Colonia Futura

Colonia Futura is a perfume that comes with a loud message of sustainability. This is no surprise, of course, as over the last two years or so, consumers have been demanding more sustainability from their products, and perfume is no exception. There are two key elements to consider when thinking of sustainable perfume; the juice itself, and the packaging – Colonia Futura aims to address both.

So, how exactly is this new cologne from the historic Italian brand sustainable and eco conscious? Acqua di Parma are billing Colonia Futura as their “declaration of love for nature” and in that vein, it contains 99% ingredients from a natural origin. The packaging has also changed to fit this new drive of friendliness towards nature – the traditional Bakelite cap has been replaced with one made from recycled and recyclable plastic, whilst the bottle (excluding the spray mechanism, which can be removed) can also be recycled. Perhaps the coolest innovation is the label on both the bottle and box, which is fashioned from scrap dust from marble quarries. That’s pretty neat if you ask me.

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It’s battle time once again and in this episode, Thomas and Nick are joined by guest judge Nigel Dunckley (Thomas’ lovely yet long-suffering husband) in a fragrant fight of their favourite Eau de Colognes.

What is an Eau de Cologne? What fragrances do Thomas and Nick choose? Who is victorious? Will Thomas and Nigel still be married by the end of the episode? All this (and more) is answered in Fume Chat: Attack of the Colognes.

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To me, MUGLER COLOGNE, has always felt like a perfect mid-point in the MUGLER brand. Where ANGEL and ALIEN etc. have always been divisive, challenging compositions, COLOGNE embodies a more palatable signature, whilst maintaining the innovative, unusual quality of the brand. With its weird, steamy muskiness, COLOGNE is as much a ‘MUGLER’ as ANGEL, but somehow it feels more casual, more effortless and with a wider appeal.

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There are a few perfume ‘genres’ that I have never really ‘got’: green, woody and amber. Well, with time (and through this blog) I’ve learned to appreciate green and to love woods, but for the most part amber still eludes me. Amber, for those of you not familiar with it, is a blend of benzoin (a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of a number of trees within the Styrax genus), labdanum (a sticky brown resin sourced from shrubs) and vanilla that creates a warm, glowing sweetness that is soft, fluffy and gauzy in texture. It is the backbone of big oriental fragrances such as Shalimar, but it’s also used as a standalone theme in many modern perfumes.

More than being an iconic perfume genre, the amber is also the perfect scent for this cold weather. I like to think of ambers as winter warmers – those gloriously toasty and enveloping scents that get stuck in one’s winter scarf, wafting a hedonistic aura around the wearer. So as the winter draws in, it makes sense for everyone to have an amber in their wardrobe. But what happens when you don’t really like amber? Or, you think that you don’t like amber?

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I’m always crushing on something scented or other. My nose knows no limits. Candy Crush is where I showcase the beautifully scented things I’m crushing on right now so you can hopefully develop a crush too.

Earlier this year CHANEL launches LES EAUX DE CHANEL, a trio of cologne-style Eau de Toilette fragrances inspired by travel, taking their names from locations of historical importance to Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, the brand’s founder. From Paris to Deauville, Biarritz and Venise, LES EAUX DE CHANEL take one on a journey through the world of perfumery, alighting at familiar genres; the cologne, the floral and the oriental. It’s a gorgeous collection.