ESTÉE LAUDER Knowing Eau de Parfum

It s a very approachable rose chypre, has depth and nuances, light and dark, it calls your imagintion to conjure a scenario.

Not too suitable for modern times, when people get annoyed if something smells of anything but soap or dish liquid-or something else equally easy to ignore. God forbid we should stop for a second to smell the roses.

I spray it on my fingers and sniff and sniff and sniff them...

The smell brings me back then when I had a future to come, we had haigh hair and enormous shoulder-pillows, we was going to be lawyers and work in international banking, we were going to be very rich,

and, we had the best music in history,

I had Youth Dew and Cinnabar, and was going to buy Knowing, but, my sister got it before me, therefor I couldn't buy it,

-suddenly we had husbands and children, and cats and dogs and morgages to pay, and we wasn't supposed to own more than 2 perfumes, one for the day, and one for specially occations.

About 2 months ago a woman gave me this beautiful perfume, a nearly full bottle 75ml, I could have jumped to the moon...

Knowing is what all of what you describe it to be, mossy, chypre, kinda forest, mature, different, and, it also smells of my youth, I haven't told her yet, but I know my sister will envy me this perfume a lot :))

The actual nose behind Knowing was Elie Roger and not Jean Kerleo, as incorrectly stated above by Fragrantica.
It could not have been created by Jean Kerleo as he was the in-house perfumer for Jean Patou in 1988 and only worked on perfumes within the same family and not for any Estēe Lauder projects. (Information sourced from the review of Knowing on the website Bois De Jasmin)
Elie Roger also created Wrappings by Clinique and he certainly deserves a lot more recognition for his incredible and masterful creation of Knowing.

I’ve loved and worn this beauty since it was released in 1988 and have several treasured vintage bottles that are so rich in beautiful Oakmoss. (Evernia Prunastri) Sillage and longevity both absolutely outstanding. Deeply sensual and incredibly feminine, although it wears very well also on men. Wonderful stuff indeed.

If searching for vintage, look for boxes with the very short list of ingredients (denatured alcohol, Knowing parfum/perfume, purified water) and without the little ‘e’ sign on the box front. (Although boxes with the little ‘e’ sign but also short list ingredients also excellent too!)
The liquid deepens into a very rich dark, amber colour as the patchouli will do this as it ages. Less is more with this beauty as it’s a powerhouse!

One of the most stunning, intoxicating and unforgettable mossy rose chypres ever created and undeniably one of Estēe Lauder’s best. This is a true masterpiece. 🌹♥️

>> EDIT - Feb.2024 I’ve just noticed that Fragrantica have amended the perfumer for Knowing from Jean Kerleo to Harry Fremont? Really confused now….it was actually Elie Roger who created Knowing, not Harry Fremont! Yes, Mr. Fremont did other perfumes for Estée Lauder (Bronze Goddess Capri & Modern Muse..) but Knowing wasn’t one of them.

At 25, I'm finally realizing all of the scents that once made me turn up my nose are actually quite beautiful if you can get past the initial blast of notes.

I went to the mall fully prepared to purchase Estee's "Private Collection," a beautiful, green, soapy scent in its own right. I instead walked out with this one. It's earthy, herbal, dry and absolutely delicious. This could absolutely be pulled off beautifully on a man.

The longevity and "throw" "Knowing" provides is absolutely amazing. I have been doing 1 spray underneath my clothing by my belly button with one spray to walk through and I can smell this on myself all day long. Thank you, Steven Tyler, for the belly button/perfume tip.

There's something a bit savory in this perfume - a little like salty skin. It really blooms in the heat and makes me feel all sorts of cozy and chic.

Masterpiece.

Setting: Macy's, 2020.
Mission: Purchase a Youth Dew holiday gift set.
Plot twist: The protagonist is derailed by Knowing.

Yes, Knowing has left me dumbfounded in awe. It all started a few weeks ago. I eyed that sculpted tester bottle, sitting near the Macy's checkout register, nearly hidden from sight, and asked the sales clerk to spritz some Knowing onto a card. I hadn't smelled it in a long while, and didn't remember much caring for it back then, at the beginning of my fragrance journey. But what the hell, right?! So color me flabbergasted at the olfactory symphony that greeted my nostrils! I fell absolutely, totally in love. Trying to show some restraint, I left without purchasing a bottle, but that card never left my hands the rest of the night. By the next morning, I was back at Macy's for my betrothed.

Knowing is timeless and majestic, now my reference rose chypre. The current formulation opens with an aldehydic blast alongside mimosa, a bit startling at first. Give it a few minutes, though, and the scent coheres on skin, as rose emerges atop the earthiness of oakmoss. There's a little fruitiness too—at different points in its evolution, I can detect a hint of melon or a smidge of plum, but they're always in the background. (Plum was much more noticeable on the tester card.) A musky civet accord gives it an animalic funk, for me, the proverbial cherry on top. In a Knowing frenzy, I also purchased a vintage EDP splash bottle. It's quite similar to what's currently available, except it smells more grounded, with stronger oakmoss and rose notes. In comparison, today's version feels more diffuse. That said, both are perfect.

Beyond the smell itself, I've also fallen hard for the "vibe" that Knowing embodies. It's confident and self-possessed, intelligent, no-nonsense, commanding respect. Knowing reminds me of Angela Carter's feminist fairy tales (seriously, read The Bloody Chamber and thank me later), a heroine retreating to the forest, tending a private rose garden, her restorative act of meditation. I imagine women like Joan Didion or Jean Smart wearing Knowing upon its original release. Today, Michelle Williams (actress, not Destiny's Child, lol) or Fiona Apple might wear it straight, that is, unironically.

So, please, please, please, whatever you do, just buy a bottle. A singular experience awaits.