Our negligees may be covered in cat hair but at least they smell divine - it's Lovely Friendly Perfume Thread number 9!

[explodingkittens]

Welcome to the long-running perfume thread! All are welcome - drop in to chat about old loves or new discoveries. Ask a perfume question and someone here will know the answer.

Be warned though, we are a bunch of terrible enablers and you may wish to put your credit card in the freezer before entering

Welcome!

I agree completely re lush perfume piam karma is the only one I like - and it's only like

However if you are after something unusual and not the ever present pink mingers that are everywhere atm then they could be for you

No idea what sotd will be. I may not get dressed. Loving the vintage obsession and opium wearing yesterday! 😁

I may be going into town tomorrow with mum so I will have more chances for sniffing out bargains 😁

Thank you.

Won't be near London but big (ish) city that I think will have the likes of House of Fraser, Marks and Sparks etc. Also have access to John Lewis and Fenwicks.

Am generally attracted to clean, men's aftershave.

I haven't really had many 'nice' scents in the past, often just those mini M&S gift set type of things. Back in the day I used to wear TM 'Angel' as loved that it had such staying power but now find it far too much and overbearing.

Sorry, as I said, I don't know much about identifying particular scents/ notes.

Has the Body Shop improved over the years or is it still vanilla/ white musk etc? Just thinking that they would tick ethics box.

I rather like some body shop scents....certainly more than lush
The smoky rose is lovely

I do like rose as a smell but had it more in body lotions etc. Smoky rose sounds intriguing.

methenyou I suggest ordering a perfume Society box which contains note cards with every sample explaining what you are smelling. It will help you learn about what you like / don’t like.

I suggest this one (£17.50).
perfumesociety.org/product/new-precious-perfumes-discovery-box/

It is so much better exploring perfume at home than in shops.
A lot of perfumes are designed to smell good on opening to get you to buy, but you really need to wear them to see if they are for you.

If you become a PS VIP (£25) you get £5 discount on their discovery boxes and a set of samples covering all perfume genres so you can learn about all the different types (eg orientals, fougeres, gourmands, florals)

Bluebell- I absolutely love that idea and was totally sold on the concept as I thought they were different scents from the same brand- I didn't realise they were all from different companies- I think this makes it highly unlikely that they would all be cruelty free?

I only like what I call skanky rose 😁 and i liked the smoky rose lot

Methen - have you looked into the cruelty-free question as it pertains to perfume manufacture (as opposed to cosmetics more generally?)?

I'm absolutely not a person who has any specialist knowledge here, but I think the perfumer's palette usually involves chemicals which have been used for decades on human skin and are already extensively regulated (eg. known allergens are now excluded from perfume manufacture in the EU). Given the extent of this evidence base I'm not sure the question of testing comes up in quite the same way as for other cosmetics?

But to be sure, explore this with the smaller specialist perfume manufacturers who can tell you about their materials, supply chains and about their behaviour in overseas markets.

If anyone (Pest ?) knows more please shout!

Have just found some helpful info from the 4160 Tuesday's website:

No EU cosmetics are allowed to be tested on animals, so ours aren't. European companies who boast that their cosmetics aren't tested on animals are just doing it for the marketing. (It's the ones who fight to stop raw materials to be tested on animals who are the good guys, like Lush, Sarah's former employer.) China insists on animal testing cosmetics so we don't sell our perfumes there.

SOTD Prada Infusions Amande

mrsmac What you’re saying about perfume and animal testing makes sense. The oils have been used since forever and are heavily regulated so I doubt houses are doing their own testing

^although saying that, there are newer synthetic substances that will need to undergo testing. I’m no expert but I think the way the Perfume industry is structured is that there are a very small number of wholesalers right at the top which sell mixed bases and oils to the perfume houses eg Givaudan. They will be the ones doing the testing I would think

Ideally I want to avoid funding any company that tests on animals, while some companies may not test their perfumes on animals, they may test (for example) their make-up, skin care etc.

I know it's often quite tricky to get the information at times. So (for example) some companies I assumed to be cruelty free (e.g. Burt Bees) are owned by bigger companies who test/ sell in China etc.

I do believe you vote with your £, so as far as I can, I really want to aim for cruelty free in my products.

Should add, not trying to pass judgement /cause debate and derail the thread.

I'm sure lots of companies sell cruelty free but offer a natural product that make you smell like a hippy's armpit and that's not what I want! Ideally, as I said, I'd like a fragrance that wears well but just hasn't been tested on animals.

SOTD was originally Mark Buxton's Dark Angel. Yet another case of me getting carried away by an interesting-sounding fragrance name without paying enough attention to the actual notes/reviews . Perfectly nice but unexciting ginger/citrus that disappeared within a couple of hours.

Replaced by Another Kiss By The Fireside which I really think could be a contender for one of my top 5 scents of 2017...now there's an idea!

Right, top 5 'fumes I've sniffed for the first time in 2017:

1. CdG: Avignon
2. Tauer: L'adDM
3. Miller Harris: L'air de rien
4. 4160 Tuesdays: Another Kiss by the Fireside
5. Tauer: Une Rose Chypree

Honourable mentions for Naomi Goodsir's Nuit de Bakelite (for being a tuberose I can live with), Serge Luten's Ambre Sultan (for being a reference amber) and Diptyque's Tam Dao (for being a sandalwood that's also somehow luscious)

Of course, this is taking into account that I didn't really start serious sniffing until this summer anyway .

How about you?

perfumes

You might have already seen this site @meandyou, but it does seem to have some quite detailed info

www.crueltyfreekitty.com/bath-body/cruelty-free-perfume/

Sorry link took you to another page

Methen The EU banned animal testing for cosmetics in 2009. In 2013 this ban was extended to any ingredient tested on animals anywhere on the planet. So you can buy any perfume you want to.

This is one of the reasons that there are different formulations available in different parts of the world.
If you buy products that were intended for the EU market, they have not been tested on animals and nor have their ingredients (well things may have been tested prior to 2013 but you can't undo history).

I guess the main challenge meandyou is the parent companies - I'd be surprised if most of the "big" brands weren't selling in China. You might be safest with independents although you're more likely to have to buy some samples in faith/hope rather than try a spritz in a department store first. As has been mentioned, 4160 Tuesdays are popular, and as well as the 9ml samples if you've bought something you can chuck extra 2ml tiny samples in. So you can try a good few without completely breaking the bank.

Kittens top 5?! Cor that's hard.

SotD was Coromandel. I have this idea that I'm showing 2018 where it stands!! Almost used up my sample now but trying to avoid saving for best. Everyday is best and all that...

Should have said been clearer - you do still pay for the 2ml 4160 Ts samples - but you can't order them on their own.

The thing is, independents such as 4160 will still buy their ingredients from the large wholesale companies such as Gividuan which will be supplying to companies supplying to China. If this bothers you, then you will probably need to stick to natural perfumes made from essential oils such as lavender (eg Weleda).

meandyou I would ping off an email to Sarah at 4160 - I’m sure she will have been asked this question before

My top 5 for 2017

1. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood
2. Miller Harris Noix de Tubereuse
3. E. Coudray Iris Rose
4. Shay and Blue Framboise Noire
5. 4160 Creamy Vanilla Crumble

I would be surprised if 4160s aren't VERY careful about their supply chain. Seem to remember them going to considerable lengths to ensure their packaging is responsibly sourced, never mind the contents of the bottles.

Thank you all, off to email 4160 and will let you know how I get on.