Knowing Estēe Lauder (1988) Eau de Parfum

Bottle Design: Ira Levy

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7.9 / 10 209 Ratings

Knowing (Eau de Parfum) is a popular perfume by Estēe Lauder for women and was released in 1988. The scent is chypre-floral. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.

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Perfumer

Elie Roger

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes	Mimosa, Plum, Pittosporum, Rose, Tuberose
Heart Notes	Jasmine, Orange blossom, Patchouli
Base Notes	Amber, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Vetiver

Ratings

Scent

7.9 (209 Ratings)

Longevity

8.7 (150 Ratings)

Sillage

8.1 (148 Ratings)

Bottle

6.9 (152 Ratings)

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 19.11.2019

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Reviews

10/21/2018

8.0 10.0 10.0 9.5/10

Alex1984
41 Reviews

Alex1984

Helpful Review 3

80’s glamour...

Powerful sensual chypre. Just like many others that belong in the same ballpark and share similarities (Paloma, Diva, Eau du Soir..), Knowing goes from executive decisions in the morning to a theater function in the evening, before winding in an underground club. While the others feel more ‘take no prisoners’, Knowing shares the debauchery of La Nuit; they don’t smell alike but they could be sisters. Carnality is the theme du jour!

Honey is majorly present in Knowing, just like in a fragrance 20 years younger and inspired by it; Soir de Lune. And if it’s not, then it must be the pitosporum which does a similar job in Blonde (Versace). Opening with a rush of aldehydes, Knowing feels animalic and honeyed from the very start; melon? Not so much, but plum adds a beautiful juiciness that wraps the whole composition. On some days, I get the florals distinctly but on most the blending is so well made that I just get lost in it. Some days it’s powdery and I think ‘oh, there’s the mimosa and the orris’. Some days the woody facets shine more, or the spicy side, and I sense the patchouli, and the sandalwood, and the spices...always floral, narcotic, and never demure. Oakmoss shines big time from the heart onwards and never fades away.
Civet is a major player from the opening to the drydown, and this erotic dirtiness that never fades away, but engulfs the other notes in unashamed badness is what links it to La Nuit; elegant, well made, classy, but with a dirty side that can’t be hidden. Knowing is a gorgeously sweet chypre, less on the rose side, and more on the oakmoss and white floral one. Gorgeous on both men and women.

Reviewing a first release vintage splash, and comparing with a sample I have from the mid 2000’s, up until then Knowing held pretty well. I don’t know about current bottles but my vintage packs the punch of a lifetime. And it’s all the better for it! One of the best Lauder creations; the woman knew what she was doing!

05/27/2018

10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0/10

Schwälbchen
0 Reviews

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Schwälbchen

Greatly helpful Review 9

Aurora borealis

If Knowing would be a color, it would be green for me with a golden shimmer, like the aurora borealis... ethereally beautiful. He does not have the deep green darkness and melancholy that is characteristic of many chypresses.

The fragrance starts with a radiantly beautiful prelude. The tuberose shines and is accompanied by a juicy plum. Mimosa prevents us from drifting away flowery and gives the fragrance a delicate-tart note. This top note lasts for an incredibly long time. And it is precisely the aura of tuberose that makes Knowing a holiday fragrance for me. Gradually the stormy start calms down and gives way to an earthy-warm patchouli. The jasmine is soft and well balanced. Here the silage decreases somewhat, but is still above average. With the grandeur of a stole it lies on my little black.
Only after many hours does the oak wood base surround me like an aura of happiness. The shelf life on my skin is about 10 hours. What a celebration:

You received me, laughing like a child.
You have accompanied me, protecting and warming like a mother.
And you bedded me, lovingly caressing me like a man.

I thank the nice Parfuma for providing the bottling. At the first test I would already be asked about this scent and also my husband and (much more important because the bigger critic...) my son liked Knowing very much.

6 Replies

12/05/2017

horridfrag
1 Review

horridfrag

Knowing the Best

One of the best classic smelling perfume ever. Initiallly, I was couldnt stand its powerful smell on me, so I didn’t like it, and it just hapened one day when my big sister wore Knowing before she went for work. It was truly wonderful on her. I am glad that I still keep my Knowing.

12/23/2016

9.0 9.0 10.0 10.0/10

Exciter76
32 Reviews

Exciter76

Very helpful Review 7

Knowing...for knowing what's sophisticated

"I've always ? perfumes. Perfumes of yesteryear are oakmoss-heavy. Therefore, I've always ? oakmoss."

Suffice it to say that when an oakmoss comes along and is friendly towards me I am delighted. It is a rare occurrence but one which I welcome. I hold dear the scents that have survived my change in body chemistry and the new scents that fly in the face of my dislike. One of the few survivors is Knowing. Knowing was probably one of the last classical chypres created before giving way to ‘fruitchoulies’, otherwise known as modern chypres. She represents a bygone era but I do not doubt she will be the first to usher in a chypre renaissance, where oakmoss will be as revered as whisky during The Prohibition of the last century. As oakmoss faces mandates and enforcements that will lead to its olfactory extinction Knowing will be smuggled through backdoors and displayed covertly on vanity tables throughout the world.

I don’t know exactly what it is about Knowing that is so alluring, so sensual, so boldly feminine—though not to say this would not work splendidly on a man’s chemistry. I can only describe it as a fragrant equivalent to MAC’s iconic red lipstick, Ruby Woo. I don’t know a woman alive who hasn’t tried it on and not felt like the ultimate femme fatale. Maybe it is the intoxicating mixture of voluptuous roses, mysterious oakmoss, and carnal civet.

Yeah, I can see where a new generation of men and women might feel repulsed. As much as I love my gourmands, none can spell out S-E-X like Knowing (or, really, at all). Knowing is deeply romantic and erotically moving. It’s old fashioned and—not to be crude—it’s the reason a new generation came into existence. There are probably a few readers out there who were born in the 1990s who owe their existence to Knowing (sorry, kids, to go there). It was a perfume for seduction. It wasn’t meant to be pretty or fun. Knowing had a job to do and she did it so very well.

Knowing is also a reminder that once long ago oakmoss and I had a history together. Oakmoss was never more zaftig than it is here in Knowing. She's larger than life and certainly intimidating but you'll find no better joyride companion than her.

04/02/2016

10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0/10

Guapo
15 Reviews

Guapo

Helpful Review 3

Charm at its purest essence

I remember the premiere of this fantastic scent at the end of the 80s. A unique fragrance, singular, exquisite, which featured women from yuppie generation.
Today it remains a pearl from Estee Lauder, along with other fragrances from that Designer.
I just Love it. A woman who wears this fragrance is very, very charming.

09/08/2013

5.0 10.0 10.0 10.0/10

Sorceress
213 Reviews

Sorceress

Greatly helpful Review 11

Knowing Will Amp Your Inner Self To New Heights

Eight hours later I could still luxuriate in the fumes of this heavily decadent floral chypre. It's not heavy to those around you, unless you spray more than necessary. A light sprinkling is all that's necessary of this beautiful fragrance.
There are many notes to consider and each individual picks up on different ones. But one thought remains constant. This is not a perfume for the weak and languid. It is vibrant, it is bodacious and unrestrained in the aura it suspends around its wearer.
The longer it sits on your skin the warmer the wood notes become. The rose lingers like an intoxicating first deep whiff you've taken from a bouquet-fresh and sweet but not overpowering. The civet flows through thickly for those of us who love our animalistic scents and the patchouli is darkly obsessional. Think dark nights and wicked thoughts in a good way.
This is a magnificent chypre that will take you back to silk dressing gowns, bakelite cigarette holders with rhinestones, smoky eyes, red lips and the mysterious look of the pencil-eyebrows of the 1930's. Intimidating? Of course. But in a cock of the eyebrow manner. This is not a sinister perfume. I suppose it could be. It is a perfume for the strong. And the strong can do anything.
Knowing is a perfect name for this juice. The poised and the confident need only apply to wear this power-house. Be prepared for the consequences. Knowing will amp your inner Self.

12/20/2012

Beachgirl2
19 Reviews

Beachgirl2

Helpful Review 4

Craving something woody

I bought this because I was craving a woody, earthy chypre type of fragrance. I am not very good at picking out individual notes, however all in all, I find this to be mostly a mossy mimose. I thought, no way am I going to detect any rose in this with all those other notes, but I do. There is this one lone soft powdery rose amongst all those woody(sandalwood), mossy, patchouli notes. The only other floral I am picking up is the mimose, which I believe is stronger than even the rose.
This is a very rich, deep intoxicating scent. But there also is a freshness to it, like a cool breeze blowing through the woods, probably the aldehydes. Normally I am not fond of aldehydes but it works with this one, and it's not over the top. Thankfully I don't smell the civit. This is a sillage monster, so just a couple of sprays and I'm good. I think too much of this would be sickening, but applied lightly it is delightful.

07/14/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Helpful Review 7

Biggest example of a genre know for size.

Knowing is a rose chypre. A large category, rose chypres can be dark, fruity, sweet, leathery, day-glo, animalic. It’s a fragrance family that has a large range of tones. Take all the forms a chypre might take and multiply that by all the facets of rose. What distinguishes Knowing is its lack of sweet elements. Ungaro’s Diva has its honey and Paloma Picasso’s Paloma has sweet balsams. Knowing has a dry woodiness that perfectly ties the moss to the spiced rose. The key here is the rose. Not a dewy rose, not a flaming rose. This rose is dry verging on bitter and is in perfect accord with the moss. This is the fragrance I'd recommend when people ask for a rose that a man could wear, which is funny because I'd wear anything I like whether targeted to boys or girls. Also funny because the EL fragrances always seem to have that suggestion of solid, practical American femininity (I guess I'm falling for marketing here.) But you know what? Knowing shares as much (categorically) with the rose chypres as it does (in tone) with men's power fragrances of the 80s. It is huge, woody, has preternatural sillage and a half-life of days. My god, this could be Antaeus.

07/01/2012

5.0 10.0 10.0 8.0/10

EvaK
30 Reviews

EvaK

Helpful Review 5

Powerhouse alert!

Knowing fits its bottle! Heavy, massive, nothing fragile here!
This is a powerhouse monster, more than bold, fearless beyond imagination. It radiates power, boldness, there's nothing soft or mellow about it. It is the kind of perfume that makes people give way to you on the street - and not because it stinks. You have to nerve yourself to wear it if you're the slightest bit unsure of your own personality. If you're not tough enough, Knowing will wear you and eat your intestines for lunch. It is confident womanity that demands respect. It's just animalistic enough to represent womanity in all repects. I normally don't age-discriminate any perfume as it's all a matter of personality imo - but this one.. I really can't imagine a 15-yr-old pulling it off. Absolutely not. It is so mature, experienced and formidable, that I really can't see it on a teen. Not that I can imagine any teen wanting to wear it!

It starts out a bit sweet and quite boozy, with strong mimosa to prepare you to what comes next. Minutes later Knowing reveals her face: it's a VERY dark chypre. I get no fruit, but the laurel and iris stand out. It does soften on the drydown, but it's never tender, romantic, fragile or anything in that respect.

1 Replies

05/22/2012

2.0/10

Awesomeness
247 Reviews

Awesomeness

Rose, what rose? Florals? No. All oakmoss on me.

There is something about these big chypres that doesn't sit well with me. Allergies? Sensitivites? I don't know for sure, but Knowing doesn't work.

Rose, what rose? Florals, never would have guessed. It's all oakmoss ... and not a very good one at that.

Knowing is in style of big, bold Chypres with a capital C. Perfect if that is your thing. It's not mine.

03/24/2012

7.5 7.5 7.0/10

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 4

An enticingly dry floral

My face is often the look of utter disgust when it comes to sampling Estee Lauder fragrances, with a few exceptions, one being Knowing.

I didn't think I would like this fragrances. Chypres are often too dry or too dusty for me, however Knowing is extremely pleasant. I get mostly powdered roses, earthy patchouli and spices. Together they make a rather sensual blend.

The scent in itself is quite potent, so it is best approached with a light hand. In small doses this fragrance is breath-taking in a womanly, confident and grandiose way.

Towards the drydown, this fragrance loses some of its powderiness, becoming woodsier and drier which gives it further definition. The lasting strength is very good, lasting in terms of days even after a few showers. Miss Dior is a little similar if I had to compare Knowing to anything.

There is something about the rose in this fragrance which becomes quite captivating. I'm not usually a rose person, even though I tend to own many rose-based samples these days. But if I were to suggest an interesting dry and powdery rose, somewhat like pot-pourri, I would definitely recommend Knowing.

01/30/2012

5.0 10.0 10.0 10.0/10

Lola82
362 Reviews

Lola82

Helpful Review 2

Knowing

What makes Aldehydes Patcholi Jasmine
Sandalwood & Civet a good perfume
ingredients i just don't know. 90 %
of my perfumes That i love are these
ingredents it's Romance Wraped in a bottle An elegant perfume perfect for
going to a high class Resturant
Going to a Posh Fine Art Museim
having a candle light dinner with your
signifigant other. i'v notice some a leather note in this perfume i'm deffinily buy this again when it runs out