Jo's Scent Notes: ARKIVE fragrances
You’re probably broke. I’m definitely feeling the pinch. It’s not like we’re living on gruel, but in January, what with tax bills looming for the self-employed, the prospect of hefty energy bills because it’s so flipping cold, and having to pay off Christmas, I’m doubtful that many of you feel like splashing out hundreds on a bottle of perfume. (Which seems to be the going rate, for a number of perfume houses.)
Well, thanks to Adam Reed – yes, the Adam Reed better known as a superstar hairdresser – we don’t have to, because his recently-launched ARKIVE collection of eau de parfums is refreshingly-priced, as well as being refreshingly-scented. Just £30 for 50ml, which is honestly diddly-squat nowadays in the increasingly grand scheme of scent pricing.
Adam is one of the most-loved figures in the beauty world, known for his honesty and caring spirit. He’s also a scent obsessive. In The Scented Letter magazine that I edit for The Perfume Society (perfumesociety.org), he told us how he first fell for fragrance at a truly tender age. ‘I was tiny when I first got into fragrances,’ he said. ‘My great-grandmother wore Fracas, and my nan wore Youth Dew, which I still adore even now. I was always obsessed by flowers - in fact we made our own pot pourri; basically, all of the things my nan grew in her garden really influenced me at early age. Everything there was fragranced: she had a grape vine, lily of the valley, bluebells, tomatoes, roses an all the traditional cottage garden flowers. And then there was her perfume… In fact. To me, smelling Youth Dew now is like a scented hug. It’s that memory of being so close to her, being comforted… Those scents make me me…’
All his hairstyling and haircaring products have always had fragrance right at the top of the priority list, and it was a long-term dream of Adam’s to launch his own scent collection – an extension of his ARKIVE Headcare range. (The ‘Headcare’ name isn’t just a pun; Adam is an advocate for mental health, and has shared his own journey with his followers.)
So: the collection kicks off with four fragrances. There are two florals. Future Bloom is airy, petal-tastic, fusing notes of lily of the valley and jasmine, after tart cassis, rhubarb and a zesty zoosh of mandarin have mellowed on skin. It’s very feminine, finishing with white musk and vanilla – probably the sweetest of the collection, and (I’d say), the youngest. A goddaughter or a niece would LOVE this – which isn’t to say you can’t wear it as, say, a fortysomething, but it’s an easy and undemanding, yet super-pretty, wear.
Personally, of the flower-powered pair I find myself more drawn to A Kind of Floral, which is really sophisticated, yet also comforting. ARKIVE describe it as ‘a warm hug’, and that nails it, because there’s a skin-scent snuggliness to this. From a technical perspective, we encounter white peach, pink pepper, lemon, iris, tuberose and orange flower, on a compelling base of smooth sandalwood and musk. Just lovely.
Inspired by his granny’s greenhouse, No One Elsie is the freshest of the lot: tart, crisp, with a distinct rub-your-fingers-on-a-tomato-leaf earthiness, tangled through with honeysuckle and redcurrant. That tartness is smoothed out, in time, by Palo Santo wood and vetiver; that’s the phase of the fragrance I enjoy the most (and of course, the phase that we all live with on the skin, as the base notes emerge). Weirdly – and such is the power of memory – something in here whisks me right back to a Mediterranean tour I went on at the age of 13, on the school cruise ship S.S. Nevasa. No idea what, but I’m right back there below decks again when I smell this – and trust me, that was a long way from any greenhouse.
My favourite of the collection, though, is Decorated Woods. A bit of a triumph, this. It’s deep and grounding. Mossy and intriguing – actually, if I was to lie down and sniff a forest floor, I reckon this scent wouldn’t be far off. It’s definitely very ‘shareable’ and gender neutral, maybe even veering towards masculine – but I have been wearing and loving it. It tingles with ginger and a sunlit shaft of bergamot, then beckons you into those woods with a heart of Palo Santo and saffron. Cedarwood, frankincense, vetiver and – yes, I was right! – moss, are gorgeously smoothed and softened by amber.
Unlike most fragrances, these are specifically (and no surprise there!) designed to be used as hair perfumes. It’s a great idea, as hair is a great ‘carrier’ of fragrance, lasting way longer on hair than skin, sort of re-releasing with every swish. All four are enriched with baobab oil, to boost hair condition – you can see its subtle sheen on skin, when you spray it, although I promise it doesn’t make hair greasy.
My prediction for 2025, actually, is that cost-of-living-crisis-conscious fragrances are going to have a real moment, with ARKIVE in the vanguard.
And hurrah for that, eh?
ARKIVE Future Bloom/£30 for 50ml – buy here
ARKIVE A Kind of Floral/£30 for 50ml – buy here
ARKIVE No One Elsie/£30 for 50ml – buy here
ARKIVE Decorated Woods/£30 for 50ml – buy here
ARKIVE Discovery Set/£25 for 4 x 10ml – buy here
