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EditorMoscow

Lena Arkhipova

Runs the desk. Wears everything three times before a sentence goes up, and keeps the price per millilitre next to the verdict.

Files
12
Minutes to read them all
21
On niche since
2019
First file here
10 Jun 2026

Lena started buying niche in 2019 with a 2 ml vial of Santal 33 and a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is still running. It holds every decant she has paid for, what it cost per millilitre, and how many wears it took before she knew.

She edits every file on Decant8 and writes most of the buying guides. Her rule for the desk is simple: the verdict is written before anyone looks for a shop link, and a scent that only works in the first ten minutes gets filed under its tenth minute.

She is not a perfumer and not a dermatologist. When a piece needs either, the byline says who checked it.

Files by Lena

  1. #0304 Oct 2026Erba Pura, filed under fruitXerjoff Casamorati, turquoise glass, and a musk that outlasts the citrus.News · Shelf · 1 min
  2. #0118 Sept 2026How a verdict gets filedThree wears, a price per millilitre, and the sentence written before any shop link.News · Method · 1 min
  3. #1610 Jul 2026Returning perfume, when you can actually get the money backWhat the rules say about perfume returns, when a shop has to take the item back, and when it does not. Practical steps if you are in a dispute.Journal · Buying · 3 min
  4. #1510 Jul 2026Reformulations and batch drift, why the scent "is not the same"Why the same fragrance smells different across years, which brands reformulate more often, and how to avoid the wrong batch.Journal · Education · 2 min
  5. #1410 Jul 2026A first niche fragrance, where to startHow to pick a first niche fragrance without overpaying and without the letdown. Families, budget, and a decant-first plan.Journal · Education · 2 min · with Timur Sadykov
  6. #1109 Jul 2026Santal 33 vs Tam Dao, which sandalwood to buyLe Labo Santal 33 and Diptyque Tam Dao are two of the most discussed niche sandalwoods. We compare longevity, projection, character, and price for a buyer in the CIS.Journal · Side by side · 2 min
  7. #0909 Jul 2026Baccarat Rouge 540 vs Layton, sweet niche for cold weatherMFK Baccarat Rouge 540 and Parfums de Marly Layton are two sweet niche hits. We compare character, longevity, how they split people, and price for a buyer in the CIS.Journal · Side by side · 2 min
  8. #0709 Jul 2026Ani vs Tobacco Vanille, warm vanilla without the premiumNishane Ani and Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille are two vanilla niche scents. We compare cloying sweetness, longevity, price, and value for a buyer in the CIS.Journal · Side by side · 2 min
  9. #0605 Jul 2026Where to buy niche perfume, boutiques, marketplaces, parallel importOfficial channels, authorized resellers, and parallel import: where the fake risk is lower, and when the extra price is worth paying.Journal · Market · 2 min · with Timur Sadykov
  10. #0420 Jun 2026Decant or bottle, which is the better niche buyWhen a decant makes sense, when a travel spray does, and when a full bottle is the right move. A practical cost check.Journal · Buying · 2 min
  11. #0315 Jun 2026Skin scents, what they are and who they suitThe scent that smells like you: ISO E Super, musk, projection against closeness, and why skin scents split people once you step away.Journal · Education · 1 min
  12. #0210 Jun 2026EDT, EDP, Parfum, how not to overpay for concentrationHow the concentrations differ, why an EDP is not automatically "better", and how to pick a format for your climate and budget.Journal · Education · 1 min