The word sour can often mean very bad news in the smell department (sour milk: need we say more?). But, the often neglected sour category of the scent realm also offers zealous and zesty delights that smell like everything from sparkling citrus to tart lollies.
So if you find fairy floss fragrances offensive and would rather go scent-less than be in the vicinity of anything with vanilla, give these sour scents a go. The bitterer the better.
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Demeter
Demeter Sour Apple Lollipop ($43.95, cosmeticsnow.com.au)
Remember Starburst Sucks lollipops? Of course you do, they remain iconic to this day. This spritely sour scent smells exactly the way the Green Apple flavour tastes. Kudos Demeter.
Diptyque
Diptyque Oyedo EDT ($184, mecca.com.au)
Diptyque have paired the common citrus fruits (lemon and lime) with the more obscure (hello yuzu) to create a zesty scent with as much pep as Kenneth Parcell after six piccolos.
Tom Ford
Tom Ford Lost Cherry EDP ($480, davidjones.com)
Cherry is a note that can smell cheap if not mixed right, but while this take on it is still tantalisingly tart, its sour cherry, bitter plum and cherry liquor mix smells like it matches the price tag; Tom Ford doesn’t do tacky.
CLINIQUE
With dashes of papaya and passionfruit, Clinique’s tropical treat almost delves into sweet territory, but the sparkling sharpness of the guava and mandarin orange catch it just in time.
Byredo
Byredo Oud Immortel EDP
The base of this broody-but-bright Byredo drop may be made up of patchouli and tobacco, but the olfactory kicker comes in the form of a splash of zesty limoncello.
Comme Des Garcons
Comme Des Garcons Series 5: Sherbet Rhubarb EDT ($78, mecca.com.au)
Never considered smelling like sherbet? Fair, it’s random; but honestly, after a whiff of this litchi, rhubarb and bergamot scent, we’ve mentally re-filed Comme Des Garcons as ‘the only brand that could make sour sugar chic’.
Lancôme
A brilliantly bitter blend of bergamot and basil, this Lancôme scent smells so sparkling you will legitimately walk around feeling like a Twilight vampire in the sun (spoiler alert: they too sparkle).
Prada
Prada Les Infusions Mandarine EDP ($210, davidjones.com)
Prada saw your classic mandarin scent and raised you this: a drop that draws from the far more coveted (and far less sweet) green mandarin. The fruit’s flesh is still orange though, so the bottle colour checks out.
Guerlain
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Bergamote Calabria EDT ($139, davidjones.com)
This Guerlain eau is a little bit spicy (a pinch of cardamom), a little bit sharp (a stem of ginger), very sour (thanks to a hefty hit of bergamot), and – here’s the best bit – not sweet in any shape or form.
A tiny phial of each of these would be wonderful. I could then try them all and there wouldn't be any waste.
Ooh the Mandarine sounds very nice, would love a smell
I need to smell of all these
PRADA, Byredo some of my faves
Yup, finally bought Lost Cherry by Tom Ford. Man oh man…insanely good. I mean, insanely good. And unique
I'd love to try Clinique Calyx. I'm really happy with Clinique and Happy is a top perfume.