7 Virtues Breaks Perfume's Golden Rule: A Citrus That Lasts

The 7 Virtues has achieved what perfume experts long deemed impossible: a citrus perfume that doesn't disappear by lunch. Their new release, Clementine Dream, doesn't just survive the usual two-hour fade—it claims to linger for 72 hours, outlasting even the most tenacious oriental perfumes on the market.

Barb Stegemann, the brand's founder, spent 18 months in a quest to crack the citrus code. "Everyone told us it couldn't be done," she explains, referring to the notoriously fleeting nature of citrus notes. The result is what the company calls their "boomerang effect"—an olfactory journey that opens with sun-drenched clementine before circling back with deeper notes of black currant and magnolia, all anchored by vanilla.

But perhaps more intriguing than the scent itself is the rigorous approach behind it. The 7 Virtues subjected Clementine Dream to extensive laboratory longevity testing—a level of scientific scrutiny rarely seen in an industry often driven more by storytelling than precision.

Priced at $94 for 50ml, Clementine Dream positions itself as an accessible luxury option in a market where comparable fragrances often exceed $300. The formula uses sustainably sourced mandarin oil and upcycled black amber, reflecting growing industry pressure to verify both performance claims and environmental impact.

For an industry that's been historically opaque about its claims, this emphasis on tested longevity could set a new standard for transparency in perfumery. The question now is whether other brands will follow suit, or if Clementine Dream will remain a singular anomaly in a sea of fleeting fragrances.