Watches -- 12 hours ago
Words: Violet
Penhaligon’s has got history on its side; the brand’s been keeping men fragrant since 1872 when William Penhaligon opened a barber’s shop on Jermyn St. Our pick is their Sartorial Beard Oil, winner of a 2014 GQ Grooming Award, and just the throwback the modern gentleman needs as Movember approaches. The oil is a fresh blend of sunflower, grape seed and wheat germ, and scented with one of Penhaligon’s most classic tones, Sartorial. “This really made my stubble softer. I want to grow a beard so I can use this,” Nick Grimshaw told GQ; no time like the present to get growing, Grimmie.
Sartorial Beard Oil (100ml) £45 from Penhaligons
The winning scent for impeccable heritage, however, is Clive Christian No. 1. Hailed by the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive men’s fragrance currently on the market, at £430 for 50ml from Harrods and Fortnum and Mason’s, its beautiful golden vessel definitely lives up to its contents. Clive Christian OBE, a perfume-maker (or “nose”) at the top of his game, took over The Crown Perfumery in 1999, one-time fragrance-provider to Queen Victoria, and revamped their Original Collection, whose star is No. 1. With an emphasis on sourcing ingredients from far-flung corners of once-Imperial Britain, No. 1’s key note is Indian Sandalwood, whose production is so tightly regulated that only 1000 bottles of this scent can be made. Get in quick.
Perfume No.1 (50ml), £430 from Clive Christian
A list of British scents wouldn’t be complete without Jo Malone. I’ve yet to meet a man who when introduced to her Lime, Basil & Mandarin Cologne doesn’t want to make it his. The scent is fresh but rich, with dazzling chemistry between the lime, basil and thyme, and takes us back to summer times in warmer climes, at the hands of a very British parfumerie.
Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne (100ml), £39 from Jo Malone
With a music video starring Bradley Cooper’s model girlfriend Suki Waterhouse, and its inspiration the “exhilaration and adrenalin of live music”, we were frankly smitten by Burberry Brit Rhythm before we even tried it. Burberry has played it safe for their first in-house produced fragrance; Brit Rhythm isn’t as striking as Clive Christian No. 1 or as exotic as Jo Malone’s, but it’s traditional men’s scent done with expertise. The cedarwood and patchouli base with juniper berries is a familiar combination, sexed up with a shot of black leather.
Brit Rhythm (90ml), £57 from Burberry
From brand new to a brand with serious heritage, family-owned Creed’s are still using time-intensive infusion techniques long ago left behind by their perfume peers in pursuit of profit. You can tell: Neroli Sauvage is weighty and beautiful. You can almost smell the centuries of tradition. Olivier Creed, currently in charge of the house, is a direct descendent of James Creed who set up the perfume house in London in 1760.
Creed’s Neroli Sauvage (120ml), £180 from Harrods
By Charlotte Beale
