Review: Barbour For Her Perfume

Iconic outdoorsy clothing brand Barbour have started making fragrances. Their first one for women is Barbour For Her eau de toilette, and I’m reviewing it for you today.

It comes in a crosshatched round glass bottle, presumably referencing their signature quilting, with a rose gold coloured cap. It’s available in 50ml and 100ml bottles, priced £40 and £50 respectively, and currently exclusive to Selfridges.

According to the makers, here’s the notes:

• Pink pepper, redcurrant
• Rose, jasmine, pink peony
• Vanilla, musk, vetiver

Apparently it’s supposed to make you think of “nature and beautiful rural surroundings.”

I thought that Barbour would have made something to go with waxed jackets, quilted bodywarmers, headscarves and wellies. Maybe something along the lines of Penhaligons. Anyway, this is something else.

I’ve done plenty of testing on skin, fabric and paper. It’s not what I was expecting at all, and don’t get the notes as they’ve been described. Yes, it’s a floral fragrance, and it has a fruity element to it – but it’s not specifically redcurrant to my nose, and I don’t get obvious pink pepper.

It opens slightly harsh on me, maybe with green notes, sweeter fruits (raspberry? peach? strawberry?) and even some fleeting violet. The floral notes are predominately rose and maybe peony. The rose is pink and girly rather than lush, spicy and red. The drydown is a well behaved floral-fruity musk, with a touch of vanilla sweetness.

There must be some amber in it because it’s fairly powdery too. The promised vetiver sadly never materialised on my skin, but I think it would have made for an interesting note. Projection and lasting power are moderate, and it’s probably best suited to the Spring or the Summer as it’s relatively light.

The weirdest thing of all is that this really, really reminds me of Daisy Eau So Fraiche by Marc Jacobs once it’s settled. Maybe it’s a bit similar to Chanel’s Chance Eau Tendre too? It also has something in common with Venizia by Laura Biagiotti, a fragrance I remember because a friend’s mum used to wear it non-stop in the late 1990s, but slightly lighter.

I thought this might be a fairly traditional fragrance, but it doesn’t smell anything like a nature walk on a British country estate, and it’s younger in feel than I was expecting. Probably more suited to office wear. It would be a fairly safe bet for a gift as well, it won’t frighten the hounds or the horses.

Have you tried new Barbour For Her

Full disclosure: Provided on request for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions my own.