Blog
Perfumery without the marketing: how fragrances are built, what the concentrations mean, and how to find yours.
How to choose a fragrance
A fragrance cannot be chosen from a description — only by nose, and over time. What follows is what actually helps: how to read the note pyramid, how to test properly, and the mistakes people make most often.
The note pyramid
A composition unfolds in layers. What you smell in a shop and what you are left with an hour later are different things, which is why a fragrance is never judged on the spot.
How to test
- Spray on skin, not on a strip. A blotter shows the composition but not how it behaves with your own chemistry.
- Give it 30 minutes at least, a few hours ideally. A decision made on the top notes is almost always about a different fragrance.
- No more than three at a time. Past that the nose stops discriminating and starts tiring.
- Live with it for a day. A fragrance should hold up not only as you spray it, but once you have forgotten it is there.
Season and occasion
Heat amplifies a fragrance and cold mutes it: what reads as too much in summer can barely register in winter. Light citrus and green compositions work better in the heat; dense woody-amber ones in the cold. For work and close quarters, choose the less intense option — a fragrance should be a privilege for whoever stands near you, not an announcement to the room.
Common mistakes
- Rubbing your wrists after spraying. Friction breaks the top notes and rushes the development — the opening is lost.
- Judging on the fifth test. The nose adapts; after three fragrances what you need is a pause, not another strip.
- Buying by popularity. The same perfume smells different on two people — because of skin, not branding.
- Keeping the bottle in the bathroom or in the light. Damp, heat and sun degrade a composition: dark, dry and room temperature is the right place.
If you are unsure, write to us. We do not sell "the most popular" — it is far more useful to work out what you actually like and match it.