A guide to acing the clean fragrance game

Refresh.

By Men's Folio

September 19, 2024

Pictured above: (Left to right) Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette; Le Labo Citron 28 Eau de Parfum

What exactly does “clean” smell like? Is it the scent of a new set of linen, or the herbaceous wafts of cut grass that lingers in the air? The answer lies in one’s open interpretations of freshness. Anything goes: from blossoming floral accords to an aquatic airiness that reads like a breath of fresh air.

In the official olfactory playbook, fragrances are rarely described as clean. The term has been mostly reserved as a descriptor for the makeup of one’s cologne, serving as a positive green-light indicator to those that are skin-safe and chemically non-toxic. The concept of “clean” is thus one that may present itself as intriguingly nuanced. After all, “clean” has historically been linked to sterility — a concept found in unromantic and often clinical settings. However, in the realm of fragrance, “clean” has less to do with literal sterility. Instead, it is a fantastic, all-encompassing term to describe a fresh fragrance and a sensory experience that evokes purity — never complicated or complex on first whiff.

Dior Beauty La Collection Privée New Look Eau de Parfum

So, a great way of whittling down and analysing a clean-smelling fragrance would be in the image-fashioning of nature. It matters not if one conjures up an image of natural bodies of water or a lush setting akin to a picturesque Garden of Eden. Essential are the minute but important details. The skyline would be abundantly blue, and gentle rays of sunlight would dredge the fictional mis-en-scene. If one is looking to get into the nitty-gritty, other great details that can help to paint the picture of a fresh fragrance are a set of new sheets fluttering on a drying rack and a bed of sprouting florals. This storybook guide may occur as too far-fetched to be bridged back to the notion of “clean” fragrances. However, the allegory is a good one to follow, for it positively identifies all the top, middle, and base notes to look for in a scent of choice.

(Top to bottom) Loewe 001 Man Eau de Parfum; Aesop Virēre Eau de Parfum

Above all, a “clean” scent has to materialise as bright and airy — just like the nature scape presented in the paragraph above. Never overbearing or too intense on a first spritz, a clean fragrance grows on its user, melding into a daily routine and acting as a well-intentioned afterthought. This brightness — integral to the sun rays and lush garden scape of the symbolic nature mise-en-scene of earlier — is derived from top notes in the refreshing scent profile category. Citrusy, herbaceous and aquatic top notes are just some exemplars responsible for this invigorating sensorial experience. These are crisp profiles that can evoke a sense of chipper within a bottle.

(Top to bottom) Dior Beauty La Collection Privée New Look Eau de Parfum; Celine Zouzou Eau de Parfum

Softness is also key to the makeup of these “clean” scents. By association, these notes symbolise purity and remind one of delicate examples like powdery jasmine or a touch of soft-skin-smelling white musk, which recur within the ingredient list of most “clean-smelling” fragrances. In the same train of thought, newness is another pillar that is crucial to the composition of a fresh scent. It is why the scent profile recalls imagery, such as freshly laundered linens or a blooming bed of florals. The garden-fresh concept influences the fragrance and is why green, floral and herbaceous elements are bountiful in certified-fresh fragrances like the Lazy Sunday Morning scent in Maison Margiela’s Replica line or the Celine Zouzou Parfum.

(Left to right) L’Artisan Parfumeur Il Était Un Bois Eau de Parfum, Penhaligon’s Eau The Audacity Eau de Parfum