Aldehydes
the fizzy, soapy sparkle that makes a classic perfume smell like perfume rather than like any one ingredient
In 47 of 1747 fragrances here, most often worn in spring
What it is
A chemical family rather than a smell, used in quantity for the first time in Chanel No 5 in 1921. The fatty aldehydes used in perfumery correspond to nothing in nature.
What it smells like
Fizzy, soapy and abstract, the quality that makes a classic perfume smell like perfume rather than like any ingredient in it. The effect is strongest in the first minutes and it reads as a bar of soap to people who did not grow up around it.
Where it sits
Which layer of the pyramid it is listed in, across every fragrance here that carries it. A base note is one you smell for hours; a top note is usually gone within the first.
What it turns up with
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.
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.
Chanel (4), Le Labo (4), Versace (4), Kilian (3), Valentino (3), Yves Saint Laurent (3).
The description above is written here. The counts, pairings and seasons are measured across every fragrance on this site that lists it. We have not smelled every bottle behind those numbers.
Fragrances with aldehydes
The best known of them, each with its full note pyramid and its cheaper alternatives.
Tom Ford
Tom Ford Metallique
Availability may vary
Parfums De Marly
Parfums De Marly Valaya
Availability may vary
