L'Occitane Verveine: A Bottle of Zing and Zest
I love how your favourite perfume notes evolve with you and change, ever so slightly, over time.
I’ve always gravitated towards full-bodied or darker sweet notes, more commonly found in fruity fragrances, as I adore their burst of vivacity and unexpectedness. But during our last trip to France, I was wholesomely reminded of the allure of French gardens during the harvest season, when everything is quaint and rustic with the scent of aromatic herbs wafting in the air.
As always, L’Occitane makes beautiful work out of botanical ingredients and injects so much personality into each collection. And the best thing is that each of their fragrances is presented with a fully-fledged body care line (with sensible price tags), making it incredibly easy to build a routine around a scent you dig.
With anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, verbena was long considered to have healing and cultural symbolism to many civilisations: the Greeks and Romans used its sacred branches to purify temples; the Egyptians believed it first sprung from the tears of the goddess Isis; Scandinavian worshippers of Thor used it in ceremonies and rituals.
Verbena carries a naturally citrusy scent that gradually blooms into a clean sweetness, which makes it incredibly captivating when paired with other citrus aromas. L’Occitane’s Verbena, or Verveine in French, is a zesty unisex fragrance built upon this scent family and slowly expanded since launching its Verbena collection in 2013.
Classic Verbena
Notes: Grapefruit, Lemon, Verbena, Rosemary, Petitgrain bitter orange
The Verveine is more of a citrus fragrance than a pure verbena scent. When you take a whiff, the lemony citrus notes come to mind first, before the spiky vegetal notes from the verbena kick in. It’s a tart lemon with a hint of sweetness – think complex, spicy lemonade with a rustic hint. To me, it carries a warm and balancing temperament that reminds me fondly of my favourite aromatherapy oils. It mellows nicely and doesn’t give me a headache which is so refreshing among mainstream synthetic fragrances. Zippy and zingy, a spritz of Verveine is perfect for sluggish mornings where you need something on top of your caffeine to wake you up.
Citrus Verbena
Notes: Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, Verbena, Cedar
The Citrus edition of the perennial favourite has a dash of grapefruit and lemon for added freshness. It’s the sunny Mediterranean for me – wonderfully fresh and inviting – all bottled up. Because of the citrus notes, the herbaceous greens are also taken down a notch, making this fragrance truly sparkling and fruity. If you’re a fan of citrus notes, this is your cue to try it out.
Mint Verbena
Notes: Mint Leaves, Green Lemon, Ginger, Verbena, White Musk
Back by popular demand, the Mint Verbena combines the original’s distinctive citrus aroma with sprigs of mint for a refreshing twist. It’s the mellowest scent out of the Verveine range, almost like a dainty breath of fresh air. Each fragrance of the Verveine family is elegantly encased in a glass spray bottle embossed with a verbena leaf. The only difference with the Mint Verbena is that its frosted glass adds a hint of iciness like a frozen margarita fresh out of the blender. This fragrance will cool you down from the summer heat in no time.
I adore floral aromas, but sometimes the top notes fade quickly depending on the weather – not L’Occitane’s Verveine, which is sharp enough to pierce through Hong Kong’s hot, humid summers and stays clean and fresh throughout the day.
Have you tried citrusy fragrances before? I'd love to know if you have a favourite and why you love it if so!
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