Perfumer H’s new spring scent, Dandelion, has arrived today (18 April 2024). A real labour of love, it was three years in the making. And for Lyn Harris, the brand founder and nose behind its olfactory creations, the length of time it took was intentional. Within its notes, Harris was keen to capture the optimism of her childhood memories; of spending spring afternoons outdoors, idly blowing dandelion seeds into the breeze. So didn’t want to hurry such a personal project.
‘It’s about being a teenager in the cricket fields near my home, lying with my friends in the grass and inhaling the scent of these leggy, sappy green and yellow weeds dancing all around my nose,’ she says. ‘It’s the feeling of freedom, innocence; the beginning of summer, and embracing life and all that awaits. This feeling brought so much happiness, and the Dandelion flower symbolises this.’
Perfumer H bottles the optimistic feeling of spring
‘I did several trials to capture how I envisioned this flower on the skin,’ Harris continues. ‘I found myself veering towards either too green or too floral, which wasn’t my intended direction. So, I’d set it aside and work on my other projects, as I typically have several in progress. Finding a creative balance with one fragrance often leads to a flow of creativity into another, creating a positive thread of magic in my work. The selection process took time to ensure the right elements were in place.’
In the case of Dandelion, the magic comes to fruition in the composition of sweet Sicilian lemon, Tunisian orange flower, and Italian mandarin. Harris then balanced these notes with the freshness of green leaf. ‘For this fragrance, it involved a careful balance of basil with green sap heightened by a bitter orange note and warmed with cardamom to evoke the heat of the sun,’ she says. ‘Then, I created tension with a sweet plum note for the bitter orange, and a hint of French mint for the cardamom, bringing balance to the top and heart notes. For the final touch, I crafted a white musk base enhanced with sandalwood nuances, adding a magical, skin-like allure that makes it irresistibly appealing.’
For Perfumer H, scent and taste are inextricably linked, and it produces a corresponding herbal tea for each scent profile. ‘My grandmother made tisanes from the fruits of her garden, igniting my obsession with tea,’ says Harris. ‘I’ve worked with Tim D'Offay from Postcard Teas on multiple projects, and he has helped me indulge in this habit for 20 years.’
In the case of Dandelion, D’Offay assisted Harris in creating a blend that reflected her ‘obsession’ with matcha, but also softened its signature bitterness to make the tea smoother on the palate. ‘[To do this] we used the purest matcha from Japan fused with foraged vanilla from Bali, a touch of jasmine, and dandelion leaves and stems foraged from England,’ Harris adds.
Alongside this, Dandelion also comes in the form of a candle, in handblown green glass. (The perfume bottle is also hand-blown, in keeping with the apothecary-esque aesthetic, rooted in craft, that Perfumer H is known for).
‘Dandelion transports you to a place that is joyful and free,’ notes Harris, which feels like the perfect sentiment for entering the escapist seasons of Spring and Summer.
The Dandelion Collection by Perfumer H is available now.
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