Perfume glossary

Perfume has its own vocabulary, and much of it is French or English. This glossary explains the terms you meet on a sample page, in a note list or in a house’s own description, in plain words, starting with the words of the sample trade itself: decant, sample, discovery set. Each group is listed A to Z, and where the shop has a matching page, the entry links to it.

• Samples and decants
• Concentrations and formats
• Structure
• Fragrance families
• Raw materials and notes
• Making and trade
• Wearing perfume

Samples and decants

Decant

A decant is perfume transferred from the original bottle into a smaller container, usually a glass spray vial. The liquid is the perfume as the house made it; only the vial and the label are different. A decant is not an official brand sample and comes without the brand’s box or flacon. Every sample on this site is a decant filled by FragranceGems, as described on How we fill your sample.

Discovery set

A discovery set is a group of small samples sold together so that you can get to know several perfumes at once, often the main perfumes of one house. Houses sell their own sets in their own vials; on this site you build your own from our decants on the sample sets page. Wear one a day and the differences become clear.

Sample

A sample is a small quantity of a perfume meant for trying it before you buy a full bottle. Houses make their own samples, usually 1 to 2 ml vials given away at counters; shops like ours make decants from regular bottles. On DecantGems the word sample always means our decant in a glass spray vial, filled from the original bottle and labelled by us.

Split (bottle split)

A split is an arrangement among enthusiasts in which one person buys a full bottle and divides it into decants for the others, who share the cost. It is how the decant culture began. Splits are private and informal; a shop like ours does the same work with its own bottles, vials and labels, and takes responsibility for the result.

Spray vial (atomizer vial)

A spray vial is the small glass tube with a pump into which a decant is filled. Glass keeps the perfume as it is and shows how much is left; the pump gives a fine, even mist. Our vials hold 2, 5 or 10 ml. Keep the vial closed, upright and out of the light, as you would a full bottle.

Travel size

A travel size is a small bottle of a perfume made by the house itself, typically 7.5 to 30 ml, often with its own cap and box. It is a product of the brand, which a decant is not. A 10 ml decant serves the same purpose on the road, but it is our vial with our label and not the house’s travel bottle.

Concentrations and formats

Absolu (Absolu de Parfum)

Absolu, or Absolu de Parfum, is a house name for a concentrated version of a perfume, usually richer than the Eau de Parfum of the same name. It has no legal definition and each house uses it in its own way, so check the stated share of perfume oil and the notes. Sometimes an Absolu is rebuilt, not just stronger.

Atomiser (spray)

An atomiser is the small pump that turns liquid perfume into a fine mist, and the word also names a small refillable travel bottle with a pump. A fine mist spreads the perfume evenly over the skin, so you need less than when you dab it on. Our sample vials are glass atomisers: the perfume is sprayed, not poured. See also spray vial.

Batch code

A batch code is a short string of letters and numbers on a bottle and its box that identifies the production run. It helps trace a batch and, with the maker’s own guidance, can show when a perfume was made. It is separate from the barcode, which names the product and not the batch. A decant vial has no batch code of its own; the code belongs to the bottle it was filled from.

Cologne Intense

Cologne Intense is a house term, not a standard category, and it usually describes a perfume built on the bright, citrus-led logic of a classic cologne with more oil and a deeper base. Every house uses the name its own way, so compare the notes and the stated concentration. Our colognes cover the lightest end of the range.

Concentration

Concentration is the share of perfume oil in the finished liquid, the rest being perfumer’s alcohol and a little water. It sorts perfumes roughly from light to rich, from Eau de Cologne to Extrait de Parfum, although houses draw the lines differently. Our guide to concentrations has the commonly quoted ranges.

Eau de Cologne (EDC)

Eau de Cologne is the lightest common concentration, at about 2 to 5 percent perfume oil as commonly quoted, and it is meant as a quick, bright refresh with citrus and herbs on top. It fades fastest, and the name points to the city of Cologne, where the style began. Explore our colognes.

Eau de Parfum (EDP)

Eau de Parfum is one of the most common concentrations, at about 15 to 20 percent perfume oil as commonly quoted, fuller than an Eau de Toilette and with a clearer base. Houses set their own ranges, so a figure on the product page says more than the name. Browse every Eau de Parfum.

Eau de Toilette (EDT)

Eau de Toilette holds about 5 to 15 percent perfume oil as commonly quoted, which makes it lighter and more open than an Eau de Parfum, with a bright opening and a quicker fade. That suits warm weather and daytime, and the same perfume often exists in both concentrations. See our Eau de Toilette.

Essence de Parfum

Essence de Parfum is a house name for a rich concentration, not a defined category, and houses that use it place it at or near the top of their own scale. Extrait and Absolu are used in a similar way, so read the stated percentage rather than the word. Our concentration guide sets the names side by side.

Extrait de Parfum (extrait)

Extrait de Parfum is the richest concentration in everyday use, at about 20 to 30 percent perfume oil or more as commonly quoted, and it is dense, usually sits close to the skin and is worn in small amounts. Houses use Extrait and Parfum for the same top level of their scale. Browse our Extrait de Parfum.

Flacon

A flacon is the perfume bottle itself, from the French word for flask. The glass, the cap and the label are part of a house’s design, and some houses make the cap from wood or metal. For the liquid, what counts most is a bottle that closes tightly and glass that lets little light through.

Parfum (and perfume)

Parfum has two meanings: “perfume” in English is the general word for any scented product, while Parfum on a label names a concentration at the top of the scale, close to Extrait de Parfum. Houses use the two top names in different ways, so compare the stated percentage. Browse our Parfum range.

Splash

A splash bottle has no pump: you tip a little into your palm or dab it on with the stopper, which gives you full control over how much you use. It is the classic format for colognes and many small vials. Keep the opening closed between uses so the liquid does not evaporate.

Structure

Accord

An accord is a blend of several materials that together evoke one impression, such as leather, clean linen or whipped cream. It is meant to be perceived as a single idea and not as a list of ingredients. A note named “oud accord” or “skin accord” is therefore a composed impression, not one raw material.

Base notes

Base notes are the heaviest materials in a perfume, such as woods, resins, musks, vanilla and amber. They appear last, decide how a perfume ends and how rich it feels, and stay on skin and fabric after the rest has gone. Read the base first when you shop, as our guide to the pyramid explains.

Drydown

The drydown is the final stage of a perfume, after the top and heart notes have evaporated and only the base remains. It is what you live with for most of the time you wear it, which is why a perfume deserves to be judged on skin and not only on a paper strip. It is not a fixed schedule, because skin, weather and concentration all shift it.

Facet

A facet is one side of a note or accord, the way a gem has more than one face. Rose can show a fresh, a spicy or a jammy facet, and iris a powdery one. Facets explain why two perfumes with the same note on the list can feel very different.

Fixative

A fixative is a heavy, slow-evaporating material that anchors lighter notes so they fade more gradually. Classic fixatives are resins, woods and musks, such as labdanum, benzoin, sandalwood and ambroxan. In practice the word is shorthand, because the whole base does this job together and not one single ingredient.

Heart notes

Heart notes, also called middle notes, form the body of a perfume and appear as the top notes fade. Flowers, spices, fruit and green notes sit here, and they carry the style that makes you keep wearing a perfume. Many materials span two levels, so a rose can be named in the heart and still be present in the base.

Linear

A linear perfume changes little from the first spray to the last trace: it keeps one clear character and unfolds less than a perfume with strong stages. That can be a quality, because you know what you are wearing, or a limit, if you enjoy a scent that develops. Many soliflores and simple musky or woody scents are linear.

Longevity

Longevity is how long a perfume stays detectable on skin. It depends on the concentration, the weight of the base notes and your own skin, so it varies even for the same bottle. Resins, woods and musks hold on longer than citrus or light florals, and our guide to applying perfume shows how to make it last.

Note

A note is a single scent impression in a perfume, such as bergamot, vanilla or cedar. Notes are named for the idea they give and can come from a natural material, a synthetic one or an accord. You can browse notes, families and seasons on our explore page.

Projection

Projection is how far a perfume’s scent reaches around you while you wear it, which is not the same as how long it lasts. It depends on the materials and not only on the concentration, since a rich extrait can sit close to the skin while a light eau carries well with airy, diffusing notes. A quiet projection is often a style choice and not a flaw.

Pyramid (fragrance pyramid)

A fragrance pyramid lists a perfume’s notes in the order you meet them: top, heart and base. It describes how the materials evaporate and is not a timetable, and it shows the main impressions rather than the full formula. Our guide to reading a pyramid shows how to use it, including when a house publishes no notes.

Sillage

Sillage is the French word for the trail a perfume leaves in the air as you move past. A wide sillage is noticed by others at a distance, a soft one only up close. It depends on the notes and on how much you apply, so a light hand and a generous hand give very different results.

Soliflore

A soliflore is a perfume built around a single flower, from the French for “single flower”. The flower is the subject and the supporting notes only frame it. Rose, tuberose, jasmine and iris are common subjects, although a soliflore rarely contains only that one material.

Top notes

Top notes are the first impression after spraying: the lightest, most volatile materials such as citrus, herbs and light fruit. They are bright and short-lived, and they fade within the first minutes as the heart takes over. A paper strip shows mostly this stage, so it says little about how a perfume ends.

Fragrance families

Amber / oriental

Amber, the family also known by its older name oriental, covers warm, resinous, sweet perfumes built on labdanum, benzoin, vanilla and spices. The word has a second meaning, because the amber note is a composed accord and not ambergris, which is a separate material. Browse ambery and oriental perfumes.

Aquatic

Aquatic perfumes suggest sea air, salt and water rather than a literal beach, using ozone, mineral and salty facets and often an airy musk or wood underneath. Aquatic names a character and not a strength, and some are rich. Browse aquatic perfumes or those with marine notes.

Aromatic

Aromatic perfumes borrow from the herb garden: lavender, mint, sage, rosemary and thyme. They feel clean, green and often cooling, they suit light summery perfumes as well as dry woody ones, and they are the backbone of the fougère. Browse our aromatic perfumes.

Chypre

Chypre is a classic structure with a citrus opening, a floral heart and a dark, mossy base of oakmoss, labdanum and patchouli. The name is French for Cyprus. Modern chypres often replace oakmoss, because its use is limited by industry rules, and our guide to fragrance families shows where chypre sits among the others.

Citrus (hesperidic)

Citrus, called hesperidic in perfumery, covers lemon, bergamot, orange, grapefruit, mandarin and yuzu. It is bright and clean from the first spray and fades first, so perfumers pair it with something that holds on. Browse citrus perfumes or those with citrus fruits.

Floral

Floral is one of the largest families, from a single clear flower to a full bouquet. A floral can be fresh and green, soft and powdery or heavy and heady, depending on whether rose, iris or white flowers lead. Browse our floral perfumes to see how wide the range is.

Fougère

Fougère is French for fern, although no fern provides the scent. It is a classic structure of lavender, oakmoss and coumarin, a sweet, hay-like material also found in tonka bean, and it feels fresh, herbal and clean. Many modern aromatic and woody perfumes follow it loosely, and the aromatic perfumes are its closest relatives.

Fruity

Fruity perfumes feature notes such as apple, pear, berries, peach or tropical fruit. Most fruit notes are built from natural and synthetic pieces, because many fruits yield no usable essential oil. Fruit is usually paired with woods, musk or flowers so it does not turn too sweet, and you can browse fruity perfumes.

Gourmand

Gourmand perfumes borrow from the kitchen: vanilla, caramel, praline, coffee, chocolate and baked fruit. They are sweet without being simple, because a good one uses something dry, such as wood or spice, to balance it. Browse our gourmand perfumes.

Green

Green notes recall cut grass, leaves, stems and unripe fruit. They bring a sharp, damp, living freshness, often from materials such as galbanum, violet leaf or fig leaf, and they sit between citrus and floral. For a similar clean character, browse our fresh perfumes.

Leather

A leather perfume is an impression and not a material: smoky, slightly sweet and sometimes animalic notes such as birch tar, suede, tobacco and resins suggest a jacket or a saddle. It can be soft and suede-like or dark and smoky. Browse our leather perfumes.

Musky

Musky perfumes centre on musk, a soft, warm, skin-like scent that can feel clean, powdery or animalic. In modern perfumery the notes are made from synthetic molecules, which gives perfumers a wide range from airy to dense. Browse our musky perfumes.

Spicy

Spicy perfumes use pepper, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, saffron and similar materials. They add warmth, bite or dryness and often sit in the heart of amber and woody blends. A spice can feel hot and sweet or cool and dry, and our spicy perfumes cover the whole range.

Woody

Woody perfumes get their structure from cedar, sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli. A wood can be creamy like sandalwood, dry and sharp like cedar or earthy like vetiver, and many woody perfumes rest on modern woody-amber molecules for a smooth, transparent base. Browse our woody perfumes.

Raw materials and notes

Absolute

An absolute is a concentrated aromatic extract made with a solvent from delicate materials such as jasmine, rose or tuberose, which would not survive steam distillation. The solvent is removed afterwards, and what remains is a rich, deep, true-to-the-flower material. Absolutes often show heavier, rounder facets than the essential oil of the same plant.

Aldehydes

In perfumery, aldehydes are a group of molecules, a few found in nature and many made synthetically, that give a sparkling, soapy, waxy or clean-linen effect. They brighten other notes and are a hallmark of many classic floral perfumes. On a note list they usually appear simply as “aldehydes”.

Ambergris

Ambergris is a waxy substance formed in the digestive system of sperm whales and found drifting or washed ashore, which ages into a sweet, marine, skin-like material. It is not the same as the amber note, which is a warm, resinous accord, even though the names overlap. Perfumers today mostly recreate it with plant and synthetic materials, and you can browse perfumes with an amber note.

Ambroxan (Ambrox, Cetalox)

Ambroxan is a synthetic molecule that recreates the dry, woody, slightly salty and skin-like glow of ambergris. It is sold under several trade names, among them Ambrox and Cetalox, and it spreads softly, which is why perfumers use it to give amber and woody bases radiance. On a note list it often appears as an ambery wood or simply as Ambrox.

Benzoin

Benzoin is a balsamic resin tapped from Styrax trees in Southeast Asia and used in perfume as a resinoid. It smells sweet, warm and vanilla-like, with a hint of cocoa and a powdery softness, and it also helps anchor lighter notes. It is a staple of amber and oriental bases.

Bergamot

Bergamot is a citrus fruit grown mainly in Calabria, in southern Italy. Its peel oil gives a bright, slightly floral opening that is rounder and gentler than lemon, which is why it starts so many perfumes. It fades early, so perfumers often pair it with woods or musk, and you can browse perfumes with bergamot.

Cashmeran

Cashmeran is a synthetic molecule with a soft, warm, woody and slightly musky effect, and its name hints at a cashmere-like softness. Perfumers use it to give woody and amber bases a smooth, enveloping depth. It rarely stands alone, and on a note list it usually sits in the heart or the base.

Cedar

Cedar in perfume usually means cedarwood oil, distilled from the wood of several conifers, among them the Atlas cedar. It smells dry, clean, slightly pencil-like and sometimes smoky, and it gives structure to woody perfumes and to the base of fresher ones. Browse perfumes with cedar.

CO2 extract (supercritical extract)

A CO2 extract is made by passing carbon dioxide under high pressure through plant material, where it acts as a gentle solvent and then leaves no residue. The result is often closer to the fresh plant than a steam-distilled oil and keeps delicate facets of materials such as ginger, vanilla, cardamom or iris. It is a modern method used for selected raw materials.

Essential oil

An essential oil is the volatile oil of a plant, usually extracted by steam distillation or, for citrus, by pressing the peel. Lavender, vetiver, cedar and bergamot are common examples. Perfumers use essential oils as raw materials, and the term is not the same as perfume oil, which is the finished concentrate.

Incense (olibanum, frankincense)

Incense in perfume points to olibanum, also called frankincense, the dried resin of Boswellia trees. It smells lemony, resinous, slightly peppery and smoky, and it recalls a church or a temple. It brings a cool, dry depth, and you can browse perfumes with incense.

Iris (orris)

Orris butter, the material behind the iris note, comes from the dried rhizomes of the iris plant, which are aged for years before processing. It smells powdery, cool, earthy and slightly buttery, and it gives a perfume a soft, velvety elegance. Browse perfumes with iris.

Iso E Super

Iso E Super is a synthetic woody-amber molecule that is soft, smooth and a little velvety, and it often works as a halo around other notes. It appears in everything from woody bases to light, airy perfumes, although a note list rarely names it. Browse our woody perfumes, where this kind of material is common.

Jasmine

Jasmine is a white flower whose absolute gives a rich, sweet, slightly fruity and animalic floral note. The two main sources are Jasminum grandiflorum and Jasminum sambac, which smell somewhat different. Its character can carry a whole perfume or brighten the heart of one, and you can browse perfumes with jasmine.

Labdanum

Labdanum is the sticky resin of the rock rose, Cistus ladanifer, from the Mediterranean. It smells warm, ambery, leathery and sweet, and it forms the backbone of the amber accord. On note lists you may also see it as cistus, and our ambery perfumes show the family it anchors.

Musk

Musk is the soft, warm, skin-like note found in the base of many perfumes. It originally came from a gland of the male musk deer, but modern perfumery uses synthetic molecules, sold as white musks, that can be clean, powdery or silky. Browse perfumes with musk.

Myrrh

Myrrh is a gum resin from Commiphora trees of north-east Africa and Arabia. It smells bitter, balsamic, slightly smoky and a little sweet, and it is often paired with olibanum in incense-like accords. In perfume it adds resinous depth to the base, and our incense perfumes cover resinous scents of this kind.

Neroli

Neroli is the essential oil steam-distilled from the blossom of the bitter orange tree. It is bright, fresh, floral and slightly green and honeyed, sits between citrus and white flowers, and is a classic ingredient of colognes. Browse perfumes with neroli.

Orange blossom

Orange blossom is the flower of the orange tree. Steam-distilled it gives neroli, and extracted with a solvent it gives orange flower absolute, a sweeter, more honeyed material. It is a clean yet sweet white-floral note and a common bridge between citrus and floral, and the closest match is our neroli perfumes.

Oud (agarwood)

Oud, also spelled oudh or aoud and called agarwood in English, is the dark, resin-rich heartwood of Aquilaria trees that forms when a tree is wounded or infected. It smells woody, smoky, leathery and sometimes sweet, and many perfumes use an oud accord instead of the natural material. Read more about oud or browse oud perfumes.

Patchouli

Patchouli is an essential oil from the leaves of a tropical herb, Pogostemon cablin, grown mostly in Indonesia. It smells earthy, dark, woody and slightly sweet, and it deepens and anchors a perfume. It is a traditional part of the chypre base, and you can browse perfumes with patchouli.

Rose (damascena, centifolia)

Rose in perfume comes mainly from two species: Rosa damascena, the Damask rose, with a rich, spicy, slightly fruity scent, and Rosa centifolia, the May rose, which is softer, honeyed and fresh-green. Both are used as essential oil or absolute and can lead a perfume or stay in the background. Browse perfumes with rose.

Saffron

Saffron is the dried stigma of the crocus flower, a spice harvested by hand. In perfume it gives a warm, leathery, slightly metallic and honeyed spice note that works well with rose, oud and amber. Browse perfumes with saffron to see how it plays with other notes.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood is a creamy, soft, milky and slightly sweet wood note from the heartwood of Santalum trees. Natural oil comes mainly from India and Australia, but supply is limited, so many perfumes use blends or alternatives. It is a classic base note, and you can browse perfumes with sandalwood.

Tincture

A tincture is made by soaking a raw material such as vanilla pods, tonka beans or ambergris in alcohol for weeks or months, then filtering the liquid. The alcohol takes up the scent and some colour, and the result is added to a formula in small amounts. It is an old technique that tends to give a soft, rounded effect.

Tonka bean

Tonka bean is the seed of the Dipteryx odorata tree from South America. It smells sweet, creamy and warm, like vanilla with hay, almond and a hint of spice, thanks to coumarin. It is common in gourmand, amber and fougère bases, and you can browse perfumes with tonka bean.

Tuberose

Tuberose is a heady white flower, creamy, rich, a little green and sometimes rubbery or camphorous. Its absolute is one of the most powerful floral materials, so a small amount goes a long way. It is a classic subject of soliflores, and you can browse perfumes with tuberose.

Vanilla

Vanilla is the cured pod of an orchid, Vanilla planifolia, grown in Madagascar and elsewhere. It smells sweet, warm, creamy and slightly smoky or boozy, and its main component, vanillin, adds powdery, comforting facets. It is central to gourmand and amber perfumes, and you can browse perfumes with vanilla.

Vetiver

Vetiver is an essential oil distilled from the roots of a tall tropical grass, Chrysopogon zizanioides. It smells dry, earthy, green, smoky and a little bitter, and it gives fresh and woody perfumes a cool, grounded base. Browse perfumes with vetiver.

Making and trade

Discontinued

A discontinued perfume is one a house has withdrawn from its range. The reasons vary, from low demand to a hard-to-source material or a change in rules, and some scents return after a pause. Remaining bottles circulate for a while, which is why batch codes and the condition of the liquid matter when you buy an older one.

Flanker

A flanker is a later version of an existing perfume that shares its name: a lighter or richer concentration, a seasonal variation or a new twist on the same idea. It may keep the original character or change it clearly. Treat it as a related perfume and compare the notes before assuming it is a stronger or weaker copy.

House (perfume house)

A house is the company behind a perfume line, much as a publisher stands behind a list of books. It can be a fashion label, an independent studio or a heritage name, and many houses commission perfumers from outside. The house’s taste in materials and style makes its perfumes recognisable, and our brands page lists them all.

IFRA

IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, is the industry body that publishes standards limiting the use of certain materials in fragrance products. Most major houses follow them, and they are one reason some formulas have been adjusted over the years. IFRA is not a legal authority, and legal rules such as the EU cosmetics regulation apply alongside it.

Limited edition

A limited edition is a perfume or a bottle released in a restricted quantity or for a set period, often with special packaging or a numbered flacon. Houses use it to mark a collaboration, a season or an idea that is not meant to stay in the range. It is worth checking whether the scent itself is limited or only the bottle.

Maceration

Maceration is the step in which raw materials or the blended perfume rest and mix in alcohol. It can also mean steeping solid materials, such as vanilla pods or woods, to draw out their scent. The time varies from days to weeks, and many houses describe it as part of their own process.

Maturation

Maturation is the resting period of a finished blend before bottling, usually in a cool, dark place, so that it settles and rounds off. Some houses let their compositions rest for weeks or months, others for less. The length is a choice each house makes and describes in its own words.

Natural vs. synthetic

Natural materials come from plants, resins or animals, synthetic ones are made in a laboratory, and most modern perfumes use both. Synthetics are not just substitutes: some, such as aldehydes and white musks, give effects nature does not offer in usable form, and others replace rare or restricted materials. Neither is better in itself, since what counts is how the perfumer uses it.

Niche vs. designer

Designer perfume comes from fashion houses where fragrance is one category among clothes and accessories. Niche perfume comes from houses where scent is the main work, with smaller ranges and a clearer idea behind each perfume. These are trade tendencies and not quality marks, and our guide explains what niche perfume is.

Perfumer (nose)

A perfumer, often called a nose, is the person who composes a perfume by choosing and balancing its materials. Training takes years, because a perfumer must learn hundreds of raw materials by smell. Some houses name the perfumer on the bottle or the product page, while others publish only the name of the house.

Reformulation

Reformulation means that a house changes a perfume’s formula after launch. Typical reasons are a restricted or unavailable material, new regulations or a change of supplier, and the aim is usually to keep the character close. Small differences are possible, so a trained nose can sometimes notice a change between batches or years.

Tester

A tester is a bottle supplied to shops so that customers can try a perfume, often in plain packaging with no outer box or with a simple cap. The liquid is usually the same formula as in the regular bottle. A tester is not the same as a sample or a decant: it is a full bottle made for the counter, while our samples are filled by us from a regular bottle.

Unisex

Unisex means a perfume is not assigned to a gender. Many niche houses publish no gender at all, because notes such as woods, resins, flowers and musks do not belong to anyone. Choose by the notes and the character and not by the label, and browse our unisex perfumes.

Wearing perfume

Blind buy

A blind buy is buying a perfume without having smelled it, which is common with niche perfume. Read the notes, the family and the concentration, and remember that a paper strip shows only the opening. Our guide to choosing without smelling first shows how to do it with care.

Layering

Layering means wearing two scents together or one over the other to build a combination of your own. A sensible start is the richer perfume first and the lighter one over it, with one of the two kept quiet. Try it on skin at home before you wear it out, because the result depends on both perfumes and on you.

Olfactory fatigue

Olfactory fatigue, also called nose blindness, is the temporary loss of sensitivity to a smell you are exposed to continuously. It is why you stop noticing a perfume you are wearing while others still do. Smelling several perfumes in a row has a similar effect, so try only a few at a time and give your nose a rest.

Pulse points

Pulse points are places where the skin is warm and close to blood vessels, such as the wrists, the sides of the neck and the inner elbows. Warmth helps a perfume develop, which is why these are the usual places to apply it. Spray from a short distance and let it dry, and see our guide to applying perfume for more.

Skin chemistry

Skin chemistry is the way the same perfume develops differently on different people. Skin type, warmth and the skin’s own oils all play a part, so a scent can feel sweeter, drier or fainter on you than on a friend. That is why wearing a sample on your own skin tells you more than a paper strip.

Storing perfume

Heat, light and air change a perfume over time. Keep bottles in their box or in a cool, dark place such as a drawer or cupboard, away from radiators and from the bathroom, where temperature and humidity swing often. Close the cap after use, and do not leave a bottle on a sunny windowsill.