The Bee's Knees

A poetic ode to the bee. This is a rich, deep heady tobocco and osmanthus fragrance using high quality natural materials, and it does leave a strong impression of honey, despite there being no honey or beeswax absolute in the ingredients list. Very clever. This is conceptual perfumery which deeply evokes the bee - not just the products it produces, but its very life essence. When I close my eyes, I'm transported to the glorious dry height of summer in the heart of Somerset - I smell the hay, the waft of an indolic yellow flower in the heat, the wood of the hive, the beeswax, and the richly fragrant honey i buy from the farmers market. I also feel it conjures the dusty, fading beauty of autumn, with its richly fragrant decaying woods, golden tree syrups, and a pile of logs ready for the fire. There is absolutely nothing green here - the colour palette is glorious golden brown. As it dries down, I am transported to other places - a Moorish palace where honeyed delights are served by ladies in beautiful array; along dusty spice routes; into an old wooden chest full of secrets. Whisky connoisseurs take note, for this also conjures the soul and history of those coveted liquors in aged oak barrels. The perfumer is right - this is the very essence of the bee, an ancient symbol of Kingship and also humble community. The bee is a deeply spiritual symbol - it is a creature which intersects heaven and earth, using its hard work and co-operation to transform the raw materials of nature into sweet, healing, liquor from heaven. The bee illustrates sanctification through this process, and also what it produces - beeswax candles are known to purify the air, as honey is known as a powerful healing agent. The promised land is described as a land 'flowing with milk and honey'. These are blessings from heaven, as is the bee itself - indeed, bees are essential to human life, and without them, we would struggle to survive. Throughout history, bees have been an important feature of monasteries, where they are kept to pollinate plants and produce honey. Flemish monk Thomas de Cantimpre reflected that “both the unity and the virgin purity of the bees should serve as an example to the monks. Stillness should fall upon the convent in the evening, as it does upon the hive.”. Beeswax, a holy substance thought to symbolise the body of Christ, is burnt in services and devoured by a flame which provides light for all, the triumph of spirit over flesh. Deborah, one of the great female heroes of the Bible (and its singluar female judge) was a fiery woman - a prophetess and overthrower of tyrants who proclaimed judgement in sweet song from beneath a date tree. Her name means 'honey bee'. We musn't forget that the sweet little bee which blesses us in so many ways also has a powerful sting in its tail... Throughout history, (natural) perfumery has been a spiritual practise, with the essences produced through various means embodying the very spirit of the plant. This is why natural perfumery is an art, while commercial perfumery is a science. It is my strong view that natural perfumery is inifintely superior to commercial perfumery - not only in quality, but also in how real plants and natural raw materials act in synergy with the body. Plant essences are medicinal materials, affecting the body in profound ways whether by killing harmful bacteria or balancing hormones. They can induce wellbeing, or even euphoria. They can make us hallucinate, poison us, or help us go to sleep. They have the power to kill us, or cure us. Real plant essences contain the energy of the sun, and they are irreducibly complex. Nature is God's - not man's - pharmacy, and we should treat it with the respect it deserves. The very word 'perfume', which means 'through smoke' reveals it's spiritual origin - the burning of incense, the transmutation of the physical into divine essence. The book of Revelation states that the prayers of the saints rise up to God in the form of incense - our prayers produce a beautiful fragrance, and God smells them. Meditate on that - God smells our prayers. So my interest in (natural) perfumery is deeply spiritual, and there are certain fragrances which can be used as a contemplative tool to produce transcendence and connection. This is one of those. Just as a bee transforms flowers into honey without harming them, barely touching them in the process, the perfumer has created the very soul of the bee without even a touch of its produce. This is truly a work of art, a masterpiece of modern perfumery. The masses need not apply here - this one is for spirtual seekers.

Literally made my nose turn up, my lip curl, and flinch as if someone was punching me in the face,...in absolute disgust. (STAY WITH ME HERE) I had to respond to the Lush associate with “Super interesting!....VERY unique...I’m going to try walking around and see what happens” ...in an attempt to evacuate the area so I could audibly cough in distain to what I just put on my skin. Hear me out. Walk around. A few laps. A short jog. A short walk to my car, the perfume mixing with my body chemistry, upon buckling my seatbelt and exiting the mall parking lot, I was already PURCHASING this online to not miss out on it. What a total 180. Such a unique perfume from first spray to throughout the day. First impression was repulsive, it was INTENSE, however once it mixed with my skin it was the most smokiest, tobacco-y, ridiculously gender neutral fragrance. On the drive home, the fragrance complete started morphing into a rich intense smoky bonfire smell lingering but now hitting with a slight sweet punch in the ever so slightest. When I tell you I fell in love, I was HEAD over heels for this. This perfume brought me back to as other users wrote, OG Lush....the gorilla perfumes. THAT kind of unique DNA...the type that wasn’t widely appealing to the masses. A niche crowd would just ‘understand’ the unique perfume combinations. THIS is THAT; but in 2024 style. I bought the largest size (3.3fl oz) as I fear that with every LUSH creation, it’s a one and done wonder. I NEEDED this in my colllection. I think the beauty about this frag is it can be worn alone as a statement, or built upon. I took Theodoros Kalotinis - Bubble Gum Factory to the skin right after this because love me a cloying intoxicating sweet smell, but I want depth, and this does just that! The smoky tobacco, with the earthy smell of hay and petitgrain, mingling with the overly powerful almost insultingly sweet smell of bubblegum/strawberrry created the most interesting scent of a deadhead shop, the sweet incense smoke smell mixed with a strawberry vape pen?! I don’t even smoke but that smell always makes my nostrils go crazy searching for a similar scent.

Like a cup of tea an almond mom would serve you... When I first tried this a couple of months ago I was surprised in a bad way. Me and my sister expected a sweet scent like Honey I Washed The Kids but The Bee‘s Knees is a completely different scent. I agree with others that the presentation of this scent that Lush offers is not on a par with the real scent. This perfume is more similar to The Smell Of Weather Turning, Vegan Leather Jacket or even Tank Battle. It‘s controversial and unique. At first it‘s really peppery and spicy. Then you get the honey note but it‘s definitely not sticky. It‘s more like a warm herbal tea with a tiny drop of honey. Like a cup of tea I‘d expect from an almond mom, herbal with a touch of honey, not for the sweetness but for the health benefit. I‘d tell her more honey or sugar please. Then it gets really spicy and woody. I kept trying this perfume for months and months at store not being able to decide if I like it or absolutely despise it. It definitely smells like an old wooden cabin with a pantry that hasn‘t been cleaned properly in a while. Yesterday I tried it again and I realised how much I actually like the scent. I bought the large bottle and I‘m really happy with it. The drydown has a classic patchouli note. It‘s a really weird scent, not for everyone but I adore scents like this and I‘m so happy Lush is still making them after all these years. Don‘t expect another Sticky Dates or HIWTK, this is for the Tank Battle/Weather Turning lovers. The staying power is excellent, and so the sillage. Edit 11/24/25: Wearing this one today and I don’t know if it’s the weather (it’s been snowing here) but today it’s settled into a much sweeter scent like HIWTK.

The Bee's Knees really is the business. Lush is an established brand with good ethics and a strong following with some solid perfumes in their repertoire—something for everyone, and you'd think they wouldn't need to up their game or create anything particularly game-changing and then bam! Bee's Knees. Whoever this Alina is, Lush should know to never let her go. What a talent, what a fragrance! A complex scent with staying power, a vintage inspired instant classic that should fit perfectly into anyone's collection. Reminiscent—but not derivative—of a Francesca Bianci, Rania J, or a Zoologist creation; I've always liked Lush, but this really has my attention. Honey, tobacco, musk, slight incense, and a touch of powder sit perfectly together in a juice I can only imagine took months of perfecting. Creative, artistic, and refreshing. I find, that when I can't fully describe a scent, that they're normally the best ones. Indescribable. Beautiful. Ticks many boxes. Earthy? Check. Gourmand? Check. Incense? Check. Long lasting? You bet. Attractive? Hell yeah. Vintage? Sure. Modern? Also yes. What a treat; although they missed a trick with the name as they could have played homage to the ol' B Never branding considering the adult yet childlike playfulness of this scent: Bee Never to Bee, Bee Again, Bee Never something something etc etc blah blah. Instant classic 10/10. Love it. Finally found my day to day signature which reminds me! This, for me, is an anytime, any weather parfum. Cool. We done here. Fuck off.

Uhhh @giguo where do you think chewing gum gets it’s smell from? Mint grows out of the ground. That’s like saying citrus perfumes remind you of orange juice and you wanted something more natural. But yes there is a minty camphor aroma to this that I adore. I’m addicted to scents that smell like tiger balm and this one has that kind of thing going on. Ahhhh better than I’d hoped actually it’s super earthy like you passed out trying to extinguish a forest fire and woke up in a witches hut with your burns tended to with a healing balm the color of honey. Update: I keep sleeping on this and not reaching for it as much but when I do I remember why I love it so... I think it might be wrong for a daily wear though. It’s the kind of scent when you need to give yourself some tough love. If I’ve been procrastinating or acting foolish and with my head in the clouds embarrassed about my own immaturity I put on Joni Mitchell hejira and spray this. Tiger balm is for your sore body but tbk is for your sore dignity. Some scents bring you peace some bring you pleasure but this brings order. Funny enough the other scent I use this way is Francesca Bianchi’s The Black Knight... TBK parallel with the initials lol. Anyways my coworkers love it. So if it’s too challenging for u you’re a big baby