Polianthes Tuberosa

My Little Essay Update: In 1999, on the threshold of the noughties, FRESH Perfumes released one of the most intriguing and beautiful scent ranges, HOMBRE DE FLORES by LYN HARRIS - a daring essay into the world of floral fragrances for men. Although today, in 2026, this is nothing new (think Valentino "Born in Roma UOMO) and many thousands of other floral men's creations, the Hombres Collection produced, in my humble opinion, the mother of all creations... POLIANTHES TUBEROSE Oh if you can get a decant of this, please do, for you will be taken into a very beautiful, quietly sexy, sparkling dimension and this one smells expensive too. Although it was created for men, I have enjoyed this scent since it came out quietly and then quietly faded away just as quickly... yet the perfume itself has a longevity far beyond what it was marketed for. It will stay on your clothes until the next day and in a way that you'd want to, there is something very hypnotic yet uplifting about this creation. It is creamy yet fresh, it is extremely addictive and the whole show is just perfection, nothing jarring just exquisite scent and certainly not generic. It's innocent, expensive, sexy. It's an ultra luxurious holiday villa in Italy with the intelligentsia, historic ancient villas which no-one else has access to. If Lyn is out there, reading this, perhaps you could let us know where your beautiful perfume went to next... because I have searched for years since Fresh discontinued it and there's nothing quite like it. I think Estee Lauder's Tuberose Gardenia (I have a 2009 bottle) is very close but without that gorgeous sparkling entrance of Polianthes Tuberosa, oddly enough, as I write this right now, I never thought to spray a layer of cucumber/lemons etc on top, perhaps I should try this and maybe it will "get me there" smiles... It's worth mentioning that my Scent Memory regarding Polianthes Tuberosa, takes me also to: Lubin "L'Eau Neuve" and Caron "Eau de Caron FRAICHE" - they are not the same, but they are of a similar vibe and thankfully still available. Perhaps I have to mourn the loss of this beauty, along with Nina Ricci's intoxicatingly excellent Fleurs de Fleurs, but my memory lives very strong and nostalgic for Polianthes Tuberosa.

Polianthes Tuberosa by Fresh was part of a beautiful limited release of flower scented perfumes for Men. The range was called Hombre de Flores. I wonder if they were inspired by the name Homo Floresiensis... The bottles were gorgeous, heavy, like crystal whiskey decanters, with a screw top lid. Polianthus Tuberosa, in my humble opinion, was the most beautiful of all. It could be worn by any sex and it was soo luxurious, nothing jarred, it was very soft and perfect for Summer. It smelt expensive... and it smelt like how I'd imagine an afternoon spent in an English walled garden would smell... with the doors open to an Orangery stuffed with lemon tree and cucumbers. Gentle sparkling top notes...the dry down was a perfect light cashmere musc. I hope one day they will bring this beauty back, it beats anything from Creed... truly, it is too beautiful to be lost.