What you'll find in our guides
The longevity guides (for women and for men) explain why a perfume lasts: concentration, base notes and skin type. The first-perfume guides for teens favor light eaux de toilette at one or two sprays. The white musk guide untangles what that name covers, usually a set of synthetic musks that smell like clean laundry. The fragrance pyramid guide explains top, heart and base notes, and shows where the model breaks down. Our guides to perfumes that get compliments stay honest: no scent guarantees attraction, but some draw more reactions than others. Every guide links to the fact sheets of the perfumes it mentions, so you can check the notes and launch year before testing in a store.