Review - Penhaligon's Amaranthine EDP

Disclosure - PR sample

Writing about perfumes is notoriously difficult for the uninitiated. Perfumery has its own lexicon of specialist terms that describe types and families of fragrances, as well as the individual notes that make them up.

This is partially because smells are extremely difficult to describe (I'm in awe of the blogs and websites that dedicate themselves to the task.) It's also because perfumery is a highly skilled craft with a long heritage.

Penhaligon's is one of the UK's most prominent contributors to that heritage - the company has been producing fragrances with a quintessentially English flavour for well over a century. The signature glass bottle with the rounded stopper has become an iconic fixture on the dressing tables of generationsof women.

Amaranthine is a fragrance from 2009, and we were sent the Eau De Parfum to try out. I've worn it several times and have loved it - although it's a little bit dramatic for day to day wear, I often spray it on when I'm around the house just to enjoy the scent.


The top notes hit me as (and this might sound odd) banana and liquorice, with an undertone of warm wood. As it develops, a heady evening blossom smell appears, bringing to mind a night garden. Finally after a few hours it settles into a warm, spicy comforting note that is definitely my favourite aspect of the scent.

So that's my untutored layman's impression. For those who know what they're on about, here's the gen from Penhaligon's website: