Rose

No note changes character more depending on how it is handled. Rose can be dewy and almost citrus-green at the top end, or deep, jammy and slightly wine-like at the other. The same flower produces both.

The fresh version is lighter than people expect and nothing like rose soap or rose hand cream, which are usually built from a handful of cheap synthetics and have given the note an unfair reputation. The deep version is closer to what is in the garden on a hot afternoon.

A heart note. In a waterless diffuser rose arrives after the citrus has cleared and holds through the middle of the evening, with whatever woods or musk sit beneath it carrying the last of it.