The perfume houses that have me swooning right now

Don't worry, I'll have new obsessions next month.

I woke up convinced today was the first day of February. All those dumb memes saying 2025 has been the longest year ever really hit. Needless to say, I had all sorts of exciting visions for DDD in 2025. I haven’t given up on them; I just didn’t think I’d be struggling to get out posts this early in the year. To be fair to myself, I have been sick this week, and to be fair to all of us, 2025 has already been a weird and unsettling ride. But let’s focus on what’s bringing us joy. For me, that’s going to have a lot to do with what I’m putting under my nose.

Don’t let the title of this post mislead you, the brands I am loving right now are not all brand new. If you’re a subscriber to Dry Down, you probably know that I don’t care too much about the latest and newest releases. This is a journey for me, and I make no claims to have a more encyclopedic knowledge of perfume than any of you reading this. I’m chronicling what I love smelling, the people I find inspiring in the industry, the scents they love smelling, and all the things I think you’ll get excited about too.

Thank you if you voted on my instagram poll and helped me figure out what to write about this week. I was feeling uninspired, and it’s so helpful to hear what you want more of. And in this case, it really took me over the hump of posting. 💗

Five perfume brands I’m into right now

Serge Lutens

This is how it went with every Serge Lutens I smelled in the Collection Noire discovery set: I’d dab it on my skin, take a whiff, and throw my head back in an exaggerated fashion as if I were a medieval woman on a fainting couch being overly dramatic after eating a grape. This collection is hit after hit for me. Wearing Serge makes me feel opulent, fancy, and a little extra.

How I feel after smelling Serge Lutens and the beautiful potion-like bottles of their collection noire.

I was well aware of Serge Lutens and his role in helping define niche perfume as we know it today, paving the way for perfume houses and noses more interested in artistry than mass-market appeal. I had smelled a few of his scents; I knew Jennifer had a special place in her heart for Gris Clair. But I had never really spent time with any of the fragrances.

Now that I have, I just want to explore more. Serge Lutens fragrances feel rich and layered. They’re a lady covered in minks who walks into a vegan restaurant and does not give a fuck.

I immediately purchased Ambre Sultan. It’s not groundbreaking, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this syrupy juice after wearing the sample. It’s simple and solid. With just three notes listed: Amber, Vanilla, and Patchouli, it smells ancient, and I feel stronger and wiser when I wear it.

Serge’s florals also feel over the top. I am debating between La Fille de Berlin, a heady musky rose; Fleurs d'Oranger, what my white floral dreams are made of; and L'orpheline, which smells like an abandoned church with ghosts watching you from every corner. It's a deep, wet grey. I loved all the others in this set, too, but what you see in these photos is the extent of what I recorded about them. I really need to get better about that.

Other stunners from Serge Lutens not in this collection include La Fille Tour de Fer and Écrin de Fumée, a sweet blend of rum, coco, and tobacco that has a strong powder moment but wears lovely on my skin.

Jouissance

The sexiest perfume box I've ever seen.

I can’t remember the last time I discovered a brand that executes on every level as perfectly as Jouissance does. The story, the packaging, the bottle design, and, most importantly, the juice are all crafted with such attention to detail. This brand is sexy, romantic, well-read, subversive, mysterious, and flirty. I want to wear every scent in the collection to fit every mood I feel.

I’m going to be doing a deep dive on Jouissance soon with the founder, Cherry Cheng, on Dry Down, so I won’t go too long here. However, I will tell you that the three fragrances in this collection are all excellent and worth owning. All draw inspiration from erotic literature and feminist theory. Jouissance refers to an erotic, mystical abundance and don’t we all need more of that in our lives? If you live in New York, you can head to Stéle to smell them all in person and buy your favorite.

La Bague D’o is a lush bouquet including jasmine, rose, violet, and pulpy resins that make me feel like I am in a perfectly powdered boudoir covered in form-fitting lush velvets. You know I can’t resist a well-crafted floral. I wear this during the day but love spraying it on after a shower right before bed.

Les Cahiers Secrets gets a lot of love and for very good reason. A musky, slightly animalic veil on the skin that feels like a secret only you and one other person know. It makes you smile at odd times during the day, resulting in questioning looks from strangers. This is sexy, and I will probably wear it daily as soon as I add it to my collection. More soon on this stunning line!

Notes de Bas de Paje

Weirdly proud of this dent made only a month after owning this bottle. Use your perfume!!

Notes de Bas de Paje is a French niche perfume house started in 2023 by Alice Gensse and Pierre-Junior Menana. The brand's name translates to Footnotes and reflects its literary inspiration. Each fragrance is designed to explore a fragment of a larger narrative, much like footnotes clarifying parts of a text. Again, the packaging also gives a nod to this literary background, with each box resembling a book. And I am always a sucker for a crossover when it comes to books and perfume.

Like all good things, I first smelled this one at

Stéle

. Another newer fragrance house with only three scents in the line. Even though I know small collections are often the result of budgets, I really appreciate a tightly curated line and love it when a new house gives us a small selection to get to know them.

I got a bottle of Prolégomènes in late December, and I have made a sizable dent in it. If I still believed in signature scents, this would be mine. When I am asked to pick just five fragrances to take with me on a desert island, this will be in my bag. I smell my skin obsessively when I wear it. I need to own a travel size and have a backup bottle in my collection. This is all juicy ripe fig, citrus skin, pulpy paper, worn leather bags, and ancient wood. I can’t capture it in words, you’re just going to have to trust me here.

Because I was so taken with Prolégomènes I don’t remember what the other two, Olatua and Towédé, smell like. But I can’t wait to get my nose on them again. The one people have messaged me about the most is Towédé, which is described on their site as ‘an embrace from which one would never want to part’ and is all I really need to know before smelling it again.

Sana Jardin

I was sent a discovery set from Sana Jardin late last year. I knew little about this brand but had seen it in many places. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about their commitment to social responsibility. Sana Jardin works closely with female harvesters in Morocco, providing skills training, fair wages, and access to micro-entrepreneurial opportunities that enable them to achieve financial independence. Sana Jardin also makes some really beautiful fragrances.

I always tell people to get discovery sets to really explore a house and wear their scents before investing in a full bottle. Discovery sets are also a great way to learn which scent families you gravitate toward. The Sana Jardin one has a great range with some beautiful florals, gourmands, incense bombs, and woodsy hits. The winner for me was Tiger By Her Side, a well-balanced amber bomb with some roses and spice. I think André will be stealing the Celestial Patchouli which I also wouldn’t mind adding to my collection.

Maison Violet

Maison Violet is a historic French perfume house founded in 1827. It was apparently hopping during the 19th and early 20th centuries and is known for its unique approach to fragrance. After decades of dormancy, the house was revived in 2017 by French perfumers Paul Richardot, Anthony Toulemonde, and Victorien Sirot, who aimed to restore its legacy while bringing it into the modern era.

I first smelled this house at Ministry of Scent. I was looking for a gift for my Mom and bought Un Air d’Apogée for her, but when I spritzed some on my skin before bed that night, I knew it would never make its way to her. This is a slightly sweet and spicy tobacco scent that makes me feel like expensive luggage. I like wearing it when I travel. It’s comforting and cozy. I get fireside vibes with someone smoking a cigar next to me. But they’re not one of those obnoxious cigar-smoking people; they’re chill and not trying to show off or talk to you, and they take great care to blow the smoke in the opposite direction as you.

I also really love Compliment, which is packed with all of the things I love: orange blossoms, jasmine, tuberose, my kryptonite, basically. I’m excited to know about this brand and to continue to explore it.

What brands are you loving right now? You know I want to hear from you in the comments.

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How you’ll find me the rest of the year.