Project Renegades

The creative duo behind Escentric Molecules, Geza Schoen and Paul White, have teamed up with rebel perfumers Bertrand Duchaufour and Mark Buxton to launch new fragrance brand Project Renegades. They all worked for large fragrance houses contributing to many classic scents for brands which you will be familiar with - Escentric Molecules, Comme des Garçons, Penhaligons and Acqua de Parma to name but a few. 

I was not only lucky enough to be present for the launch of the brand, but I got to sit, listen and ask questions of each of them which was, just the ultimate experience and an absolute honour.  

Deciding to take the fragrance world by storm, give it a kick and have some fun, each perfumer created a fragrance of their own, with no limitations of a tight brief or restrictions on materials. In fact they could come up with what they wanted and that is exactly what they did. The end result was three very unique scents, three crazy avatars and three incredibly eye-catching bottles which are not only distinctive but come with a fridge magnet of each avatar.

Geza Schoen’s Renegades fragrance is constructed around pink pepper, creating a portrait of the whole tree - berries, bark and leaves. I loved this scent immediately which might come as no surprise to those of you who know how much I adore Escentic Molecules. 

So with top notes of pink pepper, lemon, bergamot, cassis and lime; middle notes of osmanthus, iris, fir, juniper, hedione and mate and base notes of the well known iso e super, cedar, sandalwood, labdanum, incense, myrrh, castoreum and ambrette (musk mallow) what you get is the most amazing woody spicy fragrance which is suitable for men and women.

Bertrand Duchaufour’s Renegades fragrance opens with pink pepper and ends with a sea breeze. This time there is top notes of pink pepper, bergamot, cardamom, gin, cassis and galbanum. The middle notes are red berries, olibanum and hinoki wood and the base notes are balsam fir, driftwood and amber. 

This is again a woody spicy scent which is suitable for both men and women and I hadn't expected to like the scent, I'm not usually a fan of perfumes with amber in them, but this one is just beautiful and again is unlike anything else I have ever smelt or come across.

Mark Buxton’s Renegades fragrance is woody and spicy, revolving around a smoky leather rose. This time we have top notes which are basil, lentisque, black pepper, cassis-flower and galbanum; middle notes of leather rose and bay and base notes which are labdanum, guaiac wood, vetiver and amber.  

Again we have a Woody Spicy scent which has the added extra of being a smoky scent owing to the leather rose.  For both men and women, I actually think this one will be much better suited to the mister of my house than it will be to me, but I am prepared to give it a go because once again it is quite striking, it is divine and is like nothing else I have ever come across.

I know most people will be wanting to know whether or not I have a favourite amongst the three fragrances and truth me told they are all amazing in their own way, they all make you think and they are all just totally different to each other and anything else you are likely to find in any department store or on any fragrance counter.  That said, the one which appeals to me the most is from Geza, I love the freshness of the scent, I love how it smells on my skin and I love that it lasts for most of the day once applied.

If these fragrances have managed to capture your attention, then you will find the brand in Harvey Nichols and each one retails at £155.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise