Violet is a perennial flower with a sweet, powdery perfume that features a slightly fruity, floral scent. Perfumers associate its smell with romance, delicacy, and softness, making it a key ingredient in feminine and botany-inspired perfumes. Today, violets are commonly used in aromatherapy and perfumery, as well as a natural remedy for respiratory or skin…
Myrrh is a gum resin renowned for its oriental, resinous smell that ranges from woody to medicinal. Depending on the distillation process, myrrh can occasionally emit a citrus perfume with smokey hints. This uniquely scented compound has been utilized in medicine, spirituality, and some of the most iconic perfumes, including Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior….
Lavender is distinctive for its light, fresh floral scent, and aromatic herbal notes. Depending on the exact variety of lavender, the fragrance can range from sweet and mild to rich and spicy. The unmistakable aroma of lavender and its soothing properties make it a staple of perfumery and aromatherapy. Whether it’s used to adorn herb…
Have you ever taken a walk through an evergreen forest? If you have, you might have an idea of how cedarwood smells. If you haven’t, true cedar features a camphoraceous top note with a woodsy, balsamic undertone, while red cedar mostly smells like a freshly sharpened pencil. Unlike most fragrance ingredients, cedarwood, or rather, cedarwood…
Imagine the scent of uncut grass on a warm day. Are you getting some dry, earthy scent notes? Well, that’s practically how vetiver smells. It features a dry, earthy, leathery, woodsy, and smoky aroma. The herb dates back to the early 1800s when it was first introduced into the French perfume world. In India, vetiver…
Tonka bean is a prized ingredient in the perfume world for its sweet odor with vanilla-like characteristics. But unlike the complex vanilla, tonka features a more neutral tone reminiscent of cinnamon spice, toasted almonds, and cloves. Its perfume history began when the French people discovered the vanilla-like and sensual aroma of the tonka beans harvested…
Ambroxan is a modern synthetic compound with a sweet, woody, and musky smell that lasts long on the skin. However, others find the aroma smooth and salty, like the aroma of the ocean. One of the fascinating parts of perfumery is building and blending different perfume scents to make something new. For many perfumers, the…
Oakmoss is a beloved base note in the perfume world for its strong, woody, earthy aroma. An oakmoss scent feels like walking through a wet forest of mossy trunks. The use of essential oil extracted from oak tree moss in perfumery dates back to the 12th century. It’s an essential, unique scent in the chypre…
Frankincense is a woody, oriental-scented resin used in perfumery and aromatherapy for thousands of years. Known for its connection with spirituality, frankincense also often figures in religious and spiritual rites. The frankincense smell resembles spices and red pepper, with subtle hints of citrus and even honey. It’s often mixed with rosemary, sage, geranium, and myrrh…
Amber might sound like a familiar scent, but it’s probably one of the most complicated fragrances to describe since it’s a combination of different scents. It can be warm and slightly sweet, musky and rich, or even powdery and spicy. The thing is, unlike other plant-extracted fragrances, amber is considered a “fantasy” scent in perfumery….