Top five tobacco scents for five different women
The only way to enjoy tobacco without harming yourself and others is through your nose.
Don’t worry; I am not here to promote extremely unhealthy habits like smoking. I am simply someone who grew up in a former Yugoslav country with close ties to the smell of tobacco. Contrary to the stereotype my people get, I do not have the habit of smoking, although I won’t lie to you — I can enjoy it once in a while.
Yet my brain links the smell of tobacco to two things: stinky clothes and nice memories. A lot of the people I love are smokers. Many of the most fun times I had in life were filled with smoke. So, I am quite ambivalent towards the smell of tobacco — I think it can be both disgusting and beautiful under the right circumstances.
Symphonies of tobacco notes
It was not until a couple of years ago, when I developed my newest addiction — fragrances that I figured out that the only method to enjoy tobacco without harming yourself and others is through your nose;
Personally, I LOVE a good tobacco fragrance. Whenever I smell tobacco perfumes, I visualise the smokers in my life and our get-togethers. I can see my childhood, adolescence, student days, youth…
Five ways I enjoy tobacco through my nose
Below are my five favourite tobacco fragrances so far. And the good news is, none on the list is Tom Ford’s “Tobacco Vanille” [joke].
The five perfumes below are stories of five women. These are women I knew, I currently know or would like to meet in the future. I made up their names, but they are inspired by real people.
5. Irene’s way
Back in college, I had more energy than I knew what to do with. It was all about classes, studying, and hitting rock bars and music clubs. Irene was a young girl I used to hang out with a lot. We wore sexy black clothes and dark makeup. This perfume smells like the fun we had together and the crowds we would hang out with — a mix of people wearing different perfumes, from sharp and aromatic to sweet, fruity and floral, all blending in cigarette smoke.
The perfume: “Red Tobacco” by Mancera
A polarizing, in-your-face, unisex tobacco scent with enormous projection. Use with caution.
4. Arielle’s way
Arielle is one of my two closest friends from high school. She is a tall, slim, stylish businesswoman, and a passionate smoker. Our other friend would always shame her for lighting one. She tried quitting a couple of times. I would often steal one of her slim cigarettes. Currently, she is looking for a new perfume, and she likes the smell of jasmine. When I smelled this, I immediately thought of her. A beautiful, successful woman, smelling of jasmine, ashing her cigarette into an ashtray.
The perfume: “Jasmin et Cigarette” by Etat Libre d’Orange
A contrasting scent that is supposed to commemorate the women of old Hollywood.
3. Sophia’s way
These are the women in one of my work organisations embodied in Sophia. Privileged, super successful, pretty, elegant and shameless women trying to conquer the world. They would wear perfume as a status symbol. They’d drink cherry brandy in the evening and chamomile tea with honey during the day; they would enjoy expensive raspberry cheesecakes and light a cigarette only occasionally. This perfume smells like a mix of all the flavours of Sophia’s world — one no one could ever fully enter.
The perfume: “Back to Black (Aphrodisiac)” by Killian
A beautifully crafted, trendy and very overpriced scent that I would probably never buy for myself.
2. Fortuna’s way
Fortuna’s way is my current way. Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck, fate, and fortune, spins her wheel and changes human lives. And since I am currently at a crossroads, trying to choose my life’s calling and place to live, I need versatile perfumes as companions. In my last story, I wrote about discovering this perfume, which inspired me to write this article. Fate will tell if I will stay in this southern smoker’s paradise or move to a more health-aware country. Nevertheless, my home will need this tasteful blend of tobacco and woody vanilla for rainy days.
The perfume: “Tabacco Toscano” by Santa Maria Novella
A soft tobacco perfume by one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. Like Tobacco Vanille’s more poised sister. A good signature scent option and a very affordable daytime alternative for Tom Ford lovers.
1. Delphine’s way
I never met Delphine. I am unsure yet if she exists. But if parallel universes exist, then she lives in one. Delphine is me, but I am not her. Delphine did everything right; she was born in the right country and made all the right choices; she is wealthier, better looking, and more influential. I don’t know if we will ever meet, but I hope our paths will cross. Maybe in a glitch between the universes or inside my future self. Either way, I know that on a shelf in her luxurious cabinet, stands one of the most beautiful bottles I have ever seen. It holds a musky tobacco juice mixed with some of our favourite notes: plums, cinnamon, and tonka beans.
The perfume: “Arabesque” by The Merchant of Venice
This is Tobaco Vanille’s richer, more refined sister, in brighter and more sophisticated clothes. It is quite pricey, but at least you know you are paying for a gorgeous bottle inspired by the original gold decorations on the Ca’ d’Oro palace in Venice and the Murano glass design.
Why would you want to smell like that?
Initially, perfumers sought to capture the natural world in their creations, distilling the essence of flowers, fruits, and woods. However, as the world of perfumery expanded, so did the palette of ingredients.
When perfumers began experimenting with synthetic materials and novel notes, some tobacco-inspired ones emerged eventually. They were a tribute to the sophistication and nuanced pleasures of the tobacco leaf, celebrating not its smoke but its rich, earthy qualities.
Genderless consumption
Unlike the straightforward floral or citrus scents, tobacco-infused perfumes were first inspired by a sensory experience reminiscent of the opulence and leisure of smoking lounges and gentlemen’s clubs. Initially, we linked tobacco notes to traditional masculine fragrances, but nowadays, everyone enjoys them.
I know I baited you with mentioning a list for women in the subtitle, but to me, all perfumes are unisex. Perfumes are about transferring ideas into smells that can evoke memories and visualisations. And to me, mysterious tobacco scents do just that.
Confession: I did light a cigarette upon finishing this article, but I didn’t really smoke it.
