My sister has been living in New York for the last few years. Each year, before she comes home for Christmas, I’ve purchased sample orders from stores such as Luckyscent and shipped them to her apartment, circumventing the high international shipping costs. Not only does this prove cost-effective, but I can try perfumes I find difficult to source in Australia. One of the packages (from Aedes) this past Christmas came with a couple of bonus samples. I’ve drained through one of these samples this week. It’s Aloeae from the brand Nomenclature.
I’d never heard of the brand before, but after some research, I found they’re a New York-based outfit that has been around for over 10 years. They have 18 fragrances in their portfolio, housed in bottles that look like they’ve come straight from a science lab. Indeed, they seem to have a strong scientific focus, with words and phrases like molecular, perfume chemistry, and hybrids dominating their website. Of course, nomenclature itself means devising or selecting names for things in science, etc, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. There’s something very Le Labo-esque about it all.
I enjoyed Aloeae, but by the end of my sample, I couldn’t shake off its association with another more inexpensive scent. As the name suggests, aloe vera forms the primary component. I’ve not sampled many, if any, fragrances focusing on the plant. I’m familiar with aloe vera, having used it for many ailments. I recall occasions when I’ve used the gel to lessen the effects of sunburn. As a child, I’d occasionally snap a branch and use the sap to heal insect bites. The plant’s anti-inflammatory properties often worked better than any commercial product. I don’t recall if the sap or the plant had a scent.
Nomenclature’s Aloeae smells refreshing and hydrating. As it develops, I pick up an aqueous, sappy quality. However, I wouldn’t attribute this watery quality to anything as rasping as a marine note. Instead, it’s leafy and comforting, like a peaceful walk through a Japanese garden or a bamboo forest. And indeed, there’s both a tea and a bamboo note listed in the note breakdown. Aloeae doesn’t turn harsh or offputting, but as I alluded to, it’s similar to a much cheaper fragrance. Although not a replica, it’s at least scent adjacent to Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea. Perhaps the only separating aspect is the cooling cardamom facet of Aloeae. Therefore, it’s hard to recommend this scent, especially at USD175 for 70ml and USD90 for 20ml.
Fragrantica’s database lists almost 100 fragrances with an aloe vera note, and other than Aloeae, I’ve not tried any of them. I’m particularly interested in Lush Grass, Arquiste After Sun, Régime des Fleurs Cacti, Pierre Guillaume Solsekia 07, and L’Eau de Phaedon by Phaedon. How about you? Have you sampled any of these or tried Nomenclature? I’ll need to revisit the scent of an aloe vera plant, as some online accounts describe the smell of the leaves and gel as bitter and pungent. Others pick up no discernable aroma from aloe vera.
One thing I can be sure of is that the plants are captivating to observe and photograph. As I walked through the arid section of a local botanical garden, snapping some pictures of the plants, I marveled at how such a spiky, threatening-looking plant could harbour such soothing properties. This fragrance proves it’s challenging to translate the beauty and fascination we find in nature into a perfume.
Note: All photos are my own, other than the bottle photo, courtesy of https://nomenclature.nyc/.
