Written by Kristina Kybartaite-Damule

Gallivant is an independent niche brand from London, founded and created by Nick Steward. With their fragrances, the brand invites you to discover the world together: all of their perfumes are inspired by travels to different cities.

What I personally found while discovering the perfumes of Gallivant is that they are playful, creative, and transportive. Currently, they have 14 fragrances in their collection. I had the pleasure of trying them all, except for the newest, Ta'if, which is launched exclusively for Fortnum and Mason.

These are the fragrances I have tried, ranked by my subjective preferences:

13. Accra.

Perfumer: Stéphanie Bakouche

Release year: 2023

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

A leathery-woody fragrance. I sense a dusty quality that probably comes from cocoa. Looking at the fragrance notes, you might imagine it to be gourmand-leaning with cognac, mango, and coffee. However, the leather and patchouli are the most pronounced. This is more of a skin scent and I find it unisex but leaning masculine. Quite versatile, it can be worn all year round.

12. Tel Aviv.

Perfumer: Karine Chevallier

Release year: 2017

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

A fresh floral fragrance with strongly expressed freesia. There are hints of rose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang, with a musky, creamy base. It is easy to wear and like, but nothing very new or unique. There are many more interesting perfumes in the Gallivant collection, hence it ends up in 12th place. More feminine-leaning, perfect for spring/summer.

11. Bukhara.

Perfumer: Ralf Schwieger

Release year: 2020

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

A powdery, woody scent. The main star in this fragrance is dusty, buttery iris, with a hint of apricot and a spicy saffron base. The scent smells "cold" and clean and is quite dry. I find it unisex, suitable for winter/early spring.

10. Berlin.

Perfumer: Karine Chevallier

Release year: 2017

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

A different citrusy perfume. It's fresh but in a unique way. Clementine and grapefruit are combined with peppers and black tea, making the scent refreshing and at the same time relaxing. Unisex, perfect for spring/summer.

9. London.

Perfumer: Karine Chevallier

Release year: 2017

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

A rose fragrance with an unexpected opening of cucumber and violet leaf. It opens quite fresh but soon the jammy rose blooms to the fullest, combined with leather and patchouli. It has some sharp edges and might not be everyone's cup of tea. I find it perfectly unisex, suitable for spring/fall.

8. Naples.

Perfumer: Luca Maffei

Release year: 2021

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

This is a beautiful woody-smoky fragrance with a lot of incense and labdanum. The opening is my favorite part, smelling uniquely fresh with ginger, ozonic notes, and sea salt (although it doesn't veer into aquatic territory). As it develops, the scent becomes warm and cozy, with deep smoky accords and a woody-ambery base. Unisex, perfect for fall/winter.

7. Brooklyn.

Perfumer: Giorgia Navarra

Release year: 2017

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

I find it a very deceiving scent. With the first sprays, I felt something very delicious, bakery-like, something like a lemon tart. Looking at the notes, there is nothing like that, except for lemon juice. The notes include cardamom, magnolia, ozonic notes, orris, blossoms, and benzoin, musk, and woods in the base. It is categorized as a floral fragrance, but I can't shake that delicious gourmandish feeling. Maybe my nose is tricking me? Either way, it's a pretty and easily wearable perfume. I find it more feminine-leaning, perfect for spring/summer.

6. Abu Dhabi.

Perfumer: Lucas Sieuzac

Release year: 2022

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

It opens super fresh with rosemary, peppermint, cypress, and pink pepper. It reminds me of some men's cologne or even aftershave in the first seconds. It's a boost of freshness. However, this is a scent that changes a lot; it's nothing linear or boring. After some time, it gets warm and spicy with saffron, leather, cedarwood, and patchouli. The scent is quite unique and well-blended; it's not easy to pick out the separate notes. After the initial impression of a very masculine fragrance, it becomes perfectly unisex and versatile enough to wear all year round.

5. Tokyo.

Perfumer: Nicolas Bonneville

Release year: 2018

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

Another frankincense-based fragrance that smells completely different from Naples. The green freshness at the beginning comes from yuzu, cardamom, and wasabi. In the heart notes, there are hinoki cypress, nutmeg, frankincense, and orris, with a very woody base of vetiver, sandalwood, and patchouli. Beautifully composed. I find it unisex, leaning a bit towards masculine. I would choose it for spring/fall.

4. Nida.

Perfumer: Soïzic Beaucourt

Release year: 2024

Price (07/2024): €205,95/100ml

One of the newest releases from the house that instantly stole my heart. It's floral and ambery. It opens fresh and citrusy, with a touch of cardamom, and then transitions to a floral bouquet. I love the touch of lilac here, together with orris, jasmine, and violet. It is not too sweet, and on the skin, it smells even a little dry from the cedar. The ambery base instantly transports me to Nida, the most beautiful spot in Lithuania. Perfectly unisex and suitable all year round.

3. Los Angeles.

Perfumer: Karine Chevallier

Release year: 2019

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

A beautiful herbal/floral composition. It opens with clary sage, eucalyptus, and pineapple, then evolves to narcissus, tuberose, and an almond-like heliotrope bouquet. It is sweet and cozy, slightly musky. I don't feel like I've smelled anything like this before, and I really enjoy it. To me, it's more feminine-leaning, perfect for spring/summer.

2. Gdansk.

Perfumer: Julia Rodríguez Pastor

Release year: 2022

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

It's sweet and very delicious. Honey, plum, nutmeg, and saffron—do I need to say anything else? It's quite heavy, leathery, and has an amazing vanilla base. Very mouthwatering. Perfectly unisex, ideal for winter.

1. Istanbul.

Perfumer: Karine Chevallier

Release year: 2017

Price (07/2024): €181,95/100ml

It's a unique, spicy, and sweet fragrance that has everything I enjoy: cardamom, lavender, tonka beans, musk, and vanilla. Beautifully blended, it has a balsamic facet that gives it a mysterious vibe. Comforting and cozy. Perfectly unisex, suitable all year round.