Freshly pressed white linens. A luxuriant ‘everything shower’. A clean cotton shirt against your skin. Sure, heady sensations and trailing extraits may have their place, but there’s also something deeply comforting about clean scents. Whether it’s a light blend of florals or the powdery quality of musks, fresh fragrances are just what you need to spritz on an air of calm.
Far from being boring, the best clean scents on the market also offer a dose of sophistication. Consider the urban inspiration behind Maison Francis Kurkdijan’s 724 and Ouai’s Dean Street, which blend musks alongside floral and citrus notes to evoke a sleek city day. Then, there’s the appealing subtlety of Maison Margiela Replica’s Lazy Sunday Morning and Byredo’s Blanche. Lazy Sunday Morning is a tranquil ode to weekend lie-ins, whilst Blanche draws its inspiration from the colour white. Both evoke the comfort of freshly laundered fabrics, making for the most chic of ‘clean girl’ scents.
Should you seek an extra dimension to your fresh fragrance, there’s also Diptyque’s Fleur de Peau, which interprets romantic mythology through its somewhat carnal, second-skin qualities. Alternatively, Chanel’s classic Chance Eau Fraiche is an uplifting blend of citron, jasmine and teak wood—an ‘everything shower’ bottled.
Read on for Vogue Singapore’s edit of must-try clean scents, below:
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Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette
A fragrance designed to “make time stand still”, the classic Lazy Sunday Morning scent evokes languid lie-ins between freshly washed linens. Lily of the valley and iris form a delicate blend of serene florals, elevated by the powdery notes of white musks for a sunlit effect.
Maison Margiela Replica Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette, $220 for 100ml, available at Sephora
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Byredo Blanche Eau de Parfum
Byredo founder Ben Gorham’s perception of the colour white was the initial inspiration for this fresh scent. Also evoking the comfort of just-laundered fabrics against the skin, its notes of aldehydes, florals, sandalwood and musks are the olfactory equivalent of a classic white shirt.
Byredo Blanche Eau de Parfum, $414 for 100ml, available at Escentials
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Diptyque Fleur de Peau Eau de Toilette
A second-skin scent if ever there was one. The romantic myth of Eros and Psyche forms the inspiration for this fragrance. A carnal quality is lended by musks, further enhanced by notes of pink peppercorn, iris and ambrette seeds.
Diptyque Fleur de Peau Eau de Toilette, $246 for 100ml, available at Escentials and Tangs
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Maison Francis Kurkdijan 724 Eau de Parfum
Considering that the vibrant energy of pulsing cities inspired this fragrance, its startling freshness may be surprising. But in fact, the specific vision of a pure sky’s light over the city skyline gives way to its elegance. Maison Francis Kurkdijan bottles that sentiment by way of Calabrian bergamot, white flower accord and white musks.
Maison Francis Kurkdijan 724 Eau de Parfum, $382 for 70ml, available at Tangs
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Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche Eau de Toilette
As the sea green hue of its bottle indicates, this classic chype floral by Chanel is pure, sparkling freshness. If the most sublime ‘everything shower’ could be bottled up, it’d be this joyful blend of fresh citron and soft jasmine, featuring notes of teak wood.
Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche Eau de Toilette, $240 for 100ml, available at Chanel
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Ouai Dean Street Eau de Parfum
For a more energising take on the clean fragrance format, look no further than this option from Ouai. Inspired by its namesake street in London, this scent whirls together citrus fruits, apricot, rose, magnolia, amber, linden blossom and musk for a gentle mood boost.
Ouai Dean Street Eau de Parfum, $106 for 50ml, available at Sephora
