Reviewing Gallivant's vegan & cruelty free perfume range (part 1)
Switching up the majority of my beauty routine posed no real challenge to me, except for one bit: perfume. I want my makeup to have decent colour payoff and staying power, and my skincare to have active ingredients that do what they say on the tin. I’m not that attached to certain brands or specific products, so when limiting myself to the cruelty free segment, these criteria are still easily met.
With perfume, however, things get tricky. Scent interweaves so intricately with our emotions and memories, making it hugely personal and specific. I like plenty of perfumes but get sick of 98% while wearing them for a day. Those other 2% though? Coup de foudre. I currently own three that I’ve had for years and am still madly in love with: Molecule 01 when I want to be taken seriously, Chloé when I want to be likeable and Florabotanica when I want to make people feel like they’re being punched in the face with a crisp bouquet (read: when going out), so I guess I’m both the floral and unisex woody type.
Eager to expand the scent wardrobe, I decided to order a complete sample set from a brand that I stumbled upon when researching the ethical segment: the Nomad set by Gallivant. I won’t lie, their aesthetic is the first thing that drew me in, but would my picky nose still be able to find a match?
About the brand
Gallivant is a London based independent perfume brand offering a travel-inspired range of artisan frangrances.
They are vegan and cruelty free, and intentionally refrain from selling in countries that would require them testing on animals (as any brand should if they truly want to coin the term “cruelty free” with integrity).
I particularly appreciate their outlook on clean beauty: “We favour natural materials but when it’s better for the environment we will use nature-substitute synthetics”. As you might know, I don’t buy into the whole black and white “chemicals = bad” spiel, so yep, this makes sense.
Available through their website or in select stores worldwide.
Tokyo
“This is a zingy, spicy, woody fragrance. A citrusy head of yuzu and bergamot with black pepper and cardamom, electrified with a dash of wasabi. A woody heart of hinoki, cedarwood, and incense, with iris, rose and nutmeg, on a base of amber, sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver.”
First impression: very peppery, a bit sharp. A second sniff exposes the (pine)woody base and there’s definitely a smoky component in there (must be the incense). I immediately realised it’s not for me: spicy just isn’t my type. But I have to admit that there are several notes in there that I do like, and I might not completely hate this on the right person (provided they haven’t marinated in it).
Might be for people who like Byredo’s Gypsy water.
Verdict: 2/5 (don’t like, but not totally offended by it).
Los Angeles
“Los Angeles is a neon floral fragrance. Sultry, smoky, woody and cooled by a marine breeze. Airy and aromatic in the opening with notes of eucalyptus, clary sage, mandarin and pineapple. A floral heart with an absolute of narcissus and tuberose – a nod to the Mexican flavour of this city. And a shimmering smoky woody base with cade, guaiac, nagarmotha / cypriol, musks and heliotrope.”
First impression: warm and very fruity, even juicy. The floral heart reveals itself after a couple of seconds, backed up by the smokey woods and musks from the base. It’s summery and sweet but it has a bit of an edge, albeit an easily digestible one. I do find it leans feminine though. I liked it straight away, but I might prefer a cooler fragrance on me.
Might be for people who enjoy Cacharel’s Scarlett.
Verdict: 3/5 (like it, might not be for me).
Tel aviv
“This is a bright, sunny, floral fragrance. A fresh, fruity head, and notes of clementine, bergamot, and natural blackcurrant bud absolute. A floral heart with jasmine sambac absolute, Comoros’ ylang ylang, rose oil and freesia. And a warm, musky base with sandalwood, musks, Deer’s Tongue absolute (liatrix) and benzoin.”
First impression: fresh! A crisp white floral I think, nothing foody about it. It kind of reminds me of the bellflowers in my grandmother’s garden at first: lovely but a bit one-dimensional. It warms up and sweetens a bit after a couple of hours, which I like a lot. This won’t be my absolute favourite, but I could definitely see myself wearing it. Fairly inoffensive, quite girly-fresh.
Verdict: 3,5/5 (like it, need a bit more out of it to love it).
London
It’s a floral leather fragrance. With a watery green head, of cucumber and violet leaves. A floral heart, with Rose de Mai absolute, rose oil and orris root. And basenotes of suede, leather, sandalwood, patchouli and cedarwood.
First impression: hey this smells like my type of floral! The watery cucumber note peeks through immediately, so it reads fresh rather than powdery. It takes a second or two before the warm leathery, woody base reveals itself, adding some dimension to the scent. Instant like, maybe even love for me. After the initial freshness wears off it feels quite heavy without being nauseating as the strong warm base stays quite close to the skin.
Verdict: 4,5/5 (not the easiest fragrance, but it might just be a “love” for me).
Bukhara
Bukhara is an earthy perfume, composed around the enigmatic orris – one of perfumery’s most prized (and expensive) raw materials. Spicy, fruity and sparkling in the opening with caraway, pear, coriander and bergamot. A floral heart with orris and a touch of jasmine. Clove and apricot enrich the colours and textures. And a base of benzoin resin, saffron, amber, wood and cotton-soft musks.
First impression: warm, yet not as spicy as I imagined. I didn’t think I’d like it, but upon a second sniff, I kinda do. It’s nice and I’m happily surprised that a combination of spicy, fruity and floral works as well together as they do. But, upon wearing it for only a short while, it turns too acidic on me. If it hadn’t, this would have stayed a strong “like”. Now I’ll just have to find someone whose skin chemistry is a better match with this than mine, so I can enjoy it on them.
Verdict: initially 3/5, develops into 2/5.
Halftime score
So far we have one dislike, two likes, one that just doesn’t work on me, and one that might have already taken the cake. While some scents were reminiscent of others I’ve tried before, I don’t think there are any dupes in here for popular perfumes. All of the scents have personality, are multi-dimensional, have decent staying power and the perfect amount of sillage for me, since I caught little whiffs of them throughout the day without finding them overpowering.
I also have to admit that I love the experience of trying these on at my own pace at home without the fluorescent lights, cheesy music and general mishmash of olfactory atrocities in the air, like there inevitably would be at a perfumery.
Looks like Gallivant is slowly working its way into my perfume-loving little heart already, but with five more scents to try, will London manage to keep its top spot? Find out in part 2, coming soon to a screen near you.