The Other Room is the official Perfume Room companion post-show. Every Tuesday, hear from guests on their episode of Perfume Room podcast, and on Fridays, enjoy bonus content from those same guests, exclusively on Substack!
This week on Perfume Room (^) I invited a special guest to help me finally record my Best of 2024 episode: my mom. In a list that included affordable perfumes, 2024 launches, and new personal discoveries, I highlighted the 25 scents that brought me the most surprise and delight last year.
To see/shop the full list of all my favorites, plus a few bonus ones we couldn’t get to because of time, click here. (I highly recommend listening along the episode as you make your way through all of these :)).
Want to try samples of any of these? Save 10% with my affiliate discount codes below. (Note: I receive a small commission when you use these <3).
LuckyScent - code ‘perfumer00m’ (valid on orders $40+)
Twisted Lily - code ‘perfumeroom10’
My mother has an interesting relationship to scent. Sandwiched between two lifelong fragrance enthusiasts (her mother and daughter), it’s only in the last few years that she’s taken an interest and liking to perfume.
This has always struck me as odd, mainly because my (hedonistic, Taurean moon) mother loves smells. The aroma of a ripe strawberries, dark chocolate, a great glass of wine, a well-seasoned meal, a wood-burning oven, a crisp day on the beach, fresh mint, lilacs in full bloom… these are a few of her favorite things.
My mom also loves learning, specifically that of which she believes she is capable (wine, cooking, sculpture, art history, best public hotel lobby bathrooms in Manhattan, etc...).
Perfume, as my mother has explained it, always felt unlearnable, like she had missed some critical window of peak brain absorption.
I’ve enjoyed proving her wrong in the last few years — reflecting back to her just how much she has absorbed, helping her find joy in discovery, pleasure in being scented, and excitement in curating a fragrant persona du jour.
Which leads us to today.
If you listened to this week’s episode, you know that not only is my mom now into fragrance, she’s enjoying the hobby independent of me (lol).
Specifically, she mentioned her recent quest for the perfect tomato/tomato leaf perfume. (Funny because I know she loves vegetal scents and I bring her samples of them every time I visit…but OK Mom!)
In today’s bonus Other Room episode, we realized that my mom was actually more broadly seeking vegetal/greenhouse scents (beyond just tomato leaf). We also honed on on the type of rose she’s after: a fresh, but spicy one. I pulled a few samples accordingly (some exactly what she was asking for, and others one I thought she was likely asking for). The three she ended up loving most were Annick Goutal Rose Splendide, Ex Nihilo Spiky Muse, and L’Artisan Musc Amarante (10% off Luckyscent code: perfumer00m).
Enjoy our conversation and even more fun family stories above :)
Also, thank you to everyone who shared their tomato leaf and rose perfume recommendations on Instagram! I’ve aggregated all of them here because this list is impeccable:
ROSE:
To Summer Rambler Rose, Arshan Persia Love and Bastani, Frederic Malle Portrait of A Lady, ELdO Eau de Protection, Le Labo Rose 31, Parfums Obim Galactic Rose, Masque Milano Love Kills
TOMATO:
Henrik Vibskov L’Eau Rouge Nature, L’eau Rouge Heirloom; Hilde Soliani Stecca, CdG Series 2 Harissa Comme des Garcons, Maison Margiela From the Garden, MiN Chef’s Table, Eris Green Spell (we smelled this one today!), Xyrena Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Memo Paris Italian Leather, Headspace Absinthe
Enjoy!
xx Emma
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Perfume Room Substack to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
