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Which Maison Asrar to try first

116 scents is a lot to choose from. This is a route through the range: first by what you already like, then by family and by note.

1. Start from what you already like

The range points in many directions, and the brand's note lists show which is which. A few places to start, each with the notes that give it away.

  • Clean and woody, with a little sweetness: Belgravia. Bergamot, blackcurrant and lemon on top, then lily of the valley, freesia, sandalwood and caramel, then vetiver, cedarwood, moss and musk.
  • Citrus over amber and woods: Regent, Majesty and Legacy. All three open with bergamot and ginger. Regent and Majesty add jasmine and orris and end on ambergris and sandalwood; Legacy has pear on top and ends on musk and vanilla.
  • Flowers and fruit: Veyra runs from mandarin, pomegranate and blackcurrant through rose, magnolia and caramel to vanilla, peach and ambrette. Red Velvet puts strawberry and orange over violet, jasmine and orris, and ends on vanilla, oakmoss and musk.
  • Spice and resin: Ameer has cardamom, pink pepper and saffron on top, then myrrh and frankincense with rose and lily of the valley. III Thriller adds elemi and clary sage, then leather, labdanum and incense over benzoin, amber and vanilla.
  • Sweet and gourmand: Vanilla Voyage runs from caramel to honey and tonka to vanilla. Vanilla Aura puts caramel, vanilla and chocolate in the heart. Coffee Blend opens with sweet almond, milk and coffee. Faris Al Arab pairs vanilla wood and cane sugar with cedarwood, labdanum and sandalwood.
  • Oud and leather: Rose Oud sets freesia, rose and lily of the valley over ambergris, leather and oud. Italian Leather opens with saffron, thyme and raspberry and ends on ambergris, leather and oud. Leo puts black pepper and leather over suede, styrax and patchouli. Vanguard ends on leather, ambergris and woods.
  • Fresh and watery: Last Swim (bergamot and lemon, an ozonic accord, mineral amber), Treasure (aquatic, metallic and salt notes, then rose and a sugary note), Infina (pink pepper, marine and cardamom, then incense and moss) and Cascade (lemon, ginger and melon over lavender, apple, a marine accord and sandalwood).
  • Fougère, tobacco and spice: Hunter has lavender and pineapple over cedarwood and a base of caramel, tonka and vanilla. Muharib ends on tonka, jasmine and tobacco. Imperial sets cumin and nutmeg between a citrus top and a base of cedarwood and moss.

2. Or pick a direction from the whole range

The range is wide. This guide sorts all 116 scents into eleven families, using the family words the brand itself gives each perfume. For every family, the list gives a line on who it suits and three scents to start with.

3. Or start from a note

If you already know which notes you like, the notes page lists every note of the range, and 47 notes have a page of their own with all the scents that contain them. The most listed ones:

Musk (66)Vanilla (52)Bergamot (41)Rose (35)Jasmine (33)Patchouli (31)Lily of the valley (26)Ambergris (26)Cedarwood (24)Moss and oakmoss (24)

4. Size and concentration

Across the range the brand's product pages name a size and a concentration for some scents and not for others, and a scent page shows them only where they are stated.

5. A note list is a map, not a promise

Notes tell you what a perfume is built from and in which order you meet the ingredients. They do not tell you how a perfume will behave on your skin, and this guide makes no claims about that. If you can, try a perfume before you commit to a full bottle.

6. When you have chosen

Every scent page has a button to FragranceGems, where you can see what can be ordered and at what price; this guide shows neither. More on where to buy.

Shop Maison Asrar at FragranceGems