Richard Goller

Call these best-selling men's cologne common or ubiquitous, if you must. There’s no mistaking the most popular men’s colognes. You’ve regularly smelled them on friends or spotted them in their …

One of the main woods in perfumery, cedarwood has a special place in our hearts for its versatility and integral role in building impactful woody accords.  Part of the conifer …

Niche brands keep on coming, but Matiere Premiere has made more of an impact than most since its launch in 2019.  Even before he founded his own company, Aurélien Guichard (he …

You want something refreshing, elegant, and often brilliantly priced. I've got the perfect scent solutions for you: the best eau de colognes (not to be confused with the generally American …

Why is there so much interest in the 2023 release Dior Dioriviera EDP? Yes, it’s the latest launch from the upmarket, quality-assured La Collection Privée Christian Dior.  But more than …

What started out as a trickle has become a veritable flood. We’re talking about the deluge of parfums on the market, especially from big designer brands. As designer becomes more …

Wood, fire, ice, air… and now rain. No, we haven’t gone into the weather forecasting business here at Dapper Confidential. We’re giving you a quick run-through of some of the …

What came first: the scent or the egg? Bear with us. This question will make more sense as we get into this story about one of the more distinctive niche …

Social media isn’t always a reliable gauge of a brand’s increasing popularity/success, but in the case of Stéphane Humbert Lucas, it most certainly is.  While the surge might imply an …

Cashmeran? Cashmere meets meringue? Er, no, but the synthetic is ubiquitous, to say the least, and is found in everything from Cacharel LouLou EDP (1987) to Nasomatto Duro Extrait de …

Synthetics are the backbone of modern perfumery and Ambroxan is probably the most well-known of these ingredients. That’s partly due to its prominence in hugely popular fragrances such as Dior …

Choo! Choo! We all know the sound of the frag hype-train as it gathers steam. And there’s certainly been a lot of fanfare around Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymede EDP since its …

We’ve rustled up a selection of the best party fragrances for you. Whether you want to be super stylish or, ahem, stimulated, we reckon these scents cover all moods and …

As the temperatures continue to dip, we start thinking of all things cozy and sensual. Which can only mean one thing: the best tobacco fragrances.  You don’t have to be …

Thanks to the success of a certain Dior (see more below), iris fragrances have become an essential part of the modern man’s fragrance repertoire.  When we refer to iris, we …

Purists were in for a bit of a shock in 2017 when the 1970s classic Givenchy Gentleman EDT was relaunched as Gentleman Givenchy EDT for a new generation. Please note …

When people question the place of automotive brands in the fragrance biz – we can hear the purists and snobs scoffing in disapproval – we swiftly point them in the …

Since its launch in 2006, Terre d'Hermès has achieved “modern classic” status. So any new flanker to this much-loved fragrance is bound to be scrutinized and compared with the original …

Is it hot, or is it just us? No wonder we’re reaching for one of the best aquatics in recent years: Kenzo Homme EDT Intense. This 2021 release from the …

Show us the honey! Apologies to the makers of Jerry Maguire, we had to adapt that classic cinematic phrase to suit our purposes for this round-up of the best honey …

Before niche was even a thing, there was L’Artisan Parfumeur. Fact. With the hype around big-name niche brands, it’s easy to forget L’Artisan Parfumeur led the way and has a …

For such a best-seller, it’s taken a long time for Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò to be released in an EDP concentration. The original EDT was released in 1996 and, like …

If there’s a brand that’s synonymous with the rise and rise of niche fragrances, it’s Le Labo.  Founded by Fabrice Penot and Eddie Roschi in 2006, the NYC-based company rode …

Bleu de Chanel has been one of the most successful fragrance franchises for the French luxury brand in recent years.  Like its nearest competitor, Dior Sauvage, the EDT and EDP …

There’s no shortage of popular niche brands, but Parfums de Marly must be one of the most loved in recent years. Since its founding in 2009 by Julien Sprecher, the French …

You can’t always judge a fragrance’s popularity and quality from Instagram. But in the case of Kajal Lamar, you certainly can. This 2020 release epitomises what the Paris-based niche brand is …

Initio was doing quite nicely, thank you, with releases such as Absolute Aphrodisiac (2015), Side Effect (2016), and Psychedelic Love (2017). And then in 2018 – boom! – the French …

We all know the clichéd Instagramable images of fields and fields of the flowering stuff, but pretty pics aside, did you know lavender (scientific name Lavandula) is part of the …

It’s official: patchouli fragrances are having a bit of a revival. The last time it was so popular was in the 1960s and 1970s when hippies and boho types wore …

From their bottles and juices to their prices, everything about Fragrance du Bois says L-U-X-U-R-Y.  Founded in 2013, the Paris-based company made its name with some of the finest ouds …

Cannabis, anyone? Whether you call it marijuana, weed, grass, pot, or hemp, it’s no coincidence that the increasing legalization of the herb worldwide has seen a growth in fragrances with …

Founded in 1893 by Alfred Dunhill when he took over his father’s saddlery business, the British brand made its fragrance debut more than four decades later in 1934 with Dunhill …

Thanks to the plethora of gourmands in recent years, vanilla fragrances can have a cheap ’n nasty reputation. Fortunately, for those of us with more grown-up tastes, this selection proves …

With his enfant terrible fashion reputation well established in the 1980s, Jean Paul Gaultier had to make a spectacular perfume entrance.  And his male fragrance debut, Le Male (the female Classique was launched …

Even before he founded his eponymous brand in 2006, Tom Ford was a household name. The savvy and suave businessman entered the fragrance biz in 2006, one year after the …

Sandalwood fragrances should be a staple of every dapper gentleman’s fragrance wardrobe.  You’d never know from its ubiquity that this precious wood from the Santalum tree family, with its warm, …

A rhetorical question: Is there a cooler perfume brand founder than Ben Gorham? The fine arts graduate and professional basketball player-turned-entrepreneur launched his fragrance company in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2006.  …

Who says fragrances must be complex to be good? Some of the best fragrances rely on simple compositions in which it’s possible to pick up most of the listed notes.  …

With the enigmatic and visionary Rei Kawakubo as creative director of the Paris-based fashion brand (she would never call her creations “fashion”), Comme des Garçons fragrances could never be ordinary. …

Since its founding in 2009 by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and former Ernst & Young associate Marc Chaya, Maison Francis Kurkdjian has become one of the most popular and respected niche …

In a fragrance world dominated by churn-‘em-out-schedules and multimillion marketing-over-creativity budgets, Cartier stands out for all the right reasons. The French luxury brand is renowned for their fine watches and …

We don’t like making grand announcements here at Dapper Confidential, especially when we’re only halfway through the year. But it’s a pretty safe bet to declare that Hermès H24 is the …