Perfume review - Coty Infiniment - various perfumers; 2024

Reviews of Noir Encens, Matin De Jade, Encore Une Fois, Aristo Chypre and the rest of the range

Coty is back. At least that’s what we’re expected to think. Round about a century ago, the Coty name was one of the most revered in perfumery, because a certain Monsieur Francois Coty (born Joseph Spoturno; you might want to make a note of that for future reference) created several masterpieces of olfactory art, including Chypre and L’Origan, many of which ended up being amongst the most influential compositions of all time. Over the years, the public face of the Coty brand grew increasingly grimy, with many, previously well-known scents being relegated to the bottom shelves of bargain stores. But behind the facade, the company became, and remains, one of the largest and most profitable beauty conglomerates in the world. Indeed, at the time of writing, they’re the license holders for Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Boss, Burberry, Gucci and many others. Now, for the first time in decades, they have created some new scents of their own, which is to say: perfumes that are being sold overtly under the Coty brand. Clearly not wanting to come across as half-hearted about this move, they have released no fewer than fourteen fragrances, all of which they have tagged with the umbrella label Coty Infiniment. 

My first encounter with this much-hyped range was at a launch event in London last year. As far as these shindigs go, it was one of the less easily comprehensible. The speeches ranged from hollow to opaque. There was ‘entertainment’ in the form of perplexing dances that had been devised as interpretations of a few of the perfumes. And the only opportunity to smell the scents themselves was in a crowded, poorly-ventilated basement where the attention seemed to be not on the fragrances but on artworks that had been commissioned to accompany them. None of this was particularly worrisome. Indeed, in many ways, it was par for the course. Pretentiousness and perfume tend to go hand in hand, frequently to comical effect. Indeed, I can still recall the Hermes launch during which actors uttered supposedly mystical texts through large tubes which they held right up against the guests’ ears. I can put up with all manner of silliness, especially if the perfumes in question are interesting. So despite everything that was going on at the Coty bash, I wasn’t particularly alarmed. But there was a moment when my Spidey sense started tingling.