The Greening of New York

Aside from the many niche brands that can be found in New York lately, another major trend is eco-fragrances… Green essences – in an ecological sense, rather than in terms of color or scent – are in.
Designer Donna Karan, for instance, recently launched a “green” perfume in her DKNY line. The fragrance, christened Pure DKNY, boasts recyclable materials and renewable energies for its raindrop-shaped bottle, as well as fair-trade vanilla in the formula of this sweet-floral scent.

As for NY-based Bond N°9, this spring they launched their latest scent, a unisex fragrance called High Line. This time, the bottle itself is quite green, since the scent’s name refers to the new elevated park installed on the former freight-train line in south-west Manhattan. The fragrance is green, floral and aqueous, befitting this city park overlooking the Hudson that has just celebrated its first anniversary.

Newer fragrance brands are surfing a different “green” wave: organic. In the States, “natural”* perfumes are part of the enthusiasm for protecting the environment that is growing by leaps and bounds.
A not-insignificant number of the perfume samples we brought back from New York were labeled ‘natural’, ‘organic’ or ‘botanical’. So even if some of them aren’t as appealing, long-lasting or glamorous as “traditional” scents, they are a true trend, and therefore worthy of our attention.

In our green New York basket, we have Libby Patterson Organics (their ‘mystical’ scent, Deep Alchemy, is a fairly powerful woody essence) as well as scents by Lord’s Jester, a new NY brand of natural and organic scents designed by perfumer Adam Gottschalk (the fragrances have Greek-sounding names). There’s also Réglisse Noire, a spicy-gourmet scent by 1000 Flowers, a brand founded by Canadian Jessica September Buchanan. The brand that gets the most points for packaging is called Tallulah Jane. Their logo is a coat-of-arms adorned with pink pistols (it may remind you of another niche brand’s brash style) and a banner that declares ‘New York City’. A modern look for ‘Nature inspired’ scents for men and women.

(*) Not all of the fragrances in this category are actually organic, but they are all natural, even if the word ‘organic’ is often prominently displayed. It’s worth noting that, for the moment, independent organic certification is less common in the USA than in Europe.

New York Interview

Interview with Ilias Ermenidis, a perfumer based in New York.