FROM meals and hotels to batteries and toothpaste, there are many things that we buy before we try.
Perfume shouldn’t be one of them.
But the hype around Glossier‘s hit perfume You, which was released in 2017, has been such that a whopping quarter of people who buy it do so without even spraying it on their skin first. And for £62, no less.
Why has it been such a hit? Well, celeb endorsements haven’t hurt, we see you Olivia Rodrigo, but the scent itself is pretty special. It’s designed to interact with and enhance the natural scent of your skin, which means that it smells different on everyone.
Glossier You EDP, £62
Seven years after its release, sales are still climbing by 73% year on year, making it Sephora’s bestselling fragrance, but Glossier isn’t resting on its laurels.
Instead, the beauty giant has launched two new fragrances, both based on and inspired by the OG.
Enter Doux and Rêve, the older, more sophisticated sisters of Glossier You. Here’s the Fabulous team’s verdict.
Glossier You Doux EDP, £62
Since getting my hands on this fragrance, I’ve smelt it so many times that I’m at risk of feeling lightheaded (perfume drunk is a thing). This is definitely my favourite of the two new Glossier scents.
Where the OG Glossier You is upbeat and casual, Doux is sultry and elegant, with warming, cosy notes that’ll linger on your skin for hours.
Glossier You Doux EDP, £62
“I’d wear this fragrance if I were meeting rich in-laws,” says Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley.
It smells like the hand lotion you’d find in a posh restaurant loo or the smell that greets you when you step into a new hotel room.
When spritzed onto my skin, it has an even richer, lightly spiced aroma – it smells nearly identical to a Brandy Alexander (cognac, nutmeg, cream), one of my favourite cocktails.
“This is a sexy fragrance, which has woody, oudy notes – I’d wear it with dressed-up tailoring,” says Sarah Barnes, Fabulous’ Associate Editor.
THE Sun asked an independent perfume expert to carry out blind smell tests of popular perfumes and their high street “dupes” to see if the budget versions lived up to the originals.
Noemie Maury is a senior fragrance evaluator who has worked with major fine fragrance and toiletries brands for over a decade.
“High street chains can create perfumes cheaply by buying them from big fragrance manufacturers which grow their own ingredients in-house,” says Noemie.
“Because they use oils from flowers they grow themselves instead of importing ingredients, they save on costs and can create fragrances for high street brands at a discount price.”
It means they can lack the depth and complexity of more expensive brands which use a wide variety of more expensive ingredients.
Glossier You Rêve, £62
Every time I clear out my wardrobe, I’ll pull out a dress I haven’t worn in months and it’ll still smell of the perfume I wore that night.
I reckon that Glossier Doux Rêve is destined to become one of these fragrances – it instantly conjures up images of calling up friends, jumping into cabs, and hunkering down in cocktail bars.
Much sweeter than both Doux and the OG Glossier You, Rêve balances fruity with creamy notes – a quality you’ll recognise from festive or winter fragrances.
“I’m getting strawberries and marshmallows, like you get in the Lush Snow Fairy fragrance,” says Deputy Fashion Editor Abby McHale.
Glossier You Rêve, £62
Rêve smells like the dessert section of a buffet, or like burning a candle on a chilly evening, yet it isn’t sticky or cloying, unlike so many sweeter scents.
When spritzed onto my skin, its velvety buttercream notes instantly dial up but they’re balanced with warming musk and nutty candied almond, making for a complex and moreish scent.
“You Rêve is reminiscent of Christmas sweets and chocolate, plus I think it’s great value for money,” says Art Director Laura Cunningham.
