Rosewood has been prized by carpenters and furniture makers for centuries: we know it as rock-solid, strong, darkly handsome and perfect for everything from guitars to chess pieces. Wild-harvested supplies are obviously extremely erratic and many countries have outlawed the trade of ambergris, as part of a more general ban on the exploitation and hunting of sperm whales, so ambergris tends to be created synthetically. A synthetic aldehyde with a spicy, ambery, musky, floral odor, cashmeran is used to invoke the velvety smell or "feel" of cashmere. Olive has had many other therapeutic benefits: as an aphrodisiac, in healing balms and creams, as sedatives and tonics. Caron Or et Noir Theyre also edible, should you ever find yourself in front of the actual tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). I am convinced that I can detect a hidden note of car exhaust, modern car, there. Thats what legendary nose Jean Kerlo told our Perfume Society co-founder Jo Fairley to close her eyes and think of, when smelling vetiver from a perfumers vial. Mango blossom, too, is sometimes used in perfumery: as sweetly floral as youd imagine these soft white flowers to be, with a breath of lily of the valley about them. International Flavors & Fragrances, who trademarked Iso E Super, describe it as a smooth, woody, amber note, with a velvet-like sensation. Este Lauder Private Collection Yves Saint Laurent LHomme. Guerlain Champs Elyses Cerruti 1881 Celine Dion Celine Dion (Plus the fougre family, which is mostly mens scents. (And weve adopted it ourselves.) "Used widely in perfumery, indole is often used to bring intrigue and a seductive edge to a scent," says perfumer John Gamba. With its sweet, vanilla-like odour youll understand why this is a Eventually, it is retrieved from a shoreline on the beach." But if the Christmas trees the most familiar member of the pine family, its just one of 115 varieties that grow mostly in the Northern hemisphere. Yves Saint Laurent Y. Aldehydes triggered a revolution in perfumery. Its use goes back for centuries: bergamot was famously known to be a component of the original Eau de Cologne, developed in Germany by J.M. Nina Ricci Premier Jour Keiko Mecheri Bois de Santal (Think: barns) Its not the actual essence-of-dried-pasture used to feed cattle, horses, goats and sheep that youll smell in a perfume bottle, however: hay notes are created synthetically - yet theyre no less glorious for that (Do also read about coumarin, here: its another, quite similar synthetic, which gives us the scent of new-mown grass), Etat Libre dOrange Jasmin et Cigarette Carolina Herrera 212 But perfumers wouldnt be without patchouli, for the richness that it gives to fragrances and not just those heady Ambres: patchouli makes its way into many chypre and powdery fragrances, swirling exotically alongside lavender, sandalwood, labdanum and bergamot, clove, clary sage, as well as vetiver. Sandalwoods creamy sweetness is used in the base of as many as 50% of feminine perfumes. It can range in colour from light green to black depending on whether its dry or damp - and it smells a lot more beautiful than it looks. (No surprise that in aromatherapy, bergamot is actually used to treat depression) For perfumers, its invaluable for helping to blend notes into a single bouquet, and fix them there. Grs Fleur de Cabotine Jasmin Sambac is one of the grande dames of perfumery. Perfumers love animalic notes including civet for the raw sexiness they deliver to perfumes, and for that reason its incredibly popular and found in many of the worlds most notoriously seductive scents. Lets call them "raspberry coup". Britney Spears Fantasy Penhaligons Cornubia, Pungent, lavender-like, aromatic: nothing smells quite like rosemary. Its the image of driftwood that this note really evokes visions of saltiness, seaside, water and lightness. (A tradition wed quite like to see revived!). ), The seeds left behind when the pretty yellow umbelliferous (umbrella-like) flowers have faded are used in steam-distillation of the fennel essential oil. LArtisan Parfumeur Timbuktu Well, yes: the fragrant use of olive goes back millennia: the early Arab perfume-makers used it as a base in many of their scented creations, and the Egyptians used it to steep jasmine blossoms, to produce a fragrant oil. There are two types of civet: one African (its habitat spans Ethiopia through to South Africa), and Indian, native to Nepal, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Just like daisies, the yellow flowers open at daybreak, and bed down for the night. Heres the non-scientific bit: this synthetic brilliantly copies the powdery, almondy or vanilla-y nuanaces of the beautiful purple, butterfly-magnet heliotrope flower (read about that here). Michael Kors Island (Dates are one of the oldest cultivated tree crops.) DiptyqueEau de Lierre. Este Lauder Private Collection The very first leather scent, so far as records show, was worn by King George III: Creeds Royal English Leather. Creed Jasmal So its always blown our minds that patchouli isnt a wood, or a root: its actually a frilly green-leafed, purple-flowered member of the mint family, called Pogostemon patchouli. A fragrance without roses is almost as unthinkable as a love affair without kisses. Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl Add a little lemon verbena to a fragrance, and it delivers a brisk, pure, floral-citrus scent, like bruising the fragrant leaves of this shrubby plant between your fingers. ChloEau de Parfum Miller Harris Le Pamplemousse Yes, really: ambergris is produced in the digestive system of sperm whales - to make it easier for the whale to digest shard objects (like squid beaks), so its thought. Dior Dolce Vita Yves Saint Laurent Opium. Loilta Lempicka L de Lolita Smell carnation in a scent? Usually, the whale vomits these sharp bits. It only began to get a bad name during the 16th and 17th Century, with poets and authors among those who fell for opiums narcotic charms. Goutal ParisMyrrhe Ardente Most of us are unaffected though, able to delight in the fresh, spirited joy of petitgrains citrus pleasures. Yves Saint Laurent Y, Say cashmeran and somehow you know its going to be soft, smooth, almost snuggly. (Beware, though: neat eucalyptus oil should be kept away from babies and small children, and avoided by those who suffer from asthma. Givenchy Ange ou Demon Thanks to its aromatic edge, youre most likely to be intoxicated by it in shared (or masculine) creations. Boucheron Boucheron Its mostly used for its good-enough-to-eat sweetness in gourmand scents - but occasionally by perfumers for extra richness in fragrances from other families. Cereus doesnt sound too sexy, but Queen of the Night? Lancme Miracle Intense L.VilloresPiper Negrum. Thierry Mugler Angel, There are good pine smells, and horrid pine smells and if youve ever sat in the back of a taxi with one of those Christmas tree-scented cards dangling from the rear-view mirror, youll probably get where were coming from. (It helps to repel insects even though bees love it, on the plant.) Florentine iris ticks perfumers boxes, too. Jovoy Paris Bois The absolute created from the nut itself is sweet, but with a bitter edge (think Amaretto, here); almond can give a fragrance a marzipan quality, maybe even remind you of macaroons. Tom Ford Black Orchid Vince Camuto Divina, Bergamot orange is the fragrant citrus fruit of the Citrus bergamia, a small evergreen tree which blossoms during the winter. You may also get hints of violet. Adds perfumer Andy Tauer, 'Styrax actually comes in two forms, which give different effects. Citron is French for lemon. Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan LOccitane de ProvenceDlice des Fleurs 5 Citral is lemons, while C11 gives a cleanness to fragrance (its naturally present in coriander leaf oil). Gucci Alchemist's Garden Winter Spring (Dont worry: we wont test you.) Ylang ylang has a fruity top like a juicy crunchy pear and a body with an elegant floral softness that gives sensuality to both feminine and masculine fragrances," says Liegent. Yves Saint Laurent Opium. Penhaligons Juniper Sling. ", Illolahia adds that, due to the cost and supply, "natural oud oil is used sparingly in Anglo perfumes and is generally reserved for niche or luxury fragrances. Its a naturally-occurring chemical, found in many essential oils especially the glorious white flowers (jasmine, orange blossom, neroli), as well as wallflowers, and some citrus fruits. Diptyque Opne Sometimes, then, its paired with other tea-like ingredients but more to paint an olfactory picture, in marketing terms, than for any other reason. But references also exist, indicating the name comes from the Turkish word beg-armudi which translates as prince's pear or prince of pears, Bergamot is commercially grown in southern Calabria in southern Italy, where more than 80% of the essential oil is produced by zesting the rind. Thats really the smell of cedar, which is of course also the wood used for pencils. Amaretto on the rocks, anyone? (Theyre left in a cool, dry place, and need protection against fungus and insect attack which would destroy the producers valuable harvest.). Vetiveria zizanoides grows like crazy in marshy places and riverbanks in places that are drenched by high annual rainfall: countries like India, Brazil, Malaysia and the West Indies (Haitian vetiver is probably the most famous of its type). Delicious mixed with lots of sugar and baked into pies and tarts; delicious when used to add a fresh, sharp edge to fruity florals and sheer aquatics, in perfumery. Some hay fever sufferers, maybe but most of us just love the fresh, green scent of grass. Freesia notes contain a certain amount of linalool, which is a known sensitiser (and listed on perfume packaging as a caution to the sensitive). Burberry The Beat Herms 24 Faubourg But not any more: this seriously exotic, intense, rich fragrance note is at the top of the price scale for ingredients though even so, its still present in as much as 40% of quality perfume creations. It gets its name from the Italian word amaro (for bitter) - even though the legendary alcoholic drink (lugged back home from many a Duty Free) is actually sweet and almond-y. Dont ask me why but it seems to fix itperfectly and it calms the hyperactive lavender. Demeter Mango Perfumers, in their wisdom, refer to it as orris but by whichever name, iris/orris is one of the priciest and most important perfume ingredients, worldwide. 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