‘Tis the season for snowflake trees! In late May and into June, my garden’s snowflake trees (euphorbia leucocephala from the same genus as the poinsettia) bloom. It’s the only way I’ll ever get to see “snow” in winter in my part of the world. They have no scent, but their white flowers attract butterflies and bees, and their dense canopy provides a fitting backdrop to the colder season.
So, in tribute to the snowflake tree, I thought I’d talk about a couple of “icy” scents I’ve recently sampled. They come from two high-concept brands: Imaginary Authors (IA) and Zoologist. I’ve yet to find a love from either house. Let’s see if Penguin or The Language of Glaciers breaks the ice.
The Language of Glaciers goes on heavy with pine. At times, it veers dangerously close to air freshener territory. The pine smells sharp and green, and after some minutes, it joins forces with a lilac floral note. It’s a problematic coupling that might have reinforced the associations with functional fragrance. But the lilac note is composed quite well here. It’s creamy, powdery, soft, and more evocative of dewy crisp mornings than Febreze. Juniper brings in a refreshing, woody quality. The juniper doesn’t remind me of gin and tonic or icy glaciers. Instead, its merger with the pine in the opening transports me to a frosty forest of conifers carpeted in snow.
The dull synthetic musk conclusion lets the perfume down, however. Although not a complete meltdown, it falls into the same trap as most IA scents and fails to convince for its entirety. And like all IA scents, there are fantasy notes—blue bugle, forget me not, and snow (cue the eye rolls). At least they’re not as bad as salvaged shipwreck and first kiss. Speaking of fantasy, surely I can’t be the only one who thinks the stories behind the Imaginary Authors’ scents always seem more compelling than the final perfumes.
So, even though I’m lukewarm about this icy scent, I think it’s relatively successful, at least for two-thirds of its development, in conjuring up images of a snowy landscape of sorts. I liked the last two IA perfumes, In Love with Everything and Fox in the Flowerbed, much more than The Language of Glaciers.
Penguin smells metallic, airy, and ozonic, and at least in the opening, more intriguing to my nose than the Language of Glaciers. The ozonic and icy top notes feel like the refreshing first sinus-clearing inhale of air on a frosty morning, the sensation of touching a metal surface on a cold day, or, indeed, the feeling of bare feet on cold tiles. There’s a real bracing, steely quality to this top accord.
The dry down becomes more mossy and green, but like the Language of Glaciers, it’s the least exciting part of the perfume. It feels more traditionally masculine, less avant-garde than the opening, but overall easier to wear than other Zoologist scents. I pick up pink pepper, juniper (again), and sandalwood along the way. Gradually, the Penguin starts to thaw out, becoming warmer. A soft suede accord hiding amongst the moss provides some intrigue, but it’s too soft to make a significant impact. I sampled another Zoologist scent recently that impressed me more than Penguin.
In summary, despite the inspirations/marketing guff, these scents are just as suitable for summer wear as winter. Interestingly, neither uses menthol or mint to convey a sense of cool or cold. Instead, they employ cold flowers, dewy greens, pine, juniper, and ozonic notes. They’re ok, but they aren’t as hot as my icy white scents of choice, L’Eau d’Hiver (musky heliotrope) from Frederic Malle and L’Eau Froide (icy incense) from Serge Lutens.
Do you have any scents that convey a feeling of cold or ice? Have you tried Penguin or the Language of Glaciers?
Note: All images are my own. I purchased the samples of Penguin and the Language of Glaciers used for this post.
