Here’s the fragrance news worth paying attention to as of August 18, 2026—with the fluff stripped out. - Roja London – Elysium Absolue Pour Femme launches tomorrow, August 19. It was created by Julie Lerendu of Robertet working with Roja Dove and centers on rose, lychee, fig, raspberry, sandalwood, patchouli, and amber. It’s a 75 mL EDP at $330. Early testing from Fragrantica describes very large opening sillage and roughly 12-hour longevity. - Regalien – Hidden Origins Collection is much more interesting from a perfumery standpoint. Three extraits were introduced: Aurora: Halfeti Dark by Dominique Ropion, Anemos: Cappadocia Wild by Hamid Merati-Kashani, and Agora: Golden Horn by Honorine Blanc. They’re 80 mL extraits at €270. Anemos is the one I’d put at the top of the sniff list: citrus, leather, oud, nagarmotha, labdanum and amberwoods. - Rasasi just released Hawas La Mer and Hawas Gold Digger. What makes this news interesting is that the inspirations aren't being hidden: La Mer is described as inspired by Louis Vuitton Pacific Chill, while Gold Digger is inspired by Ultra Male. La Mer uses peppermint, citrus, blackcurrant, jasmine, carrot seed, fig and amber woods. This is another good example of a Middle Eastern brand moving from loose similarity into clearly identifiable interpretation territory. - Gucci Guilty Eau de Toilette Intense Pour Homme is new. The structure is surprisingly simple: sea salt, lavender and palo santo. Rather than making “Intense” mean sweeter and thicker, Gucci seems to be going mineral/aromatic/dry woody. Of the new mainstream men's designers, this is one I'd actually test. - Fragrance continues to carry the U.S. beauty business. Prestige fragrance dollar sales grew 6% in the first half of 2026, while mass-market fragrance sales jumped 15%. More interestingly, prestige unit sales were essentially flat while average prices increased about 5%, and EDP/parfum concentrations posted double-digit growth. Translation: consumers are increasingly spending more per bottle and moving toward stronger concentrations rather than simply buying more bottles.

Released in 2025, Intense French Riviera comes from the house of Mancera and was created by Pierre Montale, the man behind almost every fragrance in the Mancera line. This is the richer, deeper follow-up to the original French Riviera, and where the first one was a bright, breezy aquatic, this version dials everything up. It's not just a stronger formulation; it's a reimagining that keeps that Mediterranean soul but adds weight, warmth, and staying power, making it just as viable on a cool evening as it is under the summer sun. It opens bright and zesty. The tangerine and lemon hit you straight away, but it's the ginger and black pepper that really define the opening. There's a spicy, zingy edge here that stops it from being just another generic citrus aquatic; it feels alive and has a proper bite. As it settles, the heart reveals sea spray, that authentic mineral, ocean-damp stone vibe which is softened by tiare flower. The real surprise here is the faintest touch of oud. Yes Montale seems too be a sucker for all things out. But it's not loud or smoky, it adds a resinous, woody depth that you don't expect in a marine fragrance, sitting alongside cedar and vetiver to give the whole thing solid structure and backbone. It dries down beautifully to sea salt, ambergris, and white musk — clean, salty, and skin-close, but with that ambergris giving it a rich, almost animalic warmth that lingers for hours. Where the original felt like a quick dip in the Mediterranean, this one is more like sitting on the terrace as the sun goes down — the air still warm, the salt still on your skin, but everything deeper and richer. It's an aquatic that doesn't behave like most aquatics 6+ hours on skin is easily achievable, and it manages to feel fresh without ever being thin or watery. If you like your marine scents with some actual substance and character, this one's well worth your time. My Rating: 9/10 Scent: 3 Longevity: 2.5 Sillage: 2.5 Would I rebuy? 1