Powdery

What it is

A texture more than a smell, built from iris root, heliotrope, violet, soft musks and vanillin. It is what makes a fragrance feel matte instead of wet.

What it smells like

Somewhere between face powder, clean laundry and the inside of a handbag. It was the signature of mid century perfumery, which is why the same accord reads as dated to one person and as comforting to the next.

How strongly it is worn

The average strength this accord is listed at, where 100 means it dominates the fragrance.

64 / 100

What builds it

How much more often than the catalogue average. 1.0x would be chance, so these are the things that genuinely travel with it rather than the things that are simply common.

Accords it sits beside

Same measure, with its own family filtered out. Saying woody turns up with oud is a restatement, not a finding.

When it is worn

Against the average fragrance here. The line marks that average, so a bar past it means this is worn in that season or setting more than most.

Houses that use it most

Counted across the fragrances here, which reflects what we cover as much as what a house makes.

Mancera (38), Rasasi (37), Lattafa (34), Prada (31), Valentino (31), Calvin Klein (30).