Almost everybody arrives having decided on rose or oud. Almost nobody has thought about the three or four millilitres of oil that the rose will be sitting in.
People walk in knowing what they want. Rose. Oud. Jasmine. It is the thing you can name, so it is the thing you decide first, and it is the second most important choice you will make at this counter.
The most important is the base, and it is invisible in the way that a foundation is invisible. Eighty to eighty five per cent of what goes into your bottle is base oil. It decides how the scent leaves the skin, how long it stays and how the heart is coloured on the way out.
Sandalwood base is the traditional one here and it is not neutral. It adds warmth, a creaminess, and a woody depth underneath everything. A rose on sandalwood is a soft, rounded, old fashioned rose in the best sense. It also carries beautifully, which is to say the heart keeps arriving in waves for hours rather than fading flat.
Fractionated coconut is the neutral choice. It contributes essentially nothing of its own, and that is the point. A delicate jasmine or a citrus accent that would be swallowed by sandalwood stays recognisable on coconut. It is also the lightest on the skin, which people in this heat often prefer without knowing why.
Jojoba is the long lasting one. It is technically a wax rather than an oil, it does not go rancid the way some bases eventually can, and it stays on skin noticeably longer. It costs a little more and for somebody who wants one application to last a working day, it is money better spent than an extra five per cent of strength.
The practical demonstration takes two minutes and we do it for nearly everybody. Three blotters, the same drop of rose, three different bases. Most people are surprised, and a fair number change their minds about the heart afterwards, having discovered that what they liked was the sandalwood all along.
So when you come in, let us start there. The heart you have already chosen will still be waiting.
