Welcome to Fragrance Friday, where each week we’ll be keeping you abreast of the newest and most iconic releases in the dynamic world of men’s fragrances. Born out of the desire to showcase one of the most overlooked, yet versatile, elements of any discerning man’s style this weekly column will help you finesse your own signature scent.
As we torpedo towards the end of the year (time flies when you’re out of lockdown), I thought it’d be good to take stock of some new men’s fragrances that have been released so far in 2022.
I’ve spent the past few weeks rounding up both old and new perfumes that are relevant for a number of situations, such as heading out for a European summer and for when you want your scent to smell like your favourite spirits.
There’s no particular theme to this week’s round-up, other than these being new fragrances released in Australia this year. And there’s plenty that has been heading to the local market in 2022, given there’s been a big move towards unisex fragrances and, as Dior proved with Sauvage, fragrance is still very much a lucrative market. The churn ain’t stopping anytime soon. Although with all the quality, there are definitely plenty of examples of boring new fragrance releases falling victim to the greed of mass production
Note that some of the below new men’s fragrances launched in other international markets last year but, as is usually the case, Australians had to wait for some time before these niche fragrances arrived down under.
3 Best New Men’s Fragrances In 2022
Xerjoff ‘Tony Iommi Monkey Special’
Possibly my favourite from this list is the incredibly complex Xerjoff Tony Iommi Monkey Special. As with pretty much all fragrances from this Italian luxury brand, the Monkey Special fetches a fairly high price tag but repays that in spades thanks to a profile that’s been built perfectly by perfumer Chris Maurice as he pays tribute to the “monolithic riffs” of Black Sabbath’s legendary guitarist Tony Iommi.
I’m not quite sure if the music connection is strong enough to be expressed beyond the label, but I don’t think anyone will take issue with this fragrance as soon as those beautiful top notes of rum, passionfruit, bergamot and geranium come through. It’s an instant spice bomb without the syrupy influence of rum that you’d expect, briding into cinnamon, leather, Bulgarian Rose – one of the most expensive perfume ingredients in the world – and Singapore patchouli. The base is even more complicated but it’s all tied together nicely for what is easily one of my favourite Xerjoff perfumes to date.
Top Notes: Rum, passionfruit, bergamot, geranium
Middle Notes: Cinnamon, leather, Singapore patchouli, Bulgarian rose
Base Notes: Caramel, sandalwood, vanilla, labdanum, tonka bean, musk, ambergris
Roja Parfums ‘Apex’
I’ve highlighted Roja Parfums Apex before but I’d like to show a bit more love to this particular fragrance as what Roja Dove has produced here is the ultimate fresh fragrance that doesn’t get caught up in convention and has plenty of bite to it. This uncommon perfume is a great achievement from this famously expensive label, managing to take a recipe that’s ridiculously complex and present something focused, confident and incredibly postured.
Fresh perfumes can a bit divisive for males, but even the hardiest leather fanatic would take to this immediately. And perhaps because after the opening of lemon, bergamot, mandarin and orange, the fragrance profile wastes little time bringing through that definitive 18-note base.
Top notes: Lemon, bergamot, mandrain, orange
Middle notes: Jasmin de Grasse, cistus, pineapple
Base notes: Galbanum, elemi, patchouli, oakmoss, rum, tobacco, cypress wood, fir balsam, juniper berry, Casimir wood, sandalwood, benzoin, amber, frankincense, labdanum, leather, ambergris, musk
Clive Christian ‘Jump Up & Kiss Me Hedonistic’
Like Roja’s Apex above, I’ve highlighted Clive Christian Jump Up & Kiss Me Hedonistic before. There’s a good reason there. It’s an absolute show-stopper, and one of the few perfumes I have in my collection that is so powerful that I can smell it clearly before I even spray it on. Most fragrances are fairly vague if you just sniff the bottle to try and get a good idea of the profile; this poetic unisex fragrance is built differently.
And that’s probably why it fetches almost $800. Clive Christian perfumes are always quite expensive, but this would be an investment. Especially given as that price tag would only get you 50 ml of the good stuff. With 25% perfume concentration, you’ve got a very busy recipe here, opening with really pleasant top notes like clary sage, bergamot, lemon and neroli, and then getting more intense on the bridge with the likes of orris, tobacco and papyrus. The base is a virtuoso dip into those really hardy masculine notes like cashmere, leather, sandalwood and vetiver. If you want something special – this is the one.
You might be wondering about the odd name. Jump Up and Kiss Me was a nickname given to William Shakespear’s favourite flower, the wild pansy, which features as a plot device in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hence the name, which is also given to Clive Christian’s other new release for this year – Ecstatic.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Neroli, Cherry, Clary Sage, Violet Leaf.
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Orris, Tobacco, Papyrus, Addictive Fusion.
Base Notes: Amber, Cashmere, Leather, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Musk, Labdanum, Patchouli, Moss, Vetiver.
