The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Simon Constantine created The Smell of Freedom in 2010 as part of Lush's first Gorilla Perfume launch. The concept: a fragrance for rebel hearts and freedom fighters, stoking a fire in the soul. Three components anchor it, Old Delhi station, an Oudh heart, and Firetree, translating ideas of resilience and emancipation into scent. Lush describes it as rich and earthy on the skin, evocative and deeply affecting on those who pass by. The scent opens bright and green before settling into something darker and more intimate, revealing new facets as it develops.
What makes this composition unusual is the pairing of notes that create unexpected depth. Oud brings that deep, almost medicinal resinous quality, woody, complex, demanding. Sandalwood softens it into cream. Then lemongrass arrives, bright and green, lifting the composition. Orris root adds powdery violet-like elegance in the drydown. The result is a fragrance that refuses to stay in one register, fresh then warm then intimate, depending on when you catch it. Each layer interacts with the others in ways that reward patience, revealing nuance over hours of wear.
The evolution
The opening announces lemongrass first, green, sharp, a little citrus-zesty. Ginger and black pepper add clean heat underneath. Within minutes, the oud heart begins to emerge, bringing that dark resinous quality alongside warming sandalwood. Jasmine and neroli appear, softening what could have been austere. The drydown belongs to orris, powdery, violet-esque, unexpectedly delicate against the woody base that lingers. On fabric, sandalwood and oud persist for hours. The transition between stages feels natural, with each layer revealing itself gradually as the fragrance settles and evolves on the skin.
Cultural impact
The Smell of Freedom arrived in 2010 as part of Lush's Gorilla Perfume launch. The oud-forward composition offers something distinct from mainstream fragrance options. It represents the brand's approach to creating perfumes that stand apart from conventional offerings. For those seeking something different from the typical scent profiles found in most fragrance collections, this fragrance provides an alternative that prioritizes bold, memorable character over safe predictability.
The House
LushLush is a British cosmetics company founded in Poole, England, in 1994 by trichologist Mark Constantine, his wife Mo Constantine, and five additional co-founders. The brand gained international recognition for its hand-pressed bath bombs, which Mo Constantine invented in her garden shed in 1989. Now operating in 49 countries, Lush has evolved from a single High Street shop into a global retailer while maintaining its commitment to ethical manufacturing and cruelty-free products. In-house perfumers Mark Constantine OBE, Emma Vincent, and Alina Gliwinska create the brand's fine fragrances, which are presented through the Perfume Library concept stores in Liverpool, Florence, and London. The fragrance collection spans over 230 perfumes dating back to 1989, organized into thematic volumes that serve as milestones in the brand's perfumery history.
The Creator
Simon ConstantineSimon favors single‑note focus, often building a composition around a pure absolute or essential oil. He pairs a dominant material with subtle supporting accents, allowing the star ingredient to breathe.
