Will this mean a Perfume Monopoly?

Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on why the term “luxury” is so often tied to perfume. Is it because fragrance isn’t considered a necessity, and therefore automatically seen as indulgent? Or is it more about how niche perfumery has positioned itself as a marker of distinction and exclusivity?

Honestly, I hate the term. Watching 12-year-old jasmine pickers in Egypt — just one glimpse of the harsh realities behind the industry — has made it feel hollow, even hypocritical. Luxury, at what cost?

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Sandalwood’s Shadow Economy, Beauty’s Corporate Chessboard, The Art of Scent Diffusion
2. Niche Newcomers: Debaser in Bloom, Spring 26, Yuma
3. Quiz: Fig trend?
4. Scent MythBusters: The Myth of Regional Fragrance Preferences

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

#BEAUTYCHESSBOARD: The beauty world is in flux. Puig’s acquisition of Byredo and Estée Lauder’s purchase of Tom Ford signal a consolidation of power among conglomerates. While these moves bring financial muscle and global reach, they also risk homogenising brands. Yet some argue corporate backing can amplify artistry. The challenge lies in balance: preserving the soul of a brand while scaling its presence.

#SCENTDIFFUSION: Les Parfumables, a French company specialising in scent diffusion, is redefining how we experience fragrance. Their work transforms spaces into olfactory landscapes, from luxury hotels to retail environments. Unlike personal perfumes, these scents are designed to linger in the air, creating moods rather than memories.

#SAN-DAL-WOOD: Indian sandalwood now exists in a precarious balance between reverence and exploitation. Smuggling networks thrive as demand outpaces legal supply. The scarcity has driven innovation: synthetic sandalwood molecules like Javanol and Ebanol now mimic its warmth, while Australian plantations attempt to fill the gap. Yet the allure of the original persists.

Niche Newcomers 🎨 🌟

Debaser in Bloom — A Pastoral Refrain. D.S. & Durga revisits their cult classic Debaser with a springtime twist. It opens with fig leaf and green almond; iris and narcissus add a floral haze; a base of coconut milk and tonka bean feels like sunlight through leaves. Perfumer: David Seth Moltz. Notes: fig leaf, green almond, iris, narcissus, coconut milk, tonka bean.

Spring 26 — A Seasonal Symphony. Ffern’s Spring 26 captures the fleeting beauty of the season. Bergamot and petitgrain provide citrusy brightness, while elderflower and hawthorn evoke spring blossoms; vetiver and oakmoss anchor it. Perfumer: Elodie Durande. Notes: bergamot, petitgrain, elderflower, hawthorn, vetiver, oakmoss.

Yuma — Desert Bloom. Pérnoire’s Yuma is a study in contrasts. It opens with the dry heat of saffron and pink pepper, tempered by cool cactus flower; jasmine and tuberose add a lush heart; amber and cedar evoke sunbaked wood. Perfumer: Andreas Wilhelm. Notes: saffron, pink pepper, cactus flower, jasmine, tuberose, amber, cedar.

A brief disclosure

Scently Speaking runs without ads and without paid placements. It exists because New Niche exists. New Niche is the fragrance publishing house we’re building in parallel. Obtaining one of its perfumes is not merchandise. It’s how this work stays independent.

Quiz 🎲

Which of these fig directions does not align with the current trend?
Green, leafy fig · Gourmand, jammy fig · Woody, dry fig · Creamy, milky fig

Scent MythBusters 🎭️

“There are hardly any new natural ingredients left in perfumery.”
Myth of the week

TL;DR

The idea that perfumery has already mapped the natural world is quietly accepted. Jasmine, rose, patchouli, vetiver — the classics are industrialised. What feels “new” today often comes from the lab: captive molecules designed for precision, safety or cost. This view isn’t entirely wrong. But it’s incomplete.

Misconception

If “new” means a never-before-identified molecule, then yes, true breakthroughs are rare. But perfumery doesn’t only move forward through invention. It moves forward through access — through extraction methods, sourcing, and which materials are considered relevant in the first place. For decades, the industry relied on a narrow palette of naturals, not because the world lacks plants, but because only certain materials scaled globally.

What’s actually happening

The frontier of naturals hasn’t disappeared; it’s shifted. Smaller producers and extraction labs are introducing region-specific botanicals that always existed but were never translated into perfumery. Think pandan, with its rice-like sweetness, or pomelo flower, a brighter cousin to neroli. Companies like LOSIAM in Thailand work with culturally embedded plants while linking their work to biodiversity conservation. The difference isn’t that these materials suddenly exist. It’s that they’re finally being seen.

Final judgement

The idea that there are no new natural ingredients left is only true if “new” is defined chemically. But perfumery’s future lies in rediscovering overlooked botanicals, in treating local smell cultures as perfumery-worthy, and in expanding what the industry considers visible.