Scented gifts for perfume lovers!

Everything but the bottle

Also known as: my dream Christmas present list. If you’re shopping for a perfume addict, the last thing they’re going to want is an actual fragrance or scented candle because they’ll have bought it for themselves already. Trust me: I am this recipient. Likewise, you’re probably here on this Substack because you adore perfume yourself, so consider this your ideal screenshotting hub to send to family and friends, so that they get you something you actually want this year. Scented trinkets, accessories, jewellery, bits and bobs galore… Santa Baby*, leave these under the tree for me.

*JdP

[Tap the captions below to take you directly to the product’s shopping page!]

HANGING PAPER STAR, £70, Byredo

Designed by Byredo founder Ben Gorham with Japanese paper artist Miro Burman, this hanging decoration is inspired by the Swedish tradition of adorning your home with paper stars. It’s BIG at 70cm diameter, and the deliciously thick paper can be scented in a Byredo store with your favourite perfume, or DIY at home with a fragrance of your choice.

CHOOSING KEEPING SCENTED NOTEBOOK, £65, Perfumer H

Part of the Perfumer H and Choosing Keeping Collection, this limited edition scented notebook is designed by London stationery house Choosing Keeping and embedded with a bespoke scent created by British perfumer Lyn Harris of Perfumer H. The book is linen bound and hand stitched in England, covered in French marbled paper with gold foil decoration, and as you open and turn each pages you detect a soft perfume blended with turpentine oil, papyrus wood, herbs and spices, with deep, creamy wood notes of cedar and cade brushed with rose oil. It includes 5 detachable marbled sheets that can be used as drawer liners, and the pages can be written on with a fountain pen - ideally dipped into this stunning scented inkwell from the same collection.

 

MEMO PARIS ‘BETWIXMAS’ ADVENT CALENDAR, £230, Harvey Nichols

A few brands have completely capitalised on the Betwixmas marketing train invented beauty advent calendars for those days in between Christmas and New Year and, frankly, I’m here for it. I love those slow, hazy days at home to do absolutely f-all other than scoop a spoonful of Vacherin directly out of the fridge for breakfast, watch movies under blankets and to play with all your shiny new presents. How brilliant to add a perfume to each weird day, just for the hell of it?! Memo Paris - who we love deeply - has put together this box-of-joy with generous 10ml spray bottles of warm, wintery fragrances including Irish Leather, Marfa, French Leather, African Leather, Inlé, Italian Leather and Eau de Memo. Kick off on Christmas Day and finish on New Year Eve. Genius.

SCENTED GREETING CARDS, from £4.49, Scentedcards.co.uk

I mean. How gloriously ridiculous right? Admittedly the cards themselves are pretty shit (my ‘curation’ above is really scraping the barrel) but what a fun little gesture. Choose from a selection of silly scents to embed into your card, including Jelly Bean, Fresh Linen, Lemon, Baby Powder, Bamboo and Christmas Wreath (and much weirder ones too).

SCENTED PENCILS BY IMOGEN OWEN, £15 for 6, Tom’s Studio

Crafted from Cedarwood, these gorgeous pencils are a lot more affordable than many other posh scented ones I’ve come across. They come impregnated in four natural oil ‘flavours’: Jasmine, Peony, Lavender or Orange Blossom. From children to teens and elders, I can’t think of any age group who wouldn’t like these.

CREATE YOUR OWN PERFUME KIT (SET 01), £110, Experimental Perfume Club

Experimental Perfume Club is a modern, progressive fragrance brand founded by esteemed perfumer Emmanuelle Moeglin. She’s created a huge array of stunning, curious and beautifully-composed fragrances (in varying sizes, sets and vials), and hosts blend-your-own perfume workshops at her flagship boutique in London’s Covent Garden (for which you can also purchase gift vouchers for one-to-one or group bookings. I’ve often recommended these to brides and grooms). You can also play at-home perfumer thanks to her clever blending sets, such as this one above. It contains three ‘Essentials’ Eau de Parfums in different combinations to create a signature scent personal to you. In this particular set, you get a ‘Top’ (Bergamot and Incense), a ‘Middle’ (Jasmine and Osmanthus), and a ‘Base’ (Sandalwood and Musk); along with a pipette, an empty blending bottle and a step-by-step guide, plus a free downloadable Formula Book including detailed instructions, blend ideas and access to a video tutorial. 

ROGER & GALLET BATH TABLETS COLLECTION GIFT SET, £17.50, The French Pharmacy

I adore, and I really mean ADORE, Roger & Gallet, and this set of scented bath tablets is a step up from soap or bubble bath. It’s an act of kindness and self-care to anyone needing a moment of alone-time in a busy household; plus they have the option of two scents, as the set contains 3 Fleur de Figuier tablets and 3 Rose tablets. PS: I’d highly recommend blocking out a good lunch hour to peruse the rest of The French Pharmacy’s website. It’s a haven of yummy brands such as Le Petit Marseillais, Klorane and Manucurist.

LOEWE TOMATO LEAF CHANDELIER CANDLE, £110, Harrods

Ok ok, I said I wouldn't include candles… but melty face emoji! Loewe’s collection of top-to-bottom scented candelabras are next-level chic, and if your recipient loves the biting, metallic, sweet-sour, green twang of tomato leaf, this is an absolute must. Weirdly, the scent works brilliantly at a dinner party, adding a soft, earthy freshness to your foodie ambiance.

PERFINO NATURAL SCENT PENDANT SET, from £80

Scented jewellery is such a fabulous way to wear fragrance, especially if you have extremely sensitive skin. Perfino have done this in a sustainable, credible and high quality way, featuring beautiful 100% solid recycled silver and 18ct gold vermeil pendants (in two different lengths). Here’s how it works: choose from a selection of oil blends (for instance Energy, Dream or Calm; or no blend if you want to add your own oils), apply a drop of your choice to one of the tiny natural lava stones (you get 6 in the set), open the pendant and pop it in. One drop of oil will radiate scent all day, and you can top it up or wash it clean with soapy water to try out a new blend. The oils are made of sustainably grown ingredients, all metals are recycled and the lava stones are milled and dyed with natural dyes. The packaging is compostable as are the discovery scent cards, which come in a corn starch derived envelope. Huge, huge round of applause for this small independent brand making such enormous strides of responsibility and care within every step of its production line.

CELINE WICK TIMMER, £56, Celine.com

Since David Beckham revealed his immaculate candle-care skills to the nation, a sexy pair of wick trimmers is 2023’s top gift. I think we’re all agreed that these gold stunners by Celine (they come in silver too) need absolutely no more explanation from me other than: PHWOAR.

MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN VIOLET SCENTED. BUBBLES, £20

No, your eyes do not deceive you. The once-limited edition scented bubbles blended by Master Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian are back! The collection of ‘Les Bulles d’Agathe’ includes Melon, Cut Grass, Rose, Strawberry or, my favourite, Violet. How completely magical, especially for a niche perfume fan lusting after quirky collectibles. You can buy the full set at £90 too (which gets you free delivery). Bonus treats: receive a scented greeting card and complimentary perfume samples at checkout.

It was impossible to choose just one gift idea from Diptyque. So I didn’t. I chose five. Enjoy this delicious selection below from the maestros of need-it-now scented goodies:

DIPTYQUE LA DROGUERIE MULTI-SURFACE CLEANER, £35

To spritz and clean your desk, dressing table and kitchen surfaces.

DIPTYQUE LA DROGUERIE CEDARWOOD PERFUMED CERAMIC £38

To hang in your wardrobe, so that every time you open it you get a fresh, calming and nostalgic aroma of pencil shavings.

DIPTYQUE EAU DE MINTHEE PERFUMED BRACELET, £68

These woven cotton bracelets and infused with scent. I love this lively minty option, and they also come in Eau Capitale if you prefer a patchouli-rose vibe.

DIPTYQUE ELECTRIC WALL DIFFUSER, £100

There is life beyond Glade plug-ins. It begins and ends here.

DIPTYQUE CHRISTMAS CAROUSEL & SCENTED CANDLE SET, £94

The brass discs twirl round as the heat of the candle flame rises, creating a twinkling and mesmerising effect. This smoky-sweet combination of firewood and amber is one of my personal favourites at this time of year.

ACQUA DI PARMA x POLTRONA FRAU LEATHER CAR DIFFUSER, £144

ACQUA DI PARMA LUCE DE COLONIA CAR DIFFUSER REFILL, £43

Annoyingly you need to buy both items separately, but WHAT a decadent concept. It’s a diffuser that you slot into your car’s air vent, presented in a butter-soft leather compact designed by Poltrona Frau, in which you insert a disc of Acqua di Parma’s iconic Colonia that wafts a plume of crisp citrus and herb perfume through your car. There are other scents and compact colours available.

FRUIT SCENTED NEON GEL PENS, £7.50, Amazon.co.uk  

They may be marketed to kids, but I know a lot of grown-ups who would absolutely love these! Imagine whipping out a purple biro during your next strategy meeting and being met with a faint trail of sugary grape rising up to make you smile.

VICTORIA BECKHAM PERFUME BOTTLE NECKLACE, £240

Let’s end on a high! Hellooooooo to this little piece of fashion fabulousness. This extraordinary brass pendant in high-shine gold finish is designed to hold a few mls of Victoria’s new fine fragrances – Portofino ’97, Suite 302, and San Ysidro Drive - filled using a bespoke dropper to avoid spillage. You can add any scent of course, but given VB’s perfume bottles come with removable lids, it would be rude to stray off brand.

I hope you enjoyed this Substack. Some of the links above are affiliate, which makes no difference to your shopping experience but I may earn a small commission. Please consider subscribing to my ‘Perfume Playground’ to read all my articles and how-to guides. It’s just £5 a month, or £50 for the year, and includes thought-pieces and long-reads, plus early access to some of my customer events. Thanks!