A harmonious blend of fragrance notes that creates a unified scent impression.

A citrus fruit that provides fresh, bright top notes commonly used in perfumery.

A fragrance family characterized by citrus top notes, floral heart, and woody-mossy base.

 Highly concentrated extract obtained via solvent extraction or enfleurage.

Lab-made molecules used to replicate or create scents.

The longest-lasting notes forming the foundation of a fragrance.

Paper strip used for testing fragrances.

Waxy extract created via solvent extraction, precursor to an absolute.

The strength of perfume oil in a formula

Extraction method (usually steam) for producing essential oils.

Final phase of a perfume once top and middle notes have faded.

Lightest traditional concentration (2–5%).

Medium-strong concentration (approx. 10–20%).

Lighter concentration (approx. 5–10%).

Material that slows evaporation and increases longevity.

Category grouping scents by character.

Fern-like fragrance family with lavender, herbs, and mossy bases.

Scent style evoking edible, dessert-like, or sweet notes.

The main body of the fragrance; emerges after top notes.

Wearing multiple scents or scented products together.

Duration a fragrance remains detectable on skin

 The trained fragrance creator.

Olfactory Pyramid – Structure describing a perfume’s evolution (top → heart → base).

Highest concentration of perfume oils (15–30%+).

How far a fragrance radiates from the wearer.

Extract from plant resins or gum-resins; often a fixative.

The scent trail left behind as you move.

Perfume centred around a single flower or flower impression.

The first, most volatile notes perceived at application.

 a dry, clean ambergris-like note that boosts a perfume’s tenacity and diffusion (i.e. makes it last longer and project well).

A transparent, woody-amber molecule with soft, velvety radiance; often used to add diffusion and a “wood + skin” subtlety in modern perfumes.

A musky-woody material with mineral warmth and soft, fabric-like texture; evokes cashmere, dry wood, and sun-warmed skin

(Also called “Watermelon Ketone”) — produces a fresh, aquatic, airy scent with hints of watery/marine vibe and a faint watermelon-like facet; commonly used to evoke sea, ocean or “fresh sea breeze” accords.

A musky lactone giving a warm, intimate, skin-like muskiness often with a fruity/pear facet; it gives softness and sensual musk character. 

A synthetic, creamy sandalwood-like molecule; provides a polished, clean, woody-creamy warmth (a refined take on natural sandalwood).

A sweet, honeyed-floral note with nuances of banana-jasmine; gives gentle floral sweetness and softness.

A popular musk with a clean, “fresh laundry / sensual warmth” profile; widely used in modern perfumery and fragranced products. 

A powerful, creamy sandalwood-like molecule that is long-lasting and smooth; often used to anchor sandalwood-based or woody fragrances

A fragrance material made from by-products or waste from other industries (e.g., fruit peels, wood offcuts, food processing rinses). These leftovers are transformed into valuable perfume ingredients instead of being discarded.

A class of organic molecules used in perfumery to add sparkle, lift, and soapy-waxy brightness to a fragrance. Pioneered famously in Chanel No. 5, aldehydes give a distinctive powdery-clean, metallic-floral character.

A rare, waxy substance historically secreted by sperm whales; prized for its warm, earthy, sweet-marine scent and extraordinary fixative power. Modern perfumery uses synthetic alternatives (e.g., Ambroxan) for ethical and sustainability reasons.

A naturally occurring compound found in tonka beans, sweet clover, and lavender; imparts a warm, sweet, hay-like, vanilla-almond character. A key building block in fougère and oriental fragrances.

A technique where a glass dome captures the scent molecules surrounding a living flower or object. Those molecules are then analysed and synthetically recreated, allowing perfumers to replicate scents that cannot be extracted traditionally.

One of the most prevalent naturally occurring aroma molecules; found in lavender, rose, coriander, and hundreds of other botanicals. Gives a soft, floral-woody, slightly spicy character and appears as an ingredient on most fragrance labels.

Natural moss extracts from oak bark and trees; cornerstone ingredients of classic chypre and fougère fragrances, providing a deep, earthy, forest-floor greenness. Now heavily restricted by IFRA due to allergen concerns, often replaced by synthetic alternatives like Evernyl.

A precious resinous heartwood formed in Aquilaria trees infected by a specific mould. One of the most expensive and coveted raw materials in perfumery; characterised by its rich, dark, smoky-woody, balsamic, and sometimes animalic depth. Central to Middle Eastern and Asian fragrance traditions.

Essential oil steam-distilled from the Pogostemon cablin shrub; a rich, earthy, dark, sweet-spicy base note with woody and slightly camphoraceous facets. One of perfumery's most versatile and recognisable base ingredients; improves and deepens with age.

A smoky, earthy, woody essential oil steam-distilled from the roots of the vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides). Known as the 'oil of tranquillity', it provides deep, dry, earthy-smoky base notes with leathery and slightly citrus undertones. An essential fixative and base ingredient.

The seed of the Dipteryx odorata tree from South America; naturally rich in coumarin, delivering warm, sweet, creamy vanilla-almond-hay notes. Widely used in oriental, gourmand, and fougère fragrances as a warm, enveloping base note.