Amouage Guidance 46

Top notes. The first 15–⁠30 minutes after you put it on: what you smell straight away.

• Pear· 2. Fresh pear: juicy, cool and lightly sweet, like the first bite of a ripe fruit.
• Incense· 10. Resin of the frankincense tree. Smoky and cool, with a lemony spark, like in a church.
• Hazelnut· 2. Roasted hazelnut: creamy and buttery, a little toasty, like praline or a nut spread.
• Pepper· 8. Black or pink pepper. A dry, fresh spice that tickles the nose a little.
• Bitter almond. Kernels of the bitter almond, the classic scent of marzipan. Nutty and sweet, with a cherry-stone bitterness, like amaretti biscuits.

Heart notes. Opens up after about half an hour and stays for a few hours: the character of the scent.

• Saffron· 11. A spice from the stigmas of the crocus flower. Smells of leather and honey, a little metallic.
• Rose· 14. One of the main flowers of perfumery. It can smell of fresh petals with dew or of thick rose jam.
• Jasmine· 21. A white flower, sweet and a little animalic. It makes a scent warm and sensual.
• Osmanthus· 4. Tiny flowers of an East Asian shrub. Apricot and peach with a touch of tea and soft suede.

Base notes. Stays the longest, until the end of the day: what you later notice on your clothes and scarf.

• Labdanum· 8. A sticky resin of the rockrose, a Mediterranean shrub. Warm and dark, with a leathery touch: the base of many amber scents.
• Sandalwood· 17. Wood of the sandalwood tree. Soft and creamy, warm like skin after the sun.
• Akigalawood· 9. A material made from patchouli oil. Dry wood with a peppery, slightly spicy edge, without the earthiness of patchouli.
• Ambergris· 6. A rare substance washed up by the sea; perfumes today almost always use a synthetic copy. Salty and warm, like skin after a swim in the sea.
• Vanilla· 46. Pods of the vanilla orchid. Warm sweetness; in niche perfumes it comes with smoke and wood rather than smelling of cake.