Brand Launch Roundup - Luxe Associates Luxe Associates

There’s been a few notable launches from niche fragrance brands of late, so come and learn more about the goodies on offer to all you fragrance addicts out there

First up is the quirky and entirely unique D.S. & Durga…

With a couple of launches under their belt in the last few months, this much revered fragrance duo continues to deliver to their growing fan base, taking them on a journey of armchair travel quite unlike any other brand. Grapefruit Generation was a much anticipated new and permanent addition to their perfume line and is a real olfactory treat

Top notes of pomelo skin, elm leaf and silver, heart notes of hawthorn flower, tuberose and paradisone all sitting on a base of cork, grapefruit and animalic musk. Thanks to the name, you think you know what this scent will be, but in true D.S. & Durga style, it blasts any idea you think you have clean out of the water. Described by the brand in these words:

‘Imagine a grove far off. Put a gem in the ground. Surround it with flowering bushes. Pick a rare animal to lay over the gem. Spray this on your wrist.’

It speaks of mystical tales and florals in the air. It’s fruity, but with an underlying heaviness that lifts the entire scent on the skin and makes this fume a no brainer for men and women alike. Don’t forget to listen to the Spotify playlist for this one. It will give you an auditory experience of this fragrance, even before you’ve sniffed it

Alongside Grapefruit Generation, the brand gifted us greedy folk a new scented candle too. Breakfast Highlands is perhaps their best candle yet, although that’s up for debate here at Luxe HQ. We love them all! With notes that make you want to reach for a hearty breakfast before heading out to traipse the craggy highlands, this one is simply divine

The top notes are oats, biscuits and hay absolute, with a heart of scotch marmalade, strong tea and smoked things. Bringing up the rear is heather honey, toast and gorse. What a feast! Read these words from creator David and try telling us you don’t want to go to Scotland right this minute:

“I have traveled extensively in the nooks and crannies of the highlands of Scotland. There are too many things I love about it, but one definite highlight is the breakfasts. Old, preserved castles and manor houses with epic tables of polished silverware. Plates full of oatcakes, eggs, smoked things, fishes, potato scones, toast. Pots of jams, handmade marmalades of slivered peels from oranges, lime, and grapefruit. Drink piping pots of hot tea while overlooking the craggy peaks of the Cairngorms, the rolling heather hills of Spey, of the sea lochs. Here is that meal to fill your nose and mind.”

Skipping from one fragrance world to another, we bring you to the realm of 27 87 Perfumes. Providing an immersive scent experience but in an entirely different way to other brands, creator Romy crafted Flâneur during lockdown in Barcelona. Placed under the ‘Go’ line, immediately we get a sense for the concept behind this one. It is a scent for exploration and faraway places, it is daring and spirited. Described by the brand as:

‘Contemporary, visionary, and just a tad melancholic, flâneur is infused with the green, faintly bitter scent of absinthe. Contrasted by the warmth of cashmere wood, linden and almond blossom, along with fresh bergamot, elegant cedarwood, and a supportive base of star anis, dry amber and vetiver, it’s a dry, but warm scent that is both nostalgic and dizzyingly present’

When you sniff this scent, you’ll discover there are many facets as it develops, reminiscent of Romy’s time wandering the streets after being cooped up inside. She has described seeing her home through fresh eyes and discovering new details she perhaps didn’t notice before. Perhaps a lesson to us all to be more mindful and present? You decide

Last but certainly not least, PHOTO/GENICS + CO have recently launched a line of fine fragrance products to sit alongside their extensive hashish-inspired home fragrance. They welcomed to the family 100ml extrait de parfum, compact solide perfume and a range of liquid balms, all wrapped up in the minimal and almost brutalist style that gives the brand its edge – sometimes literally

The 100ml fine fragrances feature 5 of their signature scents specially formulated to be long-lasting and transformative. Each perfume is captured in a spherical glass bottle and topped with a concrete cap. They also come with specially designed concrete bases so you can display the bottles in an artful and stylish way. Bonus

The roll-on perfumes are available in travel-friendly black glass bottles boasting a striking point on the top of each one. Glide across your skin however much you desire for an increased clarity of perspection and intensification of sensation

And finally, the compact solide is a covetable addition to the range. Available in 3 of their signature scents and made from a coconut wax blend, this fragrance is designed to sit warm and close to your skin. There’s even a mini mirror inside the matte black metal case. J’adore

Images from D.S & Durga, 27 87 Perfumes & PHOTO/GENICS + CO