If you love fragrance then you’ll know your Le Labo from your Byredo, probably have a Serge Lutens nestling in your careful edit of luxury classics, and be able to dart (unseen by consultant eyes) through department stores to unearth the hidden gems no one has but you. But did you know there’s a fresh bunch of niche brands snapping at the heels of their established elder siblings, and hey, didn’t you smell your Frederic Malle on the bus to work this morning?

Here’s our guide to what’s new in niche perfumery, but first a word about telling the niche from the not-so. "A niche is a little nook, something set apart and slightly obscured – if it’s niche you’ll have to look for it," says James Craven of independent perfume boutique Les Senteurs. So here’s your head start. Happy hunting…