If the change of season has you hankering for a new signature scent, then you shouldn’t turn your nose up at these perfume releases. Look to these launches from New Zealand and Australian brands to prompt the ultimate compliment: “Wow, you smell so good – what is that?”.

Aesop Gloam Eau De Parfum
It’s been a busy month for Aesop – and the release of its latest eau de parfum rounds out April for the Melbourne-born hair, skin and body company.

Gloam is the fifth and second-to-last fragrance in the Othertopias collection, and like all the brand’s perfumes it is designed for all genders. If you like floral perfumes, this one’s for you – but Gloam has added spicy intrigue with a definite grassiness. Top notes of pink pepper, cardamom and orange flower add complexity, while the saffron and mimosa are middle notes along with rich jasmine sambac. The base notes are iris – which is slightly powdery and earthy – patchouli, and the balsamic pepperiness of copaiba.

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Abel Black Anise Eau de Parfum
Wellington-based perfume company Abel makes its fragrances with 100 per cent natural ingredients. That means it uses highly concentrated formulas of plant-derived natural oils, concentrates and isolates, set in a food-grade, organic alcohol base – no synthetics.

For its new scent, founder Frances Shoemack and master perfumer Isaac Sinclair have gone in a moodier, smokier, more sensual direction – partially in a bid to rid natural perfume of its “1970s patchouli hangover” reputation. Black Anise is a memorable scent that hits you first with the sweetness of star anise, blackcurrant and cacao, before mellowing to linger with a spicy, smoky amber and tobacco – an ideal combination for sultry winter nights.

Ashley & Co Bonberry Waxed Perfume candle
Auckland-based home fragrance and body care company Ashley & Co has released a limited-edition pour within its Waxed Perfume candle range. Bonberry aims to capture “the heady, lusciousness of wild berries caught in a tangle of fragrant blooms,” says co-founder Jackie Ashley, who has released the candle with gifting in mind, just ahead of Mother’s Day.

Light the minimal white candle and you’ll pick up notes of blackcurrant, plum and rose honey, balanced with bergamot, geranium and chamomile. Whether it ends up in your house or you gift it to someone else, this candle will perfume a room like an enchanted flower garden for 50 hours of burn time.