Growing up near Grasse, a town steeped in the world of fragrance, it’s little wonder that Edeniste founder Audrey Semeraro found herself pulled towards a career in the industry.

And after almost 20 years of running a luxury events company, Audrey’s childhood dream was realised when she created Edeniste. “I always noticed the positive effect that scent had on my guests when setting the mood for events,” she shares. “I spent the last four years with neuroscientists analysing the impact of fragrances on the structure and function of the brain, nervous system and related body responses. Which was how Edeniste was born: the first fine perfume collection with active molecules, offering a ‘psycho-physiological effect’ – put simply, an experience of greater wellbeing through fragrance.”

The magic behind the scents stems from some impressive molecules heroed for their mood-boosting powers. “Developed with world-renowned neuroscientists and perfumer Aurélien Guichard, we have singled out the olfactive molecules that have a proven impact on an individual’s olfactory pathways and limbic system,” shares Audrey. These form the backbone of the “Destress” accord (a combination of scents that forms the soul of a fragrance). In this instance, it’s a dry, woody and musky scent, thanks to Iso E Super, Ambroxan, white musks and cedarwood extract and it can be found at the heart of all six of their eaux de parfums. “It has been scientifically proven to control and reduce psychological and physiological stress to help regulate your mood,” Audrey explains. 

The brand has gone a step further though and each of the eaux de parfum are designed to be layered with any of the six Lifeboost essences, which bear names such as ‘Energy’, ‘Relax’, ‘Seduction‘ and ‘Wellbeing’. The brand implores you to spray on your chosen boost and take three deep breaths to help invoke your selected emotion. “I called these revolutionary active essences ‘Lifeboost’ because they boost your life at any moment you may need during your day.”

The result is the ability to tailor your fragrance directly to your mood (or perhaps more importantly, your desired mood).  It’s also a range that in our opinion doesn’t have any weak links – all of the fragrances are a delight and whether you like deeper scents like Oud Mystique, more gourmand notes like Vanille Irrésistible or favour lighter, brighter perfumes like Vétiver Imaginaire, we defy you not to find one that you love. They also do two discovery sets, so if you’d prefer you can mix and match until you find your perfect duo. 

If The Nue Co is already on your radar thanks to their range of ingestible supplements, we suggest you check out their Fragrance Supplements.

Founder Jules Miller described the inspiration behind the range: “There’s a powerful connection between cognitive function and the olfactory system. Scents can elicit certain reactions within the body, both physically and psychologically. The impact of scent on emotional state has been recorded anecdotally across cultures around the world. When it comes to product development, we’re interested in creating the most efficient supplements, that crucially, you’ll look forward to using. So that link between nose and head was really interesting to us.”

Drawing from neurological research, each was designed to influence key areas of the brain to provoke a certain reaction: Forest Lungs, dubbed ‘forest bathing in a bottle’, seeks to replicate the calming effects of nature, and peppery Mind Energy was devised to clear brain fog and boost concentration, while the original Functional Fragrance is designed to calm and reassure.

This month sees the launched of Water Therapy, a fresh scent with woody undertones that’s inspired by the calming sensory effect of water: using specific families of sustainably sourced VOCs (volatile organic compounds) found in an oceanic setting (like aldehydes sulphurs, ketones and terpenes) it mimics a marine environment. The aim? That it helps to trigger primal protein pathways in our brains, making a neurological connection to blue spaces, replicating the associated feeling of calm they induce.

“Post-Covid-19, we are all seeking a deeper connection with nature, with up to 40% of people saying nature is more important than ever before for their wellbeing. We like to think of our Functional Fragrance collection as sensory supplements and something that can be used as part of your daily toolkit to support your mental and environmental wellbeing,” Jules shares.

A reflexologist who counts Lisa Snowdon and Holly Willoughby as regular clients, Paolo Lai is also the man behind Moon Mist – a fragrance that gives new meaning to ‘limited edition’ as each batch is produced only once a month on the full moon. “We use the purest crystal water bathed in the moonlight to harness moon energy, along with flower offerings and a selection of crystals to amplify the vibrational response of the moon water,” shares Paolo. The crystals are selected for their unique qualities: clear quartz (also known as the Master Healer) helps to cleanse the energy and brings strength and clarity to the intellect; smokey quartz is used for grounding and to protect and balance the energetic field; and rose quartz (or Love Stone) brings feminine energy and compassion and helps the heart open up to unconditional love. Paolo adds, “Other crystals are added in relation to the specific full moon and time of year to strengthen the making of the Aura Spray.”

You can wear it as a traditional perfume, but it’s also designed with a range of functional uses in mind. “Moon Mist can be sprayed around the body before and after meditation or yoga sessions, during stressful times, before going to sleep or just to clear stagnant energy in a room,” Paolo advises. “Objects and crystals can also be sprayed when cleansing and recharging is needed.”

Even if you don’t tend to go in for the mystical side of things, know that it also smells really good – it’s definitely a scent we’d classify as a compliment puller. “Its unique scent is the result of a rich blend of organic, ethically sourced essential oils, with high-grade perfumer’s alcohol to lock in the fragrance and a pinch of Himalayan rock salt to preserve it,” describes Paolo. He explains that the main note, Palo Santo, has traditionally been used by shamans and medicine people in South America to cleanse and purify, as well as to evoke protection, love and good fortune. 

Each edition tends to be snapped up very quickly but the good news is that you can now preorder a bottle for the following batch that will be whipped up on next month’s full moon. 

The creation of Yasmin Sewell, a former VP at Farfetch, Vyrao harnesses the power of perfume to change one’s mood and dials things up a notch. The brand offers six fragrances, five designed by renowned perfumer Lyn Harris and their latest, The Sixth, created by perfumer and biochemist Meabh McCurtin of the IFF and psychic advisor Katt Nicholson. Each is calibrated via a choice blend of plant and flower extracts to achieve a particular energetic state for the wearer: for example, I Am Verdant was designed to ignite a process of transformation while spritzing on Witchy Woo is said to boost creativity.

As Yasmin explains, “The fragrances are designed as playful mood boosters, a way of integrating positive energy into everyday life. Scent is emotional, it evokes powerful feelings, vivid memories, it energises the spirit and awakens the mind.” Each flacon contains a Herkimer diamond crystal energised by Vyrao’s in-house healer, which is supposed to clear negative energy and attract positivity. 

A former fragrance executive at Estée Lauder, Veronique Gabai-Pinsky has just launched her Aroma collection, which sees her blend the arts of perfumery and aromatherapy in order to create three wellness-minded perfumes. You can also buy the individual aromatherapy oil blends that are at the heart of each fragrance in handy rollerballs that you can use throughout the day.

“All my life, I have used natural ingredients to create perfumes that connect us to nature,” Veronique shared. “During the pandemic, I felt compelled to go further, to explore the natural ingredients not just for their olfactive beauty but also for the benefits they can procure, harnessing their gentle healing powers for your wellbeing.”

She teamed with aromatherapist Isabelle Sogno Lalloz and legendary perfumer Frank Voelkl, who has worked on over 100 classic fragrances including Le Labo’s Santal 33 and pertinently, The Nue Co’s original Functional Fragrance outlined above. The result are scents that are as beautiful as they are functional. “Aroma is at the crossroads of perfumery and aromatherapy. You wear them like perfumes, you feel them like aromatherapy. It is more than perfume, it is perfume therapy,” Veronique shares.“We could not add any ingredient that could dilute or cancel the benefits (of aromatherapy) just because they would work olfactively.”

The line is rooted in neuroscience but also boasts an additional spiritual dimension, with each scent intended to engage specific chakras and reap their energetic benefits, like greater confidence, strength or calm. As a special additional touch, each comes with a guided meditation narrated by Veronique herself, demonstrating how best to enjoy its aromatherapeutic benefits.