Jo's Scent Notes: FENTY by FENTY Eau de Parfum

We’re advised not to judge books by their covers. Well, for me, this is an exercise in not judging a fragrance by its ‘celebrity’ status. Although I’ve long admired Rihanna’s FENTY make-up (and now skincare and haircare) line, somehow, I was – well, a bit sniffy about sniffing this when it came out in 2021.

How silly that was, because it’s just the warm, snuggly, cashmere wrap of a scent that I find myself sinking into, as the leaves crisp and mist settles on our landscapes. And if I hadn’t been so snooty, when it came out, I’d have done a bit of homework and found out that the perfumer behind FENTY by FENTY Eau de Parfum is none other than Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud*, a perfumer I have admired since I met him at the launch of Lancôme’s Poême, in 1995, an event also memorable for the fact it involved an unforgettable concert with Charles Aznavour in a velvet-swagged Parisian theatre. I make no apologies for having been a total fangirl, ever since.

FENTY Eau de Parfum like a seamless garment, with absolutely no hard edges, and I’m finding it equally comfortable to wear. It’s about as ‘un-celebrity’ a perfume as it’s possible to get: elegant and yet somehow snugglesome, all at the same time. I’m so weary of jangly fruity-florals with a famous name attached, but this is something else entirely. This is a Chypre-floral, if we’re talking fragrance families, and I’m a sucker for a Chypre. (Isn’t that just the bonkersest name for a fragrance family? I reckon if I stopped 100 people on the street, 99 wouldn’t have a clue what it means – it’s a nod to the island of Cyprus, where some of the aromatic ingredients in a traditional Chypre flourish. Also: it can seem intimidatingly unpronounceable – say it ‘sheep-rah’.)

Technically, according to its fragrance ‘pyramid’, there are fruity elements in the top notes – blueberry and mandarin – but I don’t get those at all. Like an arrow, my nose goes straight to the heart, with lots of rose and some geranium (magnolia, too, apparently). It’s somehow feminine without being girly.

But really, it’s the base that’s hooked me – patchouli and musk. Smooth, soft, a tiny bit sweet. It reminds me a tad of Tom Ford Noir de Noir, which I love, and also the original signature Bottega Veneta fragrance, now discontinued, which I wore by day for years and years. If you loved either of those, you’ll be crazy for this.

I don’t think I could sing you a Rihanna song, if I tried. (More of a Blondie/Madonna/Cyndi Lauper fan, myself.) But I take my hat off to her for this fragrance. Recently, of course, Rihanna was made the ‘face’ of Dior J’adore (nudging long-term ambassador Charlize Theron into the history books, for which I feel a little sad). It seems weird to appoint someone who’s got their own fragrance to front another (albeit within the same LVMH stable), and so I hope this doesn’t get side-lined or even – heaven forfend – discontinued, because it’s a work of perfume genius. It’s also commendably affordable: a fragrance from the Louis Vuitton luxury fragrances line will cost you upwards of £255; this comes in at a much more accessible £65 for 30ml. There’s also a fab Christmas gift, below, which I’d be THRILLED to receive, with its travel spray, for £67.

Honestly the more I wear FENTY Eau de Parfum, the more it grows and grows on me. Definitely, a keeper – not least, as a reminder that nothing beats trying a fragrance on your own skin, to see how it develops.

And a reminder, too, of how it really never pays to stick your nose in the air about a fragrance – but instead, to put it to the purpose for which it was designed.

FENTY by FENTY Eau de Parfum/£65 for 30ml - buy here

* Jacques Cavallier is also the man who helped me massively to improve my sense of smell, through a simple exercise that I sometimes share at events – most recently at The Star in Alfriston), and whose ‘day job’ is creating the stunning fragrances for Louis Vuitton. For the launch of that collection, I had the pleasure of visiting the historic Les Fontaines Parfumées, in Grasse, where Jacques has his studio (it’s owned by LVMH). Honestly, perfume-writing IS the best job in the world.