Ch Carolina Herrera (New)

Mostly sugary and rounded, closer to dessert than to fruit. Underneath that, dry and warm, like cedar shavings or the inside of a wooden drawer.

It opens on neroli, aloe vera and grapefruit, moves through ylang-ylang, raspberry and coconut, and settles on vanilla, sandalwood and myrhh.

• neroli: the bright, just-squeezed side of orange blossom: green, clean and faintly bitter
• grapefruit: bitter-fresh citrus, more tart and less sweet than orange

It lasts well and sits close to the skin after the first hour.

Built from the note listing and the measured performance figures. We have not smelled this one.