Weekly Fragrance Roundup — September 11, 2026

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A few genuinely interesting developments this week, particularly on the artisan side.

Leland Francis — Rowdy Boy. Los Angeles small-batch house Leland Francis released Rowdy Boy Extrait de Parfum on September 8. Perfumer Gus Romero built the fougère entirely from natural materials: bergamot, bitter orange, petitgrain, lavender, clary sage, rosemary, hay, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka, fir balsam, benzoin and labdanum. It's $125/30 ml. Why it matters: this is exactly the type of genuinely small-scale, perfumer-driven release worth watching. Creating a classical fougère without the synthetics normally associated with the structure makes it especially unusual.

Rahasya — Nomadic Jasmine. Indian niche house Rahasya launched its first 30%+ Extrait, combining jasmine with mineral notes, mandarin, green chilli, woods and spices. It also received the house's first dedicated retail space inside Selfridges London. Why it matters: Indian perfumery is another emerging area I'd watch closely; this isn't simply a conventional jasmine fragrance—the green-chilli/mineral treatment sounds considerably more adventurous.

Contrapposto makes its fragrance debut. New luxury house Contrapposto has launched three $350 extraits—Melting Flowers, Musc Pétille and Lubanite—created with perfumers Frank Voelkl and Shyamala Maisondieu. The brand is deliberately positioning itself around craftsmanship rather than fast-moving fragrance trends. Why it matters: Lubanite is the one that catches my attention here; more importantly, another new company is explicitly selling the perfumer and craft behind the fragrance rather than just a lifestyle image.

Floraïku Paris — Birdwatcher. Floraïku Paris has introduced Birdwatcher, inspired by starling murmurations. The house remains built around Japanese-inspired ritual and its tea, floral and incense chapters. Why it matters: with your attraction to incense and more artistic niche compositions, this is one of September's releases I'd keep on the sample list rather than automatically buy.

MANE buys citrus specialist Cvista. Major fragrance manufacturer MANE has acquired Florida-based Cvista, which specializes in citrus essential-oil fractions and natural essences, and plans a U.S. Citrus and Beverage Center of Excellence. Why it matters: this is behind-the-scenes fragrance news, but potentially more consequential than another bottle launch. Access to sophisticated fractionation lets perfumers isolate rarer facets of citrus materials and can eventually influence what we smell in finished perfumes.

Le Labo's SHIU 25 gets its worldwide window. Le Labo's Beijing City Exclusive SHIU 25 is available globally through September 30, along with the other City Exclusives. Its profile centers on Ho wood with iris, frankincense, and pink pepper. Why it matters: this is the month to revisit any City Exclusive you're considering because after September they're restricted geographically again.

Chanel — Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu. Chanel is putting significant marketing behind the newest Coco Mademoiselle interpretation, including a New York launch built around a temporary Café Mademoiselle. Chanel perfumer Olivier Polge attended this week's launch. Why it matters: less interesting artistically for your collection, but significant commercially—designer houses continue treating fragrance launches as major luxury experiences rather than simply putting another flanker on the counter.

Bath & Body Works could become an acquisition target. Activist investor Barington Capital has taken a stake in Bath & Body Works and is reportedly pushing the company to consider a sale, citing underperformance and believing the business could appeal to private equity. Why it matters: Bath & Body Works is enormous in American scent culture; a change in ownership could affect its fragrance strategy, distribution, and increasingly serious push into EDPs. This is currently an activist proposal, not an announced sale.

Three I'd put on your radar

Rowdy Boy is my most interesting True Artisan-style discovery this week. Nomadic Jasmine is the release I'd most like to smell because jasmine + mineral + green chilli is unusual. And MANE/Cvista is the week's most important industry story because it deals with the actual raw-material infrastructure behind perfumery rather than marketing.

One broader trend is becoming clearer too: after the relentless gourmand wave, I'm seeing considerably more herbal, mossy, smoky, incense-heavy, and earthy fragrances receiving attention. Allure and Harper's Bazaar both highlighted this darker "witchy" direction this week. That could be a welcome counterweight to vanilla, caramel and marshmallow going into fall.

Vogue

Chanel Transformed Balthazar into Café Mademoiselle to Launch its Latest Fragrance

Today

Reuters

Barington Capital takes Bath & Body Works stake, pushes for sale, Bloomberg reports

Yesterday

Wallpaper*

Le Labo pays homage to Beijing in a new, limited-edition fragrance

2 days ago

allure.com

Must Be the Season of the Witchy Fragrances

Today