Fragrence expert shares what book lovers’ favourite male characters would smell like – some might surprise you
My friends often tease me for having two very specific interests: books and perfumes. So when a conversation came up about what ‘book boyfriends’ smell like, I knew it was time to put my niche interests to the test.
I know I’m not the only one who has flicked through pages of the latest BookTok trending novel and thought the guys smell pretty good, so I decided to track down what some of the biggest book boyfriends smell like. I even headed to my Instagram and asked everyone there for their favourite book boyfriends so I wouldn’t miss any.
So I’ve headed to my library and searched for just how our favourite book boyfriends smell and matched it up with fragrances so your real life boyfriend, or partner, can smell just like them. Now there are some missing here, with either there being no description in the books what he smells like or there not being anything on the market that I could find to fit the bill.
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He’s not in the official list below but Shatter Me’s Aaron Warner would probably wear a basic gardenia body spray because that’s what he smells like during that first kiss.
Rhysand – A Court of Thorns and Roses series
Arguably he’s BookTok’s favourite boyfriend and for someone we’ve seen lovingly called a ‘shadow daddy’ online he seems to have a very fresh and light smell. In Chapter 48 of A Court of Mist and Fire, just before things heat up, is the line: “He tangled his legs with mine, and then a heavier, warmer darkness settled over us, smelling of citrus and the sea.”
From this it seems fair to assume that this is what Rhysand smells like and luckily there’s a scent out there that seems like a dead ringer. Wood Sage and Sea Salt by Jo Malone London is a blend of sea salt, seaweed and grapefruit (while this isn’t necessarily the first citrus fruit that springs to mind it is undeniably a citrus fruit). There is also a touch of wood there but in my opinion that’s needed to round it out to a well balanced fragrance.
Jo Malone London scents are expensive, a full sized bottle costs £118 but for those just wanting to trial it 9ml bottles exist for £18. Fortunately Jo Malone London also releases most of their scents in a candle and that means it’s possible to have your house smell just like Rhysand while you’re reading about him, although the candle is £56 for a 45 hour burn time.
Xaden Riorson – Empyrean series
Now if anyone could dethrone the Lord of the Night Court, it’s the guy with the dragon. In Chapter 10 of Fourth Wing, towards the end, Violet and Xaden are facing off when he comes close enough for her to smell him.
The key line reads: “His ominous tone is at odds with his gentle grasp, and sh*t, does he have to smell so good? Like mint and leather and something I can’t quite identify, something that borders between citrus and floral.”
Now Violet can’t identify it when it’s right in front of her but I did my best to find something that fits the bill. I was surprised by which scent won overall.
For me it’s a choice between Eros by Versace (from £55) and Rabanne’s 1 Million (from £66) – but 1 Million just edges Eros out for me. Both of them include citrus fruits, a slight floral and the necessary mint and leather but Eros notably has candy apple in there while 1 Million has cinnamon and ‘spicy notes’. It feels safe to say Xaden leans more spicy.
Miles Nowak – Funny Story
Emily Henry is one of the biggest names in contemporary romance and for good reason. Her books are filled with men that are easy to fall in love with but our favourite has to be Miles.
In Chapter 4, Miles Nowak is ushering a very tipsy Daphne home and explaining how he thinks fellow bartenders can smell that he’s one of them. Notably the book reads: “Does it smell like gingersnaps?” The slur in my voice has worsened as we climbed the stairs. Miles stops outside our front door, laughter gurgling out of him. “Gingersnaps?” That’s what he smells like. Sweet and a little spicy. A natural earthy smell folded into a sugary baked good.”
While I love a smoky blend on men as much as the next girl, it’s the sweet scent of sugary baked goods that hold my heart so I was thrilled with Miles taste in scents. Now there was an obvious choice for this, and Jo Malone London if you’re reading this we are begging you to bring it back, the limited edition Ginger Biscuit would’ve been an outright winner. However it currently is out of stock everywhere online and I’m not sending anyone to fight for the few remaining bottles on eBay.
Serge Lutens Five o’clock au Gingembre is supposed to smell like a slightly more complex take on Ginger Biscuit and is currently reduced on LookFantastic but even reduced is still £115.20 for a 50ml bottle. There is a more budget friendly option on the market, Ginger Babe from Aroma Concepts which is currently £24 on Amazon. There aren’t many reviews on Amazon but on TikTok and fragrance forums there’s a lot of buzz about it.
Alex Claremont-Diaz – Red, White and Royal Blue
Seeing him played by Taylor Zakhar Perez definitely hasn’t hurt the internet’s love of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States in the feelgood romance. The film has actually done us a solid, as it doesn’t strictly say in the book what he smells like, but in the hospital scene of the film (about 15 minutes in) Prince Henry comments on Alex’s signature scent: “Santal 33? Makes sense.”
The Le Labo scent is quite pricey, with the cheapest price we’ve found for it being £74 for a 15ml bottle, but we’ve got to agree with Prince Henry. It makes sense.
Haymitch Abernathy – The Hunger Games series
Now in the past I wouldn’t have thought of Haymitch and a book boyfriend in the same sentence, but with the release of Sunrise on the Reaping and the upcoming film. We are all kind of loving him at the moment.
I’ve not found any lines in the book that outright say what he smells like but it seems fair to assume he would smell like wood smoke and alcohol. Even before he took up drinking he worked with booze and I don’t think I need to elaborate on smoke.
Jazz Club from Maison Margiela seems like a solid match for him, even if it probably comes more naturally than spraying it on. It’s a blend of rum, tobacco leaf and some spices that I could see him wearing and at £62 for a 30ml bottle it’s one of the more affordable scents in this list.
Now I think a better fit, with his humble beginnings and ‘District 12 White Liquor’, might be Vodka on the Rocks by Kilian. It’s fresh with some spices, wood and notably oak moss in the composition. It is also £225 though, so I’ll keep to picturing Jazz Club.