Yesterday, I was so taken with the green floral Weil de Weil that I realized I wasn't just sniffing my wrists politely — I was huffing it as if it were a can of gold spray paint.
Not very attractive, particularly in public, but we've all been there.
The term "scrubber" is used among perfume-lovers to refer to a perfume so repellent you'd rather scrub it off than let it fade away.
But is there a term for a perfume so amazing you can't stop sniffing it, like a pig looking for truffles, only, the truffles are on your skin? To my knowledge, no. So I'd like to propose
Huffer (n.): A term used to describe a perfume so appealing that merely sniffing it is insufficient. One must inhale it as if it were an intoxicant. (Antonym: Scrubber)
Here's a random list of both vintage and contemporary perfume I would huff in a heartbeat. Perhaps I am a positive person at heart, because I really couldn't think of too many perfumes I consider scrubbers, which doesn't mean I haven't experienced them...
HUFFERS:
Vintage: Diorella, Miss Balmain, Baghari, Calvin Klein by Calvin Klein, Empreinte, My Sin, Shalimar, Vent Vert, Fille d'Eve, Aliage, Aramis, Rumeur, Le Feu d'Issey, Theorema, Sikkim, Bandit, Calyx
Contemporary: Musc Ravageur, Gucci Rush, Carnal Flower, Muscs Koublai Khan, Chergui, Byredo's M/Mink, and Pulp by Byredo (I know I'm going to get skewered for this one), Mona di Orio's Carnation and Jabu
SCRUBBERS:
Boucheron, Rumba, Je Reviens, Amarige, Animale, Drugstore Tabu, Flower by Kenzo
What are the Huffers and Scrubbers on your list?
I love your definitions. Hmm, I go through phases where some are my favourites, and I don't try many scrubbers, but right now I'd say...
Huffers: Soir de Lune, L'Ombre dans l'Eau, Bandit, Le Temps d'un Fete, Ormonde Jayne Tiare
Scrubbers: Amouage Opus I
Posted by: kjanicki | February 11, 2011 at 01:12 PM
Fantastic! I second your motion to institute "huffers" as the term of choice :D My huffers: L'Air du Desert Marocain, Arabie, Sacrebleu, Nuits de Scherrer, Lalique Flora Bella, and Un Bois Vanille. My scrubbers: Angel, the new YSL Opium (did someone leave the gas on?), and Vera Wang Princess.
Posted by: Meg (Olenska) | February 11, 2011 at 01:20 PM
I've been wanting to try Tiare, Kjanicki. That reminds me, there's a great Mona di Orio I need to put on this list...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 11, 2011 at 01:45 PM
Hi Meg/Olenska , Ouch, re: "Did someone leave the gas on?" So funny...
Is Nuits de Scherrer the same as Nuits Indienne? Because I've been wanting to try that one for a while. I LOVE Scherrer I, and Scherrer II with that pineapple note isn't half bad...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 11, 2011 at 01:51 PM
i think the first step is admitting you have a problem, so i am here to say that i can't stop huffing le labo oud 27.
Posted by: flippy | February 11, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Wait, flippy. I'm to blame for that, right?
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 11, 2011 at 02:48 PM
RE: Nuits de Scherrer-- yes, it was indeed named Nuits Indienne when first released - then rechristened a few years afterward.
Posted by: Meg (Olenska) | February 11, 2011 at 03:53 PM
Rumba is the first one that came to mind for me for scrubbers! Can't stand it. I've also been known to scrub L'Heure Bleue though I keep trying and retrying it but it just smells gross on me.
Too many huffers to mention (why wear something you don't love enough to huff?) but one that really keeps me huffing for hours is Cuir de Lancome. I also love to huff Belle en Rykiel.
Posted by: Elisa | February 11, 2011 at 04:34 PM
Now I gotta try Cuir de Lancome and Belle en Rykiel, Elisa. Thanks! (I didn't even know Sonia Rykiel had a scent.)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 11, 2011 at 04:39 PM
I try to forget the scrubbers in my life! One that springs to mind is Flower by Kenzo. Lovely opening, but it transforms into a sour and metallic thing that I cannot stand.
Actually, I especially love the second skin perfumes, not perfumes you want to huff because they feel just perfectly right in a simple, non-perfumey sort of way. L'Heure Bleue creates almost this sort of effect because if its lovely 'perfume veil', but I do huff it sometimes. Dior's Granville (one of its new La Collection fragrances) is a second skin perfume for me - a strange mix of austerity and comfort. It's not vintage of course, but like a lot of the exclusive fragrances that Dior and Chanel have put out recently, it is both retro and modern in style.
Posted by: Anne | February 11, 2011 at 06:05 PM
Oh, I am with you re: Kenzo, Anne. I had heard so much about it, and recently (I know it's been out for a while) sprayed it on and it made me queasy. I don't think I liked anything about it. Interesting point about not wanting to huff subtle perfumes...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 11, 2011 at 06:25 PM
ALL-TIME HUFFS (SO FAR):
- BYREDO'S OUD IMMORTELLE - This so far is the sexiest damn thing I've ever sampled - anything comes down the pike hotter than this and my head will explode.
- GUERLAIN'S L'INSTANT POUR HOMME - perfect sophistication, mystery and intrigue in a bottle. James Bond can't carry himself better.
- AMOUAGE JUBILATION XXV - If Jefferson Airplane's song, White Rabbit, hadn't already been recorded, the first time anyone sampled this fragrance, it would have right then.
SCRUBBERS:
- anything sold as fragrance by Bath and Body Works. You might as well just dump a gallon of fruit jelly and Jolly Rancher juice all over yourself and call it good. HIDEOUS (and damn tenacious!)
- anything Chanel currently makes for men outside of Bleu.
- the original Aramis. Why would any man in his right mind think a fragrance that smells exactly like a dog wrapped up in a rug that was under the feet of 20 cigar-chomping poker players be a symbol of great scent? GODAWFUL, CHEAP and GHASTLY. Just dump the contents of your car ashtray down your neck and call it good if you like this.
Posted by: Steve Johnson | February 11, 2011 at 09:04 PM
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the amazing list. Now I must run and resniff Byredo's Oud Immortelle! Ditto on the Bath and Body Works anything. I do part ways with you, however, at vintage Aramis, which is one of my Huffers. It is dirty — and it is spectacular! But I guess I wanna smell like "a dog wrapped up in a rug that was under the feet of 20
cigar-chomping poker players." I'm crazy that way. ;-)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 12, 2011 at 11:58 AM
Huffers! What a great term! Ooooh, where to start...
Vintage Huffers: Magie Noir, Dioressence, Cabochard, Bandit, Jolie Madame, Jicky parfum, Rive Gauche
Contemporary Huffers: Ambre Sultan, Boxeuses, Ubar (so beautiful it made me cry, and write about it, too!), Incense Extrème
Vintage scrubbers: Giorgio! and Giorgio Red, Poison, Fracas
Contemporary scrubbers: Anything with oud except M7 (I'm trying to love oud! I'm trying, but I'm. Just. Not. Feeling. It. ) Angel. Fruitchoulis. Eau Mega and Flowerbomb. Every Miss Dior and flanker currently in existence. I'm turning green just thinking about them...
Posted by: Tarleisio | February 12, 2011 at 04:35 PM
Mmmmm, Magie Noir and Jicky...Tarleisio. And I need to try Ubar. A perfume that you can huff and then cry about? Yes, please! Some perfumes on your scrubbers list I love, but to each her own. :-)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 12, 2011 at 08:11 PM
So funny Elisa (Hi, Elisa!) huffs Cuir de Lancome... I love that one, but it's one of those that, to me, smells very different two inches above my wrist than huffed directly from the wrist, and I prefer the waft to the huff.
Posted by: mals86 | February 12, 2011 at 10:36 PM
CdL and BeR can both be found very affordably on the internet. Cuir is more classic, BeR is a more subtle riff on the Angel school.
Hi Mals! I like that phrase too, "I prefer the waft to the huff."
Posted by: Elisa | February 12, 2011 at 11:03 PM
Some examples of my Huffers: Chanel Bois Des Iles, No. 22; SL Un Bois Vanille, Chergui; Diorella; AG Heure Exquise; Diptyque Eau Duelle; Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil; CDG Ouarazate (sp?)
Some Scrubbers: AG Songes; SL Un Bois Sepia, Gris Clair; Caron Tabac Blond (modern version; never tried vintage); Tom Ford White Patchouli; KM Loukhoum; Angel Pivoine (the original is tolerable - barely - but the Pivoine variation is VILE!); EL Azuree
Posted by: Amy | February 13, 2011 at 07:17 PM
I commend you, my friend, for this most useful addition to the perfumisti lexicon!
A few of my huffers: Aramis, Black Afgano, Bois Marocain, Fille en Aiguilles, M7, Mitsouko, Muscs Kublai Khan, Oud Wood (Tom Ford), CDG Ourzazate, Sycomore, Vettiveru
And the requisite scrubbers: Lonestar Memories (instant headache), Terre d'Hermes (ditto), Beyond Paradise for Men, and almost everything I've smelled from Bond No. 9 withe the possible exception of Silver Factory, which bored me more than anything.
Posted by: Jonno | February 14, 2011 at 01:25 AM
You, Jonno, are a Huffer extraordinaire with extraordinary tastes. Happy Valentines Day!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 14, 2011 at 01:14 PM
What a great post!
Huffers: Une Fleur de Cassie (Editions de Parfums; Bellodgia (Caron); Amaranthine (Penhaligon's); Que Sais-Je? (Patou); My Sin (Lanvin).
Scrubbers: Ivoire (Balmain); Tubereuse (Caron); Dulcis in Fundo (Profumum); Volupte (De La Renta).
Scrubber-turned-Huffer: Songes (Annick Goutal)
Posted by: Emma | February 18, 2011 at 03:00 AM
Hi Emma. I must get my hands on Amaranthine. I keep hearing good things about it! And I've wanted Bellodgia for ages. I'm surprised Ivoire is on your Scrubber list, but that's just because I love it. As for Songes, it's good to know that a Scrubber can turn into a Huffer! I feel that I could be suggestible that way with lots of scents, but not with intensely fruity ones. That's where I draw the line...
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 18, 2011 at 06:34 PM
I know, I'm definitely in the minority with Ivoire, as most people love it. Perhaps it will go the way of Songes with me, and turn into one I can love?! Here's hoping.
Posted by: Emma | February 19, 2011 at 06:52 AM
Huffers: L'Heure Bleu (Guerlain), Ecusson (Jean D'Albret), Caleche (Hermes), Ma Griffe, Dior Dior, Tweed, Arpege, Le Dix (Balanciaga, Parure (Guerlain), Heure Exquise (Annick Goutal)
Scrubbers: Opium, Charlie, Poison, Angel (smell a trend?)
Posted by: Dorette | February 22, 2011 at 02:31 PM
Dorette: Is the trend that nobody likes Angel? (Pssst: I love it!) I agree with almost everything on your Huffer list, though, espeically Ma Griffe, Arpege, and Parure! Thanks for stopping by.
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 22, 2011 at 02:34 PM
It is the trend. Widespread. Even in my country - which is a little peripheral to trends (Poland). Angel has become "I gave it to my mother" scent. I, on the contrary, as being the latecomer to many manias (so interesting to observe the remnants) start to discover it. Angel is full of everything what for me equals to atmosphere of weeks before Christmas.
Posted by: Aniela | February 23, 2011 at 03:44 PM
I just think it's too candy sweet. I don't like perfumes that arrive before the wearer and hang around too long after the wearer is gone.
I beleive it's perfumes on most scrubber lists that have caused the backlash against scents in general. The Poisons and Opiums of the perfume world are making life difficult for those of us who love vintage. What is the world coming to when perfume has to be banned!
Posted by: Dorette | February 23, 2011 at 04:12 PM
At the risk of sounding like a gun advocate ("Guns don't kill people, people kill people"), I will say that I don't blame the big perfumes like Poison and Angel. I blame people who have no common sense when it comes to applying perfume. Don't put too much on!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | February 23, 2011 at 04:25 PM
Huffers for me are as follows: L'Heure Bleue, MUST de Cartier, Annick Goutal's eau de Camille, Nocturnes de Caron,Calyx, Womanswear (Alexander Julian), Hanae Mori, Un Ete en Provence (Escada), Noa (Cacharel), Nikki de Sainte Phalle, Chanel's Cristalle (old formulation) and No.22.
Not too many in the Scrubber category (for I rarely meet a perfume that is so bad that I want to scratch it off my skin) but here it goes: Poison and Giorgio (both of which I actually enjoyed when they first came out but the overkill turned them into scrubbers for me).
Posted by: breathe31 | March 10, 2011 at 01:54 PM
I should have added for men: HUFFERS- Drakkar Noir (hands down this one will turn me into putty in the hands of any man who wears it!), Grey Flannel (loved it so much I would actually wear it myself!), Paul Sebastian and Carolina Herrera for men. SCRUBBERS: Giorgio for men and Chaps (I once stopped dating someone because he wore this one with reckless abandonment!).
Posted by: breathe31 | March 11, 2011 at 07:58 AM
Huffers: Mollie Parnis, Jicky, Shalimar, L'Heure Bleue, Panthère in EDT only! - see below!, Antilope, Private Collection, Queen by Queen Latifah.
Scrubbers: Youth Dew which has always been an unreconstructed Bleeecch to my nose, and Panthère parfum and EDP. How this fragrance was pure delight as EDT and pushy and oversharp as parfum and EDP baffles me. And the EDT is impossible to find.
Posted by: julie | April 04, 2011 at 02:13 AM
I'm looking at this from the point of being a minimalist (ie: if you were stranded on an island what 5 fragrances MUST you have with you-hey! Now THAT would make a great blog,Barbara!). Vintage huffers: Nocturnes d'Caron, Cristalle, Calyx (no reformulations,please!). Modern huffers would be: Annick Goutal's Eau de Camille (a gorgeous green for me) and Heaven (both of which you will soon be getting as samples,among other things).
As far as huffers go, husband (as well as my co-worker with whom I share an office) would have a list a mile long of fragrances I have worn that he (and she!) would LOVE to Brillo pad scrub off of me but honestly, I can't think of any vintage or modern scent that I have worn in these past 40 years that has brought me to the level of nausea (which would be my only condition to truly be a scrubber) with the exception of an essential oil blend I made recently which contained myrrh saffron, Indian Sandalwood, frankincense and spikenard. It made me so sick to my stomach I literally washed my arms about 7 times. Funny thing is even after all that scrubbing a faint scent lingered, which I actually liked!
Posted by: brigitte | June 24, 2011 at 03:49 PM
OOPS! Just realized that in the beginning of my second paragraph I referred to my husband's/co-worker's distaste in my fragrances as "huffers" when in actuality they are "scrubbers" as far as my husband/co-worker are concerned. A Freudian slip on my part ,as I really haven't met a fragrance that I absolutely detest!
Posted by: brigitte | June 24, 2011 at 03:54 PM
Brigitte--
That unholy mix of saffron, spikenard, et al sounds intense! Good for you for trying to make something! I've always wanted to try spikenard, for the name alone.
I'm rarely an OMG get this off me type, but I couldn't scrub Kenzo Flower off fast enough. It made me queasy. Strange, because I know it's a favorite of many. I don't get it...
Oh, and I can't wait for my little package! ;-)
Posted by: Perfumaniac | June 24, 2011 at 04:30 PM
Spikenard is an extremely ancient oil- in fact I read somewhere it was the oil that Mary Magdalene rubbed on Jesus's feet. I actually added a bit of cocoa to this blend which makes it a bit more palatable- I am going to send you a sample of this as well- let me know if you have to scrub it off! I have been having a lot of fun experimenting with essential oils and vodka- I have them "marinating" in my basement LOL!!!
Posted by: brigitte | June 25, 2011 at 10:58 AM
Can't wait, Brigitte!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | June 27, 2011 at 12:44 PM
This is a great thread. Funny though, I love Kenzo Flower and Angel too. For me they are definitely huffers, and Vanilla Noir by BBW is one that I love, for that matter anything in their vanilla range is nice. Scrubbers for me would be anything really strong, unfortunately I have to go with Giorgio on this one too.
Posted by: anonymous | August 19, 2011 at 02:58 PM
In my attempt to try and wean my 12 and 14 year old daughters off of their favorite, expensive, mainstream perfumes (ie: Chloe, DK Be Delicious, Daisy, Pink Sugar, etc) I purchases numerous samples from some indie/niche companies in hopes that amongst these they would find their "signature scent". Much to my surprise, I found some drop dead gorgeous fragrances that are real huffers for me: 1000 Flowers' Reglisse Noire, Ineke's Field Notes from Paris and Sonoma Scent Studio's Champagne de Bois. All three of these lines carry perfumes that are redolent of vintage. Yet, how could they NOT be with such notes as ambergris, tobacco leaf, oakmoss, labdanum, vetiver, anise,etc. with names like Tabac Aurea, Amber Noire, Incense Pure,etc. The beauty is that these fragrances are readily accessible for a reasonable price without having to hunt down and/or pay exorbitant prices on e-bay! Barbara, it would be so great if you could write a review on "VINTAGE INSPIRED MODERN SCENTS". If you need any samples to get you started I would be more than happy to send to you those that I have in my possession from the aforementioned indie/niche perfumers!
Posted by: brigitte | September 24, 2011 at 01:58 PM
Hi Brigitte,
Love your idea about a discussion of modern perfumes that are vintage-inspired. I've been working on a post on Satan's Angel, Opus Oils' perfume tribute to an iconic burlesque dancer that went by that name and that's vintage in style...
And good for you for trying to get your daughters to like the good stuff, although, is the niche stuff more expensive than mainstream? You're a dedicated perfumista if that's the case!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | September 25, 2011 at 11:05 PM
Actually I am finding the indie companies I mentioned above less expensive than the mainstream. Reglisse Noire (1000 Flowers) I got on sale and because it is a splash I don't over spray (which makes my husband and perfume hating co-worker very happy!). Laurie Erickson (Sonoma Scent Studio) makes her fragrances in perfume concentrations and with less application needed for good sillage a small bottle can last forever! With the Ineke line you can purchase a sampler of seven 2.5 ml for $25.00 but if you purchase a full size bottle you get the $25.00 back as a discount! All in all it's much less expensive than a bottle of the new Chloe or Daisy and you are getting quality perfume made with unusual, unique, vintage notes. As much as I love my vintage what I have I don't wear often for fear of using it up and not being able to replace it so easily. And heaven forbid that my daughters fall in love with a vintage scent that costs $300.00 a bottle on e-bay! Given that we all use fragrance on a daily basis I needed to find perfumes that can easily be replenished when the bottles are empty!
Posted by: brigitte | September 26, 2011 at 10:06 AM
So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :)
Posted by: Paket Shop Hermes | February 17, 2012 at 02:09 AM
Huffers: Chypre 1942 by Nobile 1942; Labdanum 18 by Le Labo; Dulcis in Fundo by Profumum; Fashion by Leonard.
Scrubbers: Could not bear to waste anything, so I sniff before I try it on. Once I spray I'm committed for the day. Some perfumes, I cross the street when I see them coming.
Posted by: Mi Jong | December 29, 2013 at 03:56 PM
Huffers:
Vintage: My list would be interminable. Pretty much most of the ones named here. I adore vintage scents.
Scrubbers: Rochas' Femme comes to mind. First, Gem, both by Van Cleef & Arpels (they never worked for me). Revlon scents (Charlie, Jontue, etc.) Myrurgia'a Maja (suffocatingly powdery).
Contemporary:
Huffers: 90% of Serge Lutens scents. Ditto for Hermes. Dior's Hypnotic. All La Maison de la Vanille. Michael Kors' first scent. A very incomplete list. That's just to name a few.
Scrubbers: I hate to say it, but most of today's modern fruity-floral-sweet, teeny bopper, smell-one-smell-them-all concoctions. For example, all Juicy Couture stuff. All celebrity scents. Aquolina Pink Sugar (syrup disguised as scent). D&G's Light Blue (today's Giorgio; EVERYbody and her mother wears it).
And the Nobel Prize for Most Revolting Perfume Ever Created goes to: Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. The only scent in the world that makes me nauseous. Literally, not figuratively. Pure poison.
Posted by: Atty Tude | November 24, 2014 at 02:42 PM