When Bella Hadid breathes, I pay attention. So when she launched a new scent with her skin-loving fragrance brand, 'Ôrəbella, Who What Wear editors sprang into action to get a first look (er, sniff?) at the ethereal elixir. Housed in an amber-colored gemstone bottle, the new fragrance Eternal Roots follows the rest of the line as an oil-based, long-lasting perfume, but Hadid mentioned in the caption of a recent Instagram post that something unusual differentiates this scent from her entire collection—and anything that master perfumer Jérôme Epinette has ever created.
“I go in from the very beginning and ask him [Epinette] about every ‘juice’ he’d be nervous but excited to try, something we haven’t seen on the market,” Hadid writes in the caption. The multihyphenate goes on to list the notes of Eternal Roots, which include lychee, raspberry blossom, suede, pink sugar, and labdanum—and if these layers sound a bit all over the place to you, that’s the point.
Hadid describes the fragrance as a “woody, sweet, fruity skin parfum” with sea-deep layers, but highlights the tactful disarray of fragrance families within this scent. “I love the juxtaposition of things that shouldn’t go together but somehow match perfectly,” the model adds. “Yin and yang, perhaps.”
Inspired by the duality of this expansive scent, I took stock of the fragrances that have mismatched, “yin and yang” notes and still earned the WWW editor's stamp of approval. Scroll on for the perfumes with brow-raising elements that became some of our favorite spritzes.
Editor-Approved Perfumes with Mismatched Notes
Key notes: Lavender, suede, cinnamon, black musk
I can’t talk about disjointed, yet inexplicably harmonious perfumes without touching on this standout from Perfumehead. Cosmic Cowboy is a rollercoaster, with elements of suede, spice, musk, and florals coexisting under the same glittering night sky. There’s a mismatched mix of musk and earthy orris grounding this fragrance, while the rest explodes in a shimmering mist of lavender and tonka bean. It changes as the night goes on, but it’s fabulous all the same.
Editor review: “I love a twisty-and-turny scent (one that you can't quite figure out), and this is like a night of bad behavior that you want to relive again and again, bottled. Warm and spicy, it takes inspiration from the nightclubs of the Sunset Strip in the 1970s.” Erin Jahns, beauty director
Key notes: Lime, petrichor, black pepper, eucalyptus
Notes I’d never think to put together? Lime, rose, and black pepper—not to mention petrichor (that scent after a rainfall) and labdanum, the same leathery note found in Eternal Roots. What might sound more like the result of a backyard scavenger hunt is this tantalizing marine scent from Heretic. A perfume-ified version of “the beach at night,” the scent crests with lime before crashing down in a tidal wave of Turkish rose, jasmine, sea salt, and damp earth. My dream late-summer scent, IMO.
Customer review: “Black Salt is oddly amazing and sexy. Doing it justice with words is difficult because there are so many wonderful scent swirls happening all at once: salt, citrus, non-medicinal eucalyptus, the nice type of jasmine, and sometimes tobacco. It's a much stronger marine scent than I usually like, but it's just so addictive.”
Key notes: Lychee, raspberry, peony, Hinoki wood
If these notes sound familiar to you, you’d be right. The scent tells a similar story as 'Ôrəbella’s Eternal Roots, what with fruit, sugar, flora, and fauna clashing in this earthen fragrance. The perfume is both grounding and uplifting, changing on your skin as the hours pass—trails of cleansing Hinoki wood washing over you at some points of the day while a spring bouquet of sugar-crusted peonies takes center stage at others.
Customer review: “This 11 11 scent is fabulous! I love, love the fruity musky, bright vibes of this scent. I highly recommend this perfume!”
Key notes: Plum, violet, leather, patchouli
Once a candle, this library-inspired scent twists the aromas of leather-bound books and worn armchairs into something wearable—and It girl-approved, no less. If Charli XCX calls this academia-inspired scent an “essential,” then so shall I. It infuses the woody scent of paper with patchouli, cinnamon, violet, and plum, which might sound more like a back-to-school shopping list than luxury fragrance notes, but don’t knock it ‘til you try it.
Customer review: “Love this classic scent. Get many compliments when I wear it. Long-lasting and clean. Definitely recommend this.”
Key notes: Pear, cardamom, tree moss, sea amber
Pear is a fairly untapped note in the fragrance world, which makes its pairing with cardamom, pimento leaves, sea amber, and tree moss that much more exciting. Earthy and sweetly fresh, this scent leaves trails of lush garden fauna everywhere you go, with hints of jasmine and marine musk noticeable on the skin if you sniff closely.
Customer review: “This scent smells so delicious! Could be one of my new staple fragrances. I blend this with Angel by Mugler. It turns the sweetness into a caramel sundae.”
Key notes: Cedarwood, orange flower, tonka bean, musk
Flitting between warm spices, worn wood, and stalks of green, this rugged scent is a mountainscape in perfume form. Neither feminine nor masculine, its tangled notes are a sensorial story for passersby to decode, yet it never smells overwhelming or frenzied.
Customer review: “It's fresh and a tad more relaxed, although still warm, spicy and woody—just not obtrusively. Think your favorite pair of Levi's that just get better and better. Alchemic magic.” Jahns
More Mismatched Fragrances
Key notes: Citrus zest, black pepper, algae extract, myrrh
In three words: By the sea.
Key notes: Aldehydes, cardamom, oakmoss
In three words: Straight up, please.
Key notes: Bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, oakmoss
Three-word descriptor: Evening in Miami.
Key notes: Croissant accord, wild berry jam, tonka bean, sandalwood
In three words: Morning bakery run.
Key notes: Green pear, ambroxan, musk
In three words: In the garden.
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