Linear
A linear fragrance keeps a similar character as it wears. Learn why linear does not mean simple, weak or low quality, and how to assess the scent yourself.
Updated
A linear fragrance keeps broadly the same scent character from the opening through the drydown. It may become softer or lose some brightness, but there is no pronounced change from one dominant impression to another.
Linear describes the result you smell, not the number of ingredients or their exact evaporation rates. A steady woody or floral impression can be built from many materials. The term alone tells you nothing about price, strength or quality.
When choosing a fragrance, decide whether you enjoy that sustained character. If you want a scent that changes noticeably through the day, compare how samples smell at application and later in wear.
- Linear
- Relatively consistent in overall scent character during wear.
- Evolving fragrance
- A fragrance that shows noticeable changes in its dominant impressions after application.
- Single-note fragrance
- A perfume presented around one recognizable smell. It may still contain many ingredients and need not remain unchanged.
- Complexity
- The range and detail of smells within a composition. A linear fragrance can have a detailed, layered character.
- Longevity
- How long a scent remains detectable. Linearity describes change in character, so it does not establish duration.