Journal

Libre pairs lavender, more commonly found in men’s perfumes, with orange blossom, vanilla and musk. We explain how it develops on skin, its floral fougère family, who it suits and how to try a decant.

Tuberose is one white flower, but its character changes dramatically with the notes around it: coffee and almonds in Good Girl, milk in Blanche Bête, neroli in My Way Floral, and a whole bouquet in...

A cherry note in perfumery almost always means black cherry liqueur, not fresh fruit. We explain why, introduce the only perfume in our catalog to officially list it, and share two related but diff...

A “chocolate” perfume almost always means cocoa, tonka, and praline at the base, and coffee at the top—not a literal dessert smell. Four decants from the catalog show how these notes smell in pract...

Citrus notes are volatile top notes, and the perfume’s base is what helps them last on the skin. We explain the mechanism and examine Xerjoff Erba Pura as a verified catalog example.

Sweetness in a perfume can come from honey, powder, an alcoholic accord, warm tobacco or white flowers over a milky accord. We compare five unisex niche perfumes from our catalog and explain what e...

A guide to winter scent families, with Amouage Guidance 46 as a detailed example, plus seven other options from the catalog to explore in a decant before buying a full bottle.

Men’s summer perfumes for three real-life situations, from the office to warm evenings, with explanations of each scent profile and how heat changes longevity.

Four perfumes people keep talking about—Dior J'adore, Creed Aventus, Baccarat Rouge 540 and Le Labo Santal 33—explained briefly: launch year, perfumer, notes and the real reason for their fame.