Stairway To Heaven

I’m really enjoying this modern take on aldehydes! I received a sample from my favorite niche perfumery, Indigo Perfumery, and later bought a FB. Although Igsoltek can draw associations with other earlier works, these are too obscure to my untrained nose. In the universe of perfumes with which I’m acquainted, I think this perfume is very unique, if not boundary pushing with the overt aldehydic quality which isn’t so popular nowadays. The closest approximation I could draw to this perfume would be Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere. As much as I love No 5 EP, there is a melancholic nuance to it. Stairway to Heaven is lighter, brighter and happier, but with depth brought by the vanilla, patchouli and incense (these notes are not detected individually; this is an abstract blend), as opposed to a woody base in No 5 EP. The perfumeurs’ attempt to conjure “whiteness” was a resounding success in my view. The overall feeling I get while wearing this beauty is meditative, comforting and uplifting. The perfume is a play of opposites—warm and cold, fresh and deep. The opening is cool, bright and fizzy with a touch of citrus in a soft, aldehydic burst. As the fragrance develops, soft florals, and warm vanillic musks bring a sense of comfort. The interplay between warm and cool exists through the duration of the development/drydown. Another fragrance that comes to mind is TF’s Metallique, which differs greatly in that Metallique has two distinct and somewhat disconnected stages—aldehydic opening followed by a vanillic drydown. Stairway to Heaven is smoother with seamless transitions, less synthetic, and the aldehydes are felt throughout. Simply lovely!

THEE absolute best aldehyde scent on the market. Aldehydes get a bad rap due to their overdose in Chanel #5. They are notorious for being super soapy and a difficult note for many. Here, they are not soapy, they are effervescent, light, fresh, and give the fragrance a fizzy, bubbliness that makes my nose tingle a bit when I smell it up close. This is not fruity, nor is it floral; it is citrusy, musky, aldehydic with a little sweetness from the red berries and a super soft vanilla. The heliotrope is here to smooth out any harshness, creating a dynamic textural element of both being fizzy and soft. The ambroxan with the white musk create a very modern profile and I would classify this in its own category. I also foresee me using this to layer with other perfumes, especially light aquatic florals or other citrus perfumes. If you're in the market for a unique, fresh musk perfume, give this a sample. You can sample this from Parfum Exquis in the USA.

This is my signature scent (especially in warmer weather). I dress mostly Victorian gothic so I don’t know how well this fragrance pairs with my overall aesthetic but I love it just the same. It smells ethereal and almost otherworldly. It’s unlike any other perfume I’ve ever smelled, it’s very abstract. There’s a sweet strawberry-like note from the red berries, but it’s mostly aldehydes at first. It’s extremely fizzy and quite fresh with a hint of citrus. I live in a quite humid climate and it wears well in hot humid weather. It also has a coldness to it from all the aldehydes that makes it work equally well in winter. The gunpowder note isn’t extremely prominent but there is a slight smokiness in the dry down from that and the incense. It lasts fairly long on me and projects enough that I’ve gotten compliments on my fragrance after wearing it a few hours. I want to gatekeep this fragrance but I also don’t want it to ever be discontinued.

I just love this one. My fav type of clean girl fragrance. It’s somehow wistful, mysterious and a touch remote. It’s a cool (but sunny) windy late autumn day and this is so comforting. Not heavy or thick.... It’s like you’ve been meditating in a cedar lined room on a mountain top complete with huge windows. The windows are open and the fine gauze white cotton sheers are dancing in the wind and you’re seeing the periwinkle-blue-fading-to-lilac tinted skies in the far distance. Feels like there’s snow in the air but there is sun on your skin. Intriguing, intelligent, light weight in texture, yet very present. Expensive smelling yet not overpowering. I am a big fan of the fine grained aldehydic opening and the metallic powdery mid. It’s lightly sweet and slightly feminine leaning. In the direction of Tom Ford Metallique (strip out the thick vanilla and apply it in watercolour) or Mizensir Elixir de Musc...

Unique freshie for sure. Sweet and ethereal, STH transports me to a mountaintop on a bright sunny day with a crisp breeze. I am surrounded by fluffy white clouds and fresh blooms while I sip a handcrafted orange/rose soda. 🍊⛅ My heart wants to call this the adult equivalent of cotton candy. Included is the scent of the industrial metal spinner the candy was spun from. This is so beautifully blended. I do get a pretty hard metallic punch from the mix of aldehydes and gunpowder in the beginning, but that initial blast quickly blends down within minutes. I've found my signature scent in this. I cannot stay away and am planning to get a backup bottle soon. I do recognize this may not be a scent that's quite for everyone, but I don't have a single reservation here. Happy to have found this gem! Stairway to Heaven will always have a place (or two) in my collection!

This is THE avant-garde fragrance I've always wanted . . . too bad it doesn't suit me enough to not feel like I'm layering a masterpiece around me instead of on me lol. There's something so uniquely fizzy and fun about STH, with a (fresh and very literal) air of synthetic indifference that keeps me coming back to this fragrance like no other. It manages to balance immensely artful creativity with wearability ~ I get scent memories of bright summer poolside concrete and sparkling chlorinated water at a school swimming carnival - yet somehow only the positive associations. To me, it's so cold it's hot. The crisp aloofness makes it ultra modern - more youthful than childish, upbeat, and so, so stylish. If you can rock this please do so for the sake of humanity because the world needs to smell this abstract wonder - plus, you'll definitely smell cooler than me d:

I am joining the choir of all who sing praises of this masterpiece. At first my nose doesn't know what to pick up, there is so much and so well blended. A good bit of sweetness, iris-like powder, citrus zing and the sparkling aldehydes. I am not an aldehyde fan at all, but this is beautifully blended and doesn't choke me out. This is such a versatile scent. Yes it can be worn as a white blouse + jeans fragrance but where I find more interest is the subtle seduction that this scent encompasses. The picture: white, cool silk sheets, crisp, but you and your partner left your perfume on those sheets after a steamy night. Suggestive but classy! And yes, this would smell soooo good on a man too! One of my best purchases this year. LOVE

One of the most ethereal perfumes I've ever smelled in my entire life. First spray I get a hit of citrus and aldehydes but both blend together super well. Its an amazing clean skin musk. I haven't smelled the gun powder note yet on the dry down and I am hoping it comes up soon! I love the smell of gun powder. The rose isn't super dewy and the heliotrope makes it super powdery. I know this was made in 2019 but it reminds me what the soft gen x moodboards would smell like to me. Long lasting power. Also I love how the perfume liquid is very light blue. I would wear this everyday for any season. I feel like it'll shine super well during wintertime. Can't wait to buy a bigger size soon <3

Ok let me start by saying I do not like Aldehydes, all the Aldehydic fragrance I smelled makes me thing of vintage. This is not that at all, I’m so in love with this fragrance. It’s so well blended, I can’t really pick out any notes. It’s so addicting to smell. Works so well in the heat. A little sweet but with something creamy, I do get a little smoky pleasant note of incense here and I think that’s what makes it so addicting. It’s creamy smooth so smooth and airy. The performance and longevity is outstanding. If only all Aldehydes would smell like that I would be totally into them. It’s gorgeous and honestly it needs to be experienced because it’s very hard to describe.

Man, this is incredible. Had a sample of it some time ago and couldn't get it out of my mind, and recently bought a full bottle. To me, it's very airy with the aldehydes and gunpowder notes being the most prominent, but it's so well blended. It's fresh, inoffensive, and smells like no other "freshie" I've tried before. I feel like this is a fresh fragrance you can wear all year round for sure. Try this one out, especially if you're tired of citrus fragrances and are looking for a lighter fragrance for the warmer months.

This is absolutely stunning. I think it’s so wonderfully named. It does smell like you’re standing on the highest mountain and smelling the freshest air and the clouds and ozone and the sparkling rays of sun. It’s brilliant and beautiful and happy. This fragrance has more texture than anything I’ve ever had my nose on. The aldehydes make it sparkle and fizz and the gunpowder makes it sharp and zing like tiny glass shards. Honestly I’ve never encountered another fragrance like this one. It’s a masterpiece.

I could easily choose this as a signature scent. It is so abstract, it doesn’t become annoying to me and even though it has quite a weird composition, with the gunpowder next to sweeter notes and aldehydes, it is actually super pleasant. Longevity is excellent, I can easily smell it the next day, especially on clothes and hair. It is airy and bright, so you won’t bother anyone with it. In a perfume world flooded with gourmands, this is literally a breath of fresh air. Not boring either.

Such a unique aldehyde fragrance. Fizzy, bubbly , fresh, with a powdery touch . I also get some red berries and a light mandarin that provides some sweetnesss. I detect something just a bit metallic which is think helps give it some something refreshing and almost cold . I love it , I think it’s appropriate for all year round and even might be a cool scent for the dead of winter . Probably the equivalent of chewing minty gum when it’s chilly outside

I love this one so much! The gunpowder note is fascinating amidst the incense and musks. It is so good and clean smelling and mysterious and bold. Both my husband and son, who are usually indifferent to whatever perfume I am wearing or make them smell, both remarked that they really like it, with a surprised look on their faces. This is super significant. I would definitely call this my favorite EVER... Top 3 at the very least.

A very aptly named fragrance. This is one of the cleanest fragrances I’ve ever smelled without smelling like cleaner. The aldehydes in this are very sparkly and fizzy to me. In fact all I really smell is aldehydes - in a good way. This is 100% backup bottle worthy in my opinion. Will make you feel like a snow queen in winter, and laying on a fluffy cloud (with a pillow that is always cold) during the summer.

this perfume just smells incredible,,, and it maintains an expensive and full smell without being too thick.,., its super fresh and citrusy but is balanced by the musk notes,, its hard to describe but it is so unique and beautiful. If I smelled it in passing I would not rest until I found out what perfume it was currently only used a sample as its expensive but may be investing soon...

I’m a little heartbroken that this perfume is suddenly getting attention🔫 Because back then comments were like "this isn’t wearable" and which secretly made me happy because I wanted it to stay underrated The first moment I tried it I was... this is straight up sexy 🧊 a fresh-clean perfume is on crack. The more I wore this, the harder I falling for it.🩵

To me this smells like “summer in a bottle “, its fresh but not too much, is sweet but not too much. It smells very clean aesthetic girl, very beautiful, is musky and fruity, I would say this smells like grapes (red grapes). I know for sure that this scent will be in my collection forever. I’m obsessed with this 😍😍

Ha. It ́s fascinating to read as other people perceive the same smell. I love Stairway to Heaven. I really do. I don ́t get any musk, gunpowder, fruit, nor aldehydes. What I get is Fanta drink with ice cubes. It feels fresh and fizzy, and I can almost feel bubbles tickling in my mouth. Amazing.

A beautiful bright burst of aldehydes gives way to a clean skin musk. This is probably the nicest aldehydic fragrance I’ve smelled to date. Stairway to Heaven is a really great main player in the your-skin-but-better category.