What does Usher smell like? You no longer have to dream. This month, Ralph Lauren announced the icon as the face of the new Ralph’s Club New York Eau de Parfum. The intense amber aroma—filled with blackcurrant accord, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood—is what you’d get a whiff of if he were to feed you cherries at one of his shows. Not only that, it’s one of the best-smelling scents launched this year.
That, and Bottega Veneta’s new travel fragrance set featuring five aromatics ideal for the solo traveler (we can imagine Tracee Ellis Ross in the leathery scent “Come with Me”). But, we can’t mention the art of storytelling with our nose without mentioning Aesop and their latest fragrance inspired by the unknown: Above Us, Steorra. It’s celestial, but nothing you’d expect.
Regardless of how new and defiant a fragrance is, however, all scents are still unusually intimate. Byredo’s Bal D’Afrique Absolu de Parfum gourmand aroma is designed to be worn exclusively at night, with the sillage meant to spill from dinner, your bath, bed, and well into the morning after. But, even if the party is, the season isn’t over yet. Parfums de Marley’s Castley reinvigorates summer with breezy citrus notes, which is a fragrance you’ll want to last all the way until the next season.
Scroll on for 8 of the best-smelling fragrances launched this year (so far).
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Ralph Lauren Ralph’s Club New York Eau De Parfum
It’s confirmed: Usher smells like bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, and blackcurrant accords. The masculine amber, yet fruity, fougère aroma balances softness with intensity, turning into on of this year’s most addictive fragrances.Available at ralphlaurenfragrances.com
Housed in a gold-finished case, the spray is a special gift for the most seasoned traveler. However, the “Come With Me” aroma evokes a sense of comfort and ease, even when traveling alone.Available at bottegaveneta.com
While other fragrances may require more than one spritz, the woody aroma of this Africa-inspired absolute can hold its weight all night with just one. Because of the high payoff, your fragrance has a full life to live, inside and outside of the bottle.Available at byredo.com
A aroma as classic as this one is never an understatement. Fresh spice and rich citrus are blended into a well-rounded scent ideal for the foundation of your fragrance collection.Available at parfums-de-marly.com
Coconut, Tahitian monoi, and vanilla caviar are the warm solar notes behind Golden Muse. Like the sun setting in a gold-toned bottle, the warmth of this fragrance can be felt even in the dead of a long winter night.Available at sephora.com
Although Dior J’Adore was originally launched in 1999, the bottle was updated with neck-stretching rings (which referenced the Kikuyu and Maasai women of Kenya) when Rihanna was named the face of the fragrance earlier this year. And, as a historic solar floral aroma, the ageless scent has a place in every wardrobe, every time.Available at dior.com
Cognac is for more than just sipping. This new fragrance is subtle, yet baroque with notes of antique wood, caramelized bergamot, and tonka.Available at dsanddurga.com
Looking up into the night sky, you’ll see stars but smell nothing but “Above Us, Steorra”, an amber scent with a constellation of frankincense, cardamom, and vanilla bean.Available at aesop.com
