Links

• Annick Goutal
  Neither niche nor really mainstream, but still rather wonderful. One of my favourites, Sables, is only available in the UK in a daft ‘special’ edition, so better to buy it online…
• Christopher Brosius • I Hate Perfume
  Maverick perfumer Christopher Brosius creates wonderfully odd scents at his Williamsburg store, but now you can also buy a small selection at Liberty
• Frédéric Malle
  The nephew of the great film director Louis Malle, Frédéric describes himself as an ‘editeur de parfums’, commissioning some of the world’s top contemporary perfumers. The results are wonderfully varied and stylishly packaged.
• Guerlain
  Is Guerlain still the world’s greatest perfume company? It certainly used to be, and it has the heritage to prove it, and yet…
• John Lewis
  Decent range, and they sell Guerlain fragrances online, though shopping in person comes with all the drawbacks of department-store perfume selling…
• Les Senteurs
  The best perfume shop in Britain. Les Senteurs may not have the biggest range, but their staff are friendly, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable. If only perfume buying was as pleasurable everywhere else.
• Liberty
  Liberty stocks one of the best ranges of perfume in London, including a number of brands available nowhere else in the UK. So it’s a shame that not all its staff are as knowledgeable as they might be…
• Roja Dove
  The inimitable Roja Dove knows more about perfume than I ever will, and his passion for the subject – as well as his dislike of mumbo-jumbo – is an inspiration. His ‘Haute Parfumerie’ in Harrods is extraordinary, and well worth seeking out.
• Selfridges
  Selfridges offers a huge selection of perfumes, though department stores are pretty uncomfortable environments to buy perfumes in unless you know exactly what you want to start with.
• Fragrance Foundation
  The perfume trade association does excellent educational work and raises industry standards