1. Start with a direction, not a category
Dividing fragrances into women’s and men’s is a retail convention, not a chemical property. A more useful question is: what do you want to smell of? Fresh, clean, warm, dark, green, sweet, woody or floral?
If you are not sure, the Scent Compass can help. You choose a direction, then a shade of it, and finally a specific note. The result is not a product but a profile: a fragrance family, the notes to look for in a pyramid, and examples from our archive.
2. Learn to read the pyramid
Fragrance descriptions divide the notes into three layers:
| Layer | When you notice it | Typical materials |
|---|---|---|
| Top notes | the first few minutes | citrus, herbs, light spices |
| Middle (heart) notes | once the top has faded | flowers, spices, green tones |
| Base notes | for hours, and even longer on clothing | woods, resins, vanilla, musk |
The pyramid is a simplification: the layers overlap, and many modern fragrances are built “linearly”. As a map, though, it works. If you are drawn to several fragrances that share a base note – vetiver or sandalwood, say – that is the trail to follow.
3. Test on skin and let the fragrance develop
A blotter shows you the top of a fragrance. How it will smell on you only your skin can show – and only over time. Apply it to your wrist or forearm, do not rub, and do not decide in the first few minutes: at that point you mostly smell the top notes, which disappear quickly.
The nose adapts to smells fast. After several fragrances in a row you stop telling them apart. It is better to try two or three at a time, not ten.
4. Choose the concentration to suit how you want to wear it
An eau de toilette, an eau de parfum and a parfum can share a name, yet they differ in the proportion of fragrance compound and often in the formula too. You will find indicative ranges and how they affect wear on the Concentrations page. Bear in mind that no law sets these ranges and individual houses differ.
5. Think about season and occasion
Heat amplifies a fragrance and speeds up evaporation. In summer, heavy sweet fragrances therefore feel denser; in winter, fresh ones can “disappear”. These are not rules, just physics and habit. More in the Seasons and Occasions sections.
6. Read the label
Fragrance ingredients to which some people react with contact allergy must be named on the packaging if they exceed a set threshold. If you know a particular substance does not agree with you, you will find it in the Ingredient Decoder. If you suspect an allergy, see a dermatologist – a label cannot replace a diagnosis.
7. Keep perfume somewhere dark and cool
Light, heat and air speed up the oxidation of odorants. A perfume lasts longer in a closed bottle, out of direct sunlight and away from the bathroom, where temperature and humidity change often.