Connecting with the Earth: discover perfumes that smell like nature

Green fields, freshly unearthed roots, a damp breeze among ancient trees. Earth, once just a supporting note, has become the protagonist of compositions that aim to reconnect us with our most natural selves.

Now a powerful storytelling element in perfumery, earth is central to iconic creations such as Terre d'Hermès, created by Jean-Claude Ellena in 2006.

Terre d'Hermès is a modern classic that defied traditional structures through a composition dominated by mineral and vegetal notes. Inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses and the mythological figure of Gaia, Ellena sought to translate the creation of the world into a perfume. The formula combines the bitterness of grapefruit and the sweetness of orange with a striking flint accord, which brings freshness and texture. Notes of geranium, pink pepper, and bold Atlas cedar add to the blend, evoking a mythical natural landscape. More than a fragrance, it's a manifesto: the perfect balance between earth, air, and water.

Its success led to Eau Très Fraîche in 2014, a lighter, more aquatic version that captures the freshness of water springing from the ground. With more bitter orange and icy aldehydes, this interpretation still celebrates the Earth–but through the purity of the liquid element that runs through it. In 2018 came Terre d'Hermès Eau Intense Vetiver, a woodier version with Christine Nagel succeeding Ellena as perfumer. Then in 2022, Terre d'Hermès Eau Givree added a citrus twist, and in 2025, we welcomed Terre d'Hermès Eau de Parfum Intense, enriched with coffee and liquorice layered onto the classic citrus-woody structure.

Under the name Loewe Earth, the luxury house with Spanish DNA poetically evokes the planet. Perfumer Nuria Cruelles draws inspiration from elements that connect the surface with what lies beneath, uniting two natural worlds.

This perfume features ingredients previously unseen in the brand: mimosa, elemi, and truffle, representing the duality between surface and depth. Mimosa, a flower capable of blooming again after a fire, symbolizes resilience; elemi, an aromatic resin, evokes vital sap; and truffle, an earthy, edible note, connects with the root. The result is a scent that explores the elemental alchemy in its purest form, part of the Botanical Rainbow collection–a kaleidoscope of natural inspiration.

Ralph Lauren also explores the concept of Earth in Polo Earth, a perfume that aims to become a benchmark in sustainable perfumery. Composed of 97% naturally derived ingredients, it's a conscious homage to the planet. The composition plays with sparkling citrus, fresh herbs, and ethereal florals. More than a perfume, Polo Earth is an ethical statement: luxury and nature are not opposites, but allies.

Polish Potatoes is a particularly surprising exercise. This perfume turns the everyday into olfactory poetry, elevating one of the Earth's most humble and universal fruits: the potato. This fragrance from niche Polish house Bohoboco was born from the olfactory memories of its founder, Michal Gilbert Lach, who wanted to honor the rural soul of his country. "Potatoes were the golden treasures of the Polish countryside," says Lach. "Their earthy skin, still damp with dew, radiated a deep, sensual accord. Touching them was like feeling the cycle of life, the pulse of the Earth," he recalls, evoking childhood memories.

Meanwhile, Diptyque has elevated nature to a starring role in high perfumery. Its Les Essences collection is inspired by five natural treasures: mother-of-pearl, coral, bark, water lilies, and desert rose crystals. A symphony of scent that awakens emotions by connecting to authenticity.

Flowers, long associated with spring and beauty, also have an earthy dimension. Among them all, the rose shines with renewed strength. Not only as a romantic symbol, but also as a powerful and sensual bloom.

Take Fleur Majesty Rose Royale 31 by Kayali–a contemporary tribute to the royal rose. Created by Nathalie Lorson, this floral fragrance combines rose with juicy pear, peach, violet wood, peony, and purple musk. Majestic yet soft and approachable, its creator Mona Kattan sums it up as: "A fragrance to feel elegant, confident, and unforgettable.

In a fresher, greener line, Guerlain presents Green Rose, part of its Aqua Allegoria collection. Here, rose is light, wet, and wrapped in cucumber, crisp pear, and white musks. The scent evokes a summer splash among petals.

Another interesting trend is the use of wild or forgotten flowers in modern perfumery. Hyssop, sweet clover, or hedychium (also known as butterfly lily) are among of the new vintage flowers. The latter has been revived by Floratropia in its perfume La Terre, in collaboration with natural-extract pioneer Robertet. The scent blends gardenia-like notes with hints of ginger, evoking a lush, wild garden.

There's something captivating about the sea: the clean, iodized breeze, the vastness, and the endless horizon. Marine and ozonic fragrances don't just evoke water, they convey freedom, movement, and a sense of rejuvenating freshness.

Luna Rossa Ocean Le Parfum by Prada explores freshness from an elegant angle. It blends oceanic strength with lighter, airy notes for a refined freshness.

In a more tropical, sun-kissed tone, Cool Water Intense by Davidoff–a modern reinterpretation of the classic the classic Cool Water–evokes a coastal breeze: luminous green mandarin melts into coconut nectar and finishes with warm amber, reminiscent of sun-kissed skin after a swim.

Hélix by Carner Barcelona captures the urge to explore and let yourself drift with the sea breeze. The fragrance captures the movement of water, the scent of the coast, the sweetness of ripe fruit, and marine woods.

Rabanne's Invictus Eau de Toilette sets up a clash between two forces: penetrating freshness from marine notes, grapefruit, and mandarin; and an animalic sensuality from ambergris, guaiac wood, and patchouli. This isn't just a scent of the ocean–it's the smell of victory and latent energy.

In the last year, one unexpected note has taken center stage: salt. Invisible and nearly imperceptible, salt has no defined scent, but it does leave powerful memories in our olfactory mind: the wave pulling back, skin after a dip in the sea…

Le Sel d'Issey by Issey Miyake paints a vivid scene, sea breeze over wet earth. It achieves this through a blend of laminaria seaweed extract, a salty accord, natural ginger, vetiver, and cedar wood. "Salt is the memory of the wave on the land and on the skin. My goal was to explore the element of salt, naturally an echo of water, which the brand has long explored, and of nature's movement" explains perfumer Quentin Bisch.