Of all the perfumers palette, mint must surely one of the most difficult ingredients to work with. Why? Because if you aren’t very careful with your handling of it, it ends up smelling like mouthwash, toothpaste or chewing gum. Now, whilst these household substances might be indicators of good oral hygiene, they don’t exactly confer the sophistication and elegance that a niche perfume should.

Which poses the question, what should you wear if you like minty scents? All is not lost, because there are skilful folks out there who have managed to make mint smell just as elegant as you want to feel,

Menta y Menta by Miller et Bertaux

Listed notes: Mint, tea leaves, citrus, coffee, jasmine.

This is the outwardly most minty scent on our list – and indeed its one of the mintiest scents we have had the pleasure of trying. It is absolutely glorious! The mint is refreshing, cool but sweet and utterly moreish. We defy you to wear this and not keep sniffing your wrist – whilst this is most definitely minty, it is a million miles away from toothpaste. The jasmine and tea leaf notes grab the mint by the scruff of the neck and force it into a much sweeter and leafier role than you might imagine. It definitely stays mint, but like a form of mint one will not have experienced before.

You or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange

Listed notes: Eucalyptus, green leaves, mint, shiso, violet leaves, bergamot, grapefruit, cassis, hedione, rose, white musk.

Mint and rose don’t sounds like two scents that would go together, but boy do they in this wonderfully unusual scent. The mint is like a breath of fresh air over the bloom of the rose and the whole fragrance is sophisticated, unusual and a little bit rebellious.

This is a particularly good scent to wear if you want to capture both the sophistication of a good French perfume, but inject a bit of modernity and fun too.

Douleur by Bogue

Listed notes: Aldehydes, benzoin, brown sugar, candy floss, cedar, civet, lavender, melon, mint, oak moss, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, seaweed.

Mint is more of a supporting player in this fragrance, which is not a scent for the faint of heart. Douleur is one of the most boldly characterful scents in the niche world and it is full of a raging metallic note. The mint adds the feeling of cool evening air and a burnished sheen to the metal. This is very avant-garde, but well worth checking out for its high levels of innovation and creativity.

Aer by Angela Ciampagna

Listed notes: Lemon, mint, grapefruit, juniper berries, elemi, vetiver, patchouli.

If you like your mint a bit more relaxed and a bit more rural in tone then try Aer by Angela Ciampagna which feels like an idyllic landscape viewed from a bird’s vantage point. Angela’s fragrances are all incredibly special and emotive, and Aer is no different. The mint used in this scent is the cool breeze that lifts the bird high into the air. It is light, transparent and delicate but present nevertheless. A beautiful rendition of a fine day.

Saint Julep by Imaginary Authors

Listed notes: Sweet mint, tangerine, southern magnolia, bourbon, grisalva (which is a molecule with the character of ambergris), sugar cube and crushed ice.

The mint in this jazz-era inspired scent adds a cool freshness to the boozy cocktail. This fragrance is such a riot to wear. It’s packed with personality and full of joy, so much so that you may end up wishing you could visit the odd prohibition-era speakeasy yourself.

In this fragrance, as much as in a good cocktail, mint and liquor make excellent partners!

The other stuff

So there you have it, a bevvy of fragrances that use mint in some form or other. Mint rarely takes centre stage, but if you are looking for a fragrance in which it does, Miller er Bertaux are your best bet. For a very unusual take on mint try You or Someone Like You, and for the more classical uses of mint try Aer or Saint Julep.

We will keep adding to our list as more wonderful minty fragrances cross our path, so be sure to bookmark this and check back in future if mint is something you enjoy.

Image by Matthias Böckel from Pixabay.