FRAGRANCE | Cheap thrills: A sampling of Miniso fragrances

My love for fragrances knows no bounds. Designer, niche, indie, cheapie—I'm all for it, so even the fragrance counter at Miniso has not escaped my gaze. And nose. Of course I don't expect their fragrances to be top-notch but still they're not at all bad. Here are a few pleasant surprises we got early last year, before COVID-19 disrupted everything. Yes, I have this shameful habit of buying frags and not using them right away but finally I got to give each of these cheap thrills a proper wearing. 

Spring Afternoon

Characteristically fresh, Spring Afternoon opens with sharp citruses, tempered with just a tinge of sweetness, and all set against a green backdrop. There's also something fruity in the mix, which I believe is mango. The resulting scent reminds me a bit of Hermès's Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. It's pretty much linear but it's a pleasant scent nonetheless. It also holds up relatively well for a good couple of hours. Not bad at all.

Midsummer Firefly

The comparisons to Le Labo's Santal 33 are inevitable, as this smells of pencil shavings right off the bat. However, Midsummer Firefly is far from the velvety smoothness and creaminess of the Le Labo masterpiece, or even from its purported local dupe, ScentSmith Perfumery's Cedar Leather—and I don't expect it to be. I mean, common, this is Miniso! For what it's worth, it's actually quite good. It starts dry, resulting in a mild sharpness. After a few minutes, though, the sharpness eases a bit. I also get a very faint citrus buried in the background. It's practically linear but it becomes much less dry as time progresses. It's a cheap thrill worth checking out in my opinion.

Water Lily

Water Lily is a fresh, sweet, floral fragrance laced with a little sharpness yet still feels rounded overall. The sharpness, sweetness, and intensity mellow a bit after a few short minutes while the roundness starts breaking down. The scent goes back to its sharp floral opening and then mellows again but now with a green persona in tow. The floral note is almost gone in less than 30 minutes, leaving the green note to carry on with the show. This is a nice, cheap option for those who like green floral scents.

Sicily Cedar

No surprise, Sicily Cedar starts off woody, accompanied by a fleeting citrus. As the citrus fades, a smoky sweetness emerges. It's not saccharine and I can say it has some body and depth. For a moment there I was reminded of Cuir Cuba Intense by Parfums de Nicolaï until the sweetness starts losing some of its depth. It soon becomes more sweet than woody but at least is never cloying. My nose and memory could be playing tricks on me but I feel like there's a remote resemblance to Terre d'Hermes. It's not a dupe, though, and overall, I like it.

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In retrospect, Miniso proves that there are decent fragrances for every budget. Performance varies across the frags that I've tried but in general, they're surprisingly not bad. I admit that it feels good to own fancy fragrances but just the same, cheap thrills like these never fail to tickle my fancy. And yes, the feeling is just as good.