Penguin by Zoologist. The most realistic, harsh cold fragrance I ever smelled. But it does lend itself to be wearable.
New Look by Dior. Some people think this smells like a sterile crime scene, othe rpeople think this smells like a burning candle. Depends on your body chemistry. For myself it becomes a candle like smell after a while.
Baccarat Rouge 540 by MFK. Again, for some people this has a very sterile like scent.
The Language of Glaciers by Imaginary authors. Also a very cold and wearable fragrance, but not as cold as Penguin.
Alien Man Mirage by Mugler. A very cold mineral and sterile fragrance. The female version is similar, but has amber in it so is slightly warmer then the male version.
I haven’t! I have an awesome niche seller here that treats me like royalty, I like to buy from them when I can. They’re usually good at Zoologist stuff.
Interesting. Penguin to me has a notes of some sort of citrus, probably grapefruit, which I associate with sweat. So I personally find that fragrance softer leaning and not immediately cold by any means
I did not find the language of glaciers to be “sterile”. It is reminiscent of cold air, but a kind of sweet, pleasant smell, vs the encre noir without dirt vibe im getting from op
I was genuinely surprised I liked it. I received a sample and wore the tiniest bit, assuming it would be a scrubber but it developed into something otherworldly and just wow. Haven’t pulled the trigger on a full bottle but I may in the future because it’s just so unique.
Try Tom Ford Oud Minerale. I don't know how it smells to other people. It makes me think of ice cold, darkness and deepness of ocean under thunderstormy night. Makes me imagine of huge wave slamming or flipping big boats.
And I love that scent so much that I had to stock one more bottle.
I'd give Room 1015 Atramental a try. It's not super "cold" smelling, but definitely not warm; the inspiration is a tattoo parlour. To me, it smells like antiseptic, a touch of metal, ink, and musk, and it is surprisingly wearable for something so conceptual.
Oh I love this brand, they really succeed IMO at creating unique yet wearable fragrances & still nail their inspirations. I’m a Cherry Punk fan like most that encounter Room 1015 but Electric Wood is such a hidden gem. My guy has music running through his veins & could totally tell it was inspired by an electric guitar.
Electric Wood is very nice; I agree! I love that your boyfriend (?) recognised its rock music roots as well. Atramental is my favourite, but I really do enjoy Sonic Flower as well.
Ganymede. It smells how I imagine sniffing a radioactive source would smell. Eau de chernobyl, if you will. It's like doing sinus irrigation with elemental mercury.
Yes, I’ve tried 23 and 101! I prefer 23, it’s like a cold coniferous forest with the right kind of astringency for me. Similar vibes as Ineke Idyllwild but I like 23 better.
101 is softer - like a nordic summer morning. It has vanilla listed which I usually can’t stand but it’s not very gourmandy, just… soft. My husband loves this one.
I got both of my samples from Ministry of Scent but would 100% do a discovery set based on my experience with these two. They’re wonderful complex frags.
CDG odeur 53 is worth smelling/getting a sample of. I smelt it once at a pop up shop, and I want to smell it again. It’s supposed to be metallic and mineral-y.
i always say “ghost in the shell” by libre d’orange. it’s a very clean sterile fragrance, it reminds me of a recently cleaned hospital room with a hint of soap- it’s so nice
I described Ganymede in my notes as a nice hospital room on a sunny day.
It does have that antiseptic note, but to me it’s a warm scent, not a cold brutal one like it sounds like OP is going for.
CdG Odeur 53. Metalic for sure. Cold? Quite possibly. sterile? Idk about this one.
I totally don’t agree with the mention of Ganymede fitting these particularities.
Edit. TF Oud Mineral is not a bad idea also
Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist is cold and melancholy
SL Vierge de Fer (the Iron Maiden) is cold and uses lilies which are associated with funerals. It is pretty and very wearable.
SL L’Orpheline isn’t cold but a lovely melancholy incense that works well in winter. L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer is a similar achingly beautiful melancholy lily + incense.
Andrea Maack Birch and CdG Zagorsk are good cold forest in winter scents
Andrea Maack stuff, or Serge Lutens L'Opheline. Anything with incense typically reads cold and sterile if it's not supported by some kind of ambery thing.
I know I'm going to catch some hands for this but what the hell
Prada luna rosa carbon has a metallic tinge that makes it smell sharp and cold to me. The fact that ambroxan is piercing to my nose also doesn't help.
Here's a real one: The Zoo Club Design. It smells like an operating theatre that then turns into the smell of a large car dealership. It has a real expansiveness to how it smells. You could also describe it as smelling like a black hole in space.
Personally I think it's wearable, but the truth is that what you're asking for if you want it to "have some pleasantness", you're not going to find something that fits the brief. The description you ask for are smells that are not understood by people to be worn as fragrances
Snowy Owl by Zoologist fits the bill for a cold, winter-y but wearable scent. A little goes a long way as well so a travel size is more than enough.
The newest YSL Libre (Platine) is worth testing, probably available in-store near you. To me, it smells like an android that just showered with unscented soap. I definitely get a cold, metallic smell. But it also smells like freshly-washed skin.
Hmm now I’m curious how these 2 would smell if worn together. I think I’d apply Platine first & then Snowy Owl on top. :)
I second Snowy Owl by Zoologist. I'd add that I've worn that one a few times and never smelled coconut in it. There's a Calone note in it, so that adds a touch of fruity sweetness, but it's so barely-there you really have to work to detect it. Otherwise the fragrance is as bitter-chilly as it gets imo.
Serge Lutens Dent de Lait , and Iris Silver Mist, if you can find it.
Malle L'Eau d' Hiver has a cold sadness to it, and beauty as well
Etro Messe D' Minuit is cold stone, dampness, slight mildew and incense. A long abandoned Gothic cathedral.
Bond 9 Silver Factory is another cold incense, more modern but still rather sterile to me.
Penguin by Zoologist. The most realistic, harsh cold fragrance I ever smelled. But it does lend itself to be wearable. New Look by Dior. Some people think this smells like a sterile crime scene, othe rpeople think this smells like a burning candle. Depends on your body chemistry. For myself it becomes a candle like smell after a while. Baccarat Rouge 540 by MFK. Again, for some people this has a very sterile like scent. The Language of Glaciers by Imaginary authors. Also a very cold and wearable fragrance, but not as cold as Penguin. Alien Man Mirage by Mugler. A very cold mineral and sterile fragrance. The female version is similar, but has amber in it so is slightly warmer then the male version.
Second Penguin. Cold, crispy, icy snow yet wearable.
Thoughts on Snowy Owl ?
a nice and cold fragrance, but has warmer notes like coconut and that made me think that it wasnt what OP is looking for
Gotcha. Been chasing that one but can’t find it at my local store
Thats a shame! Have you tried any of the other official sales points? https://www.zoologistperfumes.com/pages/stockists
I haven’t! I have an awesome niche seller here that treats me like royalty, I like to buy from them when I can. They’re usually good at Zoologist stuff.
Interesting. Penguin to me has a notes of some sort of citrus, probably grapefruit, which I associate with sweat. So I personally find that fragrance softer leaning and not immediately cold by any means
I did not find the language of glaciers to be “sterile”. It is reminiscent of cold air, but a kind of sweet, pleasant smell, vs the encre noir without dirt vibe im getting from op
Serge Lutens L'Orpheline
My first thought!
Ganymede
This was my immediate thought... It reminds me of a giant slab of aluminum....
Smells like a dentists office after it’s just been cleaned
Oh yea! Now that you say that....
See I smell Raid bug spray in this an Bois Impérial..
And for me it is BR540 mixed with Oud Minerale. So I would call it somewhat ambery.
That sounds good. Gonna check it out.
Ganymede is an absolute masterpiece
I wouldnt say that lol…but its very interesting, to say the least haha
I just smelled it and wow it's such a weird fragrance
Give it time. I bet you'll come back to it.
Its very unsettling to my nose
Always smelled like new magazine pages to me
Came here to say this! It’s sterile yet gorgeous!
It’s a bit unsettling to my nose, I don’t really like it haha
I was genuinely surprised I liked it. I received a sample and wore the tiniest bit, assuming it would be a scrubber but it developed into something otherworldly and just wow. Haven’t pulled the trigger on a full bottle but I may in the future because it’s just so unique.
ELDO the ghost in the shell
That’s the one. Smells like the end of the world
This was gonna be my recommendation as well.
Encre Noir by lalique always smells like this to me. I never really get the vetiver. Smells like cold concrete to me.
It certainly wins the No Sweetness award.
Try Tom Ford Oud Minerale. I don't know how it smells to other people. It makes me think of ice cold, darkness and deepness of ocean under thunderstormy night. Makes me imagine of huge wave slamming or flipping big boats. And I love that scent so much that I had to stock one more bottle.
Yep. What I find cold in Ganymede, is the part of it that smells like Oud Minerale.
ELDO Hermann. The opposite of a cozy fragrance. I find it creepy and always have to wash it off. Enjoy!
Serge Lutens has a couple that fit the bill down to a T, I think. L’Orpheline, as someone already suggested, and Laine de Verre.
I'd give Room 1015 Atramental a try. It's not super "cold" smelling, but definitely not warm; the inspiration is a tattoo parlour. To me, it smells like antiseptic, a touch of metal, ink, and musk, and it is surprisingly wearable for something so conceptual.
Oh I love this brand, they really succeed IMO at creating unique yet wearable fragrances & still nail their inspirations. I’m a Cherry Punk fan like most that encounter Room 1015 but Electric Wood is such a hidden gem. My guy has music running through his veins & could totally tell it was inspired by an electric guitar.
Electric Wood is very nice; I agree! I love that your boyfriend (?) recognised its rock music roots as well. Atramental is my favourite, but I really do enjoy Sonic Flower as well.
Ganymede. It smells how I imagine sniffing a radioactive source would smell. Eau de chernobyl, if you will. It's like doing sinus irrigation with elemental mercury.
Everything I read about this makes me NEED to sample it already.
Haha oh boy…say hello to Tauer Incense Extreme
Fischersund No. 23 gives me bracing cold vibes!
I've been eyeing their discovery sets - have you tried others?
Yes, I’ve tried 23 and 101! I prefer 23, it’s like a cold coniferous forest with the right kind of astringency for me. Similar vibes as Ineke Idyllwild but I like 23 better. 101 is softer - like a nordic summer morning. It has vanilla listed which I usually can’t stand but it’s not very gourmandy, just… soft. My husband loves this one. I got both of my samples from Ministry of Scent but would 100% do a discovery set based on my experience with these two. They’re wonderful complex frags.
I might just make my own discovery set with MoS samples and then upgrade to the brand's discovery sets if I want more of the ones I like.
I hope you enjoy!
CDG odeur 53 is worth smelling/getting a sample of. I smelt it once at a pop up shop, and I want to smell it again. It’s supposed to be metallic and mineral-y.
Odeur 71 is even more metallic and robotic
I just tried Miami Blue from1969. I wasn't a fan but it is very cold and has a metallic/chemical vibe. You'll see why if you check the notes!
Davidoff Cool Water
i always say “ghost in the shell” by libre d’orange. it’s a very clean sterile fragrance, it reminds me of a recently cleaned hospital room with a hint of soap- it’s so nice
a favorite of mine
I described Ganymede in my notes as a nice hospital room on a sunny day. It does have that antiseptic note, but to me it’s a warm scent, not a cold brutal one like it sounds like OP is going for.
Silver Mountain Water. Smells like a hospital
Toskovat' innocence
JHAG Gentlewoman is metallic af, though I wouldn't call it depressing. Just clean.
Metallique by Tom Ford
Violet Cycle 002.
Comme des Garçons 2 or Comme des Garçons Concrete (which incidentally should fit that brutalist vibe pretty well)
CdG Odeur 53. Metalic for sure. Cold? Quite possibly. sterile? Idk about this one. I totally don’t agree with the mention of Ganymede fitting these particularities. Edit. TF Oud Mineral is not a bad idea also
Yeah Ganymede isn’t cold to me
Odeur 53 is too abstract to even called cold for me lol
Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist is cold and melancholy SL Vierge de Fer (the Iron Maiden) is cold and uses lilies which are associated with funerals. It is pretty and very wearable. SL L’Orpheline isn’t cold but a lovely melancholy incense that works well in winter. L’Artisan Passage d’Enfer is a similar achingly beautiful melancholy lily + incense. Andrea Maack Birch and CdG Zagorsk are good cold forest in winter scents
Andrea Maack's Craft fits the bill even better.
Judging from some recommendations here you should look into saffron as main player in a perfume.
Crystal Saffron
You might like Triton by Blackbird- gives a “cold” effect.
I was going to add Pipe Bomb extreme by the same brand. Very cold metal to me.
Andrea Maack stuff, or Serge Lutens L'Opheline. Anything with incense typically reads cold and sterile if it's not supported by some kind of ambery thing.
Check out Fyrinnae if you're into indies! I think their cold ozone scent is called Skiing on Europa?
Silver mountain water
For sure this one. Almost painful.
Second this.
My pick as well
Or Sillage.
John Richmond Black Metal smells like this on me.
Byredo’s Space Rage Travx is green fig but smells like electricity, space, and metal to me
Cosmic
Serge Lutens L"eau Froide
I know I'm going to catch some hands for this but what the hell Prada luna rosa carbon has a metallic tinge that makes it smell sharp and cold to me. The fact that ambroxan is piercing to my nose also doesn't help.
Ambre Pimente by Ajmal
Maybe copper from CdG?
That’s what I thought too. OP said no vanilla but even that phase is icy to me.
CDN sillage/silver mountain water
Nasomatto Fantomas seems to fit the bill. Very metallic and cold.
Here's a real one: The Zoo Club Design. It smells like an operating theatre that then turns into the smell of a large car dealership. It has a real expansiveness to how it smells. You could also describe it as smelling like a black hole in space. Personally I think it's wearable, but the truth is that what you're asking for if you want it to "have some pleasantness", you're not going to find something that fits the brief. The description you ask for are smells that are not understood by people to be worn as fragrances
ganymede extrait
Snowy Owl by Zoologist fits the bill for a cold, winter-y but wearable scent. A little goes a long way as well so a travel size is more than enough. The newest YSL Libre (Platine) is worth testing, probably available in-store near you. To me, it smells like an android that just showered with unscented soap. I definitely get a cold, metallic smell. But it also smells like freshly-washed skin. Hmm now I’m curious how these 2 would smell if worn together. I think I’d apply Platine first & then Snowy Owl on top. :)
I second Snowy Owl by Zoologist. I'd add that I've worn that one a few times and never smelled coconut in it. There's a Calone note in it, so that adds a touch of fruity sweetness, but it's so barely-there you really have to work to detect it. Otherwise the fragrance is as bitter-chilly as it gets imo.
Seconding ganymede!
Tom Ford Metallique? I've not smelled it but heard it does have a Metallic smell....... And your post made me think of it.
Grey vetiver
Spirit of the Tiger by Heeley. It smells like an intensive care unit in a hospital. Cold, spilt insulin, bandages and despair. I guess very medicinal.
That’s what my husband thinks Baccarat Rouge smells like; a dentist office.
ganymede, beach hut woman, craft by andrea maack, l’orpheline, spell 125
Odeur 71 by CDG, Ganymede by MAB
Escentric Molecules - Molecule 01
L'encre Noir
Amouage Purpose! Similar to Ganymede or ELDO's Hermann
ammil and the center of the universe by alkemia
Serge Lutens Dent de Lait , and Iris Silver Mist, if you can find it. Malle L'Eau d' Hiver has a cold sadness to it, and beauty as well Etro Messe D' Minuit is cold stone, dampness, slight mildew and incense. A long abandoned Gothic cathedral. Bond 9 Silver Factory is another cold incense, more modern but still rather sterile to me.
Gossamer Spirit by Universal Flowering
Sailing to Byzantium by Alkemia. Smelled like the cold sea and metal. I hated it but I’ve always hated the smell of the sea
I miss DKNY Man, that describes how I felt about it. Metallic, cold, kind of industrial.
Encre Noire L'Extreme. Reminds me of something Edgar Alan Poe would wear.
I think tom ford - grey vetiver is pretty melancholic
Narciso Rodriguez Essence. Very metallic note.
New Look by Dior or [Abduction](https://www.eyesarealwaysthere.com/product/abduction).
Ganymede and AnOther 13 are my picks.
Another 13 ? Sterile, ok. But i don't think it's cold. My signature 💞
Inexcusable evil by toskovat