The author and cultural critic Fran Lebowitz once said, "To put it rather bluntly, I am not the type who wants to go back to the land; I am the type who wants to go back to the hotel." I share this preference (and many others) with Ms. Lebowitz, and yet every now and then, I do enjoy a walk in the woods...as long as I can easily stroll back to the subway or the bed-and-breakfast when I'm done communing with nature. And if that mood strikes when I'm home in my city dwelling, I can always pick up a perfume that evokes the wild wonder of the forest for a quick hit of arboreal fantasy.

Eau de Jane was released in 2019 and was developed by perfumer Roger Howell for creative director (and longtime fragrance aficionada) Jane Daly. It was conceived as a "primal memory of the earth and sun and skin from when we were children...the morning, the green grass, and a single drop of dew," with a composition including top notes of mandarin, lime, bergamot, tangerine and galbanum; heart notes of rose, jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang, carnation, violet leaf and sage; and base notes of vetiver, moss, amber, musk, oud, patchouli and sandalwood.

If you follow Jane Daly herself on social media, you may already know about her particular fondness for vintage fragrances that could be categorized as "green" (in terms of ingredients and/or notes, that is), like Estée Lauder Aliage and Balmain Vent Vert. Eau de Jane reflects that taste: it's a contemporary iteration of a classic green chypre perfume, heavy on the galbanum. It's also an olfactory sketch of a woodland setting in springtime, the seasonal moment when things are surprising us with their fresh vibrancy. The opening is a sour, syrupy-dirty citrus accord that almost made me head "back to the hotel" the first time I smelled it, but I'm glad I stayed around, because Eau de Jane softens into the smells of new green moss and plenty of freshly opened leaves that are just translucent enough to let the sun shine through them. As it dries down, Eau de Jane evolves into a comforting, soapy-clean green scent on my skin, with a hint of rose that suggests flowers blooming not far away from this grassy clearing. 

For something a little more evergreen-oriented, I've also been wearing the newly launched Flux by Andrea Maack. Flux is inspired by a "walk through the ancient forests in Big Sur" and "a midnight bath of liquid moonlight," and while I've never been to the central coast of California, that latter vision does appeal to me. Flux was developed for Andrea Maack by perfumer Céline Barel, and its fruity-woody composition includes notes of cardamom, menthol, blueberry, eucalyptus, cypress, fir needles, cedar, sequoia and cashmere.

Flux feels, for me, like an early-summer episode in the deep woods. Imagine that you've just enjoyed some locally made blueberry jam, and with that taste still on your lips (and perhaps on your fingers), you're taking a long hike into a fir forest. The dense growth of the trees casts most of your walk into shadow while the aromatic scent of their needles tease your sense of smell. When you eventually need to rest for a while, you sit on a fallen trunk, where you're able to inhale the sweeter notes of tree resins and decaying wood that have also emerged. Andrea Maack hasn't explained the name of this perfume, as far as I know, but I'd like to think that it alludes to the continuous flow of the seasons as well as this fragrance's slow unfolding from one botanical note to another.

Lastly, I've been returning regularly to the sacred grove summoned into existence by Parfums Quartana Forest of the Golden Dream, launched in autumn 2023 as part of the brand's Les Potions D'Entéléchie series. (In ancient Greek philosphy, enetelechy is the realization of full potential and the vital principle guiding that process.) As developed by perfumer Céline Barel (who seems to have a way with woodsy scents), Forest of the Golden Dream is a brew of cardamom, pink pepper, coriander, laurel leaf and lemon; Pamplezest, mimosa, olibanum, violet leaf, Siberian pine needle, Canadian fir needle, balsam resin and eucalyptus; and Coolwood, cypress, sandalwood, patchouli and moss.

The illustration (by artist Carlo Zambotti) accompanying Forest of the Golden Dream helps set the olfactory scene: it's a magical-looking collage of evergreens, a flight of ascending stone steps, a reclining figure encircled by a serpent, a tiny, bee-like dancer, neoclassical architectural elements, and a few esoteric-looking symbols. If Eau de Jane is a childhood memory, and Flux is a vacation hike, then Forest of the Golden Dream is an enchanted forest in autumn. It's populated by pines and other trees, with rays of sunlight piercing between their trunks and falling on a bed of browning needles. Notes of pepper and cumin dance through the composition like falling leaves, and there's a suggestion of frost in the air.

Parfums Quartana reminds us that this "memento vitae" of a perfume was inspired by the healing power of time spent in forests and by the mood-boosting qualities of certain aromatic materials. As I'm about to submit this review, I'm considering taking a walk to a nearby park to sit under some trees for a while. I'll even wear one of these perfumes.

Do you have any favorite forest-y fragrances? Feel free to share in the comments.

Eau de Jane is available as 50 ml Eau de Parfum ($115) through the Eau de Jane website. Parfums Quartana Forest of the Golden Dream is available as 50 ml Eau de Parfum ($215) through the Parfums Quartana website and Perfumology. Andrea Maack Flux is available as 50 ml Extrait de Parfum ($245) via the Andrea Maack website, ZGO Perfumery, and Stele.

Note: top image is forest [cropped] by MANG SING LOUIS at flickr; some rights reserved.

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