7 Surprising Feel-Good Scent Sources

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The month’s IT List, our roundup of our favorite beauty products, focuses on what we like to call perfumes and “scent etc.” – a collection of fragrant delights from surprising sources that can make daily chores like brushing your teeth or washing your towels feel less mundane.

Whether it's laundry detergent that whispers quiet luxury every time somebody goes in for a hug, or a new oral care brand that combines poetry with luxury perfume...for your mouth, we hope you enjoy these non-traditional ways to incorporate scent into your life.

A version of this story appears in the August 2023 issue of ELLE.

Of Course I Still Luv You

“Have you ever brushed your teeth and thought, 'Hmm. Ambitious. Surprising.' That's the feeling I had trying Selahatin for the first time. Founder Kristoffer Vural had a stroke at the age of 25 and the experience sparked a hunger in him to optimize pleasure, even in simple acts, like brushing one's teeth. The brand's toothpastes (Rick Owens is a fan) contain a level of fluoride that's dentist-recommended (to be safe I checked with my own dentist, Brian Kantor, DDS), and a scent that's perfumer-approved. Of Course I Still Luv You is inspired by young love and smells (and tastes) like bergamot, citrus, and cardamom.” — Kathleen Hou, Beauty Director

Aqua Media Cologne forte Eau de Parfum

“The idea of being in the center of a rainbow born from sunlight and water is captured in this new perfume from the superstar perfumer behind Baccarat Rouge 540 EDP. To me, this green scent feels like optimism, and the mood when trading friendship bracelets in the stadium of a Taylor Swift Eras concert—happy, bright, sunny, and warm. It has notes of verbena, Italian bergamot and a dash of matcha tea.” — K.H.

Forest Laundry Detergent

“Hugs and bedtime dreams smell incredible with this quiet luxury laundry detergent, created by a Korean entrepreneur, who used the world's best skin care ingredients in its formulation. The concentrated formula cleanses up to 60 loads, so your white tees can have a subtle cypress and floral scent for months to come.” — M.A.

Mandarin Basile Limited Edition Kitchen Trio

"Given her Friends character Monica’s love of cleaning, it doesn’t surprise me that Courteney Cox created a homecare line. What does surprise me is how much I love it. Homecourt takes dish soap, all-purpose spray, and hand wash–normally humdrum household cleaning products, removes their typical note of nostril-blasting bleach, and adds fine fragrance. It’s a little luxury that has brought me more joy. I would happily wear any of the sophisticated scents that now grace my kitchen countertops, from the Neroli Leaf to the Steeped Rose, each of which smells very pretty without being too fussy and perfume-y. The newest one is the Mandarin Basile, which smells like a ripe herb garden with notes of fig leaves and mandarin peel. And if you’re worried that these won’t work as well as your usual household cleaner, I’ve tested this on toilet porcelain and in the microwave following a tomato sauce eruption, and it’s worked extremely well each time." – K.H.

Moon Flower Extrait de Parfum

“I spritz not just my pulse points, but also my ankles and the top of my head with this Los Angeles-based perfume brand. Recalling late night blooms in the Hollywood Hills, this lush blood orange and tuberose scent lingers behind me everywhere I go.” — Margaux Anbouba, Beauty Editor

Dedtergent Milk

"I’ve always loved the smell of laundry detergent, and being in a freshly laundered bed ranks top among my favorite feelings. But for a fancier experience, I like this detergent from the fragrance brand Dedcool. With notes of bergamot, amber, and white musk, the scent still gives me that “clean” connotation, without smelling like a drugstore detergent. I started using it to handwash my more delicate pieces too, and it really beats the “dry cleaner bag smell.” – K.H.

Haute Parfumerie Solid Soap

“What guest is worthy of being lathered in a perfume by Celine? I don't know, but when you figure it out, the brand released indulgent new soaps with some of the same scents found in its haute parfumerie.” — K.H.

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