WhatScent

Fragrans Veritas@fragransveritas

· Edited

Discussion

Is a linear fragrance a bad fragrance?

  • #discussion
  • #unpopular_opinion

Linear is constantly conflated as a negative in fragrance reviews. I personally disagree with this. I think it can actually be a feature.

I'm curious: am I out to lunch on this? What does the community think?

Image 1 from the discussion

Poll

16 votes
  • ​Love them: If I like the opening, I want it to smell that way all day.50%
  • Hate them: Perfume needs to evolve and tell a story on skin.0%
  • It depends: Great for daily/casual wear, boring for artistic/niche.44%
  • Layering tools: I only buy linear scents to stack with other fragrances.6%
Final results
Open in app

In this discussion

Comments9

  1. Curlyhen@curlyhen

    Ohhh my first poll on WhatScent🙌🏼 personally, I don’t see linear as a flaw, i don’t use it as a criticism, more as a great descriptor for scents that don’t change or evolve. Theres many a perfume I wished stayed linear, with beautiful openings and hearts but the dry down has ruin the scent for me. And there’s many a complex scent that I love because it changes and evolves as the day progresses and keeps my nose excited.

    1. Fragrans Veritas@fragransveritas

      Exactly how I feel. Thanks for participating.

  2. SugarPink@sugarpink

    Depends on a fragrance. Some benefit from being linear, as you get to enjoy a composition throughout the whole wear. Some are built with change in mind and are beautiful in that way, too.

  3. kim@huge_ad8768

    Off topic but am I missing where the question can be expanded or does it just end with toba… for everyone?

    1. Fragrans Veritas@fragransveritas

      · Edited

      Oh yeah...I just noticed that it doesn't expand, which is weird because there were no character restraints. I'll.leave my whole query in the comments. Thanks for pointing this out.

    2. the other fella@the_other_fella

      Yeah same

    3. kim@huge_ad8768

      Replying to @fragransveritas

      Well… I could be biased because I own 2 of the 4 listed but I actually appreciate both. I have said this a couple times recently that I don’t think of describing a fragrance as “linear” is pejorative. I sometimes just want something that stays the same throughout the wear, most recently Feminite du Bois which I really enjoyed but other times I like the evolution. It feels like being on a ride and I sometimes find the unexpectedness of that exciting.

  4. Fragrans Veritas@fragransveritas

    Here is the entirety of what was posted: I just read a review this morning that framed an excellent fragrance having one flaw, in that it was linear. I see this gripe over and over again. Am I the only one that just can't stand this criticism? Is Santal 33, MFK Grand Soir, Diptyque Philosykos or Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille less because they're linear? That's rhetorical BTW, these are legends, like them or not. I'm just confused by why linearity is constantly conflated with being a flaw. So much so I posted an analysis (rant) on YouTube about this very thing. I'm curious: am I out to lunch on this? What does the community think?

  5. Shawn@shawnmyers

    It really depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes I just want something easy to wear that keeps the opening for as long as possible. Other times I want to wear something that changes as much as possible until the wear is over.

Related discussions

See all

Join the conversation in WhatScent

Reply, react, save the scents you love and log your own wears. Your fragrance journal and community in one app.