Lemon
sharp, bright citrus. The most cutting of the citrus notes
In 241 of 1747 fragrances here, most often worn in summer
What it is
Cold pressed from the peel. The oil oxidises quickly and turns sour and waxy, which is why an old bottle of a citrus fragrance smells wrong before anything else in it has changed.
What it smells like
The sharpest of the common citruses, bright and cutting with no sweetness to speak of. It reads as clean to the point of reading as cleaning product, which is the reputation a lemon fragrance has to work against.
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.
Armaf (20), Hermes (15), Guerlain (14), Azzaro (12), Mancera (12), Creed (10).
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 lemon
The best known of them, each with its full note pyramid and its cheaper alternatives.
