Top 10 Basil Perfumes
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
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A period-defining chypre for Jean-Claude Ellena’s debut perfume in 1974. This is a classic that anyone interested in fresh green perfumes should try. It is not the modern, transparent style that Ellena developed later in work with Hermes. It did, however, depart from the sharper green galbanum and bergamot “mean green” 1970’s chypre style. Eau de Campagne softened this approach with basil, wild herbs, tomato leaf, and plums and a delicate white floral. The combination of basil with the galbanum and tomato leaf leaves the individual notes distinct, but more creates a fresh walk through a sunny garden. This is a classic that remains very much in the moment.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Basil, Galbanum, Wild herbs
Middle Notes: Tomato leaves, Jasmine, Geranium, Lily of the Valley, Plum
Base Notes: Oak moss accord, Patchouli, Vetiver, Musk
Sometimes compared to Eau de Campagne, this 1993 work by Olivia Giacobetti lists only basil, lemon, and verbena as notes. This is clean basil and citrus drying to fresh grassy without any of the floral or oakmoss notes of a chypre. This may bore some looking for more intrigue than a joyful green hay/grass excursion and may offend others with the bright citrus, but for those who appreciate the category, this is excellently blended and delivers the quality expected from the house.
Notes: Basil, Lemon, Verbena
This is the gentleman strolling on a Saturday afternoon with a carnation in his lapel. Born in Nice in 1905 and trained in Grasse, perfumer Edmond Roudnitska already had a number of major successes when his Eau Sauvage was released by Dior in 1966. There are few scents that approach the influence and appreciation that Eau Sauvage has sustained over its more than 50 years on the market. The scent is remarkable for its incorporation of hedione into the floral jasmine, carnation and orris heart notes made green with basil and petitgrain and intriguing with patchouli and coriander. Hedione does not just space out and add volume without muddiness to the floral heart, but lifts the citrus opening so that this is achieves a sparkling citrus, green, and floral harmony. Hedione, which was synthesized in 1962 and occurs naturally in jasmine and tea, is now used at very high percentages (up to 30% of the concentrate) in most mass market perfumes. Eau Sauvage has a much lower dose (~0.5%) of hedione, but used it to great effect. The green basil note blends beautifully with the vetiver in the base, made more substantial by the oakmoss.
Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Cumin, Rosemary
Heart Notes: Petitgrain, Jasmine, Patchouli, Carnation, Basil, Coriander, Orris
Base Notes: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Amber, Musk
Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria line was intended to be a light, breezy alternative walk through the garden; a cologne, but with the longevity of an EDT. Mandarine Basilic is a burst of citrus with a light green note of basil and tea sliding into the amber base. Fairly linear and off-putting to some in its opening intensity, this is a classic cologne without the floral heart or deeper base. Good for layering or on its own as a light summer wear.
Notes: Mandarin Orange, Basil, Green Tea, Amber
As with so many others from Chanel, the composition is refined and intentional. Perfumer Olivier Polge, who took over as only the 4th head perfumer of the house from his father in 2015, wanted this 2018 scent to evoke the dream of a weekend getaway in the country. Deauville is a resort town on the Normandy coast where Gabrielle Chanel opened her first boutique in 1913. While there is nostalgia in the marketing, Paris-Deauville is a restrained, modern chypre competing more with L'Eau de L'Artisan than with the classics of the 60’s and 70’s. The difference between this and something like Eau de Sud is the use of patchouli as a singular base note. This allows it to blend a more restrained patchouli to the aromatic basil as the citrus top note fades and the jasmine/rose heart remains a subdued backdrop.
Top Notes: Orange rind, Petitgrain, Basil leaf
Heart Notes: Rose, Jasmine
Base Notes: Patchouli
Launched in 2008 as part of the Blu Mediterraneo series of place-based scents, Mirto di Panarea is meant to evoke the scents of the island of Panarea, off the northern coast of Sicily. It opens with the classic cologne scent of bergamot and lemon. The sweeter herbaceous, anisic note of basil is kept from being cloying with the addition of myrtle, which adds a camphoreous spiciness. This scent is very much of a time, with the floral aquatic notes at its heart drying down into a nondistinct cedar and white musk. The juniper note does keep things interesting.
Top Notes: Myrtle, Basil, Lemon, Bergamot
Heart Notes: Sea breeze accord, Rose, Jasmine
Base Notes: Mastic, Juniper, Cedarwood, Amber
This 1995 release stands on its own, but makes more sense as an important entry in modern chypre scents when set against the fresh/ozone mess of perfume in the 1990’s. In contrast to the paired down pallette of contemporary L'Eau de L'Artisan, Eau de Sud maintains the complexity of Eau Savauge, but moves away from the jasmine floral hedioneheart to focus on a drier woodier profile.
Top Notes: Bergamot, Persian lime, Grapefruit, Mandarin, Verbena, Peppermint, Basil,
Heart Notes: Jasmine
Base Notes: Vetiver, Patchouli, Oakmoss
Consistently one of the house’s most popular fragrances and much copied in perfumery and home products, this 1991 scent was one of the first handful from perfumer Jo Malone. This is much more basil-forward than other citrus-heavy colognes in this list. Along with the rest of Malone’s style, this scent employs a masterful blend of intense aldehydes to make the natural smells jump of the skin. This lasts longer than many colognes. The intensity of each note does come with a down side that this can overwhelm the senses.
Top Notes: Lime, Mandarin, Bergamot
Heart Notes: Basil, Lilac, Iris, White thyme
Base Notes Patchouli, Vetiver, Amberwood
If Jo Malone went hard into synthetic enhancement of a few clean citrus and herbal notes, Central Park continues that trends more than a decade later. The floral notes are there, but this is green citrus for hours with a muted dry down in to cedar, musk, patchouli.
Top Notes: Verbena, Basil
Heart Notes: Muguet, Water Jasmine
Base Notes: Blue Cedar, Cashmere Musk, Patchouli
Just in case someone says they just wanted basil. Could be good for layering.
Notes: Basil