Bethan Cole writes about lavender fragrances in the Times Online:
“The immediate reaction is, it’s blowsy, fusty, stale-smelling, old-fashioned and grannified,” says James Craven, senior fragrance advisor and archivist at the connoisseurs’ boutique Les Senteurs. “And for men, it’s too effeminate. There is a great nervousness with men about lavender.” Yet we here at Style Towers think lavender, contrary to received opinion and that of Elizabeth I, who famously hated it, is a supremely stylish perfume option for a man: piquant yet velveteen, astringent yet mellifluous, tart yet tranquillising.
I must be the only one who finds lavender to be more masculine than feminine? Read the rest of the article here, and many thanks to Marcello for the link.
I think there's the sweet floral “lavender” of, what, some sort of granny lavender water from Crabtree & Evelyn? And then there's a real lavender smell, which I agree is strongly masculine, particularly if combined with vetiver, rosemary, or something else herbal in a cologne.
James Craven is actually a friend of mine and one of the most knowledgable men that I know in the fragrance business.
I love lavender!
I have a bag of lavender blossoms sold as tea. Real lavender is sweet, like other flowers. How it ends up smelling so astringent in colognes is a mystery to me. I love it for aromatherapy, as a room scent, or for linens – I don't care for it on me, except maybe to sleep in. I do think it's lovely in a men's cologne.
You know what I thought he was going to say after all that “blowsy, fusty, stale-smelling, old-fashioned and grannified”? TUBEROSE! which no one seems to love anymore …
Personally, I adore lavender. I'm really excited about Gris Clair…sounds so lovely, lavender cloaked in woods. I never thought of lavender as being masculine or feminine, really.
M, I am just not a fan of lavender unless it is done a certain way, as in Caron Pour Un Homme which is mentioned in the article, or in Jicky. It is usually far too harsh for me, even in women's scents.
I would love to visit the shop in London, they really have a great selection.
I like it as a room scent too. I keep a big jar on my dresser. On me: no.
Tuberose, grannified? *weeps* It is one of my very favorite notes.
I am saving my excitement for Chypre Rouge — lavender is just not my thing 😉
I don't really ever peg lavender as either masculine or feminine, but I *have* noticed that I've gotten to the point where I need it in combination with other strong notes (like leather for example) in order to be able to enjoy it. I also seem to prefer it when the lavender is more herbal than the florally ones that seem so common – to me it smells less fuddy-duddy, and much more gender-neutral and awakening.
I love lavender absolute and concrete, but not the synthetic lavenders. The real things have very green notes with a somewhat woody dryout, neither feminine nor masculine, and flattering both genders with their clean, refreshing and sunny notes. I guess it's all in what you like.
Ah, lavender & leather together might just kill me, LOL! Have tried to think of some leathers I like other than Caron Pour Un Homme & Jicky and can't come up with a single one.
Ah, meant *lavenders* that I like.
Have not tried lavender absolute so will have to take your word for it 🙂
Hello, Robin! I've been enjoying reading your blog for more than a year now and it sowehow seems inappropriate that my first post should be a comment on a newspaper article rather than one of your lovely reviews. But better late than never, eh? Like you, I would definitely classify lavender as a typically masculine note for its herbal freshness and that's why I always associate lavender with men's colognes. Admittedly, it also has a floral facet that can lend itself perfectly to a composition, but in most cases I find it cold, harsh and well, dull. I like the lavender in Dior Homme, but that's more an exception to the rule. Keep up the great work!
There are some large lavender fields outside of Seattle and last year I was talking to a person who distills her own oils. She demonstrated, or should I say let me sniff, several types of lavender: the flowers, the stems and the leaves. Each of those “parts” had a different smell — floral, fruity, woody/herbal. I know you will faint but this summer I'll send you a sample of a cologne that is sold at the lavender festival; it is composed only of lavender (leaves/flowers), rose and (sit down Robin!), patchouli. It smells almost identical to Rose d'Homme! I shall say no more because the batches are SMALL and sell out quickly! (the owner of this lavender farm distills her own rose oil too). K
I really like lavendar, and tend to think of it as a unisex fragrance – flattering to both men and women. I think I prefer it around me (sheets, clothing, pot-purri etc) rather than directly on my skin.
I think it can be wonderfully fresh and clean. Sometimes I like a sachet tucked in my pillow – I like to imagine I'm snoozing in in a cute cottage in Provence, rather than in my own dingy apartment.
Hi Dusan, So glad you have come out of lurking, regardless of the post. Yes, lavender often strikes me as cold & harsh too. Frankly had forgotten that Dior Homme even had lavender. Should revisit that one, although I found it a bit too sweet for my taste when I tried it.
LOL — if it is rare stuff, it would be crazy to waste it on me! Lavender & patchouli might in fact make me faint, but more likely I'd just be running for the Tide to get it off my skin. Maybe they could just add some cumin & then I'd have to quarantine the stuff 😉
Hey, as I said above, I like it as a room scent too & keep a big jar on my dresser. In perfume, it smells only vaguely related to the real thing, which has no harshness at all. And happy to join you in Provence, LOL!
Robin, Caron Pour un Homme contains Lavender Absolute.
Yes, I meant I'd never tried it on its own. Have been slowly trying more & more essences and have been very surprised actually at how different some of them smell from what I'd expected after smelling them in perfumes. Champaca, for instance, and Osmanthus, were quite different on their own.
The patchouli is in the mix to transform the rose, not to modify the lavender. Patchouli does amazing things to rose absolute. You have to experience it to believe it.