London Spice

This fragrance had originally been on my radar for a long time before picking it up, the biggest off put being the price. Especially when I heard to people referring this to a fresh scent. There is a lot of poor descriptions of this fragrance, especially now that I own it, which may be pointing people in the wrong direction. London spice is a good name, as it feels like a newly showered gritty urban man striding through London’s dirty streets, intend on getting to where ever he is going. He knows a lot of the time it’s quicker to walk or get the bus rather than the underground, but has the funds to get a cab if he wants. A hint of quality lies beneath it’s initial notes. Working class, but he knows how to dress and takes care on how he smells. Anyway, silly description aside, this fragrance projects more than the initial glace would imply, 2-3 sprays in the office, and this thing projects. It does have elements of a clean fragrances, but there’s a gritty tone in there, making it less fresh than you might think (it’s no acqua di gio). This is likely down to how the peppermint, lavender, floral notes, and cardamom that are blended with the patchouli. You get the slight sea notes with the white flowers, giving it a clean feel, the nutmeg and cardamom add to this by giving it a slight cream feel, although the scent itself is not really creamy. A green tone runs through the heart of this fragrance. If Creed’s Royal Mayfair was the rich person born with a silver spoon, London spice is the working class man made good. Royal Mayfair has a strong eucalyptus note in it, London spice has a spearmint note running through it. They are not the same, but London Spice could be it’s cousin. It’s grittier, but more wearable as an everyday fragrance. It doesn’t scream wealth, but there is a quality to it. I picture someone rocking up to Camden, after starting in South London getting train to London Bridge station. Making his way to borough market onto south bank for the walk and river air, crossing the jubilee bridge, past Trafalgar and Leicester square, avoiding the main crowd, maybe taking a detour to Denmark street to look at the second hand guitars, then jumping on a bus up to Camden to check out the markets & stroll down the canal. Clean (undertone of spearmint), slightly sweet-sour, green tones, with a clean/gritty feel, made with high quality ingredients.

I’m genuinely in love with this scent profile. It’s an absolute gem for spring and summer. Right from the opening, you’re hit with a beautifully aromatic burst of spice—very fitting given the name. I don’t pick up much mint on my skin, though I get the sense it’s quietly supporting the composition in the background. A touch of lemon peel cuts through the spice just enough to keep it from becoming too aggressive, adding a fresh edge that keeps everything in balance. Once it settles, this fragrance really shines. The spice remains the star of the show, but the florals begin to emerge and create a smooth, refined balance. The lavender is especially prominent, bringing a classic barbershop character that blends effortlessly with the spice. That spicy-lavender combination carries the fragrance for most of its life, while softer touches of cedar, cardamom, and patchouli gradually reveal themselves in the background, adding depth and character. Unfortunately, there’s a downside. This is yet another fragrance that smells incredible but falls short where it matters—performance. For the price being asked, the longevity and projection simply don’t justify a full bottle unless you have money to spare. If it were priced more reasonably, it would be an easy recommendation. As it stands, I’d still absolutely recommend experiencing it—but in decant form rather than committing to a full bottle. I rate this scent profile a 9.5 out of 10. Performance and price included it becomes a 6.5 out of 10.

Smells great. Nothing new. It doesn't last more than about 6 hours which is ok but will not last the length of a workday so decent some, stick it in your bag and reapply at lunch. Ok. Public service announcement out the way this is a circus spiced scent in the same vein of Creed santal and Creed actually outperforms this one. Galloway by PDM smells similar to this too and I love that scent but Galloway is a BEAST compared to this one. If you own Galloway this may be redundant unless you want a scent that's more muted. Will I keep this scent? Sure as its interchangeable with the two others I like but I need to make sure its for something that lasts a short time. Would I recommend you get it if you want a heavily spiced fresh citrus scent? Nah. Get Galloway. 4/5...

This is my new favorite scent. It seems to me like a new, fresh take on a fougere scent. It’s fresher in the opening, with the mint and lemon, but the mid brings in that more spice and lavender, which gives it that barber shop vibe. The white florals start to come out in the mid and I do get some aquatic hints. The white florals last through the dry down with the cedar and some patchouli. This is a refined, smooth scent. Light and bright but seems to last a while. It changes a lot from opening to dry down, so has a lot of movement. It has enough there to wear in the cold, but mostly a spring, summer and fall fragrance. I does give the vibe of some Creed fragrances, so I see why some people commented on that below. This is a 10/10 for me.

This is probably the creamiest, most rounded, done to absolute perfection Lavender Barbershop I have even smelled. This puts Tom Ford's Fougère d’Argent and MFK's Masculin Pluriel to absolute shame. Sure I can understand that the bang for buck diminishing returns stops here for some people, but it doesn't take any lustre away from the shine of the fragrance. I can smell a minty creamy lavender on a backbone of cedar, nutmeg and cardamon, that opens up with a nice, unobtrusive citrus, just enough to announce its freshness. I think thus wears the crown of the best barbershop British fragrance that I've put my nose to, well worth the money and mamas if you're into this kind of fragrance. God bless and enjoy :)