Spirit of adventure

Sambac jasmine, tangerine, pink pepper and panna cotta - the clutch of new fragrances bowing in time for spring appear to be based on all that is fresh, floral and fruity. But this year, perfume experts say, is reflective of a new, more adventurous spirit.

'This year shows a much more daring use of green notes,' says Kevin Verspoor, a perfumer with Drom Fragrances and winner of the 2012 Indie Fifi award, who has created scents for Jennifer Lopez and Victoria's Secret. 'This creates even more dazzling fruit floral notes.'

There's certainly no shortage of razzle-dazzle. In February, Florentine fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo launched Signorina, a rich yet light fragrance that combines currants and pink pepper with jasmine, peony rose and panna cotta. It is housed in an elegant glass bottle adorned with the iconic Ferragamo bow - in pretty pink, of course.

Annick Goutal - one of the pioneers of the niche fragrance movement - has the new Les Soliflores series, designed to capture the essence of individual flowers: violet, mimosa, lily of the valley and rose centifolia. Each concoction is artfully packaged in a small glass bottle with a tiny bow.

From Frederic Malle are home fragrances under the Editions de Parfums line, each one recalling a precise scent: one will remind the wearer of a grand cathedral, using incense; another of the den of a sophisticated man, woods and tobacco; and another still of the Mediterranean beachside, the French aperitif Pastis.

Also new is Oud, from Maison Francis Kurkdjian, replete with its namesake exotic wood mined in this case from rare and precious species in Laos. It is combined with cedar wood from the Atlas mountains in Algeria and patchouli culled from Indonesian sources. Delicate tendrils of saffron add to the heady brew, as does elemi gum - considered a tool in the practice of magic, but used in perfume-making for its lemony-minty aroma.