Five years ago, I wrote an article called 100 Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try; since then it’s been the most-read article on Now Smell This. I was less than satisfied with it when I published it, and 5 years on, it’s really showing its age. This week I’ve made some corrections and adjustments to bring it up to date, but I’m still not satisfied with it and I probably never will be.¹ Meantime, Angie and Kevin have joined in the list-making effort with 26 Vintage Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try and 50 Masculine Fragrances Every Perfumista Should Try.

So this post is something of an addendum: 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell. It’s in the same mold as the original article, that is, it’s not a list of the best fragrances, but rather, more fragrances that you ought to know in the interests of furthering your perfume education. Some of them are fragrances I wish I could have found room for in the original 100, some of them are just newer fragrances that I think are brilliant, and some of them are from brands that aren’t quite so brilliant but that I think you ought to be familiar with anyway. The list only includes brands that were not on the original 100 Fragrances post.

And as before, the list exposes the massive gaps in my own perfume education. You would think I’d be better informed 5 years later, but it’s turned out quite the opposite: every year they release more and more and MORE new fragrances, and every year I fail to smell more than a small percentage. It’s a losing battle…

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“So many perfumes, so little time,” we perfume fanatics think. I not only ponder the scents I’m missing today, but all the perfumes from long ago I never got the chance to smell. I like to peruse glossy perfume books but often feel “bitter” as I admire beautiful illustrations and photographs in old perfume advertisements. Many famous perfume houses, and their creations, disappeared long before I was born — companies like L T Piver, Gilot, Corday, Dorin, Delettrez, Rimmel’s Perfumery. Whenever I see certain famous perfume bottles, I get greedy and regretful: Molinard’s “1811” in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte, with a bicorn hat stopper; Schiaparelli’s Snuff (a pipe-shaped bottle housed in a cigar box!); or, perhaps my most coveted bottle, D’Orsay’s Toujours fidèle from 1909, topped with a crystal bulldog.

What’s a man to do?

Five years ago, Robin compiled a list of 100 fragrances every perfumista should try; most of those fragrances were for women (with some unisex perfumes and four masculines included too). Today, I’m presenting a list of 50* perfumes geared towards men, especially newcomers to perfume adoration…

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How to choose 25 vintage fragrances of the thousands of discontinued and reformulated perfumes out there? In compiling this list, I tried to choose fragrances that are important yet have changed substantially over time, or that have been discontinued yet left a significant mark in perfume or cultural history.

For instance, Guerlain Shalimar, while a landmark fragrance, is all right in its current incarnation, so I don’t mention it. Chanel No. 5 and Patou Joy have been monkeyed with, but they’re still recognizable (although real fans may want to hunt down the older versions). On the other hand, Lanvin Arpège is a whole new story these days. I aimed for perfumes that will add to your olfactory knowledge, even if you don’t love them. I also included a few that are just plain wacky and, I think, deserve a sniff.

So, let’s go. In alphabetical order:

1. Balmain Jolie Madame

A tough Germaine Cellier sharp green-violet-leather that is still in production, yet has lost its teeth over the years. In molding Jolie Madame to the times, her fusty goodness has been smoothed away…

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