Rose

What it is

The most used flower in perfumery, split between the jammy Damask rose and the greener Centifolia. Both are extracted at genuine cost, which is why most roses in a bottle are largely reconstructed.

What it smells like

The flower itself, ranging from jammy and wine-like to green and almost metallic depending on what sits next to it. Its reputation as old fashioned comes from soap rather than from perfume, and a rose over oud or pepper reads nothing like a soap.

How strongly it is worn

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

74 / 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.

Lancome (26), Montale (25), Rasasi (21), Mancera (16), Burberry (15), Ajmal (14).