The perfume world is enormous, but one of the joys of being interested in fragrance, as I’m sure you’ll know, is testing scents and discovering new favourites. This brings me to introduce you to Amouage's perfumes, which are the antithesis of soft skin scents. Instead, this luxurious perfume house offers heady blends that will let everyone around know you've arrived.
It’s a house that has the approval of esteemed fragrance journalist and presenter, Alice DuParcq. I asked her what it is about Amouage that makes it stand out from the crowd. “I’m going to be really honest here, up until a couple of years ago I assumed that Amouage was just another big Middle Eastern oud conveyor belt brand and—wow—I could not have been more wrong,” she tells me. “I had smelt some fragrances that really impressed me, so I did my homework and found out they were the most phenomenal house from Oman with incredible positive-impact purpose, authentic sustainability and a roster of perfumers that I am in awe of.”
As with many scents that use high concentrations of precious ingredients, they are on the pricier side, but a benefit here is that, if you are able to invest, you get a scentwhere one spritz lasts you hours and hours. I’ve woken up the following morning after wearing an Amouage fragrance and can still smell it on my skin. So, yes, while these perfumes are eye-wateringly expensive, you aren’t likely to breeze through them quickly by frequently reapplying. On that note, let’s dive in to some of the best Amouage perfumes…
1. Love Delight
This is easily my personal favourite of Amouage’s perfumes. Very few scents rush me back to happier times in the same way; I genuinely feel lighter when I catch a whiff of its sunny, slightly sweet, almondy, heliotrope-laden goodness. I’ve previously described it as a fragrance that makes you feel like you’re being soaked through with sunshine when you spritz it, and I stand by that. Despite its gourmand profile it is never sickly, it instead coats your skin with a perfect touch of sweetness.
I’m in good company, because DuParcq also counts it among her Amouage favourites. She describes it as, “a luminous almond-vanilla scent with a powdery trail and a neon glow that shines off your skin.” (This kind of soundbite is why she is one of the greatest fragrance writers around—I highly recommend her Substack, Alice’s Perfume Playground.)
2. Existance
Like being enveloped in a bright, floral cloud at first, Existence is a fragrance that celebrates escapism and is centred around lily of the valley. Slowly becoming balmy with wear, thanks to aldehydes, frankincense and labdanum, a cosy, musky base then comes into the fore. You’ll love it if you like clean, slightly soapy perfumes that warm through the day.
3. Guidance
An ultra fragrant and aromatic floral fragrance, Guidance has found social media fame. I find it to be airy and ever so slightly creamy on the skin at first, with a bouquet of sambac jasmine, rose and osmanthus that just… wafts. It also comes in a dialled up, more intense version—or “Exceptional Extrait”—Guidance 46, for an even more explosive, heady, spicy floral scent.
4. Decision
Billed as an “expression of a transformative moment”, Decision is a very unique scent in that, for me, it doesn’t obviously lean into a particular olfactive family. As soon as I think it has more of a spicy feel, I notice it has this juicy, almost fruity quality—but then it’s also got an earthy woodiness to it, too. That is one sign of an incredibly well-balanced scent—it continuously piques your senses, making you want to smell it again and again. I’m not sure that it suits me, but if I was in the company of someone wearing it I’d ask what it was.
5. Outlands
Opening with a slightly zingy feel, thanks to vibrant bergamot and spicy sichuan pepper and cardamom, Outlands is a super sophisticated and complex fragrance. With warm floral and balmy notes at its heart, the woodier drydown is exquisite, too, with the slightest smokiness playing in the background. “I am very much in love with Outlands,” comments DuParcq, describing it as “A deep sandalwood amber elixir with lots of spiritual incense and mystical spices by the talented nose Cecile Zarokian.”
6. Reasons
A smoky, oak-barrel-infused concoction, Reasons has the subtlest hint of mint when you first spritz it, backed by herbaceous pine. It then leans heavily into its richer, warming notes, like palo santo and myrrh, and its woodier base. If you like spicy, earthy and green perfumes, then this will be a hit with you.
