These rousing scents break the ice at all hours
Most fragrances aren’t built for the long toilette in the morning, and you probably won’t be able to smell it by the early afternoon. Fortunately, some of the world’s best perfumers have recently released long-lasting extraits de parfums (formulas with the highest concentration of perfume oil in the mix) that offer true all-day wear. Add one of these new and memorable scents to your rotation, and don’t be surprised when you’re still getting compliments at cocktail hour.
Amouage Sequence
One of the newest members of Amouage’s Essences line, Sequence uses a contrast of fruity top notes (lychee, raspberry) with rich leather and oud to explore the nature of time. The longer you wear it, the more it reveals itself as a serious blend grounded in woody aromas, thanks to the six months the perfume oil spends infusing sandalwood chips and another six months spent aging in oak barrels.
Perfumer: Julien Rasquinet
Key notes: lychee, raspberry, saffron, osmanthus, oud, leather
Tested longevity: Seven hours
Boadicea The Victorious Carbon Sapphire Supercharged
Boadicea has amplified its rose- and Cognac-fueled Carbon Sapphire and leveled up its concentration of oud, amber, and patchouli. This punched-up formula manages to brood and bloom at the same time, with a rousing and resinous blend of roses, saffron, pink pepper, and leather. It’s a regal and nuanced expression of modern masculinity.
Perfumer: Christian Provenzano
Key notes: roses, saffron, Cognac, oud, pink peppercorn, jasmine, patchouli
Tested longevity: 10 hours
Maison Crivelli Musc Nurāsana
Though Thibaud Crivelli’s indie scent house is known for its excellent ouds, this release proves it’s just as adept with the more intimate musk family. Its name is a cross-cultural portmanteau (“nur” means “light” in Arabic; “asana” means “posture” in Sanskrit), and the blend of bergamot, rose, and incense is formulated to evoke the refreshing feeling of the satisfying first stretch you take after getting out of bed in the morning.
Perfumer: Gaël Montero
Key notes: musk, rose, bergamot, olibanum incense, tonka bean
Tested longevity: Seven hours
Sage & Salt Sacred Ember
Sage & Salt’s third extrait de parfum was carefully crafted to evoke one of humanity’s oldest spiritual rituals: lighting things that smell great on fire. Redolent of palo santo, leather, tobacco flowers, and patchouli, its invocation of campfire and church incense will keep the aura of sacred smoke around you all day.
Perfumer: Sarah Horowitz
Key notes: bergamot, tobacco flower, patchouli, palo santo, incense
Tested longevity: Seven hours
Louis Vuitton Ambre Levant
Technically, this vibrating amber-oud masterpiece is an eau de parfum—but it lasts longer than some extraits de parfums we’ve sprayed on. Designed to capture the glimmer of golden hour in the Middle East, it’s a nod to that moment when everything is punctuated with more color. The result is a playful but sophisticated spin on the boldness of ambergris and oud.
Perfumer: Jacques Cavallier Belletrud
Key notes: ambergris, oud wood, mandarin, white pepper, cinnamon
Tested longevity: Seven hours
Dior Sauvage Extrait
Sauvage, the world’s best-selling men’s scent, just got its most pronounced edition yet: richer, darker, and more nuanced than the five versions that came before it. Sauvage Extrait builds on the franchise’s familiar blend of bergamot, lavender, and vetiver with a “chiaroscuro” mix of dark and bright woods. The heft and sensuality of Vietnamese oud, Virginia cedar, and Indonesian patchouli will make this a bottle you turn to again and again.
Perfumer: Francis Kurkdjian
Key notes: oud, patchouli, cedar, lavender, vetiver, bergamot
Tested longevity: Eight hours
Krigler America One 31 Perfume Nouvelle Edition
Some 95 years after its debut, Krigler’s beloved America One 31—famously worn by President John F. Kennedy—got a meaningful upgrade in time for the United States’ 250th birthday. The thoughtful reformulation modernizes the scent with a crisper citrus top note, a mossier base, and improved longevity.
Perfumer: Ben Krigler
Key notes: bergamot, white musk, cedarwood, black pepper, orange oil, oakmoss
Tested longevity: Nine hours
