Knowing Estēe Lauder 1988 Eau de Parfum

Bottle Design:
Ira Levy

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7.8 / 10 332 Ratings

A popular perfume by Estēe Lauder for women, released in 1988. The scent is chypreartig-floral. Projection and longevity are above-average. It is still in production.

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Main accords

Chypre

Floral

Woody

Spicy

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Tuberose

Mimosa

Pittosporum Plum

Plum

Rose

Heart Notes

Jasmine

Patchouli

Orange blossom

Base Notes

Oakmoss

Vetiver

Sandalwood Amber

Amber

Perfumer

Elie Roger

Ratings

Scent

7.8332 Ratings

Longevity

8.7256 Ratings

Sillage

8.1253 Ratings

Bottle

7.2253 Ratings

Value for money

7.959 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 08/12/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Knowing Parfum

Knowing Solid Perfume

Knowing Legacy

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Paloma Picasso Eau de Parfum

Kantara

Sandy's Secret

Reviews

22 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/08/2013

5
Bottle 10
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Sorceress
213 Reviews

Sorceress

Top Review 13

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.

12/23/2016

9
Bottle 9
Sillage 10
Longevity 10
Scent

Exciter76
78 Reviews

Exciter76

Top Review 6

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.

07/14/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Very 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.

05/22/2012

2
Scent

Awesomeness
247 Reviews

Awesomeness

Helpful Review 6

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
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 7
Scent

Missk
1357 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.

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