Wilson-Brown added that even if it was stored perfectly, the aldehydes (“that Champagne popping aspect”) are so fragile, they’d probably be damaged by now anyway. We waited out the base notes, and she cautioned me that with old scents, the top notes are often the first to go bad so you need to be patient after that first hit. “Real perfume nerds have a special closet in their house, the coolest darkest spot.” I asked if she had one, and she said no, she’s not a nerd.

— Saskia Wilson-Brown at the Institute for Art and Olfaction helps The Cut writer Maggie Lange with her quest to smell a long discontinued fragrance. Read more at The Hunt for a Perfume Worn by a Writer Who Terrifies Me.