guide to perfumery

Introduction

This page is information combined from various articles, blog posts, and wiki guides, all in one place to be easily read and followed. It should explain everything from the basics of perfume to different concentrations, wearing, testing, buying, notes, recommendations, and so on.Perfumery is a special interest of mine! I have always been interested in plants / natural materials, chemistry, and fragrance, especially smell memories.Perfume doesn't have to be generic, expensive or headache-inducing.It's a matter of research, reviews, and sampling to find a perfume that fits you and your style. It may feel daunting, but this guide will try to help you.

Intro to Perfumery

What Perfume is Made Of

Definition of "perfume" - a mixture of either essential oils, aroma compounds (fragrance oils, aromachemicals), and a fixative, usually in a liquid form, though it can also be in a waxy, solid form, or in roll-on oil.So, either an alcohol or oil "carrier" (base), mixed with natural and/or synthetic materials, with those materials typically in oil form. Once you apply perfume, the carrier will then fade (like alcohol evaporatating, or oil blending with your skin) and leave behind the scent.

A perfume can be made of "natural" and/or "synthetic" material - natural material is made from extractable plant matter, like leaves, wood, flowers, seeds, roots. Examples of natural ingredients are absolutes, highly concentrated essence of plant matter, essential oils which are volatile oils of the plant's aroma. Essential oils do have a mixed reputation, when a genuine use for them is for scent purposes, as long as it's diluted safely. Not all scents can be extracted via essential oils or absolutes. This is why synthetics are important!Many scents (as in - the notes listed in a perfume, like "strawberry" or "cedarwood") are recreated synthetically. And that is not a bad thing - perfume isn't bad because it is synthetic. Almost all perfumes are made with some synthetic materials. Usually known as aroma chemicals, duplicate chemicals of known scents that may occur naturally or isolated from the natural source, OR it is a completely synthetic note as it is impossible to extract it from nature - like the smell of rain, the smell of leather, and many fruit notes are impossible without synthetics. Sometimes it takes a blend of multiple synthetic materials to create a familiar scent.These aroma chemicals (as well as natural materials of course) are also the same ones used to scent candles, bath products, cleaning supplies, etc. Without synthetics, perfume would not only be more boring but also very difficult and more expensive to create. They also help a perfume last longer as some natural materials are weak and fade faster than synthetic counterparts.Many expensive and/or endangered natural materials are recreated synthetically - like oud (also known as agarwood) and palo santo. Animal-based scents like civet, deer musk or ambergris, are now synthesized to become vegan.We'll talk more about these materials later, just know that synthetic is not a bad thing. A perfume smells synthetic BECAUSE of the quality of materials used, not because it IS synthetic. A perfume can smell realistic and natural but be made of mostly or all synthetics. Later on this page I'll give examples of some popular aroma chemicals.You may hear the term "notes" and individual ones will be explained later on but it is important to know that - notes are used for marketing purposes, and are NOT the actual ingredients. Notes are listed to explain what a perfume smells like, envisioned by the creator of the perfume. This does not mean it actually contains the material of that note. In cases of mostly natural or all-natural perfumery, only then can it reflect the actual materials used.For example a perfume's notes may list: sweet orange, jasmine, cedarwood. The sweet orange and cedarwood may be a blend of various "citrus" and "woody" like scents that come together to smell like that blend while "jasmine" may be both real jasmine extract as well as some additional synthetic white floral and green notes. Of course, there is not way to know for sure - that's why you should take "notes" with a grain of salt and as respect of the perfumer's vision and not an actual ingredient list.Perfume is designed by a perfumer. This perfumer could be the owner of the brand, or hired by a brand to create a scent. They may or may not be credited publicly. Examples of brands that credit its perfumers are Zoologist and Frederic Malle - you will see the listed perfumer on the product pages and such. Brands like Tom Ford are not actually made by Tom Ford himself - they are hired by the brand to create specific scents.

Alcohol, Oil, Solid?

Perfume is most commonly made with alcohol, in liquid form, that is sprayed.Perfume can also be made and sold in "solid" form, kind of a waxy/fatty oil. It's in a similar texture to lip balm, usually in a metal or glass tin.Rollerball/roll on, oil perfume is in a small tube with a rollerball. You typically roll it onto your pulse points. Similar to applying a body oil. (More information about wearing perfume later!)These are all up to personal preference, especially how you choose to wear perfume. Solid & oil perfume can be more affordable options and can be carried around more easily than liquid, though can only be applied onto skin, and solid perfumes usually don't last as long. Liquid perfume can be applied to more of your body (like sprayed in your hair) and your clothes.

Perfume is Subjective

To you a perfume can smell different than to someone else. A great example is Le Labo's Santal 33. Described with notes of sandalwood, leather, papyrus, and iris. Except, to more people than you would think, it smells like dill pickles. Another example is Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Baccarat Rouge 540, arguably one of the most popular perfumes along with Santal 33. It's a woody, amber, spicy scent, but to some people, it smells like bandage gauze or dentist offices, or it smells no different to Ariana Grande - Cloud.Reading reviews can help give you a rough idea of a scent. For example - is a specific rose perfume more powdery and soft, or lush and green? Is a leather perfume more rough, rugged leather or like a leather purse? Is a scent a tart fruity or a sweet fruity? Reading reviews on it may help you choose a perfume to sample. But it is up to your own nose to form a final opinion. Just because someone says a perfume smells like burning rubber or old dill pickles to them, it could be your favorite smell in the world...That's why it's important to test and sample before ever "blind buying" a bottle of perfume.

Why I like Perfume (and made this guide)

Perfume is my special interest. I enjoy smells of everything like soaps, candles, real-life plants and of course perfumes. I was sort of lost on how to get into perfume when I was on a search for the perfect perfume. I haven't actually found that yet... but I have found a lot of interesting, weird, and amazing perfumes through research and sampling. Hopefully this guide will give you a place to start and answer questions about perfume.

Indie, Niche, and Designer Perfumes

Some of these may be up for debate by people in perfume community. They are mainly just terms within the community to label specific perfumes and are subjective. I found that most people agree with these definitions:Designer perfumes are made by an established designer brand (a brand that primarily creates other things like clothing and jewelry, and may sell fragrance as part of the brand). Examples include Chanel, Tom Ford, Dior, YSL, Prada. These are perfumes you will most likely find in department stores or major clothing stores. You can visit most department stores (Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales) or beauty supply stores (Ulta Beauty, Sephora) and try samples of designer perfumes.Niche often means it is a brand that makes perfume primarily - maybe other products second (like candles, body products, usually scented stuff). Niche does not always mean indie (it can be a large, expensive brand doing niche), but indie almost always means niche. Niche perfumes are much harder to try in person (you may have to order samples online), but Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's started selling some niche brands. Some niche brands include Byredo, Creed, Diptyque, Frederic Malle, Serge Lutens, Profumum Roma, Nasomatto, DS & Durga, Etat Libre D'Orange.Indie means a smaller, independently owned brand. Indie usually means niche perfumes as well, just made by a smaller company or maybe even one person. Examples of some indie niche brands are Zoologist, Imaginary Authors, Strangers Parfumerie, Kerosene, Sixteen92, Lvnea, Solstice Scents, Hendley, Hexennacht, Firebird, Olo, Laromatica, Olympic Orchids. They are difficult to find in store, but sometimes smaller stores will carry local indie brands.Within niche, indie, designer perfumes, quality and price can vary greatly. They can be cheap or they can be expensive. They can smell more synthetic or more natural. They may use lower quality materials, or high-quality ones as well. The labels niche and designer don't mean much but some people feel strongly about one or the other. Designer perfumes can be cloying and synthetic smelling and mass-pleasing. A designer can also release a scent that's totally avant-garde and weird and fresh. A niche brand can release scents in small batches with high-quality ingredients and unique smells, a niche maker can make only simple, linear scents that smell cheap and synthetic, and weak.

In perfume communities, one of those most popular fragrances is Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Baccarat Rouge 540. It costs 195 USD for 35ml, $625 for 200ml. Funny enough - most people will think you are wearing Ariana Grande's Cloud - 65 USD for about 100ml - and I see people complaining about being asked they are wearing Cloud and not their fancy MFK perfume! Most people won't know you are wearing a fancy, expensive perfume. Go for what matters to you, and smells good to you. There are also cheap dupes of popular perfumes that smell almost identical - I'll talk about these later under where to buy perfumes.Expensive DOES NOT mean higher quality. Most perfumes are made with same or similar chemicals, from indie to expensive designer perfumes. A perfume Is really only worth high expense if made from expensive, natural material, like real Oud or Oakmoss.

Top, Middle, Base Notes Explained

The "perfume triangle" / "fragrance pyramid" refers to top notes, middle notes, base notes of a perfume, imagined in the shape of a pyramid. Some website descriptions of perfumes may mention these terms. It is sort of a marketing term, but perfumers will use it to describe and explain their own creations.Top notes, the top of the pyramid, are what you smell first. They are also some of the first notes to disappear over time. These are typically citrus or light green scents, since those are weaker. They make a first impression of a fragrance.Middle notes, or heart notes are the bulk of the perfume's scent. This is what you may smell the most, especially over time especially during the drydown - the end of a fragrance. This can be flowers, spices, darker green notes, and fruits.The base usually adds depth or can be a background to the perfume. And once the top and middle notes are gone, you may only smell the base. You can smell it the whole life of a perfume but will be most strong towards the end of the perfume's life. This is typically wood notes like cedarwood or sandalwood, vanilla, amber, resins, musk.Perfume is not always linear. Some may be. Some perfumes are complex and made of many ingredients and notes, so as time passes, some of these notes will leave, and other notes will be left behind, changing the perfume.Not all perfume follows this triangle, but many do, especially mainstream perfumes. It is not required for perfume, but it helps make a perfume more complex.

Image by me

Perfume Concentrations

and, what IS "Cologne" anyways??

So you may heard of these terms - Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Parfum. What do they mean? And is Cologne perfume for men?

"In 1708, Farina wrote to his brother Jean Baptiste: "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Eau de Cologne, in honor of his new hometown."

Eckstein, Markus; Sykes, John (2009). Eau de Cologne: Farina's 300th Anniversary

Cologne originally was a light, fresh concentration of perfume with oils of citrus fruits and aromatics. Cologne is now used in western perfumery as "men's perfume". It's all perfume regardless. A lot of this is marketing.These terms can be used in marketing to show the concentration of aromatic compounds (fragrance) in a perfume. A certain perfume may be sold in two different concentrations - and it may be a completely different formula. A perfume does not actually have to follow these rules, it's just a general idea of what the label wants you to know. Niche perfumes are more likely to be in Parfume concentrations.

  • Parfum: 15–40%

  • Eau de Parfum: 10–20%

  • Eau de Toilette: 5–15%

  • Eau de Cologne: 3–8%

Some people swear by stronger concentrations, and this may be true for natural perfumes. If you want a perfume to be strong and long-lasting, it may be worth looking for a higher concentration.

Perfume Performance Explained

  1. Longevity: how long a scent lasts on your skin and/or clothes

  2. Projection: how far away someone can smell a scent on you. If it's super close to your skin, this is usually called a skin scent.

  3. Sillage: the trail of a perfume scent left behind when you move around.

A perfume can be rated based on these categories. To some, they couldn't care less - to others, it can be the decided factor I they buy a perfume or not even if they love the smell.

Does longevity really matter? It depends on your personal preference. Some people refuse to wear a perfume that lasts more than a few hours. Some are fine with a perfume lasting under 2 hours. Under 2 hours is considered very weak for a perfume - but this can be just fine if you want to wear a perfume for a couple of errands - but also a bummer if you want to wear your favorite scent for a long night out, but it's gone by the time you get to the event.Projection and Sillage are also personal preferences. Smaller projection / skin scents are great if you work in an office setting. Louder projections are great for parties, clubs, walking around town.

What Makes a Perfume Last?

  1. Concentration: higher concentrations (15% or higher) may last longer than a weaker concentration (under 15%)

  2. Quality of ingredients: expensive does not always mean longer-lasting. Quality does - and you can find high quality in designer, niche, or indie. There are expensive, over 100 USD perfumes that last under 2 hours.

  3. Types of ingredients: certain ingredients don't last as long - remember the pyramid, where citrus notes are first? They don't last as long as say, vanilla or wood.

  4. Climate / weather / temperature: This has more of an effect on longevity than you would think!

  5. Synthetic and natural: Synthetic materials may last longer than natural.

List paraphrased from r/fragrance's wiki page under PERFORMANCE: Longevity, Projection, Sillage, Formulas, Ingredients.

How do I make a perfume last longer?

Spraying more won't really help - it just makes it smell stronger, but not last long, since it will evaporate all the same. Applying an unscented lotion to your skin or vaseline and spraying in that spot can help a perfume last longer, but not for every perfume. Wearing on clothes can make a perfume last longer as it won't be sweat off like on skin.

How to Wear Perfume & Skin Chemistry

Applying Perfume

If not testing perfume and going right to wearing it, it's actually up to personal preference. Everyone wears it a little differently, and it can vary based on the actual perfume. Some perfume I may spray on neck, arms, and shirt, some perfumes I may ONLY spray on my clothes because I don't like how it interacts with my skin chemistry.Where to apply perfume and when? Typically you want to apply perfume to a pulse point - which is where the perfume will be warmed up the most, which can release more of the scent.

  1. Wrists - This is a common spot for perfume - though be warned it can be washed off easily! If I'm testing a perfume I'll usually apply it here since it's easy to remove if I don't like it.

  2. Inner elbow - this is my preferred place because it can't be washed off as easily as wrists, but has a similar effect. This is great not only for spray perfumes but solid/oil.

  3. Neck Another common spot - but when applied close to your nose, you are more likely to go "nose blind" to your perfume! Spraying away from your nose - like your lower torso or arms, means you can smell it more likely throughout your day. Neck is a good spot if you want it more close to you. Some people do arm + neck.

  4. Behind the Ears similar to wearing on your neck

  5. Knees, behind the Knees as you walk, will really move these scent around.

  6. Hair it may not last as long sprayed in your hair, though

  7. In the Air and Walked Through I've heard mixed things about this method - you may lose a lot of the spray, and that's not great if it's an expensive perfume.

  8. Clothes perfume will smell different on skin versus clothes. I will include both skin + clothes contact so there is a variety in the smell!

  9. These are just a few examples! You can find more ideas from this forum thread

But how much? Once again, personal preference + individual perfume. Weaker perfumes may be sprayed more, strong perfumes should be sprayed less. This might take some experimentation. Spray 1-2 sprays and walk around a bit, ask another person how you smell. If they say it's weak, add more. Now you know how much to wear from then on with that certain perfume.

Layering Perfume

Can I wear more than one? Absolutely, this is known as layering perfumes. You can experiment with scents and find a unique combination. I recommend spraying two different perfumes on a tester/blotter paper first and see if you like the combination.

Skin Chemistry

In perfume communities, you'll hear "skin chemistry" a lot. This is a marketing term. It doesn't have anything to do with actual chemistry. There are arguments about whether or not perfume DOES actually smell different on different people, but you will hear a lot of personal stories of certain perfumes going "sour" on their skin, smelling vastly different while on them versus on a partner, etc. People DO smell different from each other naturally without the addition of perfume. If it is true, it has more to do with hormones, body temperature, diet, dry versus moisturized skin, and possibly some other factors.I have personally experienced perfume smelling differently on me and another person, but from a distance, it should smell as intended, but I think that up close, smelling closer to the skin, it will have more nuance. So what this means is: you may love the way something smells on someone else, wear it, and it smells different - it may be a factor of it being up close, interacting with your body temperature at the moment, and what your nose happens to perceive. Give a perfume another try on another day to see if it still smells "off" - it could have been any of the factors.

Removing Perfume from your Skin

If you applied a perfume but realized you don't like it - or dislike it so muchyou need to remove it asap, the easiest way is to just wash it off with soap and water. (This is why you test on your wrist, much easier to remove that way.) HOWEVER, sometimes perfume is too strong to remove with just soap.Some methods to remove a scent (just try one at a time! not all of them!! Whichever is easiest for you)

  1. Dipping a cotton swab/ball into witch hazel or isopropyl alcohol and wiping the area, then wash it off with soap and water

  2. Make a paste of baking soda + water, rubbing it on the area and wash it off with soap and water

  3. Rub olive oil on the area and wash it off with soap and water

  4. Use a skin gentle dish soap, then wash with normal soap and water

Getting into Perfume

Finding Perfume

Perfume may seem like a daunting hobby as it involves a lot of smelling, testing, sampling. It can be surprisingly accessible, even cheap or free to get into perfume hobby.The best place to start is to visit perfume counters or stores in person. Nowadays, department stores like Nordstorm and Bloomingdales and beauty supplies stores like Sephora have been stocking more and more niche or interesting perfumes. I was surprised to see them carry brands like Byredo, Creed, etc but it makes sense as the popularity of these is rising. Macy's and Ulta will carry the more typical designer stuff. This is directed more towards those in the US, I am not familiar with beauty and department stores in other countries, but under Buying Perfume I'll have Global, UK, and Europe options.You might know what you are looking for, or you may not know at all. The best place to start is in person. People working at counters can be very helpful (yes, they are trying to sell you something and market to you, but some people may genuinely be interested in perfumery and can help answer questions or make recommendations.) By testing different perfumes you will slowly discover the genres you are into. Maybe you think you want a vanilla perfume, but you discover you love anything with fig/fruity notes. Experimenting is the best way to discover this.Before ever buying a perfume...
At perfume counters you may be able to test yourself or ask someone to spray for you. If you see tester strips out and no one around, feel free to help yourself! You can also spray yourself with any of the perfume tester bottles.Please note that perfume may smell very different on paper versus your skin, and overtime. I'll talk about this throughout this whole guide.Spraying on a piece of paper is just one way of experiencing a perfume. Try not to rush into buying a perfume even if you immediately like it. Try asking for a sample to take home. Employees will be happy to hand out samples, or even make you one if no official ones are available. This is especially true at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. Some places may not offer samples like beauty supply stores, but it never hurts to ask. You can go around and collect as many free samples as you want. This is one of the easiest, and basically free ways to experience perfume. You can then experiment with the samples at home. Before ever buying a perfume, try wearing it for a day and see what you think.Any other perfume you find interesting, take note of, write it down. You can look up perfume online and find out the notes of each. Maybe you find a note you enjoy across the samples - take note of that. This can be helpful for finding new perfumes. Through testing, I found really enjoyed juniper and gin-like notes, so I kept note of that for any recommendations of similar perfumes.- - -Doing research online...
Maybe you already know what you are into (you KNOW you want something citrus, but looking for something specific.) or you found out through testing. Now you can do some online research. You can find articles online listing different perfumes under a certain category - like "Best Citrus perfumes for Summer 2022!" Next time you are out, you can seek them to try in person, or if you are okay with it, ordering a sample.Online communities dedicated to fragrance are honestly even better.
Use review sites / databases like Parfumo, Basenotes, Fragrantica. these are perfume databases where you can search and sort perfumes, not just by name, category, but also specific notes. Here you can look up a certain note on Fragrantica and learn more about it and see examples. You can also search a combination of notes to try to find your dream perfume (but it's not perfect, since things can smell more complicated than their described notes.) I've found a lot of perfumes just by browsing Fragrantica, reading reviews, combining notes together, looking up similar perfumes, etc.
Get advice from forums and online communities. Fragrantica, Basenotes, and r/fragrance subreddit all have dedicated forum sections to asking for perfume advice and recommendations. Every 3 days, r/fragrance has a "Recommend Me A Perfume" post. Fragrantica and Basenotes have sections for newcomers to perfume where you can ask for the perfume of your dreams. Think of what you want to ask - what you are looking for. You can see other comments as examples.

Other Advice When Selecting Perfumes

  1. Don't limit yourself to what you know you like. You may find yourself surprised. Maybe you are dead set on vanilla perfumes and don't like anything "green". But you may be missing out on something new and exciting. It's one thing when you are buying a lot of samples and it adds up so you want to stick to what you know - but if you are in store, give new things a try. If you are offered free ones, use that as an opportunity to experiment a little.

  2. Look it up once you do find a perfume, especially on community perfume review sites. You'll find information like people voting on its best season, its projection, longevity, and if it's worth the price. You'll see its notes in detail, written reviews, and similar perfumes.

  3. But always trust your own nose first. You may be swayed by people saying a perfume smells weird, off, bad. PERFUME IS SUBJECTIVE. Perfume I absolutely adore tends to be less mass appealing, so it gets more mixed reviews. Some reviews are more honest, like about a perfume's longevity or projection. But someone saying a perfume smells like cat pee or like pickles is subjective. Some people are weird and cranky about certain smells and vent about them in reviews.

  4. Consider season and climate. This has a greater effect on perfume than you would think. Hot, humid weather makes perfume project more. If you live in a cold, dry climate, it may be harder to wear certain perfumes.

  5. What are you using this perfume for? Date nights? Work? Running errands? Everyday? Special occasions?

  6. Consider your occupation depending on where you work, consider the right perfume in terms of scent family, strength/projection, and longevity.

Perfume Brands List

This is an incomplete list of perfume brands. There are many, many, others, especially countless indie and smaller brands. This list is ALSO biased - I picked ones I personally have had SOME experience with. Use it to discover some new brands, but do look outside of this list when you can.

Testing Perfume

Perfume will smell different on your skin versus on a tester paper. Just remember this before you begin testing perfume.Testing on a strip is a great way to get a general idea of a scent before you apply on your skin. But you should always test on your skin BEFORE buying, even if you love how it smells in the air, on a tester paper, etc. It can and WILL most likely change, not only directly on your skin, but over time.

If you order samples online, you'll then be testing at home.
See buying samples for where to buy samples online.

Testing in Store

  1. If you visit a store you are free to sample and try perfumes. Spray on a provided paper tester strip or blotter paper. Try not to spray too much so that the paper appears wet. If it does, it will need to dry longer.

  2. Wave in the air so that the alcohol can evaporate - or else it may smell like alcohol.

  3. Smell it - if you are wearing a mask, you should be able to place it under your mask, or smell it over it on top of your nose. If you need to, step outside so you can smell it without a mask.

  4. Give it a few tries - you may notice some new things with each smell.

  5. Important to remember : Perfume will smell different on paper versus on your skin. Even if you feel unsure about a perfume, try it on your skin. It may also change over time.

  6. If you like it - you can spray it on you, just ask first, but most testers especially ones you can test yourself you can just spray on yourself. Spray on a small part of your arm.

  7. You can also ask for a sample, but depending on the place, you may not be able to get one. If you can't get a sample, rely on spraying on your skin.

  8. Walk around, spend the rest of your day smelling your arm when you can. If you love it, then you can buy it, or find a decant online if it out of your budget. If you are unsure, try it another day or look for something similar if you like the concept of the scent.

Testing at Home

  1. Depending on the type of sample - it may be a spray sample, or it may be a "dabber" sample. Dabber sample is a small vial without a nozzle. Instead, you can open the dabber, the lid should be attached to a plastic stick. If you are struggling to open a sample dabber, what I do is gentle "bend" it at the cap until it slides out.

  2. Wave the plastic stick of the dabber in the air for a few seconds to dry it before smelling it. If you like it or wouldn't mind applying to your skin...

  3. Dip the dabber back into the perfume and apply it to a small spot on your arm. A perfume will smell much different on plastic, in the air, versus on your skin.

  4. If a spray sample - I recommend getting a pack of paper tester strips. These are easily found online. You can then spray a perfume on a tester strip - wait for it to dry. Wave it in the air or leave it on a table and come back in a minute.

  5. If it's a plastic secondhand spray bottle, not an official brand sprayer, I strongly advise you NOT to smell the nozzle/cap. This is because mass produced plastic bottles sold and used as sprayers MAY have an odd fishy smell. It will not affect the liquid of the perfume, but may be offputting if you smell it. First experience with that, I thought I was given a fake liquid perfume sample!

  6. Smell the tester strip as normal - if you like it, spray the sample on yourself.

  7. Go for a walk, run errands, work at home and see how you like the scent change over time.

  8. If you like - hold on to it. Write it down. Try it on another day. You may change your opinion, or find something new. Even if it's an incredible smell, your taste may change!

  9. If you are SURE you love it - then you can buy it. HOWEVER, I do recommend looking into alternate ways of buying perfume, like buying decants, dupes, grey market. See my buying guide on this! You don't need to buy a full bottle to enjoy perfume.

Things to Consider When Trying

When you smell perfume - don't think just how you LIKE it or not. Take notice of any notes that interest you - do you like how spicy it is? Do you like the fresh, citrus scent over the heavy, vanilla, wood one? What does it remind you of? Give it a few tries.Early on in my perfume hobby, I was dead set on finding a "pine forest" perfume. I ended up tunnel visioned - I ignored anything that wasn't "pine" enough. I ended up missing out on a lot of great and unique perfumes - I went back to try them and was able to appreciate them, especially over time as my nose became more refined and I could tell notes apart easier, enjoy more strange notes and smells, or perfume categories I thought I didn't like before.

Training Your Nose
& Describing a Perfume's Scent

Experience smell not just through perfume, but around you. Next time you are at the store, smell all the candles. You may be surprised at "Amber", or the difference between Birch, Mahogany, and Cedar. You may notice one vanilla smells more realistic than another. You may find yourself really liking the smell of a Basil, Lime, Mandarin candle and want a perfume like it.At the grocery store, take note of the smells of the fruit. The herbs at a farmers market. Go on a walk in your neighborhood in the morning when it's foggy. Notice how green and dewy it smells, versus late in the afternoon in the warm sun, especially near rosemary or lavender bush or some dry green grasses. Smell essential oils and soaps at a store. Smell the bark of a tree, the petals of a flower or the plants in a nursery. Smell a leather jacket or a leather wallet. Wood furniture, cotton blankets. Bags of soil and rubber and metal tools in a hardware store. Over time you will be able to describe scents better and understand what the notes are in a perfume. Never knew what sandalwood or patchouli smelled like? Now you might after smelling bath products or essential oils or candles.

Describing A Scent

This is taken directly from r/fragrance's wiki page as I thought it was perfect.

"Smells -- Recognizing and Naming ThemMost fragrance accords are analogs of smells in the world (though some, like jewels, are imaginary). It's easy to become conscious of the smells of things in your daily life -- in the bathroom, bedroom, your workplace, hospital, airport, hardware store, library. Your bedsheets and towels, wood of your deck or chair; burning wood, books, paper, electronics, supermarket or kitchen items (baked goods, candy, food extracts, fresh fish and shellfish, spices, cheeses, coffee, chocolate, nuts, butter, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs); your hair and skin, personal products.You can begin by identifying smells you never noticed or relegated to the background -- water, fresh or air conditioned air, light bulbs, tires, roads, vinyl, rain, snow, frigid air, musty air, animals, car exhaust, mud, soil -- and all the flora and green growing things around you.How Does It Smell?Does it smell sweet, sour, green, synthetic, tangy, tart, piercing, searing, soft, mediciny, camphorous, salty, heady, creamy, buttery, peppery, boozy, funky (animal or human), citrusy, fruity, winelike, musky, bitter, herbal, sweaty, floral or like a common flower? Dusty, decaying, fermented, newly sprouted, grassy, or sweet like honey or a dessert? Like just washed clothes, solvent, piney, soapy, musky, etc.? Is it smoky like incense, cigarette smoke, burning wood, tobacco, or burning synthetics? Does it smell hot, warm, wet, dry, cool? Does the smell register as deep, medium or high toned? Dark or light? Heavy/dense/saturated or thin/light/pastel/translucent?These are most of the words I use to describe fragrances of perfume, wine, food, or whatever I smell. They are specific, common, and universally understood. Once you know something smells fruity, you can start specifying what fruit (apple, peach tomato) or type of fruity (tropical, sweet, tart, citrus). Woody? What kind? Sweet like marshmallow, caramel, maple syrup, Nutella, sugar? Fragrances concentrate and combine certain of these smells."

From r/fragrance's wiki page - "How Does It Smell? How to Describe a Perfume You Are Looking For in (mostly) Plain Language"

Buying Perfume

  1. Remember you can get free samples at places like Nordstrom if you ask! They may not always be able to give you some but it's good to try first before buying samples of designer perfumes online.

  2. You can also buy samples from places like Ebay, Mercari, or decanting sites

Warning about buying from Amazon: There are tons of unverified sellers and fake products. Always try to buy from an authorized retailer first - if you need to buy cheaper, try a well reputable grey market option, or buy secondhand through an online swap group.

Decants and "Dupes" - an Affordable Alternative

  1. Even if you really like a perfume, if its expensive, you have better options - like buying a decant or a duplicate, or secondhand.

  2. Decant is when a small amount of perfume is transferred from the official bottle, into a small plastic or glass sprayer. Usually in sizes from 2ml (like a sample size) 5ml, 10ml, 20ml, or more.) There are websites dedicated to pouring and selling samples, and you can find people on Ebay, Facebook Groups, swap forums, subreddits who sell decants. It's a good way to use a perfume for a while, more than a sample size, or an affordable alternate than buying full size perfume, especially when the perfume isn't available in a small or travel size.

  3. Duplicate are perfumes that are meant as a duplicate or inspired by official perfume. It's totally fine as long as the perfume labels itself as a dupe / inspired by. There are indie makers and small brands who are dedicated to making and selling duplicate scents - and not just limited to perfume, but other bath products. Some brands that sell duplicates are OilPerfumery, Alexandria Fragrance, Dossier, Oakcha, WickedGood, and various sellers on Etsy if you search around. They may not be exactly the same as official perfumes, but make a great option, especially if you don't want to support the original brand of perfume. Experiences DO vary - so be warned. It may or may not be close to the inspired scent. It may be lower quality. There's also secondhand, which you can read more about in this section.

Samples/Decants, may or may not ship globally

  1. Luckyscent they offer a lot of niche and indie brands and some designer. Downside - their samples are only dabbers, not spray. They also sell full bottles, if you buy a full bottle you can get some free samples of your choice.

  2. Ministry of Scent lots of niche and indie brands with samples are about 5 dollars each. carry a lot of my personal favorite brands. Other websites may carry same brands but you can get a spray sample for a better price here.

  3. Twisted Lily has more designer / popular options.

  4. ScentSplit decent range of brands and offers samples/decants

  5. Perfume Samples And Decants carries a lot of good niche brands, some I struggled to find on other decant sites

  6. Surrender to Chance one of the widest ranges of perfume samples and decants, even has some indie brands. They had some ones I couldn't find anywhere else

  7. The Perfumed Court like Surrender also has a huge range of brands and everything from designer to niche. I've bought from them a few times

  8. IndieScents sells indie and niche brands

  9. Ebay, Facebook groups, and similar secondhand sites. Some recommended Facebook groups are The Fragrance Guru Nation' & 'Fragrance Marketplace'.

  10. If you have a reddit account I highly recommend checking out r/fragranceswap and r/FragDecants (You have to have an account older than 30 days to post and buy.) I've had great experience buying decants from people on there, shipping fast and packaging nicely.

Where To Buy Full Bottles

Global, Official/Authorized Retail

  1. Luckyscent along with samples they sell fullbottles, you can get free samples if you buy a bottle as well

  2. IndieScents sells indie and niche brands (and samples)

  3. Tigerlily lots of niche and indie brands, also offers samples

  4. Sephora

  5. Neiman Marcus

  6. JCPenney

  7. Neiman Marcus

  8. Saks Fifth Avenue

  9. Ulta Beauty (only ships to NA)

  10. A lot of these places offer travel size or rollerball versions of perfume which is much more affordable!

  11. And of course, directly from brand websites or from indie makers!

  12. If you want a list of my recommended indie brands to buy from directly, you can find some in the link:

Grey Market*

  1. FragranceNet and FragranceX *a grey market option - much more affordable than buying from retailers. Just note - "At least 99% or more of their product is authentic. On rare occasions, something inauthentic may accidentally slip through and be shipped. If you think you received one, you have a return option." People within the perfume community do buy from them all the time with no problems.

  2. eBay of course be mindful of listings and deals that seem too good to be true. Check seller reviews and images of bottles. Do they sell mass listings for cheap? Avoid. A seller who seems to be selling their collection or decants for an expected price? Safer choice

  3. See next section on buying grey market perfume.

For UK and Europe

  1. See r/fragrance wiki's list here. I haven't personally used these of course, but just linking directly. The ones I listed above I am most familiar with.

Above lists referenced from r/fragrance wiki's page under 6. Where U Buy?

Buying Grey Market Perfume Safely

Here's a guide to buying perfume from grey market websites.

Do NOT buy perfumes from Amazon. There are tons of unverified sellers and fake products. Always try to buy from an authorized retailer first - if you need to buy cheaper, try a well reputable grey market option, or buy secondhand through an online swap group.

Storing Your Perfume

Perfume is actually fragile and susceptible to light, temperature, and moisture changes. Perfume DOES expire, but storing it properly will make it last for a very long time.Never keep your perfume in a bathroom
The humidity fluctuation can affect perfume.Never keep your perfume in direct light, even in a room
Keep it in a closet, drawer, in a box, etc.Never expose your perfume to very high tempurature
High temperatures can make perfume go bad. Keeping in a cool area is best.

Perfume Glossary

See accords and materials for more, this will just cover terms used in perfume community.

  1. Accord mixing more than 2 different notes / materials to create a familiar scent - for example, creating a leather accord, a mineral accord, or rain accord

  2. Anosmia loss of smell, either completely or certain notes. Can occur due to the flu, allergies, nasal polyps, or Covid

  3. Batch Codes Perfumes are created in batches and are numbered by code. This is really only important for specific perfumes, as people swear by quality by certain batches from the past, like Creed - Aventus.

  4. Barber Shop refers to a perfume with aftershave-like qualities, men's barber shop smells, usually fresh and aromatic and clean. Can be a bad thing or good thing, if you are into it.

  5. Beast Mode any scent that has powerful projection / sillage / longevity and strong notes to pair

  6. Blind Buy buying a full bottle of perfume without sampling / smelling it

  7. Cheapie an affordable / inexpensive perfume (typically under 50 dollars, but of course what is considered affordable is up to an individual)

  8. Cloying perfume that smells excessive, may make you nauseous or cause headaches, usually referred to strong sweetness

  9. Decant a siphoned small amount of perfume, anywhere from 3/5/10/30ml. This is a great option over buying full bottle retail perfume.

  10. DNA kind of like "art style", but in scent form. A certain perfumer or brands' recognizable style in the background or blend of notes, or commonly used ingredients across a brand.

  11. Dupe or Duplicate, a copy or inspired version of a popular perfume. Not to be confused with a scam necessarily - they are often advertised AS inspired.

  12. Fantasy Notes notes that are not possible in real material, created through accords. For example: soil, mineral, fog, solar notes. Usually referred to more abstract things (like, fog and solar/sun)

  13. Fixative a material ingredient in perfume that can help improve it's scent or make it last longer

  14. Flanker sort of a "sequel" to a specific released perfume, sharing similar notes, but may go in a different direction or theme, or may be a different concentration.

  15. Freshie/Fresh perfume with light notes, like citrus, green, herbs/aromatics, aquatic notes, simple light florals, etc.

  16. Jammy fruity, sometimes rose - fruity, or of course, like jam

  17. Juice another term for liquid perfume (has nothing to do with fruit notes)

  18. Lactonic milky notes

  19. Noseblind experiencing fatigue with certain perfumes or notes the more you smell them. Can be caused by wearing perfumes too close to your nose or too often. It's good to take breaks from perfume or spray in new places.

  20. Office Friendly perfumes safe for an indoor, closed, and close space. Obviously, this is subjective

  21. Scrubber a perfume so bad you wash it off your skin

  22. Soliflore perfume meant to smell like a singular flower but does not usually use notes of the actual flower, but accords designed to smell like it

  23. Splash Bottle perfume designed to be applied directly on skin, rather than sprayed

Perfume Accords & Scent Families Explained

Accords & Scent Families

An accord is a basic category of scent. It makes it easy to describe a fragrance - like sweet, smokey, woody. Some people use it differently than the traditional "scent families" which are terms with history, but honestly,I'm just combining them in one list for the average perfume enjoyed. So below is a list of categories, accords, and just commonly used descriptors all in one place.

  1. Chypre - a traditional category of French perfume. A fragrance built on but not limited to: bergamot, oakmoss, and labdanum. Fresh citrus and a woody, mossy base.

  2. Fougère - like Chypre, but lavender, coumarin and oakmoss. Herbacous and woody.

  3. Citrus now for more familiar terms... bright and fresh. Examples: Bergamot, Orange, Tangerine, Citron, Lemon, Lime, Yuzu

  4. Green smells like the color, really. May have fresh grass, leaves, tree-like scents, cucumber, grassy green herbs. Examples: Vines, Ferns, Galbanum, Cucumber, Mint, Grass, Fig Leaves

  5. Fresh can mean citrusy, green, aromatic, minty, etc!

  6. Aromatic herbal! green! Aromatic herbs. Examples: Mint, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Shiso, Cannabis

  7. Herbaceous grassy green and aromatic

  8. Sweet sugary scents. May have vanilla, caramel, sugar, fruit, candy notes.

  9. Gourmand like sweet notes. Edible, dessert like, usually with vanilla or tonka bean. Examples: Cream, Honey, Jelly, Candy, Butter, Caramel, Praline, Meringue, Marshmallow.

  10. Fruity fruits! May be sweet, may be aromatic, may be more green, or citrus.

  11. Mossy similar to green, but more moss/lichen leaning, and are sweet/earthy. Often paired with woody scents.

  12. Woody wood notes can vary greatly. From being warm and dry, creamy, like fresh-cut wood or pencils, to forest and pine trees. Examples: Agarwood, Birch, Pine, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Gaiac wood, Hinoki, Maple, Oak, Mahogany.

  13. Earthy smells of the earth, usually paired with wood and moss.

  14. Spicy made with spices. Examples: Clove, Cardamom, ANise, Cumin, Pepper, Saffron

  15. Incense material meant to be burnt - but think of traditional incense, the perfume may smell of it.

  16. Smokey smells of burnt wood, burnt leaves, burnt resins, ember, ash, campfire.

  17. Resins/Resinous Raw materials with a long history in perfumery. Examples: Benzoin, Copal, Labdanum, Myrhh, Frankincense.

  18. Balsamic sweet, soft, warm, resinous.

  19. Florals fresh cut flowers. May be dewy (like a fresh rose petal) or powdery (iris flowers, dried rose) Examples: Rose, Geranium, Iris, Violet, Lavender, Lilac, Magnolia

  20. Soft Florals more powdery than dewy.

  21. White Floral a specific subgroup in florals. Jasmine, Gardenia, Orange Blossom, Lily, Tuberose, Angel's Trumpet, Honeysuckle, Plumeria

  22. Aquatic smells cool and watery! First popularized by Davidoff's Cool Water.

  23. Oceanic / Marine similar to aquatic, but may have heavier salty and/or seaweed notes. Oceanic scents are aquatic, but aquatic does not always mean smelling like the sea.

  24. Animalic may be leathery, musky, "dirty". Examples of animalic notes are civet, white musk, castorem. Animalic notes are nowadays synthetic.

  25. Leather is a type of animalic. May not have animal-like notes but instead honey and tobacco to make you think of leather. Leather itself can be more like a leather jacket, a leather wallet, a leather purse...

  26. Musk another type of animalic. Originally from musk deer, now illegal to harvest and almost always synthetic. May be called "white musk". Can smell like warm fur, like warm skin, sweaty, funky, dirty.

  27. Boozy alcoholic notes are common in perfume. This could be gin, bourbon, whiskey, wine.

  28. Medicinal reminds you of medicine, like ointments, or like bitter herbs. Similar to camphorous.

  29. Soapy soapy / clean scents are fairly popular, meant to smell like soap!

  30. Weird / Synthetic perfumery isn't limited to the natural. What's amazing is the recreation of scents with synthetics. Some examples you may find in perfume (as surprising as it sounds): Tar, Asphalt, Ozonic/Air, Soil, Gasoline, Gunpowder, Latex, Metal, Plastic

Note that these are typically combined! Spicy wood, Fruity Gourmand, Aromatic Green, Citrus Floral, Aquatic Floral, Smokey Leather, etc!

Perfume Materials & Notes Explained

You may hear the term "notes" which will be explained later on but first - notes are used for marketing purposes are NOT ingredients. They are used to explain what a perfume smells like. This does not mean it actually contains the material. It just helps you understand what perfume is meant to smell like. It can reflect the actual materials used, however, if it is a natural perfume, but don't always assume a perfume is going to have sandalwood in it if it says sandalwood note. If the perfume is listed as natural or 100% natural then made of natural materials, like essential oils, extraits, etc.

"For a long time, the lily of the valley didn't exist in perfumery. Or to be precise, the "real" one, tangible, and for people that love to leave behind a scent, the scent of this flower couldn't be extracted neither by distilling nor extraction. It fell into the category of "silent" flowers, very odorant but too fragile to be able to bottle easily. A great deception for all composers of fragrances that would have loved to capture "Tinker Bell", even if it was only once.And then in 1908, it all changed with a beautiful molecule that changed everything: l'hydroxycitronellal. A note that recalls this flower, the real one, that we pick delicately, blooming, in the shades of the sun, a sunday in April, during a walk in the forest and not the one we offer to our mother in the morning a 1st of May (that doesn't smell even if we stick our nose within the flower)."

An extract from the book "Esprit de Synthèse" by Lionel Paillès.

Fantasy Notes

Some notes in perfumes aren't possible with real materials, which is why synthetic materials are so useful. For example - orchid. If a perfume has "orchid" listed as a note, it's actually made of other scents and compounds to make you think of an orchid. This is called a fantasy note.Some examples of common fantasy notes:

  1. Amber is a combination of vanillin (synthetic vanilla) and labdanum, You may see amber in a lot of scent descriptions for candles and body products. It is meant to smell warm and sensual.

  2. Leather you cannot extract leather like a plant material. Leather scent is created synthetically or through a blend of notes like tobacco, honey, etc

  3. Fresh Cut Grass is usually from triplal/ligustral

  4. Soil, Clay, Earth, Asphalt once again... you cannot extract these!!

  5. Blonde Woods / Cashmeran also known as 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-4h-inden-4-one. But, Blonde Woods is a lot catchier.

  6. Many fruit notes like watermelon, peach, strawberry! Watermelon/melon is usually from the use of calone

  7. Alcohol

  8. Water, Rain, Fire, Air, Ember, etc of course

Perfume Materials & Notes

I will still write out popular "notes" here and explain them based on scents and as if they were materials. If a certain note is a notable material (like, ambergris) I'll explain that along with the scent.What makes this list special though is that a lot of these can be used naturally in perfume, as in, they can be extracted from real materials.

  1. Agarwood, better known as Oud is one of the most expensive natural materials in the world (if of high grade), and has been used in perfumery since its beginning. Oud is a resin from the heart of the aquillaria tree, that has been infected by a particular fungus (and this change from the infection can take up to decades or hundreds of years). Aquillaria trees varieties are found in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, China, India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, etc. Depending on quality and species, the real smell of oud can vary from fresh to medicinal to warm and balsamic to deeply earthy and woody. Almost all "oud" in perfume is recreated synthetically - UNLESS the perfume is advertised as real oud, usually in niche & expensive indie perfumery.

  2. Aldehydes are organic compounds, which can be synthesized, but can be found naturally in some materials like citronella and rose. They can smell fatty, waxy, fizzy, metallic, or citrusy. Most perfumes contain aldehydes but some contain more or specific ones on purpose. More information about aldehydes here.

  3. Allspice dried and unripe berries from the pimento tree, that captures a blend of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, hence the name "allspice".

  4. Ambrette from the ambrette seeds of the musk mallow plant from India, is often used as a plant-based, natural musk alternative to animal musks.

  5. Ambergris a secretion from sperm whales, created in their digestion systems from squid beaks. What does this have to do with perfume? Well, it's been used in perfume historically. It has to be aged and then it is formed into an oil ingredient. It smells sweet, woody (sandalwood-like), musky/animalic, very complex and beloved. Of course - modern perfumes now are created with synthetic ambergris or a blend of notes to mimic it. It is not to be confused with Amber.

  6. Ambroxan synthetic Ambergris, and what you will find in MOST perfume labeled with an ambergris note. Is similar to the real thing, but just as complex and unique as it's own material. Warm, woody, velvet-y, salty, skin-like and musky. You might of smelled it in a perfume or candle before.

  7. Bergamot there are a lot of citruses used in perfumery, from sweet orange to bitter orange to blood orange, to lemon to lime, to bergamot and citron, to grapefruit to tangerine, to yuzu and bigarade... Bergamot is fairly common in perfume and traditional - it smells like an in between of orange and lemon. All of these are easy to extract and use in perfume naturally.

  8. Angelica a family of plants, it's oil is used in the liqueur Chartreuse - as it is bright green. In perfumery, it's green, musky, aromatic.

  9. Artemisia family of plants including mugwort, wormwood, and tarragon, bitter and used to flavor absinthe, and when used naturally, created bitter, green, herbal notes in perfume.

  10. Beeswax it's easy to make vegan perfume, though beeswax is the one major animal product used in perfume (aside from real animal musks, but those are often illegal and/or rare.) Natural perfumers rely on it as they are limited by ingredients, and beeswax can be a cruelty-free method of adding an animalic note. (Obviously depends on if your definition of cruelty-free includes small harvested beeswax or not.)

  11. Basil an aromatic note, heavily used in ancient Arabic perfumery

  12. Benzoin an oil of the balsam (known as balsam of tolu) tapped from the Santos mahogany tree, native to Southern Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. Smell sweet, spicy, ambery, and full.

  13. Black Currant, Cassis Cassis are the leaves of the Black Currant plant, and Black Currant often refers to the fruit. The fruit is sweet and tart, while the leaves are woody and animalic.

  14. Black Pepper is a very popular note in perfume, easy to use naturally, by taking dried peppercorns and crushing to be infused into oil. It pairs well with many common natural perfume notes.

  15. Blood Orange a citrus note that is more juicy, warm, and berry-like than other citruses.

  16. Calone if you ever smelled something labeled "sea breeze" or similar (regardless if it was soap or a candle or a perfume), you smelled likely smelled calone. It varies by formulation, but it can smell more sea-like, or closer to floral melon. A melon or watermelon note in perfume is almost always calone. Davidoff - Cool Water is a famous aquatic perfume that uses calone and started the aquatic trend.

  17. Camphor if you are familiar with the scent of mothballs or Vick's vapor rub, you are now familiar with "camphor" notes (sometimes called camphorous). The term camphor is used to describe these kinds of scents, but can also be an actual material extracted from the camphor tree.

  18. Cannabis has been trending as a note lately in perfumery, though won't make you smell like you smoked weed or anything like that. It usually means an herbal, earthy, grassy, maybe even slightly skunky/animalic note, so closer to fresh buds but lighter and blended in with other earthy notes. Cannabis Blue is a well-known perfume that utilizes a strong cannabis note.

  19. Castoreum an infamous perfume ingredient, deeply musky and almost fruity sweet, extracted from (killed) beaver anal scent glands. Almost always synthesized now (if you find it not synthesized... it's illegal.)

  20. Cardamom used in ancient Egyptian and Greek perfumery. An aromatic spice that is easy to distill, that comes in different varieties, like smokey earthy black (or known as nepal) cardamom or minty spicy green (or siam) cardamom.

  21. Cedarwood very commonly used base note - the best way to describe the wood of cedar scent - freshly shaven pencils. Or perhaps a wood sauna, without the nuance of the sauna... a very common ingredient in perfume as it is affordable and makes for a good base. Sometimes it is stronger and creates a soft, woody, resinous pencil-like nostalgia that many enjoy. There are different kinds of cedar with different variations in scent - popular ones being - Virginian Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) which is more dry, Atlas/Atlantic Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) more warm, and Texas/Mexican Cedar (Juniperus mexicana), also dry and woody. Cedarwood essential oils are easy to come by and a great way to experiment with minimalist notes.

  22. Chamomile can smell herbal and sweet, or German chamomile which is almost smokey when distilled.

  23. Cinnamon real cinnamon is restricted by the IFRA (which regulates and publishes guidelines of certain perfume ingredient usage) so it is often synthesized. If a perfume contains real cinnamon, it has to come with a warning label! This is due to it being so strong it may react to skin.

  24. Citrus see Bergamot, Blood Orange

  25. Clary Sage used in aromatherapy and for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years, an herbaceous scent with an almost lavender like note. The sage used in cooking is actually Dalmantion sage

  26. Coffee usually real, since it's so fragrant and easy to make into material. Coffee note can be freshly brewed or like coffee grounds, often blended with gourmand notes.

  27. Coumarin see Tonka Bean

  28. Cypriol / Nagarmotha essential oil of the Nargamotha plant, a deep, woody, leathery, pepper scent

  29. Fern fougère is a term in perfume to describe scents that are fern-like, made with lavender, oakmoss, coumarin. So, cool, mossy, green, shady. Fern is also a note and ingredient in perfume - the actual extraction of the fern scent is from its roots.

  30. Fig has been showing up in a lot of perfume lately! Either juicy and fruity, milky with green nuance, or green and woody, like its leaves and tree. A popular fig perfume is Philosykos, which smells like a whole tree.

  31. Frangipangi / Plumeria frangipani is the extraction of the Plumeira alba. Heady, waxy, white floral-y, gardenia like.

  32. Frankincense / Olbanum an aromatic resin from the trees of the genus Boswellia. Historically used as incense, religious ceremonies, and then perfumery. It is in many many perfumes not just as the scent, but as a fixative.

  33. Galbanum bitter, green, aromatic, slightly musky resin from plants of genus Ferula. Can smell bitter green, ambery-green, peppery and pine green, etc.

  34. Gaiac, Guaiac Wood a wood that's dry, hard, and almost a little peppery, sweet, and smokey. Has been gaining a bit more popularity in perfume.

  35. Immortelle has an almost sweet, dry floral scent, compared to hay or honey.

  36. Incense a quick, catch-all note descriptor that usually means frankincense or myrrh but with a smokey addition, though can cover a range of incense-related smells and levels of smokiness and spice and resin

  37. Indole an organic compound found in many flowers such as jasmine and orange blossom, but also naturally in human feces. When it's in small concentration, it has a heady floral quality, but higher amounts causes fecal odors. Because of this range, perfumes with high amount of indole can smell "dirty", "sweaty", "musky", not necessarily in a gross, BO way (but it can be if used poorly) or like sex.

  38. Iso E Super you may see this by name in the descriptions and notes of some perfumes! Smells of wood and amber and musk, though it varies by person. A very commonly used, popular odor molecule used in everything from perfumery to other scented products like candles, deodorants, bath products, laundry detergent, etc. Escentric Molecules - Molecule 01 is composed of JUST Iso E Super if you wanted to try it out. You've probably used some product at some point that uses it.

  39. Jasmine one of the most well known "white florals". Real absolutes of jasmine can vary in scent, though most jasmine scent in perfume will be familiar. Also, see "Indole"

  40. Juniper a fresh and sharp berry-gin-pine scent, derived from berries of certain cypress trees

  41. Labdanum a resin from Cistus ladanifer shrubs (rockrose). Originally collected from the fur of goats that would eat the shrubs! Has a sweet ambery-ambergris scent.

  42. Lactonic / Milk Notes

  43. Leather the leather you smell in perfume is NOT really leather (as it is an animal product that cannot be extracted) but either a clever blend of natural notes, or synthetic. Some notes blended to create a leather smell are birch tar, honey, tobacco, juniper, patchouli, black tea. Leather notes can vary from brand new leather purse to old worn jacket.

  44. Magnolia a flowering tree older than bees, with a white floral, sweet, waxy scent. Somewhat uncommon as a note.

  45. Metal why would anyone want metal in a perfume scent? It exists as a synthetic fantasy note, sometimes tasteful and subtle, in more perfumes than you would think. Comme des Garcons - Odeur 53 is a famous example.

  46. Mimosa not to be confused with the cocktail, but actually the acacia tree, if you have ever seen the pom-pom-shaped yellow flowers. Light, warm, a little sweet scent, even used in food.

  47. Musk can vary from light, musky, to human-skin scent, to salty-warm, to dirty, "skanky". Once animal-derived (cruelly), now synthetic (like "white musk" note). Found in many perfumes usually as base note or fixative.

  48. Myrrh a gum resin from species of Commiphora. Bitter, earthy, resinous.

  49. Neroli from the petals of the bitter orange tree. Has a long history in perfume. A similar heady, white floral scent like orange blossom.

  50. Oak, Oakwood dry, almost sweet, earthy, smooth woody scent. Somewhat uncommon, usually a base note.

  51. Oakmoss a long used ingredient in perfume. Yes, from moss. Not necessarily "rainy" or "green", but complex, dry, woody, earthy, musky. Fun fact: heavily restricted by the IFRA, so that perfume can only use a maximum concentration of 0.1% due to its potential as an irritant. This was a huge deal as oakmoss was heavily used in a lot of famous perfumes, which now had to be reformulated using other notes or synthetic oakmoss.

  52. Orris the root of the iris flower - soft and sweet

  53. Palo Santo there are actually different trees with the name "palo santo." Bulnesia sarmientoi, or verawood, is very endangered. It has been used by indigenous people of South America and should never be bought / used. Bursera graveolens is also referred to as palo santo, and is regulated, but not as endangered as sarmientoi. Wild Bursera graveolens still experiences illegal logging and the potential for endangerment and high demands. While there are methods to buy it "sustainably" (as in, buy from indigenous groups who collect fallen wood.) but you should still not buy it and you should not smudge with it. And never buy verawood/Bulnesia sarmientoi. You can learn more here. There may be perfume with "palo santo" note. Remember that note does not equal actual ingredient. It's okay to still respectfully enjoy and appreciate its scent as a natural material. Palo santo scent can be recreated with a blend of light citrus, mint/herbal notes, resin, and woods for example. (I personally like Blithe and Bonnie's Palo Santo inspired scent if you really want one). Be sure to check if the perfume is either recreated, or they buy oil from a sustainable source.

  54. Patchouli I think gets a bad reputation. Patchouli nowadays in perfume is a lot more refined, sweet, spicy, woody, and rich, and sometimes almost chocolate-y.

  55. Oud see Agarwood

  56. Petitgrain from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree. (Neroli is from the petals of the flowers.) Like citrus, but little bit more bitter, earthy, green leaning, and without any juiciness.

  57. Pine my favorite note! So forgive me as I'm about to be biased... Sadly, I would say it is very misused. So many "pine" or similar variety candles often smell cheap, or cleaner like. Real and true pine is fresh, woody, citrus-spicy-tangy, camphorous, if it's the pine needle, the wood is obviously more rough and woody. "Pine" or better term " coniferous" is a catch-all, there are varieties from black pine, spruce, balsam fir, desert pinyon and yes there is a difference, some more citrus, some more sweet, some more earthy. Hard to find in perfume, usually in the background.

  58. Pink Pepper a very popular top note in perfume, bright, warm, fresh, a little citrus, a little spice.

  59. Rhubarb adds a tart, fruity note to perfume. Only really appearing recently in perfume and gaining a little popularity. Comme des Garcons' Rhubarb is a great example of it in perfume.

  60. Rose doesn't need much explaining, is very popular in perfume as you can imagine. But rose can change a lot. It can be soft and powdery, or "dewy" (like imagine fresh velvety rose petals), or "jammy", which is rose combined with sweet or gourmand notes (like Lush's Rose Jam.) Rose can also be green - like its stem and leaves are included in the perfume, but the most common form is powdery. A majority of rose is sourced from Bulgaria.

  61. Rosemary a classic note in "men's" cologne for a barber shop feel, as a woody-herbal note.

  62. Rosewood from the Brazilian rosewood trees, which are endangered. It's not the same rosewood used in woodworking, but a lightly floral woody fragrant wood. You are unlikely to find real rosewood because of its endangered status, but perfumers will blend other ingredients (just like other notes that are rare, endangered, etc) together to mimic the smell.

  63. Salt a synthetic fantasy note, usually applied to marine / aquatic scents for an oceanic vibe. You may find it in non-aquatic scents but that is rare. Ambergris in perfume can also add a salty musky quality.

  1. Sandalwood or "santal", creamy and woody, a common base in perfumes, or may be the star in some. Unfortunately, real sandalwood has faced overharvesting (don't worry about your sandalwood perfume, it's likely a blend of wood notes or synthetic), but more sustainable projects to produce sandalwood oil have become more available.

  2. Star Anise is an evergreen tree native to Vietnam and China. It's smell will remind you of fennel and licorice, a strong spicy note, adds a spice touch to many aromatic and fresh colognes.

  3. Strawberry sorry, the strawberry note in perfume is never going to be real strawberry extract, but a synthetic version (this is the same for MANY other fruity notes like melon/watermelon, blueberry, banana). Strawberry note can often be synthetic smelling, since, it is synthetic, but some perfumes are more careful about their blend to make it more lifelike.

  4. Suede like leather, a fantasy note, but typically more light, smooth, and sweet than "leather" is advertised as a note

  5. Sugar when you smell sugar... just like salt it's not actual sugar water mixed in your perfume or anything like that. It's a clever blend of real notes to smell like caramel, burnt sugar, cotton candy, vanilla sugar, etc...or maybe just the taste of pure table sugar. Take note of a sugar note in perfume, what does it smell like the most?

  6. Tea if you are familiar with tea... you may already know green tea and black tea are from the same plant. Gaining more and more in popularity since 2010s, it can add a creamy, earthy green tea note, or a little more earthy herbal black tea, sometimes even a smokey black tea. Paired with citrus notes, musk, even fig is common.

  7. Tobacco not to be confused with the smell of cigarettes (though may be done on purpose in some perfumes), but tobacco in perfume is full, woody, sweet, boozy, animalic.

  8. Tomato Leaf reminds you of smells of a garden or a farmers market. Bitter, bright green notes, maybe slightly "dirt" like.

  9. Tonka Bean these are seeds from the Brazilian teak tree. They appear as small, bean-like and wrinkled in appearance. A very popular base note in perfumery, especially paired with vanilla or sweet notes, it has a musky sweet scent due to the high natural content of coumarin.

  10. Tuberose most tuberose is synthetic, but considered a good thing as using real tuberose is difficult and has a fleeting smell. BY using synthetics you can bring out different aspects of tuberose (and the same for many synthetic notes.) Tuberose can be a little polarizing as a scent, for how heady it is (like jasmine and some other white florals.)

  11. Vanilla arguably one of the most popular perfume ingredients and categories, responsible for the mass amount of gourmands. Real vanilla can be used in some perfumes, but due to how expensive it is, it's limited to synthetic materials. If you want real vanilla in a perfume, look towards indie and niche brands.

  12. Vetiver Pay attention and you will notice how common it is in perfume, especially masculine / men's perfume. Commonly available as an essential oil so often a real material ingredient, from a grass found in India, Haiti, Brazil, and other places. 80% of oil is from Haiti. Known for its complex and deep scent, earthy, herbal, fresh, woody, sometimes smokey.

  13. Violet soft and powdery, sometimes soapy, shares similarities with iris. Most violet notes in perfume are synthetic, in the form of ionones, found in many perfumes.

  14. Ylang-Ylang part of the "white floral" group, another heady, sweet floral, though a little more full and fruity.

  15. Yuzu recently more popular, is bright, zesty, grapefruit-y with a bit of green.

List referenced from kafkaesqueblog.com's Glossary & Basic Guide to Perfume Terms, with additional notes from Fragrantica's Notes page and Perfume Shrine and Perfume Society's list of perfume notes.

For a long list of many notes in perfumery, I recommend Fragrantica's note page. From there, you can choose a note and you can get a brief odor profile of it.
The Perfume Society has longer profiles on many notes and materials in perfume.

How Natural Materials are Extracted

You are now aware of the difference between natural and synthetic, fantasy notes and real notes - how are the natural materials extracted in away that can be used in perfumery?

Below is paraphrased from ayalamoriel.com's page on Raw Materials of Natural Perfumery

  1. Oil Infusion by placing natural plant matter in liquid fat, the aroma can be absorbed. The then aroma infused oil is used in perfumery.

  2. Maceration similar to oil infusion - but the solid fats, historically of animal origin, are heated to speed up and increase the absorption.

  3. Tinctures plant matter is extracted via alcohol, and left in the alcohol, which dilutes the matter. Vanilla bean extract (for cooking) is made this way.

  4. Essential Oils volatile oils, responsible for the aroma of plants. Extracted usually by distilling.

  5. Water Distillation – distilling by covering plant matter with water

  6. Steam Distillation – exposing plant matter to steam

  7. Combination (Water and Steam) Distillation – both done at the same time

  8. Dry Distillation – heating without any water/steam, a somewhat rare method

  9. Destructive Distillation – burning the matter - which creates a new aroma

  10. Expression – squeezing citrus peels for oil

  11. Absolutes highly concentrated forms of plant aroma essence. not the same as an essential oil because they are non-volatile and extracted in a different way.

From Raw Materials of Natural Perfumery, https://ayalamoriel.com/pages/building-blocks

Myths about Perfumes

You can judge a scent by how it smells at first spray

It depends on the perfume - but many perfumes will change overtime. Some may change drastically after it's "opening" - these are the first few notes you may smell. Some perfumes I dislike the first few seconds or minutes of, but enjoy the rest. Some perfume I love the first hour of but dislike the drydown. This is just one way perfume is so interesting to me.

Expensive means better quality

Perfume made of synthetic material is not expensive to make. The price is the brand and marketing. UNLESS the perfume is advertised as having real, natural materials - then a higher price is justified. A perfume that has real oud, oakmoss, or other natural materials is going to be expensive for a reason. This still does not mean it's high quality. High quality in perfume is subjective since it's all synthetic and natural materials. Some synthetic materials are cheaper and fade faster and to some, this means the perfume is of lower quality. A perfume that lasts long, with good projection, and/or contains real materials is considered a high-quality perfume. You do not need a high quality perfume unless it's what you want. Plenty of people are happy with inexpensive perfumes. You can get long lasting perfume for low prices.

Perfume is for Women, Cologne is for Men

"Cologne" is now used as a marketing term towards men. It does not mean it is only for men. It's still perfume / fragrance, the catch all term. Don't be afraid of these marketing terms. Perfume may be described as feminine, masculine, or unisex. Most perfumes nowadays are marketed as unisex more and more. It's all just society's view of what is "masculine" and "feminine", don't let these sway you unless you REALLY want a masculine or feminine perfume.

You Can't Wear Multiple Perfumes

"Layering" - wearing more than one perfume - is very common especially in the perfume community. Some people will use a specific perfume for layering for their other scents. Some brands even sell scents specifically for layering or enhancing a perfume. It can be fun to experiment and see if any of your scents pair well together, and then you end up having a very unique scent that no one else smells like.

Perfume Doesn't Expire

Technically, it CAN and it WILL - but proper storage will make it last a long time. I personally believe the idea of perfume expiring after a few years (or even just a year) is just to get you to spray more and use it more. BUT, perfume IS meant to be used AND will expire like any natural material - so don't be afraid to use it! Just make sure to store it properly. A perfume left in a warm windowsill in a bathroom won't last as long as a perfume kept in a bedroom dresser drawer. And expired perfume isn't going to hurt you! It just may smell off or funny.

Perfume + Notes Smell the Same to Everyone
or "Why do people say this scent smells like x note, it just smells like x to me??"

Not only is perfume subjective but even specific notes or actual ingredients can vary by nose. Some people are actually complete anosmic (unable to smell) certain ingredients. A common one is Iso E Super. Some people can't smell certain musks. Not being able to smell a certain note or ingredient can change an entire fragrance! (As I wrote before... materials will be used to mimic fantasy notes, like leather. If you can't smell a certain note... well, that perfume probably won't smell like leather. It could smell sickly sweet, musky, dirty, gross.)It is weird when you see rave reviews about a perfume, smell it, and it's nothing like you expected. It could simply be your tastes or maybe you can't smell a certain note. And with Covid, a lot of people may have mild long term anosmia - not noticeable until you start smelling perfumes / a wide variety of smells. This is how I found that there is a certain unknown note in perfume that smells like burning minty rubber and how a certain vetiver smells like burnt nuts to me.

Recommended Perfumes

This section is a work in progress. It's mostly a place where I drop notes so it's rough but still has some recommendations.Think of it as a place to get started learning about various brands.

Designer Perfumes

Throughout my guide you'll notice am biased when it comes to perfumes - I do prefer niche and indie perfumes over designer. Here's a list of designer perfumes I respect and think people getting into perfume should give a chance. Smell these in store, at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macy's, any other large store near you that sells perfumes. It's a good place to start, it can give you an idea of what style you like - sweet vanilla rose? Earthy woody mossy? Fresh aquatic citrus? Clean and soapy? Heavy white florals? etc etc...

  1. Dior

  2. Tom Ford

  3. Comme des Garcons

  4. Marc Jacobs

  5. Viktor & Rolf

  6. Yves Saint Laurent

  7. Versace

  8. Gucci

  9. Chloé

  10. Burberry

Niche Perfumes

What does it mean to categorize as Niche? It's a bit subjective but I based this list of the opinion of many in fragrance communities. You can think of it as : less likely to find these at department stores (but, some brands HAVE started showing up more and more.)

  1. Acqua di Parma

  2. Atelier Cologne

  3. Byredo

  4. Clean

  5. Commodity

  6. Creed

  7. D.S & Durga

  8. Diptyque

  9. Ellis Brooklyn

  10. Etat Libre d'Orange

  11. Frederic Malle

  12. Goldfield & Banks

  13. Henry Rose

  14. Imaginary Authors

  15. Jo Malone

  16. Jovoy

  17. Le Labo

  18. Lush

  19. Maison Francis Kurkdjian

  20. Maison Martin Margiela (Replica)

  21. Memo Paris

  22. Nishane

  23. Profumum Roma

  24. Serge Lutens

  25. Tauer

Indie Perfumes

These can vary from small companies to handmade perfume. I thought it was still best to just have them in one indie category.

  1. Alkemia

  2. Astrid Perfumes

  3. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

  4. Boyds of Texas

  5. CB I Hate Perfume

  6. Cocoa Pink

  7. Death & Floral

  8. Fantome

  9. Firebird

  10. For Strange Women

  11. Fort and Manle

  12. Guy Fox

  13. Hexxenacht

  14. House Of Matriarch

  15. Imaginary Authors

  16. Ineke

  17. J-Scent

  18. Kerosene

  19. La Curie

  20. Laromatica

  21. Lvnea

  22. Olo

  23. Olympic Orchids

  24. Outlaw Soap

  25. Pacifica

  26. Perfumes of the Desert

  27. Pineward Perfumes

  28. Sixteen92 *Buy at your own risk. Google for more info.

  29. Smell Bent *Now defunct

  30. Smoke Perfume

  31. Solstice Scents

  32. Sonoma Scent Studio

  33. Strangers Parfumerie

  34. Wicked Good

  35. Zoologist

Further Reading

Other Great Blogs, Articles, & Posts about Pefume

Sources & References

A lot of this information was purposefully compelled from other blogs and articles I enjoy, all in once place.

“Perfume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perfume. Accessed 13 Dec. 2021.r/fragrance wiki, https://www.reddit.com/r/fragrance/wiki/indexThe Perfume Society, https://perfumesociety.org/Glossary Index, https://www.thesocietyofscent.com/the-lab/glossary-index-2/Glossary & Basic Guide to Perfume Terms, https://kafkaesqueblog.com/2012/12/19/glossary-basic-guide-to-perfume-terms/Defining Niche, Indie, and Artisan, https://theartisaninsider.com/perfume/defining-niche-indie-and-artisan/What is Niche Perfumery? by Elena Knezevic, https://www.fragrantica.com/news/What-is-Niche-Perfumery--100.htmlPerfume Shrine, http://perfumeshrine.blogspot.com/Raw Materials of Natural Perfumery, https://ayalamoriel.com/pages/building-blocksEckstein, Markus; Sykes, John (2009). Eau de Cologne: Farina's 300th Anniversary. Cologne: J. P. Bachem. ISBN 978-3-7616-2313-8.Paillès Lionel. (2013). Esprit de synthèse: Du Parfum, des molécules. Les Éd. de l'Épure.

All photos - in headers and in website background are free stock from unsplash.com

Pineward Perfumes - Fanghorn

silver fir, moss, lichen, pine needles, wet soil, and damp vegetation

When I got into perfumes all I wanted was a realistic pine tree forest scent. I mean as realistic as possible, no extra weird notes, no smoke, no flowers, no hidden vanilla notes. This was it! Fanghorn is the ultimate, ultra-realistic pine forest perfume, it has everything from damp earth, moss and ferns, the bark and wood of the tree and the sappy pine needles! It smells like a redwood forest after rain - and while you wear it, I swear it smells like the forest beginning to warm and dry up in the sun.

Diptyque - Orpheon

juniper berries, cedar, jasmine, powdery musk, tonka bean

This is my every perfume / signature. Funny enough, I hated it when I first tried it. It smelled so odd to my nose. But I kept giving it chances and eventually, one day, I just loved it. It's clean, powdery, slightly sweet slightly woody. It works for all season and weather. I don't think it's for everyone to wear but I think most people like the smell

Le Labo - Gaiac 10

gaiac wood, cedarwood, musks (several), frankincense

Gaiac 10 is musk, gaiac wood, cedarwood, resin. It's so simple, but unique, and addicting. It's a skin scent, but it lasts forever. It's such an interesting perfume, I wish it wasn't only available in September (it's a "city exclusive scent" and only available in Tokyo year-round.) and wasn't so expensive.It has this warm, sun-warmed wood quality, with furred musks, Japanese incense and frankincense all together. Sometimes the incense comes off as unburnt, sometimes vaguely smokey and fuzzy. No sweetness, no other notes, just pure beige, if it was a color. It is linear, but I never get tired wearing it. I think it may be one of my favorite scent sof all time!

Comme des Garcons - Kyoto

incense, cypress, cedar, vetiver, teakwood, coffee, amber

This is my favorite incense/smokey scent. It's not a harsh or typical smokey scent, I find it to be easy to smell and kind of addicting. The downside is it doesn't last too long, maybe 2 hours. Or else I would wear it more often. It's a nice masculine leaning scent and unique.

Comme des Garcons - Hinoki

hinoki, cypress, camphor, wood notes, pine, oakmoss, thyme, resins

My other favorite CDG scent. It reminds me of the smell of a wooden sauna, but even more camphorous and airy. It's a very very unique scent and I have not come across anything else like it. It's fresh and woody with a sharp citrus-like pine with a resinous drydown.

Aesop - Hwyl

hinoki, thyme, spices, smoke, cypress, cedarwood, frankincense, vetiver, oakmoss

One of my first perfume loves!! Spicy woody, smokey, pine, cypress, earthy, complex and unique. Most reviews will tell you it reminds them of a mossy, Japanese pine forest or a temple burning incense and I love both those descriptions. It does have an intense smokey opening, but I find the drydown really good.

Lush - Dear John

lime, clove, cedarwood, pine, coffee, tobacco, vetiver, coriander

This is my favorite scent from Lush. I also love Pansy, The Smell of Freedom, and Guardian of the Forest, but this one is definitely the best. It's also so unique - i've tried to find other scents in this category of pine/woody/coffee/tobacco, but they are rarer than you would think? At least, ones smelling more natural. I wear this one mostly in autumn/winter.

Acqua di Parma - Colonia

citrus, lavender, lemon verbena, rosemary, vetiver, white musk, jasmine, sandalwood, amber, patchouli

Colonia is a perfume released in..1916! Timeless fresh Men's cologne, smells like fresh lemon verbana, citrus, lavender, musk. I love to wear it right out of a shower, though it's downsides are it's shortlived and not very strong. I also love the Essenza version, which is more Neroli with some clove!

Hendley - Fume

balsami fir resin, nagarmotha, smoked tea, galbanum, vetiver, oakmoss, leather

Smokey wood and black tea, pine trees, leather, and galbanum, a combination of my favorite notes, but done nicely and realistically!! I don't like wearing smokey scents too often but this is one of the few exceptions!! The smoke isn't too overbearing, and the rest of the scent is very natural and grounded.

Imaginary Authors - Fox in the Flowerbed

jasmine, tulip, mountain air, honey, thistle, frankincense, pink pepper

First trying Imaginary Authors early into perfume hobby, I didn't care for them.. I respected their originality and all but found them too complex or weird. Now that my tastes have matured, I gave this new release a try and was blown away. I find most florals to be perfume-y..give me headaches.. or almost fake. This is so lifelike. It's jasmine, but the way its blended almost is wildflower-like. The mountain air is there, and the dry down of thistle, honey, and resin is just so good!! If you are on the fence about florals like me, this may be convincing!! I can't wait to wear it in spring and summer!

I Want to Smell Like...

A campfire? A beach vacation? Gothic and autumnal? A cowboy?

This section is a work in progress. It's mostly a place where I drop notes so it's rough but still has some recommendations.

Recommendations for popular scents in general

  • BDK Parfums - Gris Charnel

  • Eccentric Molecules - Molecule 1

  • Tauer - L'Air Du Desert Marocain

  • Tom Ford - Tobacco Vanille, Neroli Portofino, Rose Prick

  • Lalique - Encre Noir

  • Replica - By the Fireplace

  • Dior - Sauvage, Homme

  • Montale - Intense Cafe

  • Le Labo - Santal 33, Bergamot 22

  • Jo Malone - Wood Sage & Sea Salt, English Pear & Freesia, Basil & Neroli

  • Diptyque - Philosykos, Eau Rose, Tam Dao

  • Hermes - Terre d'Hermes, Un Jardin Sur Le Nil

Citrus

  • Aesop - Tacit Yuzu but with a unique basil and anise twist, like a fancy spa scent

  • Atelier Cologne - Clementine California, Pomelo Paradise, Pacific Lime, Lemon Island

  • Louis Vuitton - Afternoon Swim A musky orange rind by the pool

  • Lush - Dad's Garden Lemon Tree Bright, bitter sunny citrus

  • Hermès - Eau d'Orange Verte Citrus with a surprising mint note

  • Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot A great slightly masc leaning woody citrus

  • Jo Malone Grapefruit Can't go wrong with a basic grapefruit

  • Nishane - Wulong Cha Opens with bitter, bright citrus, becomes sweet fig and tea

  • Replica - Under the Lemon Trees Very much like the name implies

White Florals

  • Jo Malone - Orange Blossom

  • Di Ser - Adameku

  • Profumum Roma - Neroli

  • Imaginary Authors - Fox in the Flowerbed

  • DS&Durga - Jazmin Yucatan

  • Kerosene Unforsaken

Masculine Leaning

Comme des Garcons - Wonderwood | Jo Malone - Oud & Bergamot | Creed - Aventus | Dior - Sauvage | Hermès - Terre d'Hermes | Mancera - Cedrat Bois | Byredo - Sunday Cologne | Le Labo - Santal 33

Fresh, Aromatic, Herbal

Di Ser - Mizu yuzu, rosemary, minty fresh | Jo Malone - Basil & Neroli (green and floral and fresh realistic basil) | The Nue Co. - Mind Energy (pink peppercorn zest), Diptyque - Philosykos (a very realistic fig tree, grassy and green) | For Strange Women - Coyote (spiced wood, citrus, aromatic notes)

Rose

  • MMK - A la rose

  • Aesop - Rozu

  • Diptyque - Eau Rose, Eau Capitale

  • Byredo - Rose of No Man's Land, Young Rose, Super Cedar

  • Olo - Cedar + Rose

  • Boy Smells - Rose Load

  • Lush - Rose Jam

  • Parfums de Marly - Delina

  • Lvnea - Mourning Ritual

  • Montale - Intense Cafe, Roses Vanilla

  • Serge Lutens - La Fille de Berlin

  • Smoke - Ritual

Other Florals or Mixes

  • Lush - Pansy

  • Glossier - You

  • Byredo - Bal d'Afrique

  • Jo Malone - Wild Bluebell

  • Comme des Garcons - Lily

  • Firebird - Lavender Wood

Vanilla, or other Sweet Scents

lush shade, necatrine and honey blossom, myrrh and tonka, vetiver and vanilla,

Henry Rose - Torn or Dark is Night are both vanilla-based, but Torn is vanilla + vetiver, and Dark is Night is vanilla + patchouli. YSL - Black Opium, cloud, Intense Cafe Montale, By Kilian - Angels' Share

Baked Goods, Pastries, Chocolate, Dessert, Coffee

  • Kerosene - Follow Hyperrealistic coffee shop scent

-

Fruity

-

Woody, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, etc

  • Diptyque - Tam Dao I prefer the EDP version. A heavy, spicy warm cedarwood.

  • Comme des Garcons - Wonderwood A peppery wood blend

  • Kerosene - Canfield Cedar Dusty pencil shavings in an old cabin

  • Olo - Foret A little green but has a nice cedarwood note

Spicy, Warm, Amber

tauer L'Air Du Desert Marocain, tauer Au Coeur Du Desert

Tobacco, Boozy

  • Replica - Jazz Club

  • Laromatica - Nick

  • Olo - Erastrus

  • Mancera - Red Tobacco

  • Tom Ford - Tobacco Vanille

  • Kerosene - Broken Theories

Leather

  • Tom Ford - Ombre Leather

  • Olo - Victory Wolf

  • Le Labo - Santal 33

Tea (Milk, Floral, Fruit, Matcha, Mate, etc)

wulong cha extrait, eau rose, Mixed Emotions Byredo, Firebird - Lavender Milk, Firebird - Ginger Tea, CB I Hate Perfume - Tea/Rose, Maison Martin Margiela - Matcha Meditation, Jo Malone - Earl Grey & Cucumber, Henry Rose - Windows Down

"Just Showered", Clean, Soapy

Most offerings from Clean | Commodity - Rain | Goldfield & Banks - Pacific Rock Moss | Byredo - Blanche | Lush - Dirty | MMM - Bubble Bath

Vacation, Beach

  • Kerosene - Unforsaken Sweet vanilla mandarin slices, sunscreen, coconut, white florals

  • Creed - Virigin Island Water The best beachy lime scent. OilPerfumery's dupe is a great option.

  • Fzotic - Unsettled Sandalwood and pineapple and black tea

  • Replica - Beach Walk One of the most popular beach themed scents

  • Skylar - ? This brand is easily found at sephoras for testing

  • Zoologist - Chameleon Complex, ever changing blend of florals

  • DS&Durga - Debaser Fig and coconut

Oceanic, Coastal

  • Kerosene - Walk the Sea Walking along the beach, salty air, clean, floral

  • Aesop - Karst Moody, oceanic, mineral, wood

  • Jo Malone - Wood Sage & Sea Salt Popular scent that is clean and marine

  • Laromatica - Seafaring Man A unique, realistic take on a nautical scent

  • Laromatica - Big Sur Naturalistic mint and coastal herbs

  • Goldfield and Banks - Pacific Rock Moss Similar vibes to Wood Sage & Sea Salt, clean and mossy

Green, Mossy, Grassy

Lvnea - Fern and Moss | Lvnea - Foret Dormante | Maison Louis Marie - Le Long Fond | CDG - Yoyogi | Commodity - Moss | Firebird - Woodland

Pine Forest, Cypress, Hinoki

Pineward Perfumes - Boreal or Fanghorn II | Rook - Forest | Olympic Orchids - Pacific Forest | Lvnea - Ghost Pine | Aesop - Hwyl | CDG - Hinoki | Heretic - Dirty Hinoki | Zoologist - Macaque Yuzu Edition | Nonfiction - For Rest

Smokey, Burnt, Campfire

Boy Smells - Hinoki Fantome | Fume - Hendley | naomi goodsir, campfire intense, arso, feu follet, la curie incendo, cabin firebird | Tom Ford - Ebene Fume

Autumn / Fall, Halloween

MMM - By the Fireplace | Pineward Perfumes - Apple Tabac | Slumberhouse - Mond | Lvnea - Holy Oak | DS&Durga - Amber Kiso | DS&Durga - Amber Teutonic | DS&Durga - Bowmakers

Gothic

Lvnea - Fern and Moss | Lvean - Ghost Pine | Lvnea - Holy Oak | Sixteen92 - Salem

Incense

CGD - Incense Kyoto | CGD - Incense Avignon

Patchouli

Psychedelique jovoy, Profumum - Patchouly, Diptyque - Tempo, Patchouli Leaves montale

Desert (Plants, Earth, Cowboy Vibes etc)

Laromatica - Desert Man | Boyds of Texas - High Desert | Mondo - Cowboy | DS&Durga - Cowboy Grass | Boy Smells - Suede Pony | Jo Malone - Bronze Wood & Leather | Perfumes of the Desert - Pinon | Drylandwilds - (Any) | Solstice Scents - Badlands or High Desert | Outlaw - Blazing Saddles or Lust in the Dust

Winter Holidays

dasein - winter, pineward perfume christmas wine, tom ford tobacco vanilla, replic by the fireplace, spicebomb extreme, slumberhouse mond

Below are sections on my personal opinions (or general / popular opinions of perfume community, like recommended designer /niche perfumes, etc.)This section is left unfinished, I use it to write down quick notes on perfume ideas, so it may be in the wrong format or have errors.

Perfume Brands List

Orignally i had my own list but I ended up finding this super complete list of Indie / Niche perfume on Fragrantica forums! I know it's long but I highly recommend it. If you need help narrowing it down you can always see my recommended brands list.