The Golden Ratio

A framework for evaluating fragrance as an art form.

Most of what you’ve been told about fragrance was written to sell you something.
Confessions at Stéle exists for everything else —the honest takes, the unpopular opinions, the things we say to each other when no one’s listening.

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Because fragrances have been swallowed as a commodity by the cosmetic industry, we’ve not been accustomed to encounter perfume as art, and we’re mostly not well equipped to analyze scented work.

Not that I would ever want to over-intellectualize such a sensual experience, especially in these increasingly artificial times, but adding nuances to my pleasure tickles my brain in the right way. Perhaps building better olfactive critical thinking can help us develop a more meaningful relationship to perfume-as-an-artform.

This is a guide to evaluate creativity and its value (your money and your time), and build connections between ideas and our lived experience, so we will focus on the conceptual aspects of a perfume and its execution.

I might not be a trained perfume evaluator but I developed similar skills during my 20+ years spent as an art director/creative director, so I’m humbly asking the evaluators in the room to be kind (or write your own article on the topic, the more the better).

It is not a guide to find new perfumes or brands worthy of your attention, as I’m hoping that in this economy you already prioritize genuine moral and ethical stances, sustainability, diversity, inclusivity and safety as criterias to cut through the masses. We won’t be assessing the quality of branding or marketing execution and if it’s human-made - this is an entire other topic in itself, but we’re taking into consideration the information shared about a perfume.

So grab a notebook, your most recent acquisition & follow along!

Step 1.

Before experiencing a perfume, we can assess its conceptual qualities based on the name, the shared notes or impressions, the description, and any information related to the creative brief.

Concept
Is there an idea or a story at the origin of the perfume’s inception? It can be abstract or literal, as long as there’s a clear intent in bringing another perfume to life.

Is the idea opportunistic? One could argue that launching a perfume solely based on a trend is highlighting a brand’s lack of imagination and their hopes to capitalize on someone else’s creativity.

Originality
How original is the concept? Some concepts have been used often already, like a focus on perfumery notes/materials or perfumes about locations. Not to say that these starting points are not worth your attention, but it makes the following criteria all the more important for you to decide if it has creative value.

References
Is the concept referencing culture, art, zeitgeist or even the perfume industry itself? This should help contextualize if the perfume exists in a continuum (a freshie referencing the 90s) or if it’s in dialogue with other cultural or artistic production (a perfume named after a song or movie). References should add meaning to your experience by connecting the perfume to your own imagination.

Step 2.

While Smelling
As you experience the perfume, pay attention to the quality of execution and how well the perfumer used the same raw materials available to everyone to translate the concept into a unique, thoughtful and tangible artifact.

Notes
Are the notes created by the chosen materials well-suited to the narrative? Our cultural and personal associations tend to expect certain notes, like a churchy perfume with an incense note, or an ultra-feminine tuberose. Using notes in unexpected ways can add originality to execution: a churchy perfume might lead with colourful fruity notes to render the stained-glass windows, or tuberose might become unapologetically damp and stemmy.

Blending
Are the materials well blended? Can you feel their quality? Are some materials sticking out? In the age of nuclear-grade woody-ambers, perhaps this is the easiest criteria to assess. The detection of specific materials shouldn’t be the mark of a lazy trick, but should feel intentional to the whole concept.

Structure
Is the perfume unfolding in a layered or linear way? How are the different notes evolving? It can be interesting to note the cadence of a perfume as a means to convey an atmosphere. Similar to music, a perfume can offer a note motif repeated along its timeline, move towards a crescendo, or be cut into clear sections.

Density
Does the perfume feel spacious or compact? Is it textural? These qualities should draw the overall shape of the concept - we expect a perfume with makeup notes to feel powdery or creamy, a gothic-inspired creation to feel more compact. The density can also be in contrast to the core idea, adding an element of surprise to the narrative.

Projection
How would you describe the sillage? What we’re looking for is an intensity matching the idea and feeling intentional: a concept evoking introspection doesn’t need a massive aura, one distilling joy perhaps does.

Longevity
Is the longevity overall acceptable, especially of its different notes? Perfume exists in time so it needs a minimum of longevity - what that minimum should be is up to you. More interestingly, you can spot the perfumer’s mastery by sensing the ability to bind raw materials to a timeline where they naturally don’t belong: citrus notes still shining way past the opening, a rose whispering in the dry down.

Experiencing perfumes can never be fully objective, nor are the criteria presented in this guide. Hopefully, you can perceive a kind of beauty in the intentional weaving of ideas and tangible aspects, and be inspired to define your own rules for creating value in your relationship with perfumery.

Many thanks to Valeryia Hrynkevich for her input and suggestions.

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Marie-Pierre Blanchette came to perfumery from years in art direction and design — the same critical instinct that shaped this piece. She’s the perfumer and founder behind Miskeo Parfums, the independent, small-batch atelier she’s run out of Berlin since 2022 and mow Montreal. The name comes from the Latin miscēo — to mix, to blend — and the fragrances follow that instinct closely: minimal, built from a small set of deliberate notes rather than a long list of them. Explore Miskeo Parfums at Stéle.

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