Why Perfume Is Becoming a Form of Escapism
Have you noticed how many fragrances now smell like places? Not just a flower, a fruit, or a material, but an actual environment. Cities. Neighborhoods. Concrete. Rain. Parks. Fruit stands. Beaches. Forests. Streets under construction.
It sounds strange at first, because something like concrete does not have a traditional perfume note in the way rose or vanilla does. But perfumers are finding ways to suggest it through mineral effects, musk, woods, steam, ozone, and texture. That’s what makes this moment in fragrance so interesting. We are seeing more perfumes built around the feeling of being somewhere else.
Brooklyn by Gallivant is a great example because it does two things at once. It is travel-based and city-based, but it also has that concrete, mineral, urban feeling running through it. The story isn’t just “Brooklyn” as a name. It’s the experience of moving through the city: fresh air, citrus, the park, fruit stands, construction, woods, amber, musk, and the feeling of everyday life happening around you.
Could you ever have thought how fragrance could become armchair travel? You can stay home and still get whisked away!
When Perfume Smells Like a Place
Some of the most compelling perfumes right now are not trying to smell like a single ingredient. They are trying to capture an atmosphere.
Berlin by Gallivant does this through contrast: steel architecture, forests, underground culture, concrete streets, and the tension between nature and the city. Tokyo by Gallivant moves differently, using yuzu, wasabi, hinoki, incense, woods, and spice to create something that feels both modern and rooted in Japanese tradition.
Then there are fragrances like 312 Saint-Honoré by BDK Parfums, which is inspired by the architecture of the BDK Paris flagship. Glass, concrete, and white Burgundy stone become part of the perfume’s identity. It is not only about smelling “good.” It’s about translating a space into scent. That is a different kind of perfumery. It asks the fragrance to carry architecture, weather, culture, and memory.
Scent as Escapism
I think part of the reason this is resonating is because we are constantly looking for a way to escape into a more beautiful world. During the pandemic, I noticed a lot of people used perfume as a way to get out of their homes without physically leaving. A fragrance could make the day feel different. It could bring back travel, beauty, ritual, and imagination at a time when life felt smaller.
That desire has not gone away.
Perfume gives people a portable version of escape. It can take you to a city you love, a place you have never visited, or a memory that only exists in pieces. Sometimes it’s not literal, rather emotional. A citrus note can feel like morning somewhere else. Incense can feel like entering a quiet room in another country. A mineral note can make you think of rain on concrete even if you are nowhere near the city.
Culture, Memory, and Wearing a Place
Brands inspired by culture and geography feel so meaningful when they are done well.
The d’Annam Enchanting Vietnam Discovery Set is built around Vietnamese landscapes, foods, drinks, tea, coffee, forests, islands, and memories. These perfumes are not just naming places. They are trying to capture how those places feel through scent.
In the Garden by d’Annam is especially interesting because it connects Vietnamese gardens with childhood memories. Scent can become more than a destination; it becomes autobiographical. It lets someone wear an atmosphere that may remind them of a real place, a family memory, or even an imagined version of home!
City Rhythm also fits naturally into this conversation. As we wrote in our blog on Discover City Rhythm, the brand does not just name perfumes after cities. It captures rhythm, mood, texture, and memory. Whether it is Miami, Manhattan, Savannah, DC, San Diego, or Key West, the goal is not to recreate a landmark. It’s to capture the feeling of a place.
That is ultimately the difference between a fragrance named after a city and a fragrance that actually transports you.
A More Beautiful World Through Scent
Perfume people are always looking for a fresh new beginning. Maybe that’s why these fragrances feel so relevant right now. They let us participate in another place, another atmosphere, another version of the day. They give us a way to experience more of the world through scent, whether that means remembering somewhere we have been or imagining somewhere we want to go.
Perfume does not have to be only about smelling attractive. It can be a city, a garden, a beach, a storm, a street, a memory, or a mood you carry with you. That is what I love about this direction in perfumery. It makes the world feel a little prettier, a little more interesting, and maybe even a little better every day.
Explore place-based fragrances online, or visit us at Perfumology in Old City Philadelphia and let us help you find somewhere new to go through scent.