![Anatomy of a Scent](https://cdn.slatesource.com/c/6/f/c6fb776c-37cd-4eb9-9fa3-1d20281b3a0c.webp)

# Anatomy of a Scent

- [Made in Slatesource](https://slatesource.com/@steph/anatomy-of-a-scent)
- By [Steph](https://slatesource.com/@steph)
- Arts & Culture
- Created on Jun 20, 2026

## Anatomy of a Scent

A perfume is not one smell. It is three, arranged to unfold over hours. What you smell in the shop is gone within minutes. What lingers on a scarf the next day is something else entirely. Here is how a fragrance is built, from the first spritz to the last trace.

Longevity

6 to 8 hours

Sillage

moderate, an arm's length

Composed

2024

Materials

38 in the formula

## Top notes

The opening. Bright volatile citrus and herbs that announce the scent and vanish within fifteen minutes. Here, bergamot and pink pepper.

## Heart notes

The body. The character that emerges as the top fades and holds for a few hours. Here, rose, jasmine and a thread of saffron.

## Base notes

The memory. Heavy resins and woods that anchor everything and last into the next day. Here, oud, amber and vetiver.

![Gallery image 1](https://cdn.slatesource.com/4/9/7/4977a691-22e8-4503-8cce-3da816da0bc8.webp)

![Gallery image 2](https://cdn.slatesource.com/9/e/5/9e5b2d6a-0512-46dd-804a-9a5e1662f663.webp)

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> A perfume is like a piece of music. You do not hear all the notes at once. You hear them arrive and leave.

Always test on skin, never paper. Your own warmth and chemistry change a scent more than any other ingredient.