Why Doesn't Your Perfume Last? Longevity, Sillage and Olfactory Adaptation
A perfume can linger after its wearer has stopped sensing it, because the nose adapts to a constant scent. We explain the difference between longevity and sillage, what makes one perfume last longe...
Composing Perfume Oil Blends: How to Mix a Mukhallat Yourself
A practical guide to composing a perfume oil blend at home, and to wearing more than one perfume together: how an accord is built, why ratios are chosen by testing rather than by a fixed number, an...
Making Bakhoor Scent Last at Home: Amount, Ventilation and Safety
A practical guide to making the scent of bakhoor last at home: the right incense burner, the amount, ventilation, scenting clothes, and safety from fire and charcoal smoke.
Bakhoor Ingredients: What It Is Made Of and How to Read Its Label
This guide explains the materials bakhoor is made from: aromatic woods, resins and oils, and what binds the blend and helps it burn. It shows how oud pieces, scented oud, maamoul and mabsous differ...
Home Fragrances: Types, Ingredients and How to Choose and Use Them
This guide explains the types of home fragrances and their ingredients, and how to choose a type according to the space and the people in it. It brings together what sources say about indoor air, f...
How to Store Perfume: Where to Keep It, How Long It Lasts, and How to Tell It Has Changed
This guide explains what changes a perfume over time and where to keep it at home and when travelling. It also covers what the expiry symbols on the pack mean and the signs that a perfume's smell h...
Essential Oils in Perfumery: The Main Oils, Their Scents and Safety
An essential oil is obtained from a plant by distillation or by pressing citrus peel; what is obtained with a solvent is called an extract, such as an absolute. We cover the main oils in perfumery ...
Fragrance Families: A Guide to Perfume Scent Types and Their Classification
A fragrance family describes the character of a perfume as a whole, while notes are the scents it is made of. We explain the seven families of the French classification and Michael Edwards's fragra...
Perfume Ingredients: From Raw Material to Note
This guide explains perfume ingredients from raw material to note: natural and synthetic materials, extraction methods, the note pyramid and its limits, and fixatives. It also covers the role of th...