Deep dive into the notes
Explore notes and accords through their photographs. Search a name, filter by scent family, or discover the notes in our fragrances.
Lavender
Aromatic
A clean, herbal and slightly sweet aromatic.
Lavender oil, distilled from the flowers, is herbal, floral and camphorous. It is central to fougère fragrances and gives a fresh, calm and familiar character.
Sage
Aromatic
A herbal, slightly camphorous green note.
Sage oil smells green, herbal and lightly spicy. It adds an aromatic, refined freshness, often paired with lavender and woods.
African Marigold
Floral
A green, fruity-herbal flower note, also called tagetes.
Tagetes oil is distilled from African marigold. It smells sharp, green and almost apple-like with a herbal bitterness, and is used in small amounts to give florals a bright, slightly wild edge.
Aldehyde
Floral
Synthetic molecules that make a fragrance feel sparkling, clean and airy.
Aldehydes are aroma chemicals with a soapy, waxy, citrus or metallic shimmer. Used since the 1920s, they lift the opening of a perfume and give florals a luminous, powdery, ‘freshly laundered’ glow.
Almond
Gourmand
A soft, nutty sweetness close to marzipan.
The almond scent in perfumery usually comes from benzaldehyde, the same compound found in bitter almond and cherry pits. It adds a creamy, pastry-like warmth that pairs well with vanilla, tonka and florals.
Amber
Musky & ambery
A warm, resinous, slightly sweet accord rather than a single ingredient.
Perfumery amber is a blend, classically labdanum, benzoin and vanilla. It glows warm and powdery and gives depth and long-lasting comfort to the base of a fragrance. It is not the fossil resin of the same name.
Amber Wood
Woody
A dry, radiant woody-ambery note built from modern molecules.
Amber wood accords use synthetic woody-ambers that smell warm, slightly peppery and very diffusive. They add a clean, long-lasting woody glow and much of the power of many contemporary masculine fragrances.
Ambrette
Musky & ambery
A soft, plant-based musk with a pear-like warmth.
Ambrette comes from musk-mallow seeds. It is warm, musky and slightly fruity, and brings a natural, skin-like softness.
Ambrox
Musky & ambery
A molecule recalling ambergris: mineral, woody and skin-like.
Ambrox (ambroxide) was developed as a sustainable substitute for ambergris. It reads warm, dry and slightly salty, radiates far from the skin and is one of the longest-lasting materials in perfumery.
Angelica
Aromatic
A green, musky and slightly peppery root.
Angelica root oil smells earthy, herbal and faintly musky. It adds a fresh, gin-like lift to aromatic accords.
Anise
Spicy
A sweet, liquorice-like spice note.
Anise seed gives a cool, sweet liquorice facet, sharing its main aroma molecule, anethole, with star anise and fennel. It brightens openings and pairs naturally with almond, vanilla and woods.
Apple
Fruity
A crisp, juicy fruit note that adds freshness.
Apple is recreated with fruity esters and green notes, since the fruit cannot be distilled into a usable oil. It reads crunchy and sparkling in the top notes and softens sweeter, woody compositions.
Apricot
Fruity
A soft stone-fruit note with warm, velvety sweetness.
Apricot accords suggest ripe flesh, sometimes with a dried-fruit character. They add a rounded fruitiness to florals and can echo the apricot-like facets found in osmanthus.
Basil
Aromatic
A fresh herb note with green and spicy facets.
Basil oils vary with the plant's variety and chemistry. In fragrance they can give a leafy, aromatic effect with peppery or anise-like nuances, adding freshness to citrus and woods.
Beeswax
Animalic & leather
A warm, honeyed and slightly smoky wax.
Beeswax absolute smells like honey, hay and warm candles. It gives a rich, golden and faintly animalic depth.
Benzoin
Resinous & balsamic
A sweet, vanilla-like balsam resin.
Benzoin is a resin tapped from Styrax trees in Southeast Asia. It smells warm, sweet and slightly powdery, close to vanilla, and fixes and rounds the base of oriental and gourmand fragrances.
Bergamot
Citrus
A bright, slightly floral citrus, the classic opening note.
Bergamot oil is cold-pressed from the peel of a bitter citrus grown mainly in Calabria, Italy. Fresher and more floral than lemon, it opens countless colognes and gives sparkle to woody and amber fragrances.
Bitter Almond
Gourmand
A sharper, marzipan-like almond facet.
Bitter almond recalls amaretto and cherry stones. Built mainly on benzaldehyde, it has a crisp, nutty and slightly fruity edge that brings a gourmand, liqueur-like richness.
Black Cherry
Fruity
A dark, juicy cherry accord.
Cherry notes are created as accords combining fruity, almond and jammy facets. A ‘black’ cherry leans deeper and more liqueur-like, often paired with almond, rum or tonka.
Black Chocolate
Gourmand
A dark, bitter-sweet cocoa accord.
Chocolate notes combine cocoa absolute or extracts with gourmand molecules. A dark chocolate accord keeps the roasted bitterness of cocoa, which gives depth to vanilla and woody bases.
Black Orchid
Floral
A dark, opulent floral accord.
Orchids yield no usable fragrant oil, so ‘orchid’ notes are imaginative accords. Black orchid is usually rich and velvety, blending florals with fruit, spice and earthy facets.
Black Plum
Fruity
A ripe, jammy plum note.
Plum is an accord with a soft, dark and slightly boozy sweetness. It deepens chypre and oriental compositions and pairs well with rose, patchouli and spices.
Black Tea
Aromatic
A dry, smoky tea leaf note.
Black tea notes evoke fermented leaves: dry, slightly tannic, sometimes smoky or fruity. They add a refined, calm warmth and pair well with citrus, amber and woods.
Black Truffle
Green
An earthy, musky, slightly savoury note.
Truffle is reproduced as an accord with earthy, mushroom-like and animalic facets. Used in small doses it adds a dark, sensual depth to florals and woods.
Blackcurrant
Fruity
A tart, green fruit note with a sharp, leafy edge.
Blackcurrant (cassis) notes come from the buds and fruit; the buds smell green, fruity and slightly catty. They add a lively, juicy tartness to florals and fresh fragrances.
Blood Orange
Citrus
A juicy orange note with a sweet, tangy character.
Blood-orange oils and accords evoke the aromatic peel and fruit of blood oranges. They give a rounded citrus brightness; the colour of the fruit does not by itself define a perfume's exact scent.
Brandy
Gourmand
A warm, fruity and boozy spirit.
Brandy accords recall distilled wine aged in oak, with dried fruit and wood. They add a smooth, intoxicating warmth.
Brown Sugar
Gourmand
A deep, caramelised and molasses-like sugar.
Brown sugar is sweeter and darker than white sugar, with a toffee edge. It adds a cosy, edible warmth.
Buchu
Aromatic
A herbal South African leaf with a blackcurrant-mint facet.
Buchu oil is distilled from the leaves of a South African shrub. It smells minty, camphorous and fruity like blackcurrant, adding an unusual green brightness.
Burning Wood
Smoky
A smoky, charred wood accord.
Burning wood accords evoke a fireplace: dry, smoky and slightly sweet, usually built from smoky molecules, birch tar or cade with woody notes. They add intensity and a ‘campfire’ warmth.
Cannabis
Green
A green, herbal and slightly resinous accord.
Cannabis notes are accords that recreate the plant's green, herbaceous and slightly skunky aroma without using the plant itself. They add an earthy, rebellious edge.
Caramel
Gourmand
A cooked-sugar note with warm, toasted sweetness.
Caramel accords evoke browned sugar rather than raw sugar crystals. They can feel buttery or slightly burnt, adding depth to vanilla, nutty and other gourmand notes.
Cardamom Seed
Spicy
A fresh, aromatic spice with a eucalyptus-like coolness.
Cardamom oil is distilled from the seeds of the cardamom pod. It is both warm and fresh, slightly citrusy and camphorous, and brightens woody and oriental compositions.
Carrot Seed
Aromatic
An earthy, woody note with an iris-like softness.
Carrot seed oil is distilled from wild carrot seeds. It smells earthy, slightly sweet and powdery, and is often used to support or imitate the costly scent of iris root.
Cashmeran
Musky & ambery
A soft, woody-musky molecule with a velvety feel.
Cashmeran is a synthetic material evoking cashmere: musky, woody, slightly spicy and powdery. It adds a cosy, skin-like softness and helps blend the base.
Castoreum
Animalic & leather
A leathery, smoky animal note, today reproduced synthetically.
Castoreum historically came from beaver glands. Modern perfumery uses synthetic or plant-based replacements that give a leathery, slightly smoky and birch-tar warmth.
Cedarwood
Woody
A dry, clean, pencil-shaving wood.
Cedarwood oils come mainly from Virginia and Atlas cedar. They are dry, woody and slightly smoky, and form the backbone of many masculine and woody fragrances.
Cherry
Fruity
A juicy fruit accord with an almond-like edge.
Cherry accords combine fruity sweetness with facets recalling the fruit's stones. They can suggest fresh cherries, syrup or liqueur, depending on the surrounding materials.
Cherry Syrup
Fruity
A sweet, syrupy cherry accord.
A cherry syrup accord pushes the fruit towards candy and liqueur, with almond and jammy sweetness, often paired with rum and tonka.
Chestnut
Gourmand
A sweet, roasted, nutty note.
Chestnut accords recall marrons glacés: roasted, sugary and slightly earthy. They give gourmand fragrances a warm, cosy and edible quality.
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