What makes a fragrance stand the test of time

It’s no coincidence, Duffy-Packer says, that fragrance sales have taken off at a time when we’ve all been grounded. “Fragrance allows people to travel vicariously through their own memories. We jokingly call it the ‘No Go Amalfi Effect’. It’s a way to escape to somewhere else on a rainy day in Melbourne.”

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Fragrances that have stood the test of time are one thing, but not everyone wants to smell like their mother or grandmother – or their partner’s ex. This helps explain the recent growth of the niche, independent fragrance market. Sydney creative Sarah Blair and her filmmaker husband, Jeffrey Darling, created Map of the Heart in 2014. “It was kind of blind faith; we didn’t do market testing, we didn’t know anything, we just literally had this idea and were going to follow through with it,” says Blair.

Seven years later, seven different Map of the Heart perfumes are sold across 24 countries. It’s tough going. “Niche fragrance is a whole world within itself and is just as competitive,” Blair says. “Thousands of brands are launched every year; some of them survive, a lot don’t.“

A few days after our interview, Blair sends me seven samples and I decide to do a blind test. I tell her that Passion was my first pick, with Freedom a close second. “Both very on point for these times,” she says. “Our passion for life and desire for freedom. That’s the power of fragrance.”