It was the late Estée Lauder who, in the midst of rough economic times, said: “When things are bad, if a woman has a little perfume and a new lipstick, she feels like a queen.” And it was by knowing a thing or two about how women felt that Estée Lauder became very rich. Grim though things are, it's encouraging to know that somewhere is buzzing and, you've guessed it, it's the perfume counters that are reporting booming business. At Harvey Nichols they tell me that sales - and remember we're talking fine fragrances here - are up some 40 per cent on the same period last year. At Selfridges it is much the same story with a move to small niche perfumers - sales of Tom Ford's Private Blend (£250 for 250ml) are up 100 per cent on last year.

The world wide web has encouraged a new breed of what American Elle called “perfume fanatics, supersniffers who... seek out esoteric notes, celebrate superior dry downs, host sniffing parties and swap samples of their latest discoveries”.

These sophisticated, educated perfume snobs are as knowledgeable about their subject as any wine buff. They know their bergamot from their patchouli, and it is they who have helped to fuel a demand for very, very fine fragrances. They understand that these are “works of art”; that you pay for creativity and top-notch ingredients in a perfume just as much as for a touch of John Galliano's genius.

All this has encouraged the rise of some small houses concentrating on producing perfumes the old-fashioned way, by making the finest eau they can, rather than a brew that, like airline food, offends nobody but doesn't arouse much passion either. Make no mistake, though, these are modern perfumes - it's only the quality that is old-fashioned. Serge Lutyens's famous atelier in the Palais Royale in Paris has long been on every perfumista's must-visit list but now two younger Frenchmen have joined the band of perfumers committed to making the finest of the fine. There's Frédéric Malle, who describes himself as a “publisher” of fine fragrances - he seeks out the greatest modern noses and gives them a brief to create “the perfume of their dreams” without worrying about the cost. All 17 of his “published” works can be bought at Liberty.

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BACKGROUND

• The ultimate guide to perfume

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Joining them now is another new batch of truly fine perfumes launched by Kilian Hennessy, part of the Hennessy family of Moët Hennessy fame, whose L'oeuvre Noire collection has just arrived at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge. The whole collection is “dark and mysterious”. The poetry of Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mal, was, he tells me, a strong influence. “I wanted to cast a spell, like those that darkened Rimbaud's spirit or conjured up the witches in Macbeth.” But he's not in the business of nostalgia, his perfumes are also fresh and modern, apparently recalling “contemporary R&B lyrics like those of 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg or Pharrell Williams, all about temptation in the face of urban violence, like Baudelaire before them.” He starts with a name. “Just as you can't make a great movie without a good script, so for me a great perfume has to have a great story to tell,” he says. He's gone for names such as Liaisons Dangereuses, Prelude to Love: Invitation, Straight to Heaven, Beyond Love and Cruel Intentions, all of which echo the dark and passionate worlds that so intrigue him. After he has settled on a name he chooses a nose or perfumer to help bring that vision to life.

There are three great themes: Love and its Prohibitions, Temptation and Artificial Paradises. So far they have been on sale at Bergdorf Goodman in the US, where his fragrances are the fourth bestseller. In Saks Fifth Avenue he's selling more perfume than more established brands.

I love the spicier, chypre-based perfumes - Cruel Intentions (bergamot from Calabria, centifolia rose and woody heart notes as well as papyrus and Haitian vetiver) and Straight to Heaven (Caribbean rum, nutmeg and Brazilian rosewood). All seven of the scents are to be found in wonderfully elegant black bottles in Harvey Nichols. They all cost £140 for 50ml in a 1.7 fl oz bottle - which is refillable, so second time around it costs £60. The candles (£50 each, 80 hours of burning time) are black and tempting, too. These are the sort of perfumes that you'll either fall in love with and want to wear at night, or you'll hate. Indifference is not an option.

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