a modern twist on an Edwardian recipe, so this dates it to the period 1901-1910. The initial lemon burst is strong but dries down fairly quickly, to leave you with a mixture of citrus, bergamot and lavender with lavender being stronger than the bergamot. It’s quite an old fashioned scent (mainly because of the lavender) but this gives it a definite charm. It doesn’t last especially well, but it’s marketed as a cologne so you’re not looking at getting a full day’s wear out of it. It’s quite delicate and the addition of lavender is novel. A very good lighter citrus fragrance.

Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon’s
Blenheim Bouquet is a perfume with an illustrious history behind it – created in 1902 for the 9th Duke of Marlborough (and named after his ancestral home, Blenheim Palace), it has been a favourite of the nobility for years – notable wearers have included Sir Winston Churchill and The Prince of Wales. The 9th Duke himself held several (minor) political offices and had two failed marriages (the latter was especially loveless) but Blenheim Bouquet harbours none of that melancholy. It opens with a nice lemon burst, again with lavender, but is nice and peppery. The initial strength lasts longer than the Murdock to reveal a base of pine and musk -  it is also after a few minutes that the lime note shines through. I chose it as one of the two perfumes I took with me after my fragrance profiling at Penhaligon’s, so it’s safe to say I like it. Staying power is good for a citrus EDT, at three to four hours and it’s the longest lasting of all four scents reviewed.

Jean-Marie Farina by Roger & Gallet
Jean-Maria Farina (a member of the illustrious Farina fragrance family) had a booming perfume business in early 19th century France (eventually bought out by Roger & Gallet) and counted among his many customers the Emperor Napoleon himself, who reported ordered up to 60 bottles of this cologne a month. Top notes are striking lemon (tempered by lime), bergamot, orange and rosemary so this is definitely more of a “citrus family” scent than a lemon scent. Again, as it’s an EDC, the top notes die away fairly quickly but it does leave a lovely woody (sandalwood and cedarwood) base behind it which lingers longer than you’d expect for an EDC. It’s also the least expensive of the four, so if you’re on a budget and want a lovely citrus perfume (with a wonderful history) then this is the one to go for.

Verbena Eau de Toilette by L’Occitane en Provence
Verbena EDT has perhaps the strongest (and most edible) opening notes of all four perfumes – it smells very much how lemon sweets should (but rarely do) taste. It isn’t the most sophisticated lemon based fragrance but makes no claims to be, as it lasts very well and it’s very refreshing and clean. It’s probably the scent out of the four I would use for lounging around the house in and I don’t mean that in a bad way, after all, if you’re going to be surrounded by a smell all day you’d have to find it pleasant. The staying power is actually rather good, you get a good couple of hours of strong citrus fragrance. Once it dries down, you’re left with a subtle mixture of lemon, geranium and rose which has a real Mediterranean feel to it. After the Penhaligon’s, it has the second longest staying power.

So, there you have it. Each fragrance has it’s own unique charms and intricacies, but remember that each one will react in different ways on different people. What lasts on me might not last on you (and by default, what doesn’t last on me might linger on you for hours). My advice – go try them all!