Choosing Scents

ANSWER:
Solid natural perfume does not need an expiry date because the materials are in themselves natural preservatives. In general if the fragrance is kept away from heat, light and oxygen the scent will be preserved for a very long time. I suggest using a solid perfume within one year, the liquid will last indefinitely if stored away from heat, light and oxygen. Oxygen refers to oxidation due to a poorly sealed perfume bottle.

ANSWER:
The terms white flowers and musk generally refer to synthetic perfumes. White flowers in nature include: tuberose, jasmine, neroli/orange blossoms, frangipani/pikake and gardena. The synthetic aroma molecules of white flowers is much more sweet and heady than the botanical counterpart. In authentic botanical perfume we only use a musk note when it is derived from nature, such as ambrette seed, the creation of a botanical, musk chod/accord or africa stone.

ANSWER:
I have noticed that not everyone perceives "sweet" or "rich" the same, this is even more complicated by the difference in botanical, natural, mixed media and synthetic palettes.

Amber is a very rich note, thus if you like woody notes combined with amber than Q might be a good bet. Chiaroscuro is very beautiful, Figure 1: Noir is rich but it is very dark, earthy and rooty. To Bee is rich but not sure if you would think it was sweet. Sierra Solid Gold has been referred to as "rich and sweet."

The question that is asked most often is a version of "Please help me choose a scent, they all sound so good. What would you recommend for a person that prefers...."  This  sentence is ended with a perfume name or a string of words such as: "rich but not sweet scents?"

The answer to this simple question is rather complex due to our own individual experience with scent. One persons lavender may be based on a memory of an aunt or grandmother from when they were five years old, which includes emotional associations. Another individual may attribute lavender to a synthetic perfume while a gardener may conjure the scent of a plant in the garden which may be lavandin and not lavender.

Thus the conundrum in recommending scents. In general, when someone asks for a lavender scent I recommend Vera, our lavender perfume. However, if the query is from someone whose scent palette is attuned to synthetic aromas, Vera may be perceived as too earthy.

To make the process a bit easier below is an assembled set of "fragrance family" words to facilitate some ease with choosing a scent, scroll to the bottom to find this list.

Now back to frequently asked questions, the string of questions such as: "Are you aware of the difference between botanical, natural, and synthetic perfume?" Since these illuminated fragrances are categorized as authentic botanical perfume this fundamental element is crucial. The best place to find this answer is at the page "What is a Botanical Perfume?"

The next question asked is "What scents from nature do you enjoy?" NATURE being the operate word.The second part of this question gets a bit more specific about which fragrance families: "Floral, woody, earthy, fruity, vegetative, spicy, etc."

The term "musk" will reference either vintage perfumes with animal products such as civet, castoreum of musk pods or modern synthetic perfume with the infamous synthetic musk keytone. In authentic botanical perfume we only use a musk note when it is derived from nature or africa stone.