Everything we have written about fragrance, in one place. No email wall, nothing gated. Start with the full manual, or jump straight to the guide you need. Build your discovery set.
Nose to Bottle: The Fragrance Manual
Our complete guide to fragrance: how it is made, who profits from it, how to buy well in Canada, and how to use your own nose instead of trusting a stranger's. Twenty-four guides, five parts, no email wall. Start reading the manual.
Part one: How it's made
- A Short History of Perfume
- Who Really Makes Your Fragrance
- Fragrance Notes, Accords and the Pyramid
- The Fragrance Families
- How to Read a Fragrance Description
- The Materials: What Fragrance Words Mean
Part two: The people and the money
- Licences, Niche and Who Owns What
- The Perfumers
- What You Are Actually Paying For
- Why Fragrances Change
- The Fragrance Industry Right Now
Part three: Buying well in Canada
- Buying Fragrance in Canada
- Counterfeits, Batch Codes and Dupes
- How to Gift Fragrance Without Wasting Money
- Storage and Care
Part four: Using your nose
- How Smell Actually Works
- Training Your Nose
- How to Test Perfume Properly
- Longevity, Sillage and Projection
- Building a Fragrance Wardrobe
- How to Wear Fragrance
- Perfume Myths, Interrogated
Part five: Reference
Buying and shipping guides
- Fragrance Decants in Canada: The Complete Guide
- How Decanting Works
- Is Buying Fragrance Decants Legal in Canada?
- How Fragrance Ships Within Canada (and Why Buying Canadian Matters)
- How We Ship Fragrance Safely
- How to Try Expensive Perfume Without Buying the Bottle
- Where to Buy Fragrance Decants in Canada
- Fragrance Sample Sets for Beginners in Canada
- How Long Does a Decant Last?
- Can I Return a Decant If I Don't Like the Scent?
- What Happens If Your Decant Arrives Damaged or a Vial Leaks?
Gifts
Brands
Written and fact-checked by the people who pour the decants. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.