The 12 most romantic fragrances to wear on date night
Love is in the air
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YOU HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT. The table is booked, the wine selected, your outfit sharper than a Kagekiyo chef knife. It’s the perfect date scenario. Until you go and screw it all up with a fragrance that has you smelling like you tripped into a vat of oud before you arrived.
Don’t get me wrong, love a good oud. But there’s a time and a place for something that, infamously, can smell like shit. And to be fair, the issue isn’t always about the fragrance itself. It’s the current trend to put so much on that the air around you becomes flammable.
The perfect fragrance for date night, or Valentine’s Day or any romantic occasion, should do two things. Make you feel confident, but also make your significant other want to draw in close to get a better experience of what you’re wearing. It’s meant to make the moment intimate. If you can smell it from the other side of the room, you’re doing it wrong.
Date night notes tend to be those that accentuate the mood – wood (pun intended) notes, leathers, vanillas. And, irony of ironies, notes like cumin and animalic notes that have a subtle, feral, funk to them.
If you’re looking for the perfect date night fragrance, check out our shortlist of favourites below.
Perche No by Fendi
Woody, but fresh; subtle, but with great staying power. Sandalwood, sand, pink pepper, iris and incense – Perche No hits all the notes. Despite the lightness of its character, it has a great projection so don’t be fooled into spraying more than you need. It’s so versatile it could easily become a signature scent.
Tobacco Toscano 1221 Edition by Santa Maria Novella
The name is a misnomer. Tobacco is there, but it’s in subtle balance with vanilla and leather that wears like a subtle aura. If you’re date night is a dinner for two, this is a mouthwatering choice that won’t overpower the meal or wine.
Much Ado About the Duke by Penhaligon’s
Penhaligon’s actually has plenty of great date night fragrance options but I opted for one that is a little divisive for two reasons. One – a great masculine rose is rare. Which is what this is. It has notes of gin, pepper and some leather in the base. Which comes to reason two – it makes the romance of roses smell like the morning after the romance. Versatile.
Fan Your Flames by Nishane
Honestly, what could be more romantic than a fragrance inspired by a poem by Rumi? The fragrance itself is an evening in the heart of Istanbul – the sweet smoke of shisha, coconut, tonka and rum. Hedonistic in the most polite possible way and excellent for date nights that require close proximity.
You or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange
A fresh, invigorating choice that doesn’t rely on the familiar citrus trope, You Or Someone Like You is a mojito in a bottle. You Or Someone opens with a big blast of mint and grapefruit before rose, cassis and green notes round it out. This is definitely the one for those who like to start date night in the afternoon and catch the sunset outdoors.
L’Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer Perfumes
What to say about one of the best masculine fragrances on the market? It smells like dessert carried over desert air. Lavender, amber, cedarwood, geranium, jasmine, birch – the list of notes is long but the magic is the way perfumer Tauer balances them so well that one is barely distinguishable from the next.
Violette 30 by Labo
Le Labo literally just introduced Violette 30 this month and just in time, in my opinion. Violet may be the hero note, but like most Le Labo its a misdirection. This smells more like earthy orris root and patchouli. It’s subtle, with a crispness to it from the tea and will have your date leaning in closer to try and figure out what that that smell is. And probably “borrow” it.
Cristobal by Balenciaga
I wore this to an event recently and the person sitting next to me asked several times if she could lean and get a better smell. The oud is perfectly balanced against the oakmoss and the patchouli adds enough greenness to prevent it smelling too feral. If your date night is something more formal, this is the perfect black tie fragrance.
The Lover by The Maker
The name is apt. But even if it wasn’t, this would be one of the best date night fragrances you could invest in. Fig, patchouli and the softest of ouds in the base, it’s sophisticated sex appeal, exactly like the New York Hotel behind its creation.
Radio Bombay by D.S. & Durga
New York-based D.S. & Durga create scents that have a book-like narrative to them. Radio Bombay is fundamentally all about sandalwood. But sweetened with coconut, ambergris and balsam fir and copper, which adds an intriguing discordant note. It seems like an easy wear, but reveals more complexity as the night goes on. Which is how the perfect date should go, really.
Le Gemme Tygar by Bvlgari
Inspired by the striated colouring of the tiger’s eye gemstone, Tygar plays on contrasts. Fizz of grapefruit and ginger up top with earthier notes of patchouli and vetiver in the base. Impossible to go wrong with this one.
Rabanne Phantom in Red
The latest flanker from the Phantom family brings together plum liqueur and saffron to create a hedonistic, euphoric scent.
Hyde by Hiram Green
I saved this for last for good reason – it’s not for everyone. But, for those who think “Wuthering Heights” is the perfect date night movie and want to cosplay Heathcliff IRL, this is for you.
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