Can a Perfume Boost Your Sex Life? I Tried Charlotte Tilbury’s New Fragrances to See

According to Tilbury you should spray this to feel love. Not sure if that’s my immediate reaction, but I was instantly hit with the peppery top notes, before the rose kicked through. Rose reminds me of my partner and his Cypriot roots, which means as we step off the plane and on to the sunny island our first stop is to the ice cream parlour for triantafilo, a rose infused local delicacy. As the scent settled I could detect the woody base notes and I have to say I got quite attached.

This is the perfume that promises to boost your sex life. For me, on first whiff it transports me back to my teenage bedroom, when everything feels like a sexual experiment and even the lightest of touches can give you a tingle, if you know what I mean. At 40 I tried this with my long-standing partner and I can’t say he instantly wanted to rip my clothes off, unless I have misinterpreted, “What the hell is that?” Maybe it provides the seduction-boosting molecules to strangers? It has a hint of my go-to teenage perfume Angel for some reason, so this may be why it doesn’t instantly put me in the mood.

I have to preface this, I have always loved ylang ylang so this part of the review will be a tad biased. It reminds me of my mum and with the undertones of vanilla smells like happy childhood memories. I would say this is usually a scent I would choose for candles and diffusers, rather than for myself, as I think it gives your home a very happy feeling. I hadn’t thought of wearing it as a perfume – until now. There is something about it that just smells like summer and fun times. When I close my eyes and imagine myself sipping cocktails watching the sunset, this is how the air around me smells. I’m a big fan of taking perfumes on holiday with me and this will definitely be an option for my next trip.

The neroli and bergamot hits you on the first spritz, however as the scent settles it completely transforms into something else entirely. I wouldn’t say it was instantly calming, as I tend to associate an intense lavender scent with this mood. It does however, with the undertone of musk, take me back once again to my teenage years and the type of scents I would choose during this period of my life. It is very fresh, almost laundry-like, so I imagine if a clean ordered home makes you feel all types of Mrs Hinch happy then this scent might just be for you.

As a working mum-of-two, anything that promises to give me energy is a clear winner for me, however I have to say this one just didn’t do it. It is quite earthy, with the cypress and myrtle oil coming through. It definitely takes you into the middle of a forest on a warm spring day and I guess if that floats your energy boat, then this may give you the lift you need.

I’m not sure what type of cosmic power this perfume is meant to create, but it is not one for the faint-hearted. The perfume hits you instantly at the back of the nose thanks to the black pepper and cinnamon bark oil, to leave you with deep amber and frankincense notes which linger for hours after your first spray. I can’t say this one’s for me as I find it a bit too heady. However I imagine it’s the type of scent that if you wear it, people will ask you over and over again what it is. It doesn’t surprise me that it was created by the nose behind Thierry Mugler’s Alien as it definitely sits in this family of fragrances.

Lauren Ezekiel is an associate editor at PS UK, where she writes about all things beauty and wellness. With a degree in journalism and 12 years’ experience as a beauty editor at a leading Sunday supplement, she is obsessed with skincare, hair and makeup, and is often found offering advice to innocent bystanders. Her work has been published in Grazia, OK, Health and Beauty, The Sun, ASDA, Dare and Metro.