Elegant simplicity. Bottled.

You know how when you see a (usually Scandinavian) design for some household tool that is both beautiful and utterly functional it gives you a little happy inside? That’s what this novel perfume house is like. Elegantly simple. It’s really satisfying.

Listed notes

Bergamot, citrus, mandarin, rosemary, neroli, jasmine, lavender, petitgrain, musk, orange blossom.

The brand

Bon Parfumeur are a brand who’s marketing spiel is that they have a scent for every mood. They sell perfumes which can be worn alone, or layered to create your own unique olfactory signature. We have to say, we always look askance at houses that tell us we should be layering multiples of their product in order to smell nice: it just feels like a really cheap way to get repeat business without really trying. That said, we will try very hard to not let that cloud our judgement, because their perfumes are good enough to be worn on their own.

What is great about Bon Parfumeur though is pretty much everything else. They allow you to buy testers, their packaging is gorgeous and understated, they’re fun, young, lively and they make scents which have a beguiling simplicity about them – think IKEA but for scent. Their perfumes don’t hide behind a load of bloated marketing waffle, and they’re priced to give you the opportunity to mix, match, and change it up. You can buy approximately three of their scents for the same price as an average 100ml bottle of a niche fragrance, giving you flexibility without long-term commitment.

Top notes

001 starts out with a seemingly boundless energy that flies off the skin. You really get the mandarine and bergamot initially. It’s bright, zingy and sharp. There’s a really pleasant bite to the citrus which gives it that truthful tartness which makes your mouth water.

001 doesn’t exactly smell complex, especially in the top; it’s very much a what-you-smell-is-what-you-get type scent with few layers and nuances lurking lower down. That said, this is exactly it’s charm – it’s that elegant simplicity. You don’t need an olfactive degree to understand this scent, it’s not trying to tell you a complex story, it’s just bright, cheerful and perky. It will brighten your day, pep you up, even wake you up should you need it it, and therein lies its charm. 001 is a pretty little scent, skipping along in the sunshine, surrounded by woodland creatures and singing a little ditty to itself as it goes. It’s a Disney movie of a fragrance rather than a Pulitzer Prize winner, but it doesn’t pretend to be anything different and there is certainly a place for both in the world.

Heart notes

There’s a mini metamorphosis of notes that goes on between the top and heart notes of this scent. The fragrance smoothes and mellows as it ages, slowing down and becoming much less energetic. The jasmine and neroli come through as the citrus recedes and the scent becomes very creamy, soft and floral. It goes from this big wild citrus to a big white floral in a matter of moments. The floral tone is particularly lovely and delicate. It doesn’t overpower at all, whilst retaining it’s flowery aspect. A good one to try if you find some of the big white floral scents a bit too much but yet still like that sort of vibe.

Base notes

Creamy musk comes through in the base, along with the continuing hum of white florals. It’s a bit soapy at times, but in a very pleasant way that evokes clean and fresh rather than synthetic. It leaves your skin smelling quite summery and bright once it has faded.

There’s a certain predictability between the heart and base notes of the scent, you feel like you know how it’s going to evolve before it even does it. But that’s okay, you know how a trip to IKEA is going to end up before you’ve even gone now, don’t you?

The other stuff

The longevity of the scent is moderate. It just about lasted until lunch before we needed to reapply. The sillage, or projection, is also moderate. You do get whiffs of it all day when you are wearing it, but it stays handshake distance or less from the body.

In terms of who can wear 001 we would say that it sits much further on the feminine side of the spectrum than the masculine. Although it starts out citrusy there is such a lot of white floral in the heart and base that it is difficult to imagine a man wearing it.

It’s also worth noting that the design and presentation of Bon Parfumeur scents really is rather Scandinavian in it’s design aesthetic. It’s elegant, clean, and has that simplicity about it that oozes confidence and quality without needing to shout about it with a gaudy bottle.

Buy it

One of the absolutely fantastic things about Bon Parfumeur is that they sell their fragrances in a range of sizes; from the cute 2.5 ml testers, 30, 50 and 100ml big bottles, so there really is a size to suit your needs.

They also have a significant number of scents in their collection, so if this citrusy floral isn’t up your street, there is bound to be something in their line that is.

001 (along with the rest of the Bon Parfumeur range) is available from Bloom Perfumery London where it is priced at £45 for 30ml EdP. You can also buy it from the Bon Parfumeur web boutique where 30ml EdP will set you back around £38, excluding shipping, £60 for the 50ml, and £85 for the 100ml. Prices did seem to vary, however, depending on which currency was selected, so please do check carefully before you buy.