I am a total sucker for perfume. I know it, everyone who knows me knows it, and everyone who reads my reviews knows it, too. While this might sound like a totally normal statement for a beauty editor to make, in my case, things are particularly severe. I own nearly 100 bottles of the stuff. And while I don’t (and wouldn’t) wear all of them, I couldn’t possibly bring myself to part with a single one. You see, as someone who surrounds themselves with fragrance all day long, I appreciate great perfumes so much that, even when they don’t appeal to my personal tastes, I like to keep them and smell them from time to time.
To me, a great perfume (whether it be citrusy, woody, or sweet) is one that evokes emotion. It might make you want to scrunch your face up in a tight ball, but if a perfume gets an overwhelming response out of you, I think it’s doing the right job. I consider the very best perfumes to be ones that make you feel something. And it is for this very reason that I don’t give time to perfumes that champion specific notes—I want my perfume to swaddle me up in a blanket of nostalgia and sentiment. So, when I first heard about new kid on the perfume block, Phlur, I was intrigued.
I stumbled across Phlur on TikTok (not the sort of place I usually get my beauty recommendations, but there we are) after U.S. creator Mikayla Nogueira went viral after describing the brand’s Missing Person Eau de Parfum as, “like a person that you love and that you miss”. Within five hours, the perfume had sold out and racked up a a hefty waiting list. Now that is a perfume that evokes emotion, I thought. I had to try and get my hands on it. Sadly, Phlur wasn’t available on British shores.
But I have some news—it’s finally here. Launching exclusively in Selfridges this week (it will be in store from 3rd October), I have managed to get my mitts on the entire collection, and I’m kinda shocked. Founded by entrepreneur and influencer, Chriselle Lim, Phlur champions fragrances that have been specially crafted and blended to evoke intimate memories, tell a story, and communicate a specific mood—tick, tick, tick. While not a perfumer herself, Lim has enlisted the help of superstar perfumers to create each scent. I’m talking the noses behind Le Labo Santal 33, Byredo Gypsy Water, and Glossier You to name just a few.
Miranda Kerr is a fan of Phlur fragrances.
The reason I’m so shocked, I hear you ask? I want to keep every single one. All nine of them. And no, not just to keep and smell but to actually wear. The bottles are understated and chic, giving off slightly more colourful Byredo vibes—which is something I want to touch upon, while we’re here. Despite the fact I am not a daily wearer of Byredo (I keep Blanche, De Los Santos, Open Sky, Violet Haze, Gypsy Water, and Mojave Ghost in my collection, only three of which I actually wear), the brand’s ability to depict emotion and memory through scent really has set a precedent for how a great perfume should be crafted. And while I fully appreciate every single Byredo perfume out there, I can’t say I’d wear all of them. In fact, I can’t name a perfume brand in existence of which I’d be able to say I would wear every one of their creations. Except, that is, for Phlur.
If, like me, you have also found yourself intrigued by Phlur’s new presence in the UK beauty world, keep scrolling for a very honest review of each of the perfumes.
Key notes skin musk, bergamot nectar, sheer jasmine, fresh cyclamen, neroli blossom, orange flower, sandalwood Australia oil, blonde wood, white musk. Perfumer Constance Georges-Picot, known for La Prairie Life Threads. The one that started it all, I’m going to put it out there and say this is my least favourite Phlur fragrance. It’s not that it’s not stunning, it’s just a little too soft and subtle for me. It’s the non-perfume-wearer’s perfume. It’s sweet and skin-like, reminiscent of, well, a person you miss. While most fragrances of this ilk might smell vanilla-y and remind you of warm cashmere blankets, Missing Person is all human. Rather than being gimmicky, it really is like burying your nose into the neck of your loved one after a long day without them, acting as a safe, comforting delight. It’s barely-there—but maybe that’s the beauty of it.
Key notes Italian bergamot, rose, pink pepper, pathcouli, sandalwood. Perfumer Nathalie Benareau, known for Victoria’s Secret Bare. One whiff of this and I’m a child, lazing around the flower beds under the summer sun while my mum carefully prunes the garden. It’s fresh and carefree, but delightfully intense. With a zingy hit of nose-tickling pink pepper, it’s invigorating enough to unleash the childish play in anyone. Améline proves that while Phlur can branch out into a variety of fragrance families, the brand manages to add a familiar human element to each of its creations.
Key notes cardamom, bergamot, mimosa, violet, vanilla milk, sandalwood, tonka beans. Perfumer Jerome Epinette, known for Byredo Gypsy Water, Byredo Velvet Haze, & Other Stories fragrances, Oribe Cote d’Azur. For me, Not Your Baby is the stand-out number in Phlur’s line-up. While it’s not my favourite of the bunch, it’s mouthwatering sweetness has my soul melting into the floor. On first spritz, it’s child-like and teeth-clenchingly sweet, but before you even have a second to process what’s happening, it’s warm and spicy, like sticky pain au raisin that have just been pulled from the oven. And despite the fact all of this sounds like a lot, I can assure you it’s refreshingly wearable and non-imposing.
Key notes bergamot, lemon, wet greens, cyclamen, ylang essential oil, golden gardenia, jasmine sambac absolute, tuberose, vanilla, skin musk, sandalwood, ambrox, cedarwood. Perfumer Frank Voelkl, known for Le Labo Santal 33, Glossier You. When I first smelled Phloria, I had to take a moment to myself. As someone that really despises the tendency to dramatise reactions when it comes to fragrance writing, I hate saying things like that—but it’s true. It takes me back to childhood holidays. If I close my eyes, I’m floating carelessly on a rubber ring, gazing at the blossoming flowers in the trees above, and letting my fingers trickle over the top of the water, all while the pool-side people around me mist themselves with tanning oils. It’s bliss.
Key notes fig, bergamot, hazelnut, white florals, sandalwood, vetiver, musk. Perfumer Nathalie Benareau, known for Victoria’s Secret Bare. If I had to choose a favourite Phlur perfume, Hanami would take the medal. It’s sticky, warm, and citrusy at first (but undeniably expensive smelling), and soon transforms into a sweet envelope of snuggly comfort. Hanami is the familiar hug I’m itching to jump into when I’m five minutes away from home after a stressful day of holding back tears—it’s a haven.
Key notes bergamot, lemon, jasmine, saffron, cyclamen, sandalwood, vanilla musk, amber, moss, cedarwood. Perfumer Robert Gaudelli. The latest addition to Phlur’s perfume family, Somebody Wood is a truly magnificent woody concoction. Personally, I’d say it’s the least emotive, but that doesn’t mean somebody else won’t find it overwhelmingly memory-evoking. It’s spicy, filled with bone-warming heat, and deeply woody—like stepping into a pub after a particularly crisp winter’s walk, with open fires crackling away in every corner waiting for you to warm your hands up over them.
Key notes timut pepper, forest air, violet, green tea, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, oakmoss. Perfumer Gino Percontino, known for Hollister Free Wave, Banana Republic Vintage Green. Sandara is, I would say, the most wearable perfume of the bunch. I think you’d struggle to find someone that doesn’t love it. It’s sense-clearing and fresh, but not in a mossy, forest walk sort of way. Instead, it’s green and floral. Most of all though, it smells expensive. If Sandara was a spa, it would a hill-top oasis at the Four Seasons.
Key notes apricot, plum, cardamom, jasmine absolute, peony, agarwood, tonka beans, sandalwood, labdanum. Perfumer Jerome Epinette, known for Byredo Gypsy Water, Byredo Velvet Haze, & Other Stories fragrances, Oribe Cote d’Azur. Don’t be put off by the premise of apricot in the name of this perfume if apricot isn’t your thing. Instead of being juicy and sweet, Apricot Privée is fruity and spicy—like baked plums bubbling away in an Aga and mulled wine being stirred on the stove. Unlike other scents of equally warming delight, it’s not headache-inducing or attention-seeking, sitting instead like a veil of spicy, familiar comfort on the skin.
Key notes Italian bergamot, cassis leaves, crisp apple, rhubarb, fresh freesia, jasmine, lily of the valley, maté absolute, orris concentrate, vanilla orchid. Perfumer Gil Clavien, known for Boy Smells Flor de la Virgen. Worlds away from anything else Phlur has created, Lost Cause is crisp, marine-like, and totally unique. Far from your standard rain-like smell, it’s sweet, zingy, and it means business. It’s the sort of perfume that will have people chasing you down the street after it. If I had to choose one Phlur perfume to wear every day, Lost Cause would be it for sure.
