Founded in Oman in 1983, the House of Amouage has become one of the most revered names in niche perfumery, celebrated for its ability to craft opulent compositions that tell a story. Known for their richness, complexity, and artistry, Amouage fragrances often strike a balance between tradition and innovation, grounding Middle Eastern heritage in a modern olfactory language. Its founding family, the Albusaidis, created the line with the intention of it being “The Gift of Kings.” This intention of opulence and royalty is hard to deny when experiencing an Amouage fragrance.
Some may know the house thanks to their groundbreaking hit Guidance, but I’d like to focus on another side of the house — the Secret Garden Collection. While Amouage is known for its bold, opulent signatures, this collection offers a softer lens: an exploration of femininity through delicate yet complex florals, airy gourmand touches, and that signature Amouage depth. Each fragrance in the series evokes a distinct mood, capturing the romance, playfulness, and quiet strength that make the collection so beloved among fragrance enthusiasts. The collection features four beautiful creations: Lilac Love, Blossom Love, Love Tuberose, and Love Delight.
Lilac Love is my personal favorite of the collection. As a lover of flormands (floral gourmands), I knew I’d love this, but it definitely took me by surprise.
In the opening, you have lilac, peony, heliotrope, and gardenia. While jasmine does not appear as an official top note, the opening blooms with jasmine and gardenia, while heliotrope lends a soft, powdery, almond-like deliciousness. The mix of these white and purple florals for me is so well done – creamy, rich, and super feminine. In the heart, there is orris, cocoa bean, and tonka bean. The blend of white and purple flowers at the top, combined with the warmth and body of cocoa beans and tonka beans, gives it a cozy, gourmand facet that is absolutely divine! The vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli in the base really ground the fragrance, giving it a warm, inviting depth.
To paint a picture, this smells like mixing milk steeped in jasmine into hot cocoa. I haven’t really experienced many floral gourmands with such prominent chocolate notes, but I would love to see more.
Blossom Love is my least favorite, but it is still a beautiful fragrance, objectively speaking. It is a fragrance that I don’t love on myself, but I absolutely adore on others.
At first spray, Blossom Love feels like a rush of spring air — sweet cherry blossom mixed with soft heliotrope, giving an almost marzipan-like creaminess that’s playful yet elegant. As it begins to settle, the heart opens into a plush floral bouquet of amaretto, ylang-ylang, and rose, creating a faintly boozy warmth reminiscent of sipping a cherry-almond liqueur under a canopy of pink petals. The base grounds the sweetness in smooth tonka bean, vanilla, and suede, wrapping the florals in a velvety, powdery softness.
The overall impression is one of romance and luminosity. It is the most powdery of the bunch, and the least objectively gourmand. If you are a lover of powdery fragrances, you owe it to yourself to check this out!
Love Tuberose is a white floral lover’s DREAM. It isn’t a true flormand like its siblings Lilac Love and Love Delight, but it is delectable and intoxicating in its own right.
This scent is relatively linear. I actually really appreciate this, because sometimes white florals can have a slightly funky smell as they settle. None of that here! Each spray contains multitudes – the top, heart, and base unfolding all at once.
It is a thick, enveloping white floral fragrance, but it also has a unique verdant freshness. It’s a remarkable contradiction that just works – indolic, sensual white flowers with a green, earthy undertone. I do get hints of the vanilla and chantilly cream, which add a softness and warmth that I love. Ultimately, this is a photorealistic scent of blooming tuberose and jasmine in a luscious green garden. It reminds me distinctly of my childhood summers spent in Pakistan, where jasmine is abundant.
Finally, we have Love Delight. The one word this perfume evokes in my mind over and over again is simply ‘pretty.’ It is a really pretty fragrance, and I feel that way when I wear it.
It opens up fresh and bright, with the mandarin and rose water really shining through, and a hint of zest from the ginger. The opening is also slightly boozy, thanks to the rum absolute in the base, which deepens later. In the middle, you get the powdery heliotrope, creamy jasmine, and sweet rose. In the base, we have vanilla, cocoa, rum absolute, and cypriol—a plant that lends it a smoky, woody quality.
At first spray, this is very uplifting. As it develops, it becomes deliciously gourmand –not in a sugary sweet way, but in a light, pastry-like way. And though it isn’t listed, I get a lot of almonds in this. The overall effect is like walking through a sunlit garden filled with white florals while savoring a soft, buttery almond croissant. If you love flormands, run, don’t walk!
