The Fragrance Guide
How to read a fragrance.
If you have never bought fragrance by reading its notes, this page is for you. It takes about three minutes, and it will save you from buying the wrong bottle.
- Top notes◆
- Heart notes◆
- Base notes◆
- Longevity◆
- Sillage◆
- Extrait de Parfum◆
- Dry-down◆
- Projection◆
- Pulse points◆
The three stages
Every scent is written in three acts.
They arrive in order, and they are not equally important. Most people judge a fragrance on the part that disappears first.
-
Top
First ten minutes
The part that leaves
Citrus · Fresh fruit · Green herbs
Bright, volatile, and gone almost immediately. Never judge a fragrance on its top notes — you are smelling the opening, not the scent.
-
Heart
Fifteen minutes to four hours
The actual character
Florals · Spices · Fruit
This is what carries the fragrance through most of the day, and what people mean when they describe how something smells.
-
Base
Four hours and beyond
What you are really buying
Woods · Musk · Amber · Leather · Vanilla
What remains at the end of the night, and what people smell on your coat the next day. Choose a bottle on its base and you will rarely regret it.
Two different things
Longevity is not sillage.
Longevity is how long a fragrance lasts on your skin. Sillage is how far it travels — the trail left behind you.
A scent can last twelve hours and stay close, or fade in four while filling a room. They are unrelated, and confusing them is the most common reason people buy the wrong bottle. We list both on every product page so you can choose deliberately.
- Longevity — how long it lasts
- Sillage — how far it carries
- Both listed on every product page
Application
Two sprays, on warm skin.
Pulse points — wrists, the base of the throat, behind the ears, inside the elbows. Warmth lifts the scent, which is why those spots work.
Two sprays of extrait is plenty. This is not eau de toilette, and more is not better. And never rub your wrists together: it crushes the top notes and shortens the life of the whole thing. Spray, then let it dry.
- Apply to moisturised skin
- Never rub the wrists
- Clothing holds longer than skin
- Store away from heat and light
The short version
2
Sprays is enough
Extrait carries far more concentrate than eau de parfum. Over-applying is the most common mistake when people move up a concentration.
6-12
Hours of wear
Depending on the fragrance and your skin. Dry skin holds scent poorly, so unscented lotion first makes a genuine difference.
Years
If stored properly
Away from heat, light and humidity. A bathroom shelf is the worst place in the house. A drawer or closed cupboard is the best.
Buy the base, not the opening.
The first ten minutes belong to the top notes, and they are gone before you have left the house. What you are living with is everything underneath.
Now choose
Six fragrances, read by their notes.
Every product page lists the top, heart and base of each fragrance, along with how long it lasts and how far it carries.
Three questions
Still deciding?
Answer three questions and we will point you at the one that fits. It takes about fifteen seconds, and you can always start again.