Hate perfume? Even sceptics won’t turn up their noses at these subtle scents | Sali Hughes on beauty

I have three friends who loathe fragrance – one because she suffers from migraines, one who thinks all perfumes smell the same, and another who just likes to annoy me. I’ve cured all but the last with what I misleadingly describe as “anti-perfume perfumes” – scents with a more natural aroma, that bed down politely on the skin without the dizzying whiff of department store.

I got the migraine sufferer on to E11even (£80) and she’s on her fifth bottle. E11even was founded by TV presenter Cat Deeley and her makeup artist friend Amanda Grossman. The latter blended their only product, an uplifting, rollerball scent, from ethically and fairly sourced natural oils such as patchouli and geranium, by hand at her kitchen table. In the best way, her lack of experience and training as a perfumer shows. Soft and earthy, the scent has an intimacy, almost a naivety, and on the right person (regardless of gender), it can be hard to determine where natural skin scent ends and perfume begins. Even I – a fragrance addict – have been known to swipe across the rollerball on a relaxing weekend at home.

I’ve also had a good deal of success with ginger aromas. I’ve always loved Origins’ Ginger Essence (£55 for a whopping 100ml). It’s so enlivening, unusual and unobtrusive that to dislike it would seem downright wilful. Newer is Jo Malone London’s Ginger Beer Cologne (£58), a gentler, more playful take on spice with a hint of sweet cinnamon.

Australian brand Aesop is most famous for its stylish and aromatic skin- and handcare, but more people should try their fragrances, especially if they’re sick of trend-led power perfumes. I spent the happiest of hours sniffing scent blotters at Aesop’s London flagship and fell hard for Erémia, a delicately green, mossy, musky fragrance reminiscent of a damp forest clearing. I only didn’t buy it because, at a hefty £145 for 50ml, I wanted to see how long the beautiful scent lasted (not quite long enough on me, I’m very sad to say), but its subtlety may appeal to those who are turned off by potent scents.

Its stablemate, Tacit(£115), is perfectly named. Here we have a blend of warm orange peel, cloves and sweet basil that implies the presence of perfume without explicitly declaring its whereabouts. And this one has better staying  power.

If gambling on perfume still seems risky, spending a mere tenner on M&S Apothecary’s lovely, herby, citrussy Breathe significantly lowers the stakes.

Prop stylist: Yvonne Achato. Photography assistant: Declan Slattery