BergamotBergamot Top note · Citrus A small green citrus from southern Italy, sharper and more floral than an orange. It is what gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive smell, and it opens a scent with a bright, slightly bitter lift. , LemonLemon Top note · Citrus Clean, sharp citrus pressed from the peel. It reads as fresh rather than sweet, which is why it sits so well against a creamy goat milk base. , LimeLime Top note · Citrus Sharper and greener than lemon, with a faint bitterness from the peel. It is what makes a coastal scent feel crisp rather than salty. , RoseRose Middle note · Floral The classic floral. Depending on what sits beside it, rose can go soft and powdery or deep and almost spicy; paired with cedar it does the latter. , CardamomCardamom Middle note · Spice Warm green spice with a cool, camphorous lift. It sits between the citrus and the woods in a blend and keeps them from feeling like two separate scents. , MelonMelon Middle note · Fruity Cool, watery sweetness. It softens sharper fruit notes and adds a juicy quality without weight. , JasmineJasmine Middle note · Floral A heavy white floral with a warm, almost fruity underside. A little goes a long way, which is why it usually sits at the heart of a blend rather than the top. , GrapefruitGrapefruit Top note · Citrus Citrus with a bitter, almost pithy edge. Less sweet than orange and less sour than lemon, it reads as fresh without reading as candy. , AmberAmber Base note · Woody Warm, resinous and slightly sweet. Not a single material but a blended accord, and one of the most common ways to give a scent depth at the base. , VanillaVanilla Base note · Gourmand Warm, sweet and comforting. It anchors a blend from underneath, which is why so many scents that seem to be about something else still have vanilla at the bottom. , SandalwoodSandalwood Base note · Woody Warm, creamy wood. Sometimes listed as santal. It is the note people usually mean when they say a scent smells expensive.
CedarCedar Base note · Woody Dry, clean wood, closer to a pencil shaving than a forest floor. It gives a blend structure and keeps florals from going soft. , MuskMusk Base note · Musk Soft, skin-like warmth at the bottom of a blend. Modern musks are made in a lab rather than taken from animals, and their job is to hold everything above them together. , LavenderLavender Middle note · Herbal Herbal and clean rather than perfumey. It has a calming reputation, but what it actually does in a blend is soften whatever it sits next to. , MahoganyMahogany Base note · Woody Dark, polished wood with a faint sweetness. It reads more like furniture than forest, which is what makes it feel refined. , GeraniumGeranium Middle note · Floral Green and rosy at once, with a slightly minty bite. It is often used where rose would be too soft. , OakOak Base note · Woody Dry, slightly tannic wood, closer to a whiskey barrel than a living tree. It gives a base note grip.
BergamotBergamot Top note · Citrus A small green citrus from southern Italy, sharper and more floral than an orange. It is what gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive smell, and it opens a scent with a bright, slightly bitter lift.