If you’re ‘in need of a fragrance-inspired mood boost’, Lush has the fragrances for you, according to a Lush perfumer. Here, Ariane tested out four of them to see if they really were uplifting
Although December means Christmas markets, mulled wine and advent calendars, it also brings with it shorter days and dark evenings. For those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or “winter depression”, it can be really hard, with some feeling persistent low mood, lack of energy, appetite and concentration.
Although I wouldn’t consider myself suffering from SAD, I can find the lack of sunlight and dark evenings can affect my mood and energy levels – as I’m sure most people can to varying degrees. So after hearing about Lush’s perfumes which can help “lift moods as the nights get longer,” I was intrigued.
Alina Gliwinska, perfumer at Lush, said one of her favourite “mood-boosting scents in fragrances is citrus” because it’s “uplifting, offers bursts of energy and generates positive emotions”. She added: “Citrus can also help to reduce stress and lower anxiety levels. Sweet citrus scents, like orange oil and vibrant tangerine oil, provide a lovely, sweet scent which can be reminiscent of warm summer days while creating an uplifting, pick-me-up effect on our moods.
“When sweet citrus profiles are paired with more bitter citruses, such as zingy bergamot or juicy lemon, we are able to create a more refreshing and invigorating fragrance effect.”
According to Alina, Lush’s top mood-boosting perfumes are Sun, which is infused with orange and tangerine, Fresh As, which features green pine and fir notes, Junk, which is a blend of lemon oil, rosemary oil and mandarin, and Chelsea Morning, which is described as an “uplifting, delicious gourmand option”. Alina added: “Each of these scents is a. solid choice for when you’re in need of a fragrance-inspired mood boost!”.
And from a quick glance on social media, Alina isn’t wrong. One person who tried Chelsea Morning went to X/ Twitter to say they “couldn’t stop sniffing themselves”. Another said Sun is the “best scent ever”. So I decided to try each of the perfumes out for one day each, and see if it lifted my mood at all.
Sun
Personally, I loved Sun, which made me feel incredibly festive and like I’d just peeled a fresh tangerine. My husband told me I smelled like an Aperol Spritz, which is my favourite cocktail. A sniff of my wrist was enough to give me a little boost, although I did feel like I had to reapply every couple of hours, as the smell didn’t last long.
Junk
From £20 at Lush
The next day I tried Junk, which also smelled citrusy, but had an undertone of what I can only describe as medicine. At first I thought I smelled like a sweet, before releasing it was a blackcurrant lozenge or cough syrup. Luckily, the medical smell disappeared after a while – leaving a nice, sweet smell. While not one of my personal favourites, others have described it as “refreshing”.
Chelsea Morning
My favourite out of the bunch was Chelsea Morning. When I first sprayed it I was hit with a delicious caramel scent, which was overpowered by a citrus smell as soon as it hit my skin. Think of a Refresher sweet mixed with a caramel biscuit or butterscotch. It’s citrusy, but in a very warm and comforting way. Again, I felt I had to keep reapplying, but it did boost my mood every time I had a spritz. And I found myself keep going back to sniff my wrist for that comforting scent.
Fresh As
From £25 at Lush
On the last day I tried Fresh As, which made me smell like a Christmas tree. It’s my least favourite of the perfumes, as I felt like it leaned more towards car air freshener than a walk in the fir woods. Although festive, the smell wasn’t for me. That being said, the intensity disappeared after a few minutes, so this could be a nice Christmas gift for someone who likes pine/earthy smells.
