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

Never in my life have I ran so quickly back into a store, any store, than when I had originally spritzed TBK and had to return to Lush so I could immediately purchase it. Magnificent in composition and absolutely magnetic to one’s senses. Like being gently lifted into some heavenly, fantastical place... it is a moooooood. So earthy and so present, meditative. Words fail. It is very honeycomb. Springtime (or autumnal) garden. A beekeeper is collecting his namesake, a prize from his beautiful little honey bees. They are pissed but sympathetic, scattering when the smoke hits. The bees slowly become more calm; they know their beekeeper well, he has tended to them generationally. The wind suddenly picks up and a nearby flower bed rustles. The scent of which leaves you with the faint reminder that all things are connected: these bees pollinate and propagate an integral part of the beekeeper’s livelihood; indeed, they are seldom venerated and yet so essential to life itself. The beekeeper is thankful. Once the smoke subsides, the bees return home. Amazing perfume. Not for everyone but beyond beautiful for those worthy enough to enjoy.

My thoughts after having this for a few weeks- I adore this scent. I opted for this one instead of 'Vegan Leather Jacket’, knowing that it had some deep leathery notes in the initial spray/dry down. Now, this is such a gorgeous and complex scent; I think I’ve spoken about it to anyone willing to listen to my thoughts on perfume. This is something that may not be for everyone; it leans pretty unisex. I’m an afab person who loves really woody/sandalwood and leathery scents. Initially, those hay notes really open up, like sweeping a barn; however, after letting it sit for 30 minutes, I immediately smell smoke and wood chips, almost burnt. By the second hour, it's so pretty and sweet, with the white florals becoming increasingly present. I’ve worn this to work at my coffee shop, I’ve worn this to a few concerts even, I am obsessed, i love layering this with jazz club, for an extra smokers jacket smell. i could speak endlessly good things about this one for myself.

This is a languid summer day in the country, bottled. It smells like a picnic in the English countryside, sitting beside a hayfield, with a church nearby performing mass. You are getting hints of the incense over the smell of recent—but not newly mown hay—whilst you eat honey sandwiches and drink chamomile tea. It is possibly the most aggrestic scent I've ever encountered. I never expected to find my next great perfume love at Lush. Honestly. I can't stop huffing it. There's a clever honey-musk accord at the bottom that rocks. Phenomenonal longevity. More than 12hrs on my dry arse skin. I will say, this is 100% not a safe blind buy and it is not a mass appealing scent. You are going to love this or loathe it. Edit: I had occasion to get my nose on Armaf Niche Gold; it smells nothing like it. It also has nothing in common with Zoologist Bee. Both are very different takes on honey.

I have a strong emotional reaction to this one, because it manages to evoke the high desert on a 105 degree day. Hay, resinous pine trees, leather, shrubs, all releasing their scents in the heat while the Angeles National Forest burns in the distance. More than honey I get a super pronounced immortelle note in the drydown, the likes of which I've experienced only in Goutal's Sables before this. How they arrive there is different, and The Bee's Knees is far more rustic, yet if you hate being stuck with immortelle in the end, you're sunk with either of these scents. Also brings to mind one I missed out on and still think about - Isle Ryder from D.S. & Durga. These two fragrances paint different landscapes, yet they share the hay, honey, and wild shrubbery. Both of the places they suggest are going to have you coming home with bits of thorny weeds in your socks.

Love this. I have the solid version and to me it smells like a perfume rendition of the smell and taste of the classic Ricola throat pastilles (yellow packaging). Very comforting and nostalgic, with some honeyed sweetness but mostly agrestic notes of wet hay, meadow flowers and herbs, and a stunning tobacco note. Dries down to a herbal-tea-with-honey melange. My favourite part is the tobacco, though, which is cosy and classic without being staid. I sniff the stick as aromatherapy when I feel tired or stressed, very relaxing. Edit: would like to get the spray version next, it seems gentler and more multidimensional, and would be a nice alternative. Udated: I tried the liquid version, it's much more delicate, more bitter-herbal and less sweet. I prefer the solid.

Stunning fragrance, perfect if you want to explore more unconventional perfumes. In the opening it smells like a field that's been absolutely bathing in the August sunlight, with hints of smoke and worn leather; as it warms up, the honey really comes out, paired with a strong balsamic note. It's very much an enchanted fragrance, it smells like a warm day at summer's end: you can smell the harvest, the sun burnt grasses, some mystical witchy herbs, tobacco, chamomile, eucalyptus honey. VERY aromatic. Like most Lush perfumes it's also very long lasting and has a very strong projection. This is definitely NOT a safe blind buy tho, I'd recommend letting it sit on your skin for a little while to truly appreciate all the notes before buying it, but I love it so much.

Oh wow, this has depth. The layering is phenomenal, at least I can say that's the case on my skin. Dont expect an instant blast of honey, I read the below comments which made me want to try as I wouldn't like a gourmand honey scent. First spray actually repulses me a little, this funky dirty swamp of dirt and hay. Then gradually the smokiness and floral notes come through though they aren't around for long. The dry down now, that's when you get some honey. It does take a while to come through, and it's not overly sweet or strong. Strange but as I kept smelling it on my arm late in the day I could almost imagine the honey crystallising. It worked with my chemistry, though it may not with everyone. Genius.

This one is apparently very divisive, but it is my new favorite. Very green, earthy, smokey, and honey/beeswax. It's a little screechy when first sprayed but it blooms into such a beautiful, witchy scent with a hint of sweetness. Not overly sugared sweetness, but a natural honey smell. I have not yet been able to overspray myself, and I am very sensitive to strong smells in general. Sillage seems to stay within elbow's range, and I'm not entirely sure on the longevity yet. This somewhat reminds me of Flower's Barrow from Lush, which is also another one I really love.

The most comforting perfume I've ever had. I didn't plan to buy it first, but the performance was soooo soothing and calming. Herbs and flowers, fresh hay, herbal tea with honey. It feels like a very hot day on a bee farm. Maybe people around me will hate me, but I think it could also be a summer fragrance in a less humid climate. I felt so happy wearing it in a warm summer day in the middle of the city and thinking about my childhood on the farm. It is not smoky, not too sweet or too gourmand. Longevity and silage are moderate on my skin.

This is beautiful. The perfumer Alina was inspired by memories of her father tending to his bees. Rather then being a honey forward perfume, this is done in the style of Zoologist, so the scent captures the whole world of the bee - the hay fields, the earth, the smoke from the bee smoker used to calm the bees while the honey is collected, the leather on the beekeepers gloves, the flowers & of course, the honey & beeswax. This is great value at £60/100ml, longevity is eternal. This to me is the perfect scent for a crisp Autumn day.

Wow, this is gorgeous and in my opinion a return to form for Lush (who have sadly sold out lately focusing on one-note, saccharine gourmands and fruity frags)! It's complex with a very "natural" and outdoorsy character. I get honey, hay and smoke. It's not listed but this is giving me loads of palo santo in the dry down. It makes me think of an expensive hippie lady, shopping at her cosy local natural food store, in the fall. Her basket is full of exotic teas, manuka honey, incense and ointments, lol <3

this is a honeyed tiger balm and damp soil that gradually gets smokier and more camphorous on my skin over time. really, really lovely. a strong statement. fits my vibe. one spray on my wrist had my best friend commenting on my perfume 8 hours later (he's president and CEO of the honey haters society, oh well). we're currently 12 hours since spraying and yeah, i can still smell it a couple inches off my skin. don't you dare wear this above 25°C.

smells akin to GORSE! imo probably my favourite perfume it is very aggressive and some may hate. first spray I regretted even buying it. then it settles and you smell it some more and it's so addictive. beautiful honey smell with so much earthy earthiness. a woody smokiness and a nauseating tobacco feel lasts all day and goes a long way. I love this way much and would repurchase

It is the scent of green weeds dried by the scorching sun, over which a smoky, thick honey drips. It evokes the image of a somewhat raw, summery, pastoral idyll. There is something in this scent reminiscent of the literary imagery of authors such as William Wordsworth.

Wow. This is a stunner. Lush perfumes have never worked for me, but Bee's Knees is amazing. Very rustic with honey and hay at the front. Immortele and tobacco take it even more towards the languid high summer feeling.