MY friends are a bit fed up of hearing about Arkive.
As a beauty writer, I test hundreds of haircare products every month, but there are very few brands I love like Arkive – and I’m not exactly quiet about it.
Since my very first spritz of the brand’s cult hairspray, I’ve been hooked, and have recommended the brand to everyone I know ever since.
Dehydrated hair? Try Arkive. Flyaways and frizz? Arkive. Tight budget? Arkive, always.
Very few brands boast a product lineup that nourishes, smoothes, and smells incredible, all while costing under £20, but Arkive somehow manages the lot.
Founded by celebrity hairstylist Adam Reed in 2020, Arkive calls itself a ‘headcare’ brand, focusing on clearing the mind and taking a moment of pause, as well as caring for your hair and scalp.
While all of the above is brilliant, my favourite thing about Arkive products is their scent, as I’d gladly wear the Arkive hairspray as a perfume.
And now I can!
This autumn, Arkive announced it was launching four perfumes, starring the fragrances we know and love from its haircare products.
Packaged in tinted embossed bottles, and suitable for spritzing on to hair and skin, these budget beauties are one of my favourite launches of 2024.
The best bit?
They cost just £30.
Here’s everything else you need to know…
Arkive Decorated Fragrance EDP, £30
Freshly cut grass, dense foliage, and leaves crunching underfoot – this perfume feels like a chilly walk in lush woodlands.
Incorporating smooth, sweet notes of amber with decadent, spiced ginger, it feels like a gulp of morning air.
You’ll also find this fragrance in Arkive’s Decorated Woods The Reset Dry Shampoo – a limited edition of the brand’s bestselling product.
Arkive Decorated Woods The Reset Dry Shampoo, £8
IF your purse is feeling tighter than ever before and you're looking to save cash on your make-up routine, have you ever thought of trying out beauty dupes?
Here’s five of the best recommended beauty buys that are almost identical to the posh versions, but for a fraction of the price.
FACE BASE: If you can’t afford Charlotte Tilbury‘s £52 Magic Cream, why not try a dupe that costs just £5.49 from Superdrug?
TONE IT UP: If Drunk Elephant’s £62 Protini moisturiser is out of your price range, you’ll need to check out the new dupe in Home Bargains.
TINTING IT: With Fenty’s ‘game-changer’ skin tint costing an eye-watering £29, a popular supermarket’s affordable alternative might just be the thing for you.
GET COVERED: At £29 for a Tarte concealer, the new Primark dupe is much more affordable at just £3.50.
SPRAY YAY: For those wanting to smell fresh, without the price tag, Aldi’s new Prada and Chloe perfume dupes cost a fraction of the price.
Arkive No One Elsie Fragrance, £30
This scent caused me to fall in love with Arkive – and it’s now available as a standalone perfume.
When I first tried the Arkive The Mastery Liquid Hairspray, which is scented with No One Elsie fragrance, I was so distracted by its smell that I didn’t realise how good my hair looked until a colleague complimented me – and asked what perfume I was wearing.
Lively and fresh, No One Elsie balances tangy rhubarb with leafy tomato notes, and was inspired by founder Adam Reed’s grandmother’s greenhouse.
Arkive The Mastery Liquid Hairspray, £8.67
Arkive Future Bloom Fragrance, £30
Much like burying your nose in a bouquet or wandering past a florist, Future Bloom is sweet and enveloping – striking the perfect balance between fresh and floral.
Balancing zingy mandarin, delicate jasmine and reassuring white musk, this fragrance takes on a new dimension every time you give it a sniff.
Already adored as the scent behind Arkive The Good Habit Hair Oil, I’m excited to douse myself in this perfume now that it’s available in bottle form.
Arkive The Good Habit Hair Oil, £14
Arkive A Kind of Floral Fragrance, £30
Unlike the other Arkive fragrances, A Kind of Floral scent doesn’t feature in any Arkive hair products – but I hope that it will soon!
The cosy combination of musk and sandalwood pairs with fiery pink pepper and zesty lemon, for a rounded, mellow scent.
As its name suggests, it’s not quite a floral – as it feels much warmer and balanced – yet has all of the merits of a flowery scent: elegant, delicate and instantly elevating.
