Snowdrop

Snowdrop is GROVE England's second fragrance and its second attempt at the same trick: giving a voice to a flower that has next to no scent. Where Anemone looked to the end of the year, Snowdrop takes the start of it, the point where the first white heads push through cold ground. It is a stranger, colder composition than the debut. Frankincense and hinoki lead, and together they read resinous and woody rather than floral, with a green austerity that is closer to sap and bark than to petals. Violet and chamomile soften the opening, and the heart brings in magnolia and linden, which is where the powderiness arrives. The base pairs sandalwood with spikenard, an earthy, slightly camphorous root that stops the whole thing from settling into a comfortable soft-floral finish. That spikenard is the deciding factor. It gives Snowdrop real character and a genuine sense of frost and stillness, and it is also the note that some people will find medicinal or damp. Longevity is moderate and projection modest, as with the rest of the house, so this is atmosphere worn close rather than a statement. Available as a 50ml bottle and a 7.5ml travel vial, with a matching candle and bath and body range.