As winter starts to bite, we turn our minds to warmer, brighter times when the sun shone on petals in the garden. This new release from 1000 Flowers is bound to cheer days full of even the dreariest of Yorkshire drizzle.

Listed notes

Mandarin zest, ylang ylang, frangipani/plumeria, vanilla pods, atlas cedar, coconut milk, sandalwood, tonka bean, musks.

Top notes

It’s fair to say that 1000 Flowers aren’t the most well known, or widely talked about, brands in the fragrance world. But in a perfectly formed little boutique on a pretty street in Grasse, a series of rather lovely, modern perfumes are born.

Petales Sous Le Soleil (petals under the sun) is the latest creation from the workshop of 1000 Flowers and it is a cheerful and bright addition to their thoughtful line up (not exactly a spoiler alert given the name though!).

Petales opens with a sweet, almost bubblegummy burst of white flowers that rather vivaciously tumble out of the bottle. A classy tuberose apparition makes its presence felt, in equal parts spectral but dense, like you could reach out and touch it and it would feel yielding and slightly rubbery if you did. Alongside this, a dusting of orange blossom dances whilst frangipani whispers around the edges. It’s fair to say thought that this is very much a white floral, and a very pretty one to boot.

A citrusy zest sparkles in the top of the scent, but it is discrete and more likely sensed than fully noticed. It gives the composition a pleasing movement and dynamism and a lovely lift that feels cheerful and optimistic.

Heart notes

A lovely sensation of gentle warmth creeps into the fragrance as it really settles. It’s very clever how the perfumer has created that feeling of relaxation, warm sunshine on skin. It’s gently and subtly handled whilst very much being present.

The floral tone persists through the heart of the fragrance, and although the scent doesn’t move a whole lot from top to base, the edges become more polished, and the scent feels like it relaxes into itself as the wear goes on.

The sandalwood adds a sense of smoothness, and the touches of coconut aren’t really very noticeable, but are perhaps there to give those faint hints of summer skin, anointed with lotion before stretching out to catch some rays.

Base notes

The blending of Petales is such that, particularly as the scent ages, it becomes harder to identify specific notes. A sort of warm roundness finishes the fragrance off, but I would have been very hard pressed to say that it was vanilla or tonka in the base: these elements are discrete and silky, there but not there at the same time.

Petales is a transportive fragrance, but it doesn’t so much transport you to a specific time and place elsewhere as transport you to a feeling. That feeling definitely includes relaxation and sunshine, but it also includes optimism and sense of switching off from the pressures of daily life. It’s a kind of halcyon-days-of-summer fragrance, that will lift spirits in the depths of winter.

It seems a little like Petales might not be the scent we necessarily want right now, in the depths of winter in a pandemic (when the more obvious choices would be the heavy, ambery, cosy scents), but its the scent we need. To lift, to cheer, and remind us of better times past, as well as hopefully better times to come.

The other stuff

The longevity of Petales is decent but not epic. When testing it, I tended to get 2-3 hours wear from it. This may be longer in summer, but the cold does seem to dampen it down somewhat.

Projection of the scent is pretty gutsy, especially for the first hour or so following application where it goes to around handshake distance. After that it reduces significantly and becomes a scent which stays quite close to the skin.

In terms of when to wear this scent, given the sunshiny disposition, it’s easy to imagine it really fitting the warmer months of spring and summer particularly well, when it will rise from skin in a beautiful plume. It’s a great fragrance to wear to something sophisticated but fun like the evening do of a wedding. It works equally well for day wear though and will see you right for doing things like walking the dog or lunching with friends.

If you liked Petales Sous Le Soleil you may also like Melodie de L’Amour by Parfums Dusita.

The brand

1000 Flowers spring from the mind and hands of Jessica Buchanan who started the company 20 years ago in Canada, relocating to France to study perfumery in Grasse, and subsequently open her boutique there as her work progressed.

One of the admirable aspects of 1000 Flowers is Jessica’s thoughtful commitment to the materials she uses, the sustainability of her packaging, and her general careful consideration of the impact her perfumery has. You can read more about this on the brand’s about page.

The whole vibe of 1000 Flowers is a mixture of French chic and a modern, understated almost minimalist sensibility. These are the sort of perfumes which are a beautiful addition to your day, but you wear them rather than them wearing you.

Buy it

Petales Sous Le Soleil is available from the 1000 Flowers web boutique where it is priced at 85 Canadian dollars (about £48) for 50ml of EdT.

We were gifted a no-strings attached sample of this fragrance by the brand which came to us via our friend Stephan Matthews. He visited the store in Grasse and returned with the fragrance. Check out Stephan’s website. Thanks to both Stephan and Jessica from 1000 Flowers for their kindnesses.

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.