Catalyst by Halston
Women 1993
Main accords
Description
Catalyst by Halston is a fruity floral fragrance for women. Launched in 1993, this composition features top notes of hyacinth, bergamot, gardenia, and peach. The heart reveals a harmony of lily root, carnation, neroli, narcissus, lily of the valley, jasmine, orange blossom, rose, and orchid. The base settles on sandalwood, cedar, amber, musk, and vanilla.
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When to wear it (votes)
Key notes
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Top
hyacinth
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Heart
orris root
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Base
sandalwood
Community
261 votes
- Positive 70%
- Negative 29%
- Neutral 1.1%
The olfactory pyramid
A guide to the opening, heart and lasting trail of the fragrance.
The community speaks
Compare the results and tap an answer to add your vote.
In the collection
Leading answer I own it
641 votes
What do you think?
Leading answer Like it
261 votes
Season
Choose severalLeading answer Spring
195 votes
Time of day
Choose severalLeading answer Day
114 votes
Each question has its own vote count. You can choose several seasons.
Fragrance profile
About Catalyst
Catalyst by Halston is a fruity floral fragrance for women. Launched in 1993, this composition features top notes of hyacinth, bergamot, gardenia, and peach. The heart reveals a harmony of lily root, carnation, neroli, narcissus, lily of the valley, jasmine, orange blossom, rose, and orchid. The base settles on sandalwood, cedar, amber, musk, and vanilla.
Flowers White flowers Fruits, vegetables and nuts Woods and mosses Musk, amber and animalic Spices
It may remind you of
Ranked by what the community voted.
More from Halston
How it wears
Compare the results and tap an answer to add your vote.
Longevity
Leading answer Very long-lasting
77 votes
Sillage
Leading answer Strong
99 votes
Character
Leading answer Traditionally feminine
24 votes
Value perception
Leading answer Good value
17 votes
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Community reviews
3 reviews
Share what you noticed: opening, drydown, sillage and the moments when it works for you.
Got it… Smells like a glamorous, very harmonious girl. Nothing extraordinary, but perfect for its low price. Bought it blindly for work and it exceeded my expectations. Great purchase.
Totally agree with Cristian! No oakmoss; it’s a sweet, fruity chypre with amber and musk that evokes 80s and 90s American perfumery. Potent, complex, and nuanced fragrances like White Diamonds or Escape, smelling of the American dream and luxury department stores. Catalist is that: a powerful, intrusive vintage perfume, a bit dated today. I tried it in a store where the owner, Macarena, gave it to me because it’s discontinued, and I love old-school scents. It’s an ‘explosive broth’ of flowers and fruits: gardenias, hyacinths, carnations, neroli, orange blossom, and peach, with a touch of soft bergamot, vanilla, deep cedar, amber, and musk. As it dries down, oakmoss mixed with patchouli emerges, even though it’s not listed. It lacks a clear evolution; it’s baroque, with chiaroscuro effects—somewhat vinegar-y, sweet, woody, green, and floral. It has a strong unisex vibe in the dry down. It leaves a monstrous trail, but paradoxically doesn’t last long: 3 or 4 hours, being outrageous for the first two and then fading gently.
I’m surprised there’s no oakmoss in the notes. It feels quite chypre at first, with lots of carnation, cedar, and bergamot. I don’t notice that floral and fruity sweetness it should have.