Scent and sensibility: IKON’s holistic approach to perfume

The latest perfume launch to hit the shelves – IKON, which is exclusive to The Fragrance Shop – brings a new way of experiencing scent.

Developed with a premium, sustainable and natural mindset, the IKON range is made up of six different fragrances and is all about offering an holistic, feel-good experience. With vegan, cruelty-free, and responsible formulas and packaging, the ethos of IKON is to bring to the fore the impact of simple, yet high-quality ingredients, materials, and messages.

What does that mean in reality? The scents have a simple and clean feel – made with ethics at their core, they feel good and smell good, too. All of the fragrances are also manufactured locally, formulated with natural, vegan, and responsibly sourced key ingredients and materials, and are also gender-neutral – so they work for everyone.

The only difficult bit is narrowing down your favourite. I have been trying out two Eau de Perfums picked from the collection, which appealed to me the most. The first is 914. With top notes of bergamot, lime and tagete, it first spritzes on as a bright floral. But with rich oud and golden saffron at its heart, it quickly deepens to something more sultry. Then, with soft powdery musk, balsamic amber, woods and mosses from the base, the fragrance becomes darker, more complex and intrinsically sensual. Wearing it is addictive, you keep wanting to breathe in the notes and it feels almost like finding yourself immersed in an exotic rainforest.

In short, it is simply a joyous, premium-smelling fragrance, which I can’t get enough of. It’s deep, yet sparkling; powdery yet fresh; sensual yet modern and is more like something you’d expect from an artisan, top-end perfumer.

With IKON’S cardboard-carton style packaging, bold and simple typography and clean lines to the glass bottle, the message of simplicity and harmony is portrayed. The fragrances, however, while packed with natural ingredients, are beautifully complex and fully indulgent.

Next is 906, another scent to take your breathe away. This blend is slightly spicy and definitely moodier. It is very unusual (in a good way) and has top notes of nutmeg and pepper, developing to a decadent floral heart of tuberose and ylang with vanilla and tobacco. It’s dramatic and different and, while not heavy, it lingers for hours, leaving a sultry trail in your midst.

Each fragrance is £59.95, from thefragranceshop.co.uk

*This review is based on press samples