Basenotes

Note Identification Project

2008

Citrus and Citrusy

Bergamot, Italy, Eden Botanicals- My life would be much worse if it weren't for bergamot. I drink Earl
Grey tea every day. It is my absolute favorite flavor of tea. The majority of my perfumes are chypres and
contain a large dose of bergamot, which I eagerly seek as soon as I spray them from the bottle. This
lovely aroma falls halfway between orange and lemon. It is quite adaptable. I am surprised at how fast
this natural bergamot fades. I wonder if a synthetic form of bergamot is used in most perfumes, because
this one would not last very long. But while it does, it is lovely.

Bergamot 10%: fresh citrus

Bergamot - I think this is a fail-safe essential oil because I have never smelled a bad sample yet. This
particular one smells more like peel than others, with a hint of bittersweetness. My favorite tea is Earl
Grey. Enough said.

Bergamot: tart citrus, more yellow/lemon-ish than orangey to my nose. Also kinda grapefruit-y, in the vein
of the opening of AA Pampelune.

Bergamot (natural) – a nice grade of bergamot. Very fragrant, halfway between lemon and orange,
strong but short-lived.

Bergamot – Natural, Italy : comparing a 2% concentration in carrier oil with a 10% concentration in
alcohol…unfair, I know! Bergamot always reminds me of citron peel (citrus medica, which is very popular
in Italy), although greener and more exuberant. There’s nothing much to say apart from the fact that the
higher concentration has a fresher, almost minty smell but evaporated quickly after the initial burst, while
the lower concentration seems sweeter somehow and the oil keeps it anchored to skin a bit longer.

Bergamot EO (profumo.it)--much more fruity and green than other bergamot oils I have smelled. It is
bitter, sharp and juicy, like a cross between grapefruit, lime and rosewood. It does not smell as much like
Earl Gray tea as I expected, so the aromatic herbal quality I normally associate with bergamot is not as
prominent here. As it dries down, it gets sharper and a tiny bit like lemony peppercorns (I think it is white
pepper which has the lemon note). It also takes on a woody tone as some citruses seem to do in their

Bergamot (eo, italy): halfway between lemon and orange, very suave. also a little waft of damp herbs.
definitely there is more to is than just "earl grey".

Bergamot – I expected it to smell more like Earl Grey tea. It is a bit sweeter and more mellow than I
expected.

Bergamot Citrus bergamia EO from Aura Cacia

Well, I smell Earl Gray tea...also quite nice. It is slightly medicinal and powdery, with an aromatic wood-
like component. Not really delicate, but I can see why purplebird would make the comment about needing
"support" from other notes. I think most citrus notes are really "top". The bergamot still smells mostly like
Earl Gray tea, but much less intense and a bit more fresh, tangy and fruity than before. My EO lasts a
very long time on the cotton, apparently! It still smells very pleasing, unlike the grapefruit. So far, the help
the bergamot needs from heart or base I think is mostly due to fading.

Litsea Cubeba (eo, china): first impression pure bigsized lemon, after some seconds it develops into
something pleasantly mellow, and with some zesty notes. the odour intensity of it is enormous i would
give it an 9 out of ten.

Lime, Mexico - The bitterest citrus note in my collection, lime is not my favorite aroma. However, it has a
strong presence and better longevity than some of the other citrus peel notes. I think this ingredient would
best paired with a sweet base. In fact, I think I would change my mind altogether if I found the right base
for it. I wonder which one...

Citronellol. - Not as sharp as citral - much lighter. Yet still penetrating. Linear, and citrus-like. I could
almost see this in the rose scents. I rubbed my hands in glee.

Citronella (EO, Aura Cacia, Cymbopogon nardus from Guatemala/India)--3 drops on a cotton, wafted
Sweet, meaty, grassy citrus--my sensation is that it seems very round, soft and deep without being
harshly penetrating. The citrus is lemony, the grass is a little like rotting hay or vegetation that has been
wet a long time. After sitting for several hours, the scent lost the "meaty" quality and smelled pretty much
like a bug candle.

Citrilys – Citrus blend, fresh, sweet-tart, lemon-orange-lime-grapefruit. If you’re not sure what citrus fruit
you want to make your perfume smell like, this is the one for you. Manages to be pleasant yet undefined.

Lemongrass (EO, origin unknown)--3 drops on a cotton, wafted

Lemony, minty and earthy--it smells like the sun-warmed lemon mint plants I used to have in my garden (I
think it was Melissa), but much more strong in the lemon part of the balance. Upon drydown, I get the
same impression as purplebird--lemony dusting polish. It is pleasant, and sort of reminds me of Old
English Lemon Oil. When dry, it is definitely much less sharp, and has a very nice mellow roundness that
seems grassy and fruity.

Lemongrass, origin unknown – Bright and lemony, not as delicious as lemon peel, more woody and
oily. Has the classic “furniture polish” aroma. Long-lasting. A great addition to improve the longevity of
citrus oils.

Lemongrass – remind me much more of lemons than of the herb

Rosewood (EO, origin unknown)--3 drops on a cotton, wafted

Lemony, oily, woody and a little herbal, almost like lavender flowers. After several hours, the scent hollows
out, and it seems much more woody at this point. Maybe like fresh wood which has been polished with
lemongrass oil, lol.

Rosewood - Oh, I love rosewood. I adore rosewood. The rosy, lemony aroma of expensive, polished
furniture sends me into ecstasy.

Rosewood/Bois de Rose, origin unknown, 10% dilution in ethanol: bright aromatic wood, a little spicy,, at
this concentration it is almost licorice-y.

Rosewood - 10%: rosewood nice rosy but the alcohol overwhelms my nose

Rosewood - Poor rosewood, going extinct from over-harvesting, and I can see why. It is being killed for
its beauty, like elephant's ivory and Mysore sandalwood. I hope people come to their senses and start to
cultivate this stuff. It's dire situation is the only thing that stops me from buying vats of it. How beautiful it
is. Lemony, but more subtle and long-lasting than lemon peel essential oil. Woody like sandalwood. No
harshness whatsoever, in contrast to lemongrass. It smells like an expensive furniture store that has been
recently dusted with a little Pledge. It smells like polished mahogany wood. It is absolutely breathtaking. I
wait for the day when I can ethically buy this beautiful substance.

Orange (eo, california) warm and sweet but delicately so. made me smile immediately.

Orange Essence, Brazil, Eden Botanicals - This is the sweetest orange aroma of the group; it smells like
a glass of fresh orange juice. It is more edible and candy-like than mandarin, but I find the mandarin with
its alternating tartness more amusing.
Sweet Orange (synthetic/fragrance oil) - nothing like real orange. I have no clue what it smells like but
there's something vaguely citrus. Maybe it's too old now. "Orange and vanilla" fragrance oil smells much
more realistic (used it to make scented soap - smelled very much like the fruit)

Mandarin, Italy, Eden Botanicals - This most closely resembles neroli, only without the charming,
campherous top. It sweet-tart and orangey, very interesting, and one of my favorite of the citrus peel
notes. Not nearly as tenacious as neroli, but one of the more long-lasting of the peel scents.

Mandarin Aldehyde - 2% aroma chemical in carrier oil. Oh-la-la. I perceive this as being a VERY
synthetic smell. I adore mandarin as a fruit, but this aldehyde has an inital rotten mandarin smell that
doesn’t appeal to me. Then it turns to a plasticky mandarin. Waxed mandarin peel. The smell is bouncing
with vitality and can probably have a lifting effect on tired head notes, but it is unmistakeably fake. While
drying down, it smells green to me. It is the scent of a plant I know, a bushy shrub with tiny white flowers,
but I can’t come up with a name. It is rather tenacious, still there while the methyl pamplemousse has long
gone.

Mandarin Aldehyde – really strange stuff more bitter than citrus. It does suggest mandarin orange but it
doesn’t smell like a real one.

Mandarine Aldehyde – Now here’s a chemical that perfectly illustrates the useful properties of
synthetics. Alone, this substance smells unattractive. It is like the first burst of citrus oil that comes off the
peel of an orange—acidic, harsh, fizzy. Add it to natural citrus essential oil, though, and you get lively
citrus fruit. It ramps up the zingy characteristic of the fruit.

Mandarine Aldehyde: dusty mandarine, like Aldehyde C12 infused mandarine peel.

Orange Blossom - Absolute, Tunesian, Eden Botanicals - One of the most important notes in
perfumery. This is a wonderful ingredient--one of my favorites. It, along with rose and jasmine, are the
three most important, useful florals. It smells sweeter than rose, but not as sweet as jasmine. In addition,
it has a unique characteristic, which I describe as a "dusty" topnote. I cannot find adequate words to
describe it. It smells like dust--earthy, like actual particles of dried soil--not like the undesirable matter that
collects on one's furniture each week. This quality is strange and endearing to me. I remember it from my
childhood, from the old perfumes that my grandmother brought with her from Europe in the earlier part of
the 1900s. This aroma is terribly quaint and nostalgic. In the middle, there exists a great, big, honeyed,
fruity sweetness and above that there is the dusty, almost greenish top note. I adore orange blossom
absolute. If I had a synthetic orange blossom accord, which I don't, I bet the chemists would have
removed the dusty topnote. I bet they would have found it too wild, too uncontrollable, too strange and
clashing with the honey and orange. However, I prefer this to the prettied-up version of orange blossom
that makes its way into multitudes of shampoos and lotions but which is really more like simple orange
essence.

Orange Blossom accord was a surprise. Didn't smell much like what I was expecting - something along
the lines of SL Fleurs d'Oranger. Nope, it was a lot of orange and very little blossom. Also seemed a bit
musky and a tiny bit aldehydic (now that I know what aldehydic is! )

Orange Blossom: overripe fruit, crisp linen, woody, nutty, earthy, rounded, salty

Orange Blossom Absolute- I needed this! I really see the Fleur du Male thing now. Really a nice
material.
Orange Blossom tincture - origin: flowers from my balcony, Italy
Two days have made a difference! Sadly, the alcohol is still very much there, but as it evaporates, the
smell is honeyed and densely floral. Then the delicate fragrance of orange blossoms shines through,

sweet and powdery and suave. Very true to the real blossoms. Still short-lived ,
no dusty note that i can smell, but my tree is a sweet orange tree and not a bitter orange one, thus the
scent of the blossoms might be different.

Neroli Extra, Eden Botanicals - Morocco/Lebanon - On the other hand, we get neroli from the steam
distillation of the very same blossoms, and what a different substance it is. Not anywhere near as floral as
orange blossom absolute, it smells closer to the essences of citrus peels that make up most of the citrus
notes in perfumery. Neroli is prettier than citrus peel essences, in my opinion. It presents itself as a
woody, orangey, somewhat bitter cross between a flower and a fruit peeling. It has a teriffic campherous
quality, like the strong aroma that rises from a crushed mint leaf. Importantly, it lends a citrus top note that
lasts longer than bergamot, mandarin, or orange. If I were to extend the longevity of those topnotes, the
addition of neroli would be how I would accomplish it. This is truly a wonderful substance.

Neroli Extra: woody, rubber cement glue, fruit, dry, penetrating

Neroli: orangey but a certain freshness, i also smell a little green note, also a little animalic at the end.

Petitgrain: smells like neroli, but greener, herbaceous.

Petitgran : gorgeous scent, close to what I remember when I used to own this EO. Dark orange, wood,
citronella, orange peel, smoke

Peitgrain I like this one too. again just a bit of something herbal- almost to help clear your sinus’s side on
top with an earthy warm wood

Petitgrain Essential Oil - extremely interesting! Where have I smelled this before? It's like citral a bit, but
lighter and more pleasant like limonene. Let's look it up.... Steam distilled from the leaves of citrus trees.
Neither of those substances as a main component, but lots of some related substances. Depends
strongly on the variety. Very cool. Almost as cool as the Ylang Ylang Oil, but not quite. But I'm definitely
going to look for this note in things from now on.

Petitgrain - very strong, greenish citrus. Can't explain too well but it definitely needs diluting! I'm more of
a fan of the other citruses methinks.
Petitgrain - I think this is a natural essential oil. Now finally I have smelled all of the products of the bitter
orange tree, and I like them all. From the heady orange blossom absolute, so sweet and powerful; to the
citrusy and sweet yet transparent and austere neroli essential oil, also from the blossom, but heat
distilled; to petitgrain, distilled from the twigs of the tree. Petitgrain is the least sweet--I would call it
bittersweet--but it still retains the orange aroma plus a giant dose of oily wood. I would put it into the
aromatic wood category along with cedar. It is fresh, clean, volatile smelling, and brings to mind a small
part of Guerlain Vol de Nuit.

Clementine CO2-- One of the best citrus materials I've smelled. I previously favored tangerine oil for
tangy orange notes, but this beats it.

Pink Grapefruit, unknown origin, Perfumers Apprentice - This is my daughter's favorite note. I have to
admit, it adds a great deal of interest to perfumery. The bittersweet quality is remarkable. It smells
realistic, like a thirst-quenching, cold glass of grapefruit juice. I'm not getting any of the off-notes that
cause perfumers to turn to synthetics instead of natural grapefruit essence. Perhaps they occur when this
substance is mixed with other ingredients.

Grapefruit - Nice, mild, tangy, bittersweet sample.

Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi EO (organic) from Frontier

I believe it is cold-pressed from the peel. What I smell is pretty much grapefruit skin, and it is quite nice. It
is sour and bitter with a little bit of sweetness, same as you would expect if you were to peel a fresh
grapefruit. approximately 4 hours later: The grapefruit has mostly bitterness, as most of the sweet and
sour has evaporated. This is probably where the perception of urine or BO comes from as it smells sort of
"off". I can see why something else in the heart or base would have to take over at this point....

Methyl Pamplemousse almost grapefruit rind

Methyl Pampelmousse – Here is the problem-free version of grapefruit essential oil, which reportedly
carries a misbehaving off-note. The synthetic fails to smell totally realistic—it’s weaker than the real stuff,
has a pronounced midrange, and lacks the bright top notes. Still it is pretty. And some mandarine
aldehyde helps brighten it.

Methyl Pamplemousse - 2% aromachemical in carrier oil … a white grapefruit aroma. Very pleasant! At
the start it is quite sweet and lacks the slightly bitter, tart nuance of natural graprefruit peel, but
afterwards, it veers toward a more citrusy-bitter smell and becomes more “real”. Linda (Perfumer’s
Apprentice) says this is used in a remarkable concentration in AA Pamplelune, but I detect neither cat pee
nor body odour, which are often mentioned when discussing Pamplelune. It must be said that I didn’t
smell them in the actual fragrance either.

Methyl Pamplemousse: musk sticks + citrus toilet cleaner. Less like grapefruit and more of a blend of
different citruses.

Methyl Pamplemousse-- Everything I hoped it would be. There were things I was trying to accomplish
before that I couldn't without this aromachemical.

Linalool – Having smelled real rosewood, I expected to be unimpressed, but this is a pleasant surprise.
Surely it’s not as good as rosewood, but it has that lovely woody-lemon aroma. I realize that my favorite
men’s fragrances feature linalool, at least the ones that don’t bury it under citrus, herbal, and leather
accords. Excellent note.

Linalool: aha, this is an interesting, widely used note. Floral? Not to my nose. Initially, it smells like anise
or artemisia and a tiny bit lemony. The impression is bitter-sweet. This note is joined by green shoots, and
in this phase I am able to associate the scent with a green floral note - the smell of tulips comes to my
mind. Eventually, the anise note takes on woody undertones. It is rather tenacious.
Linalool: at first I got pretty, inoffensive, floral - rosey(ish). Then suddenly it changed and became
resolutely minty

Fruity

Nectaryl, Perfumers Apprentice - A synthetic peach-apricot accord by Givaudan. I had a hard time
deciding which peach note to try. Peach in all its incarnations thrills me; Mitsouko, Coco, Diorella,
Nahema, Calyx, Cristalle, I even find a certain peachiness about Rush, Maubaussin, and 24, Faubourg,
all fragrances that I love. This Nectaryl is a peasant cross between apricot and nectarine, slightly tangy,
comfortingly sweet. It is nowhere near as assertive or strong as I thought it would be; rather it is soft and
milky. (It's more like Gucci Rush than Mitsouko.) It seems to be made for combining with other notes to
veer in the direction of one's own personal taste. If I had some, I'd try C-14, or another peach or apricot
accord. It smells good with mandarin and orange essences, and it smells very good with neroli.

Aldehyde C-14 Peach Aldehyde aka Gamma-Undecalactone : 2% in carrier oil. I was pretty excited to
smell this historic aldehyde, and my expectations were more than fulfilled. Imagine shiny, golden, juice-
dripping slices of a peach which is so ripe it almost borders on overripe. That's what C-14 smells like. It is

wonderfully fruity-sweet, milky, creamy, and oh so smooth I just love it. Does it
smell natural? I don't think so. It's as natural as a perfect picture of a perfect peach. Time passes but this
velvety peach just keeps going. More to C-14. In his book "The Secret of Smell", Luca Turin says that the
one used in Mitsouko is delta-undecalactone, also called Persicol, which he places in the lactones
chapter. Also, when talking about aldehydes, he doesn't consider those with a number above C-12. No
mention of C-14, C-16 (strawberry aldehyde) and C-18 (coconut aldehyde). SO, are the true aldehydes
only those from 1 to 12 and the others lactones? It puzzles me - I'm no chemist and no expert either, so
I'd love those in the know to chime in. Please? C-14 is one of the molecules I really loved in my palette. It
is a creamy note more than a milky one. Not that I dislike milky notes. For instance, I love milky jasmine.
The C-14 molecule has definitely an edible smell and of course, a scent based only on C-14 would tire the
nose in no time.
Speaking of Mitsouko, this afternoon I smelled Mitsouko in EdP and parfum, seeking the peach note.
Hmmm....it was a little more evident in the parfum but all in all, it was only another confirmation that I'm

not a Mitsouko girl. I find the other notes extremely disturbing If I should mention
off the top of my head which scent features a peach note similar to C-14 I'd say Clive Christian X for
women (peaches and cream).

Aldehyde C14: I was a little apprehensive about this aldehyde after C12, however this one is rather nice.
Smells like a soft peach with background notes of something vaguely floral and something exotic like
coconut (not overly sweet cloying coconut but fresh, creamy fresh coconut flesh).
Aldehyde C-14 – I love this stuff. Here is the peach of Diorella, clear as a bell, sweet, full, yet dainty. This
is more transparent than Nectaryl, which is creamy. I like C-14 better, but Nectaryl outlasts it, hands
down.

Aldehyde C-14 - I am not quite getting the dreamy peach that others have. I am not smelling much of
anything. I'll have to get someone else to smell this and see if it is me or it.

Peach - Yes the peach is synthetic (I'm not too sure what's in it though) and it smells rather like the fruit,
but bordering peach lollies. Vaguely reminds me of Peach Hyacinth by Bathed and Infused but other than
that I don't really have much to compare it to. I know Mitsouko has a peach note but I can't smell it (yet).

Aldehyde C16 – Strawberry. Found this as a less potent, slightly fruity C12. From the four aldehydes I
have smelled, C12, 16 and Mandarine all have that dusty, sneezy smell. C14 didn't so I wondered why,
until I found out Aldehyde C14 is actually a lactone not an aldehyde! This may explain why I like some
fragrances with aldehydes and dislike others - I liked C14.

Aldehyde C16 – Strawberry, definitely. Pleasantly fruity but high-pitched and waxy. Needs to be sweeter
and smoother to smell like real strawberries. Could use creaminess.

Melonal : 2% in carrier oil = fresh, light, watery melon smell. In fact, it smells more like watermelon than
like melon. The fruity side doesn't last long, the impression of something watery remains on skin.

Melonal: less potent calone and more like rock melon kind of melon.

Melonal – Dead ringer for unripe watermelon. Smells a little like honeydew, too. The cucumber greeness
is accented. Useful for fresh summer scents and aquatics.

Cassis – A big surprise. Berrylike, with a zingy edge, and some raison & wine undertones. Woody, too.
This gets the “strange fruit” award. I could see this note taking perfumery by storm, appearing in all
manner of new fragrances, and then disappearing again because it is hard to hide. Not an easily-blended
note.

Cassis: sweet, fruity, reminded me of a dessert I had in Malaysia a few years ago with mango and
lychees. Very yummy!

Cassis – Givaudan reconstitution - 2% in carrier oil : it smells very much like black currant berries taste,
with a tiny citrusy (acidic) nuance and a deeper inky facet. It smells fruity-inky to me.

Cassis - lots of fruit. not sure I can place it as cassis but wonderfully fruity I am getting peach as part of
this, berry too.

Methyl Heptine Carbonate - 2% in carrier oil : Interestingly, my nose picks up an intensely fruity smell, a
mixed fruit salad where I am not able to identify single notes. The fermented fruit pulp smell in Black
Orchid comes to mind but, while I love that note in BO, MHC didn't really impress me.

Methyl heptine carbonate - Weird. Like the sharp top notes of lilac without any heady sweetness. Rather
oily and green, mildly astringent, clean. Can't say that I like it. Smells like the peel of unripe fruit.

Methyl Heptine Carbonate: 1% water fresh light floral violet cucumber

Allyl amly glycolate - pineapple definitely. a bit synthetic but definitely pineapple.

Allyl Amyl Glycolate – Pungent, green florals with a dry, dusty edge morph into solid pineapple. This is a
trop0ical aroma, but it is nowhere near as sweet or heavy as one would expect. Dry and delicate, it
probably would be easy to combine with other fruits.
Allyl Amyl Glycolate: masculine, salty, vegetal... celery??? Ok now resolutely celery. I hear about
Yatagan and other masculines having a celery note, would it be AAG?

Florals

Rose Absolute - Rosa damascena, Egypt, Eden Botanicals - A natural rose absolute. This does not
smell like a live rose. Certainly it smells like rose, with a velvety sweetness but, to me, there is a bit of a
fermented quality like wine, and a strong component of fruit and spice, like apple and cinnamon.

Rose damascene: wow sexy warm goodness, where is this from?

Rose, India: fresh cut lemongrass rose

Bulgarian rose: beautiful, light rose with a little musk. Reminded me a lot of Fleurs de Bulgarie.

Rosa damascena - I'm impressed by this sample. Is it a synthetic accord? If it is, hat's off to the maker,
because it is mucho realistic. If it is all-natural, I'd say it is among the best I've smelled. In fact, I would be
tempted to say it has natural geranium in it, because it is so gorgeous. If you don't believe me, try
Malvaloca by Madini sometime. It is a perfume based on wild Moroccan geranium oil. Who is the
maker/seller, please?

Rosa damascena – Iran (Persian Rose), Primavera - 10% in alcohol: I smell slightly dried rose petals,
like the ones used in a potpourri, or slightly decomposed ones, as if the flowers were picked a couple of
hours ago and then left on their own to “mature”. There’s also a peppery aspect to it when it dries down,
and a dry hay note. I guess the concentration is too high to really appreciate it on its own, although it
fades rather quickly due to alcohol evaporation. I have smelled this rose note before in a couple of all-
natural perfumes and I am not a fan.

Rosa Damascena - (Bulgarian rose), 2% in carrier oil: compared to the above, it smells more like a
living rose, but it’s true, it has a wine-y facet. Apple cider? Fermented fruit? Hmmm…could be. I can’t
come up with a more elaborate description right now. I have to test it again tomorrow morning with a
“fresh” nose.

Rose damascena, Iran, Primavera – Gorgeous. Smells more like a real rose than any other natural I
have tried. Expensive, but worth it. The nicest rose absolute I have ever encountered. Usually the
sythetics smell more like a fresh rose and more pleasant than the absolutes, but this is the exception.
And it is truly exceptional.

Rose (Damascus): liquer, clove, wood, little bit of wet cardboard

Rose, Bulgarian Absolute

This bulgarian rose doesn't smell like a live rose to me either. Fermented? Possibly. It is a bit like a big
bold rose cabernet or somesuch. Complex and full of substance. I also get the hints the apple and spice
perhaps cinnamon.

Bulgarian rose (natural?) – Calssic red rose, fruity, spicy, and not too soapy. Still doesn’t smell like a
fresh rose. None of them do.

Rose de Mai Absolute - Rosa centifolia, Egypt, Eden Botanicals - Personally, I like this better than the
damascena. It has a greenness, like a tea rose, and more spiciness. Seems livlier than the damascena,
but probably would not mix as well with other notes and therefore not be as useful in actual perfumery.

Rose de Mai: wet cardboard

Rose - Comparing the rose fragrance oil I have to Tea Rose (Perfumer's Workshop) and Fleurs de
Bulgarie. It smelled just like the Tea Rose, hardly anything like the Creed (lot of musk in that one). After
about 5min it changed though to green, spicy tea rose. Not bad, but not sweet enough for me to
appreciate by itself :P

Rose Accord - synthetic, Givaudan Perfumers Apprentice - Intensely rosy. Lacks the woody harshness
of natural absolute, as though it had been excised with a knife. Incredibly more fruity. Better sillage. Lasts
longer. However, it presents itself in a one-dimensional, solid manner, not wavering from sweet to woody
as you inhale, the way the natural presented itself.

Rose (synthetic): tea rose, milled french soap

Jasmine Grandiflora Absolute, Egypt, Eden Botanicals - This is my favorite of the three samples I got.
Strong, penetrating, rich and fruity. Smells like a floral version of Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Has a bit of an
indolic note, but nothing off-putting, only warm and a tad bit fecal. This could be a perfume all by itself. I
find it eminently wearable. It is my favorite of the three.

Jasmine Grandiflora Absolute, India - A weaker version of the above. Not as sweet, nor as heady, but
still pretty.

Jasmine Grandiflora: cat pee, rose, moth balls, wet cardboard, sweet

Jasmine Absolute, 2% in oil

The smell is very fruity and sweet - like ripe banana - at the start. It them mellows and takes on a more
animalic/indolic facet (probably slightly fecal) without losing its extreme floralcy. After about twenty
minutes, it becomes also slightly smoky. To my nose, this is the kind of jasmine forming the main note in
Serge Lutens' Sarrasins.

Jasmine Grandiflorum: very sweet white floral, almost dead ringer for SL A la Nuit, although slightly
fruitier to my nose and less indolic. I think I also detected a small amount of something musky in there too
- like white musk, not animalic musk.

Jasmine Grandiflora (natural) – One of my all-time favorite natural perfumery ingredients; nothing beats
this flower to put on a show all by itslef, thank-you, no supporting notes needed. Nature’s ready-made
perfume. The Egyptian origin absolute is the best.

Jasmine Absolute - I'm seeing the same thing as other people in terms of my Jasmine Grandiflora (India,
CO2) versus my normal Jasmine Absolute (India). The Grandiflora CO2 is much nicer and sweeter than
the normal absolute. Definitely less of the fecal, musty, and earthy stuff. Although in drydown the Absolute
was quite nice. I would love to have a sample of the Egyptian, but if it's anything like the Egyptian jasmine
in JdN, then it has to be good.

Jasmine Sambac Absolute- Jasminum sambac, India, Eden Botanicals - Opens on a greener note but
settles into a heavier floral quality. This is more indolic than the grandiflora, and I find that it has a bit of a
salty, fleshy quality. It, too, is truly beautiful and could stand on its own as a perfume. It has a more
singular fruitiness than the grandiflora, as though the fruit note is focused on one fruit, not tutti-fruiti like
the grandiflora.

Jasmine (Sambac): moth balls, apricot, cat pee, dry

Jasmine Sambac absolute (3% in carrier) and got something that was somewhat headier and almost
fecal (indolic?). Even closer to A la Nuit than Grandiflorum, which now makes me think of the bright,
slightly fruity jasmine used in Patou's Joy. Oddly, I tend to find I really enjoy jasmine on some days and
other days I dislike it. Definitely more a fan of Grandiflorum than Sambac.

Ylang-ylang (eo, asia) for me this is not at all a pleasant smell, it is kind of a flower exaggeration. it
borders on the hawaii-kitschy, reminiscent of tropic countries when it is too hot. i also smell some clove
and carnation. very exotic, very heavy.

Ylang Ylang : Fragrance oil, an intoxicating and heady floral, does not smell so much like the EO, but the
resemblance is evident. Rubber, ammonia, white flower

ylang ylang tropical flowers , definitely heady.

Ylang ylang: overpowering exotic, for me it provokes a "just too much"-reaction. also a medical note here
like being placed on a dentist´s chair. also the rancid rusty corrodedness of the synthetic methyl salicylate
there.

Ylang ylang 10%: classic sexy scent this one is a bit plastic?

Ylang-Ylang - I have a blind spot in my memory for this floral. No matter how many times I smell it, it
always surprises me, and then I can't remember what it smells like again. I think I confuse it for a
synthetic tuberose accord. It is strong, smells similar to jasmine, but more spicy like rose. Nice sample.

Ylang-ylang - Now that's a nice ylang-ylang. I can't tell you if it's all natural or not because I have trouble
identifying this flower. It is highly variable. Some EOs smell good to me, almost jasminey, others smell
foul. This one is fruity; it smells like like tropical fruits, smooth, even a bit oily, and sweet. Nice.

Ylang Ylang Fragrant Oil - very enjoyable! A floral with almost a peppery quality to it. No wonder people
use this so much. Very fresh. This is my favorite so far. Only one sample left.

Ylang-ylang - Fragrance oil . Bubblegum. And I love bubblegum.

Ylang-Ylang, essential oil, country unknown, 5% concentration in alcohol: it starts with a BLAST! And this
blast is extremely unpleasant - who would have thought? It smells strongly of wet dog, wet hay, licorice

powder. Maybe my concentration is too high... however, surprise! As soon as

the initial alcohol/eo punch evaporates, the smell is soft, powdery, clove-spiked... very reminiscent of
carnation, and I'll add the kind of wild deep pink carnation with the smaller, less complicated blooms. I see
it spicing up less incisive floral notes, or paired with leather (ok, I am a weird leather obsessed gal) ...
maybe to render orris more powdery and floral? I start understanding why it is largely used...its
possibilities seem endless.

Champaca, absolute, India, Eden Botanicals - What a surprise. I thought I would get something sweet,
like mint and bubblegum, very much like Nag Champa incense. In fact, I once bought a beautiful
Champaca perfume from the head shop (and liked it so much I even gave bottles of it away as gifts). It
was gorgeous, with a heady aroma like a bag of fresh pot (and no, I don't smoke, but I still like the smell
of a fresh bag of dried marijuana). I was convinced that this Champaca perfume was real. I'm here to say,
no, it probably wasn't natural, nor was any of the Nag Champa incense in the store. This Champaca
absolute that I have smells like.... Hay. It is gentle, only slightly sweet, grasslike and warm, like a pile of
hay drying in the sun. Admittedly, I haven't smelled my hay absolute yet, but this champaca smells like
real hay more than anything I know. It does not smell like a flower. It has a strong characteristics of "dried
organic matter" wherein the sweetness is accompanied by the woody smell of drying leaves and petals.
Yes, this champaca is pungent. It is pleasant, too.

Champaca: wood, aromatic, mint, herbal, wet cardboard, dry, spice

Tuberose: roots, dirt, wet cardboard

Tuberose (fragrance oil): the rich sweetness of the smell is simply overpowering. like you have searched
for many years for the ideal flower and finally found it. you just want it to last. it smells pure, aaaah, the
sheer whiteness of it... the smell an angel should wear . funny, i did not smell any of this carnal, erotic
notes some are so excited about. but it certainly was the most longlasting fragrance i ever tested. i
smelled yesterday´s strip and it still was going very strong.

Tuberose, absolute, India, Eden Botanicals - UGH. Gack. Yuck. This is the carnal flower! Oh my gosh.
This is nothing like any of the tuberose perfumes that I have ever smelled. It is not sweet at first. It is fetid.
It smells rotten... Then there is a minty interlude, and some sweetness creeps forth... Now the sweetness
is intensifying. I guess if it smells like any flower, it is a bit like rose because it is definitely spicy. Also,
there is a heady sweetness like lilac. Over it all looms the annoying rubbery, pungent smell. Saltiness,
too. And don't forget, the rotten flowers. People, this is not pleasant at all to me. How do they make
perfume out of this?

Tuberose, absolute, Profumo.it Update: Good, very good. Much sweeter and floral, more perfumelike
than any other I have ever smelled. It still retains that slightly "meaty" quality of jungle flowers, but this
tuberose is markedly sweet, strangely beautiful, a mix of fleshy and sugary notes, some green and
haylike wildness, and a strong projection of a floral note. It explains everything to me about Fracas. What
a great note..

Tuberose, absolute, India, CO2 extraction- Already discussed, this deep orangey-red substance packs
a real punch. Mine is strong smelling, only a bit sweet (dispite reports to the contrary) very vegetal, and
smells like rotten flowers and a bit of rubber. This is supposed to be real, but where is the piercing
sweetness I was mislead to believe was a characteristic of tuberose?

Karo Karounde--very, very overripe fruit at first, then it transitions into the smell of damp and slightly
mildewed paper or cloth. It stays very sweet, even in the drydown and becomes more fruity in time. The
fruit is mostly like stone fruits--peach, nectarine or apricot. I'd say it is very indolic, although it does not
smell particularly floral to me, so I hesitate to compare it to other indolic florals such as jasmine.

Karo Karounde, Profumo-it. - This is the smell of rotting flowers and hay. It smells like the bunches of
flowers that used to fall off my trumpet vines onto my patio all summer. There were so many of them, I
couldn't sweep them up fast enough. Then they would rot, and this is what they smelled like. It also smells
like a type of jungle flower that uses flies for pollination, hence it has to smell a little ripe and meaty.
And the worst part is, it has nuances of honey and urine. Oh, I do not like karo karounde.

Hedione - both as a 12% solution and as pure liquid. It had a nice odor, a little floral, but not strong to me
(?). Not sure if my nose is simply dead at this point. I was reaching for the coffee quite a bit. Fresh ground
is awesome in that respect. And then I pulled out benzyl acetate. Wow! Powerful, fruity stuff, it resembles
ethyl acetate (paint & household solvent) and the other acetates used in gunpowder solvents. Lots and
lots and lots of volume. Maybe a bit jasminy, but not really. It's totally unlike the naturals, and has major
penetration. It's not listed on the bottle of JdN, but a similar substance is - benzyl salicylate - which I'll try
later.
Hedione: I dunno if my nose is starting to fail or this really does not smell like anything in particular. It
smells very light, rather vaguely sweet fruity/floral. Also came off slightly powdery.

Hedione, 2% dilution in carrier oil: wow - this is Eau Sauvage alright! I can see why this synth is so
popular - it is a very fine note of citrusy jasmine with a tender caress of a milky sandalwood-like
background. It is really very, very pleasant.

Hedione – Bulgari Au The Rouge (which was one of my reference scents for a prominent hedione note).

Hedione – I’m not smelling anything floral here, despite its categorization. More like sandalwood in its
“lifting” effect, with a peppery/woody topnote, not much sweetness, yet a milky undercurrent. It is very
bright. I can see why this is used to liven up florals. By itself, it is a little too sharp and jarring for me to
wear. But if any fragrance I was making started smelling heavy and dull, I would add this substance. It
smells like sunshine on roses. Bulgari Thé Rouge, yes.

Frangipani (perfume oil, 10% alc.): it´s sweet and floral with strong powdery notes, and a hint of honey.
nice and smooth. as i have never smelled a frangipani i cannot tell if this is how the flower smells. but for
some reasons the scent of lillies comes to my mind although i am not even sure if and how lillies smell!
the ones in my garden still need a week or two to flower.

Carnation – Tried this accord and really liked it. It'd be great to dilute it in alcohol and wear! Ok, maybe
not - might need some kind of fixative.

Carnation – Clove, rose, orange, maybe some pepper. Cool, floral, spicy.

Lotus (eo, india, 10% in alcohol): i bought this as lotus essential oil in mysore/india. if it is a true lotus i
cannot tell lacking comparisons. but i like it very much for its very distinct and hard to classify fragrance.
for me when smelling it it is not so much floral than earthy with a hint of powdery note. it evokes the
impression of a beautiful geometric figure in whitegold, bringing the hustle of daily life to a perfect
standstill. my musical connotation with this lotus oil: definitely the soothing sounds of tibetan bowls.
ommmmmmm!

Heliotropin, 2% concentration in carrier oil: it smells warm, powdery, vanillic, but unmistakeably floral to
my nose. The scent is delicate and fleeting. I cannot detect any almond-y facet - on the other hand, I think
the cherry pie-like aspect is there. To give you an impression, it smells much more like Serge Lutens
Rahat Loukoum than, say, Etro Heliotrope, where I guess a generous amount of another component
smelling like almonds was used. SL Rahat Loukoum: fresh white almond, crushed cherry pits,
hawthorn, heliotrope, Turkish rose, balsam, tonka bean, aldehydes, white honey, musk and vanilla. Etro
Heliotrope, with notes of heliotrope, sweet almond, vanilla, fruit notes, ylang-ylang, and petit grain.
Mazzolari Alessandro: bitter almonds, honey, heliotrope, and vanilla.

Heliotropin: nothing much, when I try hard I smell sweet, powdery cherry. Not the harsh, cough medicine,
Louve-like cherry I was expecting.

Heliotropin – Delicate, too weak for me to smell at this concentration. Smooth, cherry-vanilla aroma, but
not gourmand. I like it a lot, but I wish it was stronger.

Linden Blossom: wood, nuts, wet cardboard, soft, earthy, boozy

Linden Blossom, absolute, France, Eden Botanicals - Everything I heard about this note, I had to forget
it. Every perfume that smells like linden blossoms, like Tilleul by Diptique, smells more like lime,
watermelon, and hyacinth than this natural Linden Blossom absolute sample here. This stuff is dark, faint
smelling, and a bit like tuberose, only not as offensive. It almost doesn't smell at all. The color is dark,
orangey brown, similar to tuberose absolute, and extremely viscous. I once got a supposedly genuine
Linden Blossom essential oil from Nature's Gift, and it was gorgeous, like the aforementioned Tilleul
perfume. I almost bought a boatload of the stuff, but when I logged onto the website, there was a
disclaimer from the owner stating that several people with knowledge of chemistry had tried her samples,
and they said it wasn't real, so she was looking into the matter. While that was probably a year ago, no
further mention was made. I am laughing at the farce going on, this sample was almost white and clear.
No way could that sample and my sample both be Linden Blossom absolute. They look nothing alike.

Genet/Broom, absolute, Italy, Eden Botanicals - Muddy greyish-brown, opaque, very thick, cannot pour
it without adding alcohol to dissolve it. Another weird aroma, like tuberose, smells nothing like one would
expect a flower to smell. First a limelike topnote, then a haylike smell, slightly sour tobacco, followed a
strong aroma of dried leaves. Very dense, heady, but not floral in any traditional sense. Strange, strange,
strange.

Genet/Broom: woody, nutty, aromatic, dry, fermented fruit

Helichrysum (Immortelle) - natural - 2% concentration in carrier oil.

Unlike the "smell image" of immortelle I had filed in my head after sniffing scents which reviewers
described as having an identifiable immortelle note (=herbal maple syrup), this dilution smells slightly
acidic and unpleasant upon application. With time, it loses much of the disturbing sour note and warmer,
partly lemon tea-like and partly dough-like facets with a background of dried stalks make themselves
known. Before disappearing completely (the dilution is very light) it takes on skin-like tones, conjuring up
an image of a sunset in late summer. I also had a distinct impression of "luke-warm".

Helichrysum: strong, very sweet, rather hay-like but I also get that soggy weetbix smell that I sometimes
find in Amour de Cacao. Vaguely reminiscent of Ayala Moriel's Immortelle l'Amour.

Helichrysum, Eden Botanicals – Strange floral. Strong, sour, harsh, haylike, with pronounced better,
aromatic, medicinal note. I do not like this one at all. I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like it
Sam-I-Am.

Lilial: on my skin, the longer lasting of the three. It is somewhat waxy and conveys a "memory" of LotV,
like the traces you smell in a room where someone wearing a LotV scent has been. I could easily take it
for the scent of lilac instead.

Lilial: could barely smell this one - wet floral, quite sweet.

Lyral: slightly less LotV and more spicy/green lily than the other two, as if the floral note were dusted with
white pepper.

Lyral: sweet, clean, watery floral. Perhaps some vanilla in there too.

Lillial – Another lovely, delicate white flower. I have to go outside to smell these lily synthetics, but it’s
worth the effort. This one is stronger than the former; however, care must be taken not to bury with other
notes it in a perfume. No wonder lily often appears in old-fashioned aldehydic, floral-only perfumes.

Lyral – a different take on lily, more green, earthy, and peppery. Reminds me of the kind of in Michael
Storer Stephanie, even though that one was gardenia, instead. I tried to put all three of the lily chemicals
together to see if their strengths would be additive, but they are not. It remains a faint note in need of a
well-crafted perfume formula.

Lilial – floral but not necessarily muguet a bit harsh in fact especially after it is on my skin for a bit.

Lyral - this seems closer to hytroxycitronella than lilial. more like muguet just not the classic one I
somehow had in my head. this also seemed stronger after a bit of time.

Hydroxycitronella – Muguet! there is definitely a lot of this stuff in Diorissimo.

Hydroxycitronella – Mild, tiny white flower, lily-of-the-valley. Very well-mannered. Needs support, but
nice.

Hydroxycitronellal: soft and delicate lily of the valley, but somewhat flat. To my nose, it lacks a "bright"
side. My immediate impression was that I smell this note, or a similar one, in 90% of floral perfumes. This
is the classic LotV note, the synth Roudnitska used in Diorissimo.

Hydroxycitranella: very sweet, slightly anise-y I think - small resemblance to Lolita Lempicka Au
Masculin. Perhaps with a tiiiiiny bit of orange/citrus.

Phenethyl alcohol - Sweet - almost gourmand. Cinnamon-like in a strange way, yet not spicy to me at
all. Immediately I was transported back to my days in the university. The smell of the lab. The smell that
made me want to become an evil scientist. Back before the fools tried to stop me! Well, they'll... Where
was I? Oh, yes - phenethyl alcohol. Good stuff.

Phenethyl alcohol – Honey, rose, dirt, grass. Fascinating note. Piercing, weird, a bit off-putting but
somehow quite attractive.

Phenethly acetate – Plastic, fake fruit, vaguely floral, pungent, sickly-sweet, nail-polish, melting wax.
Horrid bouquet of plastic flowers.

Ionone alpha, 2% dilution in carrier oil: a powdery, dark, sweet, earthy blossom which smells like violets
without those candied notes that I loathe. I believe I can smell also a myrrh-like note in there. Hands
down, one of my favourite synthetic molecules.

Ionone beta: a mix of everything except citrus and spicy. it is sweet ,woody, floral, berry, fruity and
whatnot. and yet one would never wear that as perfume.

Beta-ionone - Why, this one smells... a bit like a cedar coffin. Yes, I believe that it's almost woody! Why -
if I used a bit too much of this, I could even create a woodchuck hybrid!

Dihydro ionone beta: quite similar to the above. but the woody note there is more distinctive.

Violet Fragrance Oil: this must be a fragrance of the flower or plant rather than the leaves. Lemon, lime,
strawberry, sugar syrup, vanilla

Violet – I am not sure what the flowers smell like but this makes me think of those violet candies

Violet - Another nice synthetic. Smells like very fruity violet flowers, a nice, full aroma with a little green--
just enough to give it character and life. Convincing, if I didn't know better.

Violet Fragrant Oil - excellent violet. My wife is the official violet critic in this house, and the first word out
of her mouth was "good". Just a bit dark and restrained - almost a unisex violet to me.

Violet (FO)- Not sure how to describe - smells floral and sweet but not like roses or jasmine or what I
think of as white flowers (tuberose/gardenia I think) and somewhat synthetic (FO). Do violets even
produce essential oil? And would it be from the flower? Smelling dried violet petals and they seem much
less sweet and slightly smoky (odd - smoke free house).

Alpha Ionone – I love this note. Deep, dark, boozy, velvety violet without any annoying candy notes.
Strong woody note g rows and persists. Lovely stuff. This would probably go well with fruity damascones
and patchouli in a sweet amber or vanilla base. Bring it on. Gorgeous.

Alpha Ionone: strongest of the ones I smelled so far (apart from C12). I didn't get violets much at all - it
reminded me of plaster molds with a small amount of fruit/flowers.
Aromatic, Herbal or Minty

Peppermint (EO, Aura Cacia, Mentha piperita origin USA)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Cool, refreshing and mellow mint, very recognizable as the same aroma/flavor that is used for confections
and household products. Below the coolness is a sort of modestly sweet, woody/herbal scent that softens
the sharpness of the "cooling" component. After dry down, still cool and more sweet. The mintyness is
turning, and seems a bit more pee-like at this point.

Spearmint (EO, Aura Cacia, Mentha spicata origin USA)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Like peppermint, spearmint is cool and refreshing...and very recognizable. Where peppermint is soft and
a bit woody, spearmint is very sweet and green smelling--much brighter in tone than the pepperment, but
not overwhelming in any way. The dry down is still very similar, only it smells more like chewing gum. It is
also getting a bit of an off-scent, but not as much as the peppermint.

Spearmint, USA , Eden Botanicals – Sweet, candylike, cool, smooth, delicious. This is a mouthwatering
note, as far as I am concerned.

Basil - Green, live, minty with just a touch of sweetness. No overpowering note of anise, either. Nice
sample.

Basil (EO, Aura Cacia, Ocimum basilicum origin France/Egypt)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Green and spicy, slightly lemony-minty, and a hint of nuttyness, oilyness. Recognizable as a culinary
herb, but in this form smells much less fresh and much more on the medicinal side. Even so, I still get a
connection between this and freshly chopped basil, or with pesto sauce. After dry down, it is much less
oily and spicy, but the green lemon-mint remains and the nuttyness increases.

Birch, Sweet - MIld, sweet, minty, terriffic. Is this what used to be in the old Emeraude? Or was it
wintergreen? (They are close in aroma.) If so, I can see why it was once a great fragrance. Mesmerising.

Birch Leaf - Very different from Asha's sample, which had a pronounced wintergreen aroma. This one is
much leafier, with green topnotes and not a smuch sweetness. I smell a bit of Eau de Camille in here.
Very attractive.

Sweet Birch (EO, Simplers Botanicals, Betula lenta origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Although not a mint, sweet birch seems to be a sort of icy-hot and sweet minty scent, very much like
wintergreen (a dangerous EO--I have not seen it around for years). If you can imagine wintergreen
lifesavers and how incredibly bracing they are, then you will get the idea. The scent of sweet birch is
penetrating--a real sinus-opener. I can see this being used as a muscle rub-down as a replacement for
the dreaded wintergreen. After a couple hours, it is still very similar to the beginning scent, only less
intense. It smells much more like lifesavers now.

Birch leaf 1% woody smoky tobacco

Birch leaf, synthetic, 1% dilution in carrier oil: initially sweet green, almost fruity like very green banana or
melon rind; later it becomes fresh woody and takes up a not so pleasant almost leathery smell.

Rosemary, unknown origin – Aromatic, minty but non-sweet, pungent, with undertones of turpentine.
This might be a difficult note to work with in perfumery, restricted to dry, herbal fragrances. I can’t see it
being sweetened easily without clashing.

Rosemary (EO in carrier): herbaceous, similar to lavender to my nose.

Bay (EO, origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted

Sweet, spicy, woody and nutty. My sample is old, but a recognizable sweet bay scent still comes through.
After a while, the spicy wood increases, and the sweetness decreases

Bay - slightly minty, very earthy. Smelled great in combination with rose,

Rosemary (EO, Frontier, Rosmarinus officinalis origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Sharp and medicinal, slightly minty with a penetrating cooling component (another sinus-opener). Under
the sharper, brighter parts, I smell a sweet, aromatic wood scent. After a while, the penetrating coolness
decreases, but the strong medicinal tone remains. It also smells a bit more lemony

Sage (EO, origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted

Another medicinal note, only a bit more cumin-like (that typical "off" note I always get with sage) and not
as sharp as rosemary. Compared to rosemary, sage is much drier, and not woody at all--more leafy-
herbal, without being "green" if that makes sense. It is also a bit oily smelling. After drydown, the sage and
rosemary smell very similar, but the sage is more dry.

Chamomile - bitter and unpleasant, compared to the Wild Chamomile, which was very nice, a bit minty
and haylike.

Blue Chamomile – this is strange stuff dark green and its dyed the top blue. spicy green – it might work
well with other things but perhaps not

Wild Chamomile – I like this alot – more green than floral I may need a bottle of this so attempt to build a
fragrance around it.

Chamomile (EO)- Smells rather like lavender to me except slightly herby/medicinal. I'm a little doubtful
whether this "essential oil" is really EO. It doesn't seem to be the consistency of an EO

Lavender, France, Eden Botanicals – Fresh, dry, herbal, a bit soapy, lavender is an exceedingly aromatic
floral. This is a clean smell.

Lavender (EO in carrier): very thick and viscous even though the carrier oil is grapeseed. Odd, salty
lavender and reminds me of Drakkar Noir when mixed with citrus FOs.

Lavender – like dried lavender. a bit harsh but very true

English Lavender EO: salty, herbacious lavender

English Lavender (natural) – Neal’s Yard. Fresh, herbal, a bit soapy. Classic lavender, invigorating and
soothing at the same time.

Lavandin - Fresh, like lavender, but without the soapiness.

Dihydromyrcenol – Clean as a whistle lemony lavender without any soapiness. The quintessential
masculine fragrance base. This must be used everywhere (in dominant amounts) in men’s cologne and
deodorant. Pleasant, bright, hygenic, but ubiquitous.
Dihydromyrcenol lime soap

Dihydromyrcenol: reminds me of a generic masculine fougere. Smells like lavender, some kind of
generic citrus on something green/woody.

Dihydromyrcenol - I like it despite Chandler Burr's aversion. Nice, clean, fresh. Sure, it's been overdone,
but it's darned useful.

Geranium (diluted EO) - Smells a little oily, a little salty and rather similar to the violet except less
synthetic smelling. This one is rather thick but on the label (which NOW I read....) says 2.5% Geranium
EO in grapeseed oil and with added Vit E. Although it does seem more realistically floral (in my opinion)
than the violet.

Geranium Bourbon, essential oil, Reunion Island, Eden Botanicals - Smells like a cross between
lemon, rose, and mint (not peppermint or spearmint, but something wild and herbal). I never thought that
Geranium smelled like a flower. I believe the essential oil comes from the leaves. Anyway, this one I could
see wearing in a fragrance. It is fresh and herbal, lemony, green, and nice. I'm going to move it over with
the lemongrass and lavendar in the herbal/fresh category instead of this group.

Geraniol. Oooooo - spicy. Not so sweet. The spiciness is tempting, but it's easy to see how this one could
be too strong. Have to be careful with this stuff. Too much of this, and we could get into trouble.

Nerol ("Nerolex"). Oh, yes. Very pleasant. Even less spicy and more citrusy. Completely missing the
sharp edge of geraniol.

Ravensara (natural) – Neal’s Yard. Similar to eucaplytus and menthol. This one will clear your sinuses.

Ravensara EO: rather sweet, salty and green, I think I get menthol from this one. It kinda cleared my
slightly blocked nose. What is ravensara?

Tea Tree (EO in carrier): not sure how to describe this but it smells somewhat similar to the lavender.

Eucalyptus (EO in carrier): smells just like the leaves on gum trees from the oval adjacent to my primary
school. Smells leafy and herbal.

Cyprus (natural) – Neal’s Yard. Evergreeny, similar to pine and juniper. I prefer spruce essential oil.

Cypress EO - very similar to the Ravensara to my nose, but less menthol, less potent and slightly more
sweet.

Cyprus - not a bad aroma, but I expected something more woody, like cedar, and got something that
smelled like mild eucalyptus.

Cypress – woody a bit like those above but probably more wearable

Juniper Berry, origin unknown – This is a great note. Airy, lemony, piney, outdorsy, fresh, enjoyable. Far
superior to the aroma of the crushed needles of the juniper bush, which can be alarmingly stinky.

Cedarwood, USA, Eden Botanicals – Virginia cedar or red cedar is dry, aromatic, dusty, diffusive, deep.
This is the classic “pencil shavings” or “cedar closet” aroma.

Cedarwood: a very elegant smoky woodnote, dusty, clean and remniscent of pencil shavings. but
whereas the pencil shavings are - for me - dull and plain this is much more exciting, promising adventures
in lands far away. Other sample, coming from china: the wood note is more fully developed here, giving a
warmer impression overall, but instead of the smoky elegance there is a - rather unpleasing - petrol note
there.
Cedarwood: my favorite dry wood, pencils

Cedarwood – Fragrance oil , smells more like living cedar trees to me than the dried, milled wood smell
that I get from the EO's. Antiseptic, herbal, dry, penetrating, pungent, citronella

Cedar – fresh cedar, with a hint of of pungent green something (mint, camphor, ???)
very nice.

Cedar - Oy! That's some powerful stuff. Very dry and dusty, clean, and remniscent of pencil shavings. If
this doesn't take you back to elementary school and emptying out the pencil sharpener, nothing will. I still
buy cedar pencils instead of the ones made of that cheap, glued material. Cedar smells so good.

Cedarwood Fragrant Oil - completely unexpected. I've been working directly with cedar essential oils of
various kinds in making my bad TdH clone. THAT'S what I expected. I get very little cedar here. If my
Texas cedar sample was sticking my nose in a cedar box in a curio store, this is like looking at one from
six feet away. Frankly, I'm anosmic on this sample. Weird! [OK - a bit later it came back. A bit varnishy -
like lemon oil. Definitely not my cup of tea.]

Cedarwood (FO - origin unknown, probably an accord): odd smell, not one I would really associate with

trees but almost minty Hmm maaaaybe there's a bit of wood, but I smell more
toothpaste.

Cedarwood, origin unknown (I start to hate it when there's no indication of the origin on the eo bottles

): woody sunshine! A very clear and fragrant smell of pencil shavings with a
softly camphoraceous backgroung.

Spruce, origin unknown - I love this. Best evergreen scent in the world. Better than pine. Even better than
fir. I could soak in a bathtub full of this. In fact, that is where I first smelled spruce oil. When I was a child,
a department store in town sold big bottles of green liquid bath soap. They don't make it anymore, of
course. We used to take bubble baths in it, in the old bathtub that my grandmother used to have, a huge,
white enameled cast iron monster with clawed feet. It was heavenly, filling the room with the scent of a
mountain forest.
It was supposedly pine, but try as I might, I could never again find a pine fragrance of any kind (in any
product) that rivalled it. All my adult life, I have looked for that scent. Guess what? Your spruce essential
oil was it. SPRUCE. God, it's wonderful.
Spruce – absolutely wonderful smells just like a wonderful forest or perhaps a Christmas tree.

Fir Needle - Pretty evergreen aroma.

Fir Needle a bit sharper than the spruce but similar

Pine just like pine resin

Leafy or Green

Galbanum, Iran, Eden Botanicals – The Queen of Green. Earthy, pungent, and incredibly strong. Smells
like a live plant yanked from the ground—leaves, stem, roots, dirt, and all. This is one of my favorite notes
of all time, featured prominently in the Chypre Green genre, which I love.

Galbanum, Iran: the same as mine = resinous dark green pine sour bitter astringent. Other sample, fresh
floral lily violet

Galbanum: GREEN!!! Green like grass, fresh herbs in the garden, limes, maybe a faint bit of eucalytpus
in the background.

Galbanum: medicinal, aromatic, bitter, sour

Galbanum – The heavy-hitter of green fragrances. This sample is pretty harsh. I still love this note,
though. Always smells like a living plant yanked from the ground and crushed. Reminds me of weeding a
garden.

Galbanum, origin Turkey, 2% dilution in carrier oil: aha, this is a note I know. Like P-bird said, it is quite
distinctive in the top of green chypres. A green smell, but not like tender leaves, unsweet, it reminds me a
bit of raw white asparagus, with hints of bark and dry stalks.

Violet leaf, absolute, Egypt, Eden Botanicals – Vegetal, celery, green pepper, salty-sweet, pungent,
opaque aroma. This thick, green substance has a strong, overwhelming odor. Unique smell, more like
part of the produce section of the grocery store than the floral shop.

Violet Leaf: dried tree leaves, birch sap, woody

Leaf alcohol, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, 2% dilution in carrier oil: the familiar smell of freshly cut grass. Very
realistic, brings to mind sweet smelling young foliage and the happy romps and frolics on the lawns as a
kid.

Leaf Alcohol: boy, do you feel stupid when you smell it and your first impressions is "leaves"! i smelled it
again and again, and it still was "leaves", big green juicy leaves, finally i also detected some banana
aroma.

Leaf Alcohol – Live, crushed leaf aroma. Delicately pungent and fleeting

Leaf alcohol: wow! A leaf! A very natural smelling leaf - like the gum leaves fresh off the trees in my
primary school.

Leaf alcohol, Cis 3hexenyl – Grass and unripe banana. Green, pungent, a bit fruity.

Wormwood (artemisia absynthium), 1% dilution in carrier oil: this is the one I liked most. Sweet and
complex, with facets of anise and licorice, a pinch of fir needles and whiffs of wood and florals in its
drydown. A fascinating note with considerable depth...I love it. To my nose, the perfume which renders
this note justice is Serge Lutens Douce Amère.
Wormwood 1% artemisia absinthium: herbal spiciness a bit old?

Aldehyde C-12 Laurel – Atchoo! Dusty, soapy, green powder. Extremely strong. (I have no proof, but I
think this is what puts the edge on Alliage.) Like bitter herbs gournd into a fine powder and blown into the
air, filling the light with particles like dust motes. This is an unusual, unique, unforgettable aroma.
Fascinating note if handled with discretion. Do not overuse.

Aldehyde C-12 MNA aka 2-methyl undecanal (as opposed to C-12 lauric, dodecanal), 2% dilution in
carrier oil: at last, one of the historic aldehydes. Sparkling, fresh, nose-tickling, pleasantly powdery, faintly
floral, tenacious. I can definitely see it giving a "lift" to a perfume, but I believe that's not the only effect
since it has a distinctive smell of its own, although difficult to describe. I am going to use it for "my"
Chanel n.5, since I don't have C-9, C-10 and C-11.

Aldehyde C12: Musty, green-ish, reminds me faintly of Chanel No 5 and Mitsouko for some reason. Very
strong, makes me sneeze.

Soft Woods and Roots

Clary Sage, France, Eden Botanicals – Gorgeous note. Clear, green, shimmering, a bit minty, rather
sweet, soft, but full and diffusive. I could see lots of use for this in perfumery to soften up green notes and
to clean up florals. I love this, too.

Clary Sage: aromatic, medicinal, camphor, little bit sweet

Clary sage (EO, Aura Cacia, Salvia sclarea from Bulgaria/France/Russia)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Nutty and aromatic, sage-like, but less bitter. It is almost like a mild rosemary with a little bit of soft anise.
Drydown is very medicinal, very much like rosemary, and the faint anise note is still there, but less strong.

Orris Butter, Eastern Europe, Eden Botanicals – Wow. This was such a surprise and such a pleasure. I
highly recommend it. One of the most expensive ingredients in perfumery, I got a tiny smidgeon of orris
root butter. It was almost opaque white and waxy. It didn’t smell much until I dissolved it in alcohol, and
then it opened up and diffused. What does it smell like? I’ll tell you. It smells like—carrots. I love this note.
Sweet, rooty, light and a bit powdery. Ethereal and beautiful. No trace of the “metallic” bite commonly
associated with iris in perfumes. Two iris perfumes that smell true to the natural substance are Chanel 28,
La Pausa and Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Frederic Malle Iris Poudre is more of a floral.

Orris (CO2): little bit sweet, woody, buttery, tree stems, turnips

Oakmoss, absolute, France, Eden Botanicals – This note surprised me. Chypre fan that I am, one would
expect me to know what oakmoss smells like, especially since I complain so much about the restrictions
that have destroyed the old-school Chypre formulas, allowing only one-tenth-of-one-percent in fragrance.
I used to look for a “mossy” smell, but I didn’t really know what that meant. To be sure, I could have
picked some moss from the north side of my house--but that would not be oakmoss or treemoss (known
respectively as Evernia prunastri or Evernia Furfuracea) both of which are lichens instead of the plant we
know as moss. So, how does oakmoss smell? Nothing like I thought it would. Salty, even briny. Big but
soft aroma which is warm, dry and plantlike, with buttery undertones. This sample is a sticky, dark, forest
green substance.

Oakmoss, synthetic, Perfumers Apprentice – Less complex than the natural absolute, it has a
pronounced dry, popcorn or buttery note, but no deep, warm, plantlike base. The chemical is a clear,
syrupy liquid. It is pleasant, but uncomplicated. Falls short of the natural oakmoss.

Oakmoss, Synthetic: Salty, nutty, dirty gym socks (smells absolutely nothing like the natural Oakmoss)
Oakmoss, Natural: grass roots with dirt, horse stable (hay and manure), dry, powdery

Atlas Cedar - Soft, woody, evergreen and balsamic combo.

Atlas cedar (EO, Oshadhi, Cedrus atlantica from Morocco)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
This smells a little bit like urine, but does not have the biting ammonia component. It is soft with aspects
which smell like peach or apricot combined with cedar bracts. Upon drydown, it loses the urine edge,
becomes a bit more lemony, and has an overall soft evergreen effect.

Atlas Cedar, Morocco, Eden Botanicals – Amazing note. Light, soft, slightly sweet, aromatic, woody,
warm, delicate but diffusive, it smells nothing like Virginia cedar.

Atlas Cedar: light wood, cherry

Calamus (EO, ATL Canada, Acorus calamus from India)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
This one is difficult to describe. It is buttery, nutty, soft and sweet. It is from the same family as iris
root/orris, so it has the same sweet, buttery quality, but it is not powdery. After several hours, the scent
has not changed significantly, but it does smell less sweet/buttery and more nutty.

Calamus - one strange aroma, greasy, smells like the local soybean processing plant when they're
cooking oil.

Calamus - I think Calamus is a love it/hate it scent. It is very much along the lines of orris, at least in my
experience of the scent from live plants. I think calamus is one of those fixative-type notes that helps bring
things together without being very detectable

Calamus – strange.odd not sure I would know how to use it.

Palmarosa (EO, ATL Canada, Cymbopogon martinii from India)--3 drops on a cotton, wafted
Mellow and peanutty with a hint of citrus. It is not unlike Citronella, but has far less emphasis on the
citrus/"meaty" and more emphasis on the nutty. I really like this one--I can almost eat it! After drydown, the
nutty quality and subdued citrus is still present. However, the fragrance seems to have opened, so that I
now smell something which resembles scented geranium. It is not quite the same as pelargonium
geranium (which is already listed in a different category), but it does remind me of one of the pelargonium
varietals which smells vaguely floral but with a bit of lemon.

Palmarosa - Not bad, but another disappointment, oily and without much fragrance.

Kephalis – A mild wood, soft like Atlas cedar, but plain, without the fruity or vanilla nuances, which I
prefer.

Kephalis- wood, wood, wood, miles of wood. it is a rather onedimensional scent, like a forest that has
been planted purely for timbering reasons, so no berries, no mushrooms no animals and not very much
else naturewise.

Kephalis, 2% dilution in carrier oil: very, very nice! I am happy to have discovered this aromachemical. A
delightful woody aroma, reminiscent of sandalwood, warm and rich. I'd prefer it over sandalwood anytime
 . It should give its best mixed with spices...yum!

Kephalis: smelled familiar but can't place it, somewhat woody, also had a faint plaster note to it that I now
associate with Alpha Ionone.

Kephalis is a raw material used in Le Labo Rose 31.

Haylike

Hay, absolute, France, Eden Botanicals – Complex, sweet, warm, a bit salty, pungent, strong, full, thick,
beautiful in a wild way. The comforting aroma of a haystack as it dries in the sun. Light undertones of what
I would consider to be an “idealized” fragrance of expensive, unburned tobacco. Dark green, almost
black, gooey syrup. This is a fascinating note, but powerful.

Hay: sweet, dried grass that got wet, fermented honey, nutty, salty

Tobacco, absolute, origin unknown, Eden Botanicals – Yucky. Smells like “chaw,” what we used to call
chewing tobacco. Sharp, bittersweet, repulsive odor of a spittoon. Strange, pungent, fermented. Dark,
viscous goo. Not very useful in my opinion; hay is better.

Tobacco: sweet, vodka, penetrating, fermented leaves, unsmoked cigarettes

Yerba Mate, absolute, origin unknown, Eden Botanicals – A real surprise—a pleasant tea note. This is
quite beautiful. Needs to be diluted for the tea aroma to escape. Warm, greenish, rather sweet. Olive
green in color, thick, very sticky semi-solid substance.

Yerba Mate: bitter grass, herbal, brewed green tea, woody stems

Coumarin, 2% diluton in ethanol: to my nose, the queen of my whole notes lineup ... lovelovelove it (sorry
to be so enthusiastic!). Sweet hay, golden honey, ambery goodness with undertones of almond. It smells
like a gorgeous bouquet of many of my favourite notes. No wonder it is listed on the majority of my

perfume boxes (yes, I started to check the lists ) and I bet it's on yours too. I
believe it is able to round out any scent beautifully.

Coumarin: hmmm... to me it smelled like cheap almond essence used for flavouring food.

Coumarin – Like nothing I exptected. A bittersweet almond, more of what I expected from heliotropin.
Here is the nutty-cherry aroma of many perfumes. It is like old-fashioned Jergens hand lotion. It is
wonderful. The scent grows in strength as it dries. Might benefit from the addition of a sweet, creamy
base.

Helional – Milder than I expected. Haylike, but not actually harsh. Real hay absolute takes you on a much
wilder ride. This is simplified, like a bit of grass dried in the sun. Hay absolute is prettier, but it asserts
itselft like crazy in a fragrance. I can see the use for a synthetic.

Helional: getting very faint whiffs of wet floral alternating with nail polish remover.

Helional, 2% dilution in carrier oil: the same effect as Calone, but sweeter and a tad more fruity. Also
longer lasting.

Hard Woods

Patchouli, Indonesia, Iron-Free, Eden Botanicals – Deep, pungent, dirt-like, musty, woody, bittersweet,
and dark. The aroma of the forest floor, decaying wood, autumn leaves. Patchouli is the best-known
natural woody note, easily recognizable, and the quintessential aroma of the hippie era. People have a
love-hate relationship with it; most people feel strongly about patchouli. I love it. My sample is an iron-free
patchouli, which has been processed in stainless steel containers rather than the iron that is reported to
be commonly used. Apparently iron taints the aroma, making it bitter, metallic, or smoky. This sample is
more green smelling, lighter in color, not dank at all, and less likely to be found offensive.

Patchouli: wood, dirt, spices, licorice candy, anise

Patchouli: moldy earthy dirt dark warm

Patchouli - exotic, harmonious and sweet, chocolate-like smell with a slight hint of pepper. nice! Other
samole is somewhat greener and more unstructured and nervous like the different molecules are not yet
sure where to settle. i quite like it, though!

Patchouli - Well, now. That was an exceptionally sweet patchouli. Is there some amber in it? I'm a patch-
head, and that was really nice and creamy.

Patchouli (FO): slightly thicker and yellowish. Bears very small resemblance to L'Artisan Patchouli Patch
which makes me think of wet, earthy soil covered in mulch or the dirt underneath your nails after weeding
but the oil is also somewhat sweet and sherbert-y. Hardly any resemblance to Fresh Index Patchouli Pure
which I think of as a reference patchouli and reminds me of Hippies and Persian rugs. I don't think this
stuff really smells like Patchouli at all.

Patchouli (EO, Aura Cacia, Pocostemon cablin origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
One word: headshop. But I love patchouli despite this association. I remember the first time I smelled it on
a friend, and it was really off-putting. Then, it really got its hooks into me, and I have always had it on
hand ever since. It is sharp, woody, earthy, peppery, and a bit camphorous and astringent. Upon drydown,
much of the same character is still present, only it is drier, more bitter, greener, and more shallow.

Patchouli, origin unknown, 10% dilution in ethanol: deep, dark, moist, unsweet. The smell of a handful of
rich black soil after the rain.

Black Agar: this one is more interesting than some of the last synthetics i smelled, it is woody with
berries and blossoms, after a while the berries with the blossoms seem to take over.

Black Agar – Gorgeous woody, fruity, ambery fragrance. Smells nothing like real agarwood, but it is a
gorgeous Oriental perfume containing notes of red rose and oud in the Arabic tradition. Sweeter than the
usual renditions. Possibly some almond in here, too.
Oud, CO2 extraction, origin unknown, Tigerflag – I’ve always wondered, what does real oud smell like?
Well, this is the real thing, and it is amazing. It smells like—a bag of hardwood mulch, aged oak mulch.
Rich, full, sweet, deep, woody, with a bitter medicinal bite. It also smells fecal and like unwashed laundry.
Mysterious and addictive. I bought this ethically harvested product from Tigerflag.com. My sample was a
light, opaque brown, semi-solid paste. Madini Agarwood perfume smells similar to this.

Oud: bleu cheese, goat cheese, white wine, blonde wood, mold

Oud - I was shocked when I tried the Oud. It has so many facets-- some of them a bit revolting ( Now I
can see why Oud Cuir D'Arabie reeks so bad!) Still, I could detect those things which give M7 its
signature and also the facets of some of the Montales. Interesting. I was already working on a cypress
scent and I used a few drops of the oud to liven it up a little. Nice.

Oud – Absolutes from different countries:

Cambodian Classic - Warm, a bit fecal, woody, hints of sawdust, with some sweetness in the drydown.
Complex, deep, and medicinal.
Junnid Cambodian - Warm, less fecal, with some rubbery nuances, sweeter in the drydown. Hours later,
the most dramatic development. Cinnamon undertones.
Indian Aged 10 Years - Also called "Hindi Assam Qasoosi Kadeem," which means the tree was 40-50
years old and the oud has been aged for a decade. Cooler, least fecal of all, most deeply woody,
straightforward. The strongest and longest-lasting.
Vietnam - Warm, sweeter but less complex or strong as Cambodian.
Vietnam Wild - Herbal, not fecal, less bitter or woody, mildest with pleasant, sweet, green, haylike note.
Hours later, fairly sweet and even a bit fruity or floral. Most complex aroma. My favorite.

Vetiver, Ruh Khus, India, Eden Botanicals – Wild Indian vetiver has a distinctive smell with strong
undertones of dried earth. There are several different kinds of vetiver, each with its own characteristics.
Some are more sour, some are sweeter, grassier, drier, earthier, or even smoky. This one is the earthy
variety, but all vetivers smell a bit like dried grass with nuances of citrus, mint, earth, and green notes. I
categorize it with the woods instead of grasses because it is dry rather than sweet and haylike.

Ruh Khus Vetiver: grass, peanuts, salty, dirt, herbal, dry

Vetiver EO: very similar to that from TPA set, still has that peanut aroma

Vetiver: green, dried and rather nutty surprisingly (peanuts?)

Vetiverol-- Nice. Reminds me very much of the vetiver used in Guerlain's Vetiver Frozen. Almost has a bit
of a boiled rice toothiness to it.

Vetiver (natural?) – An earthy, dirtlike variety, deep, slightly smoky. I enjoy this aroma. It is dry, grassy,
and calming. Nice sample

Vetiver (natural) – Neal’s Yard. A greener, harsker variety with a more sour, bitter edge. Not as mellow or
nice.

Vetiver - I like your sample better than mine. It is woody, grassy, earthy, dry and clean. There is no
harshness, no sourness. Lovely.

Vetiver - I love vetiver, and I like this one.

Vetiver (EO, origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted

Salty, earthy, mildly grassy, a bit like fermented fruits mixed with hay and corn. It is a bit like a combination
of fruity whisky (such as burbon) and buttered kettle corn. Not very grassy, at this point, but I love it! (Can
you tell I like the ones that smell like food, lol). After a few hours, the popcorn scent turns a bit more to a
salted nut, and it becomes more dry overall. It seems a bit more green and grassy now that the
sweetness is not so prominent. Still, it smells very earthy, and is similar in many ways to the earthyness of
patchouli.

Vétiver, origin unknown, 2% dilution in carrier oil: this note was THE SURPRISE! As I wrote also on a
recent thread, vètiver was one of my most dreaded notes. I *thought* so! Apparently, what I dislike is the
way vétiver is treated or the notes it is paired with in most fragrances having it as the main theme. Alone,
it is rooty, sweet, a dark green luminous velvet of a smell, with a hint of smoky chocolate and of burnt

cables. To my nose, it is delightful

Sandalwood (natural?) – No species listed. Fresh, peppery top notes, cut-pine-lumber base. Not creamy.

Sandalwood, Santalum austro-caledonicum, Tigerflag – The species names are confusing. Even
though this uses the prefix “austro,” it refers to Vanatu sandalwood, while the name Santalum spicatum
refers to Australian sandalwood. (Go figure.) This sample has prolonged, harsh top notes that smell
pungent and earthy, almost smoky. (It is difficult to wait through these bitter overtones.) It gradually grows
in sweetness as you wear it on your warm skin. The middle notes smell similar to cut pine boards. The
eventual base notes are sweet and enjoyable but retain a bit of an evergreen undertone. The aroma is
long lasting. Madini Santal Blanc smells like this substance, which is to say, drier and woodier than the
soft, sweet aroma of the synthetics to which we have become accustomed.
I don’t know what real Mysore sandalwood smells like; I’ve never smelled it by itself. People say that it is
creamy and sweet. I hope the people of India realize the value of this endangered species and succeed in
cultivating it. I hope they receive a fair price for it in the future—a price that would make it worth saving.

Sandalore, synthetic, Perfumers Apprentice – Soft, sweet, and diffusive. This seems to be the
quintessential “carrier” substance; its pleasant, nondescript aroma wouldn’t clash with anything. It is not
as easy to smell as the Javanol, which apparently is a newer product. Quiet and tenacious.

Javanol, synthetic, Perfumers Apprentice – Soft, sweet, diffusive, and a bit oily-woody. This is a nice
attempt to recreate a realistic Mysore sandalwood. It has more character than the Sandalore. I could see
using this in many, many situations. Tenacious.

Javanol (synthetic): super sweet and syrupy, tart, ambery, resinous

Sandalwood, fragrance oil: sweet vanilla orange very nice

Sandalwood, Eden Botanicals: harsh rooty resin.

Sandalwood, fragrance oil: sweet woody

Sandalore (synthetic): super sweet and light, soft powder

Sandalwood: Very dry woods, kinda like peeling bark and almost bitter. Is this natural or one of TPA's
blends?

Sandalwood (EO, Aura Cacia, Santalum album origin unknown)--3 drops on cotton, wafted
Mildly aromatic, sweet, woody and a little vanillic and citrus. It actually reminds me of rosewood, but much
more refined and soft. A few hours later, the vanilla sweetness is pretty much gone, and a dry, bitter,
slightly aromatic wood with a touch of citrus remains.

Sandalwood - Nicer than mine. What species is this? It doesn't have any harsh topnotes. It is quite
woody, a little sweet, and soft, but it warms up and gathers strength like a true sandalwood. I can't say
that it's creamy, though. I would not know Mysore sandalwood if I smelled it.

Sandalwood, origin unknown (Linda lists it among the naturals in the kit), 2% dilution in carrier oil: this
one is faint, but what I smell is a very creamy, nutty sandalwood, almost coconutty. I usually detect a
slightly acidic note in sandalwood, but here there's no trace of it, it's so smooth. Loved it and now wish to
smell it au naturel.

Iso E super: dry woody with pleasant ambery subnotes.

Iso-E Super – Not as obnoxious as I remembered it from perfumes of previous decades. Big, bright,
open, airy, with some of the freshness of aromatic cedar, but sweet and floral, like white flowers and
roses. This is Calvin Klein Eternity.

Iso E Super: oh wow it smells exactly like one of the Escentric Molecules fragrances - either Molecule 01
or Escentric 01. I think it might have been the latter but I never remember! Very sweet, watery, slightly
fruity woods - although unlike cedarwood and sandalwood.

Iso-E-Super, 2% dilution in carrier oil: this famous molecule packs a punch! Strong and long lasting, but it
smells a little...well, like a generic men's fragrance base. Woody, full and rich but...meh. But at least, now
I'm curious to smell Escentric Molecules Molecule 01, which is based solely on this aromachemical.

Kohinool:
oh this is quite something! dry wood-tone with strong incense and ambery notes. for me this is a sparkling
scent, the many different notes competing for your attention.

Kohinool: A chameleon of a woody note. It has the big, dry, woody openness of sandalwood, but there
the comparison ends. This one is decidedly sweet and fruity. Amber and raisins.

Cedramber: this is said to be an ambergris note with woody aspects, but for me the cedarwood clearly
dominates, it is a cool even steely wood note. it vanishes more quickly than it is to be expected in a
basenote.

Cedramber – Mildly sweet cedar, with all the harsh, “pencil shavings” smell removed. If you want a soft,
sweet, well-behaved cedar base, this is a good one.

Ebanol: another very good wood note, like sandalwood. cool!

Oxyoctaline Formate: incensy smoky, rich wood note, very harmonious.

Vertofix, 2% dilution in carrier oil: I have smelled this note in the base of commercial perfumes marketed
to men....strong and long lasting woody note, maybe also a tad ambery and leathery.

Vertofix Couer: I could barely smell this one but what I could smell was sweet and grassy.

Vertofix – Mild, agreeable leather on a soft wood base. Pleasant but not very strong. Seems to lend itself
as a ready-made, unisex base.

Aquatic, Ozonic, Fresh, or Strange

Calone, 2% dilution in carrier oil...haha, the dreaded molecule. I don't find it sooo terrible, it perfectly
achieves what it was meant to. An aquatic, transparent, watermelon-y impression.
And I'll add also to the same family

Calone – Strong, unique aroma. I smelled it as soon as the cap came off, straight from the bottle, before I
even dipped the strip. Expansive note, breezy, sweet-smooth-salty, cucumber and melon, watery fruit.
The quintessential aquatic note. Much more projection than Melanol. An essential ingredient in any
fragrance that bears the name “rain” or “water.” Nose burnout risk.

Calone: smells like fake watermelon flavouring in lollies. Not too convinced about the aquatic-ness of it.
Thought I got a whiff of nail polish remover but it suddenly disappeared.

Floralozone-- WOW! This is the stuff that powers Dry Clean from CdG's Synthetic Series. There are two
scents (both by Dominique Ropion) that I can think of that combine this ozone note with vetiver-- Malle's
Vetiver Extraordinaire, and my SOTD today, YSL L'Homme (I once scoffed at a Turin review comparing
L'Homme to Cool Water, but I'm starting to see a connection with the Dihydromyrcenol thing.)

Aldehyde C-8 -hmmm. Not what I expected. Smells exactly like walking into a new house under
construction. Interesting.

Maritima and Dihydromyrcenol is used together in many modern masculine fragrances.

Maritima - Biggest deja vu I've ever had, and the thing that it smells like has been bugging me for
YEARS! It almost has a wet dog smell. I've tried to explain before, but I've always wondered what causes
that smell when you go outside on a hot, sunny day and come back in and have that nasty smell that you
notice. Sometimes you pick up a drinking glass that you were using earlier and it smells of this. Almost a
metallic, ozone quality-- but it's not sweat or anything like that. I'm guessing it's some sort of reaction
between materials, It's especially bad when people wear polyester clothing. But sometimes that smell can
come from freshly washed clothes hung outside to dry-- once when I was a teenager, I forbade my mom
from hanging my clothes outside because I hated the way they smelled. Maritima is EXACTLY that smell.
What is it?

Spices and Sweets

Ginger - Delicious, sweet like candy, but hot like jalapeno, and not woody at all like black pepper.

Ginger CO2-- Now this is ginger! Having used only the cheapo health food store ginger before, this is a
real step up. Fresh and spicy. Doesn't smell like old pet vitamins. I'm really sold on CO2 extracts.

Ginger 10%: dry powder spicy warm harsh

Ginger - A lively note, and likeable. Both peppery and sweet-spicy at the same time, with green and rooty
characteristics. This note, added to a floral, would make the flower seem to be attached to the entire
plant. In fact, I think it has been used in this way before. It reminds me of a small part of Penhaligon's Lily
and Spice.

Ginger, obtained by distillation, 10% dilution in ethanol - origin: Sri Lanka: judging by the aroma and taste
of pickled ginger (I never tried fresh roots) I imagined it to be more piquant and less lemony. Maybe I
should increase the concentration a little bit. In its current dilution, it smells like verbena leaves/green
lemon peel with a slightly floral background. Pleasant, but not what I imagined. Longevity was also low.

Ginger: compared with what acctually ginger smells like for me i would say this one has more invigorating
freshness and i also smelled a citruslike topnote
Ginger (powdered) - another hard to describe smell, but more because the first word that pops into my
head is nausea rather than yummy. Sniffing from a very far distance as I rather dislike ginger. I used to
take ginger capsules for travel sickness when younger and so eventually they were associated with
nausea.

Mace Oil - If you want an oil that smells JUST like ground nutmeg, get mace oil.

Fennel, Egypt, Eden Botanicals – Strong anise-licorice aroma is bitter at high concentrations, but
pleasantly dry and woody at low concentrations.

Galangal, Indonesia, Eden Botanicals – Strange spice used in Indian and Thai cuisine. Galangal comes
from a root. The aroma is pungent, similar to mint-anise-cardamom, but also earthy and bittersweet.

Cardamom, India, Eden Botanicals – Sweet, candylike aroma, pungent, with green-floral-fruity
undertones. The spice comes from seeds and pods. Green cardamom is one of my favorite spice aromas
and flavors.

Clove Bud, unknown origin, Eden Botanicals – Sweet, smooth, cool, deep. Again, I tried the essential oil
from the bud instead of the stem because of sensitization potential. This is another of my favorite spice
aromas and flavors.

Methyl Iso Eugenol – Dry, woody, tea-like note with some realistic tannin bitterness. A bit spicy.

Black pepper (natural?) – Woody, dry. I’m getting tired of the overuse of pepper and frankincense in
perfume.

Black Pepper: distinctively black pepper. Initial blast had me smelling small amounts of citrus and
incense but they disappeared. Also smelled a little salty - giving the impression of salt and pepper.

Black Pepper, 2% dilution in carrier oil: in this form, it is soft and has a warm character. It has definitely
less bite than white pepper. I see it spicing up floral notes nicely, but rose in particular. Pity it had nil
staying power.

Pepper:
Black: hard to describe but it just smells like the typical nose tingling pepper smell
Cayenne: smells rather like paprika and black pepper. Chipotle: hard to describe but it smells a little more
smooth than the other two types. *sneeze*

Pepper - First of all, the Black Pepper CO2 is awesome! This is what I was looking for in a black pepper.
The Pink Peppercorn is not as sharp, but it has a nice fruity aspect to it.

Coriander (natural) – Neal’s Yard. Great sample. Strong, vibrant, fresh, spicy. Resembles linalool in
character, spicy-sweet and woody. Enjoyable note.

Coriander EO: quite like coriander but not perfectly fresh - maybe wilted.

Coriander - A bit green, sharp and woody without the harshness of black pepper.

Cinnamon Leaves, unknown origin,. Eden Botanicals – Sweet, hot, a bit woody and bitter. This sample
comes from the leaf of the plant, not the bark which we are accustomed to using for flavoring. The reason
I tried the leaf oil is because the bark has high potential for sensitization. Saigon cinnamon is one of my
favorite spice aromas and flavors--this leaf cinnamon is not as pleasant.

Cinnamon bark (cassia), origin unknown, 5% dilution in ethanol: I chose to start with a lower
concentration and did well. This is an extremely potent and long lasting note and it smells (well, don't
laugh, I don't know how else I should describe it) like the cinnamon sticks or powder used in cooking
 . It has way more more personality than black pepper or ginger. I love it, but this
I knew already! Of the scents I tried featuring cinnamon among the predominant notes, I'd say the Korres
Vanilla & Cinnamon Body Water is the one truest to the EO.

Cinnamon (sticks) - how on earth do you describe cinnamon??? Smells like the yummy baked goodies
kinda cinnamon - not too heavy/spicy and softer than SL Rousse. Reminds me of making gingerbread (as
my gingerbread usually contains more cinnamon than ginger). Also found powdered "Dutch cinnamon" in
the spice cupboards. It was unopened and looks a little lighter than the regular powdered cinnamon.
Anyone know if there's a difference? Hmm maybe I should go check. Note: Dutch Cinnamon is cassia.

Cassia - This is a great substitute for anyone who loves cinnamon but fears an allergic reaction to that oil.
Smells just like cinnamon, strength and sweetness included. Note: Not to be confused with "cassie" AKA
"blackcurrent" which is entirely different, and fruity.

Cassia 5%: wow , heavy buttery cinnamon

Cassia: i think this is best synthetic i ever smelled insofar as coming so close to the real thing that you
really cant tell the difference. i fact i could put that right over a tasty apfelstrudel, yumm! next i would go
for the

Cassia harsh cinnamon

Ethyl Linalool: spicy, spicy, definitely caraway sparkled with pepper, and this is so strong! i had to put
away the strip because this one blocked all the other scents.

Star anise - sweet, spicy, and liquorice-like. Can definitely see how Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin has a lot
of anise.

Cumin - whoa THIS is animalic? Ok maybe I can smell vaaaaguely the sweat smell but what it brings to
my mind is when my (British) father attempts to make Thai noodles. Now I realise it's very heavy on the
cumin.

Adoxal aka known as Meringue Aldehyde, 2% in carrier oil: interesting, strong and weird! This smell
makes me smile as I think of the wonders of chemistry. First of all, yes, it smells like beaten egg white
with a dose od sugar, a meringue batter before it is cooked! I smell the egg white more than any other
facet, and it's egg with a scintillating metallic effect. I don't think this one is meant to be smelled alone, so
I will try some small mixing experiment (at the end of our sniffing). I am glad that I could experience it.

Adoxyl – Very strange. Starts out as meringue, becomes drier and greener, aormatic, open and salty.
Ends up smelling marine or metallic. Rather unpleasant. Nuances of melted plastic. Unique, dry, complex,
but difficult.

Isobutavan – I love this. Gourmand, vanilla and caramel. This makes me drool. Smells like a box of
assorted chocolates when you first open it. Absolutely delicious. Beats vanillin and ethyl vanillin in
sweetness and tastiness.
Isobutavan, 2% in carrier oil: I was eager to smell one of the molecules that is used to render a vanilla-
like effect with nuances of "white chocolate, cream soda and soft apricot", but am sorry to say that I can't
smell a thing. I guess the concentration is too low for me to smell it ... probably my fault. All I can
understand is that it's a sweet smell.

Isobutavan: Ooooh... sweet, caramelly vanilla. I thought I smelled permanent marker in there for a
second but it disappeared. Changed a bit later to smell a little woodier and like freshly made waffles.

Coconut (Fragrance Oil)- whoa it actually smells like coconuts!

Coconut - as with the vanilla, this reminds me of candles I have smelled. Sweet, salty, nutty, latex rubber

Coconut – suntan oil maybe a candle as Asha suggests.

Coconut - Again, I doubt it is natural. Possibly it contains something like methyl laitone, and there are
other notes in the accord. Actual coconut oil can smell terribly rancid and soapy. This stuff is pure
macaroon. Yummy.

C18 Aldehyde, Coconut - is really the base of a coconut fragrance plus other lactones .

C-18 Aldehyde – Smells like coconut. Oily, rather sweet, kind of creamy, a bit nutty or woody. Strong.

Coconut Fragrant Oil - as advertised. At the level which emits from the oil (meaning rather lightly), it was
remarkably reminiscent of Creed Virgin Island Water. Yet, interestingly, my whole patio had a mild coconut
scent just from the paper tester laying around.

Coffee Fragrance Oil was the big surprise--what fun this one is!

Coffee - Dead ringer for a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It smells like sticking my nose in a bag of coffee
beans that has just been ground. I drool at this aroma. Remarkably real. Is this synthetic? It isn't BROWN
in color, but clear. Now, if it was real, it would be dark.

Coffee: first smelled just like I entered a coffee shop that had just finished dark roasting some beans.
Smoke, tar, vanilla, salt, nutty, roasted coffee bean, bitter, sweet

Coffee wow this is really coffee. I haven’t seen many scents that use coffee notes. the few I’ve smelled
that have claimed it didn’t smell much like this.

Coffee (FO)- from the little bottle it smells like burnt toast and coffee with some sweetness. Not the smell
I associate with walking into Starbucks/Gloria Jeans but there's definitely coffee in there! On skin it smells
exactly like burnt toast... but after awhile fading into burnt coffee.

Coffee Fragrant Oil - Starbucks. The smell of the seating area with the tables, when you first walk in. Not
coffee in the cup, or coffee beans a la Sephora. Really enjoyable. Somebody did a damn good job here.
And I'm not the only one that liked this. My test strips were swarmed by tiny wasps, who seemed to like
the coffee oil best of all.

Chocolate (FO) - smells like white chocolate and that burnt rubber note in Amen. Wow... now I see how
hard it was for the perfumer I'm guessing since it smells like white chocolate
there's little patchouli (can't smell much) and loads of vanilla.

Benzaldehyde: bitter almonds, just that, bitter almonds, odour strength is enormous. we have a sweet
that is called marzipan that also smells like this.

Methyl Laitone: makes you think of babyfood. sweet milky vanilla with cocoanut butter.

Methyl Laitone-- Another nice one. Somewhere between milky coconut and tonka bean with a cool edge
that suggests being inside a cold produce storage room with lots of fruit. One of my favorite smells and
I'm pretty sure this is in Burberry Touch for Men.

Methyl Laitone: faint, sweet, nutty

Methyl laitone, synthetic – Smells exactly like—coconut cream pie. Yum-yum-yum.

And there you have it—the desert cart.

Amber and Vanilla

Vanilla: source Madagascar, from biologically grown vanilla pods by means of ethanol extraction. I diluted
initially at about 10% in grain alcohol, then I upped the concentration a little bit. The extrait is dark brown,
the dilution is light brown and cloudy (not clear). My goodness, this cost me even more than my 10%

Rosa Damascena EO - I had no idea vanilla was such an expensive material.

But then, vanilla from Madagascar is apparently the best in the world.
This is a wonderful, mouthwatering vanilla with a slight caramel facet. The stronger concentration smells
distinctly like whole vanilla pods smell. As it dries down, the imagery is that of an angel cake fresh from
the oven which has just been covered by a snowfall of powdered sugar. It speaks of joyful childhood and
tender memories. No wonder that its smell has a calming, balancing effect!

Vanilla.Fragrance Oil.: a bit more complex than the vanillin from PBird's package--it smells like vanilla
candles I have had in the past, although it is not waxy at all. Light wood, caramel, sugar, whiskey soaked
oak, a little boozy. I LOVE natural vanilla--I really miss the smoke, subtle wood and leather which are
lacking in the synthetics.

Vanilla: yummy sweetness

Vanilla complex and lovely, boozy stuff, like vanilla extract but an incredibly refined and smoothed out
version

Vanilla - Rich, complex. Smells like natural vanilla bean, like sugar cookies in the oven.

Vanilla, absolute, Madagascar, Eden Botanicals – The Queen of Deserts. Very sweet. Strong, full, rich
aroma. Like the best cooking vanilla one has ever smelled. Complex with caramel and butterscotch
undertones. Wonderful.

Vanilla Bourbon, absolute, CO2, Eden Botanicals – Like the above vanilla, only a bit clearer, less
complex, and probably more mixable with other notes.

Vanilla: this also could be definitely go right into one of our viennese "torten"! did you make that, LIB?
right now i have a vanilla tincture sitting on my shelf and waiting to finished! if it could be anything like that
i will be very pleased!

Vanillin, synthetic, Eden Botanicals - The clearest vanilla of all of my samples. This is like the plain,
white, vanilla ice cream. Fewest undertones, probably the easiest to mix.

Vanilla: sweet, boozy, light wood, caramel, smoke, leather

Ethyl Vanillin: sweet and soft, boozy, candy-like

Ethyl Vanillin, synthetic, Eden Botanicals – Similar to vanilla absolute but with fewer undertones, more
“plain” than natural vanilla. This is like French vanilla ice cream. Perhaps it has a tiny bit of a chocolate
undertone.

Vanilla Fragrant Oil - definitely vanilla. Way stronger than the benzoin. Not so much like vanilla extract -
more like perfume-level vanilla. Sort of like a vanilla scent without everything else. My wife thought it was
strong. I think I'm going anosmic here.

Labdanum, #1, Spain, Eden Botanicals – Very sweet, vanillic, pine lumber. This is the classic “amber”
fragrance. Full, woody, complex aroma. This is what KuumbaMade Amber Paste smells like. Very gooey,
orange substance that needs to dissolve in alcohol overnight.

Labdanum, #2, Spain, Eden Botanicals – Very sweet, vanillic, pine lumber, this darker labdanum has
some molasses undertones. This substance is what Madini Ambargris smells like. Gooey, darker reddish
orange.

Labdanum, Clear, Spain, Eden Botanicals – Very similar to #1, perhaps a bit lighter.

Labdanum (clear): woody, light vanilla, sweet, pine resin

Labdanum (#2): woody, heavy vanilla, resinous, caramel, almonds, smoke

Labdanum Absolute #1, solvent extracted, origin Spain, source Eden Botanicals: intriguing...I eventually
get to try the star of amber accords in so many fragrances. This one is pleasantly sweet, only moderately
powdery, with a strong smell of pine wood, pine resin and slight incense.

Labdanum Absolute #2, solvent extracted, origin Spain, source Eden Botanicals: much sweeter and
creamier than Labdanum #1, with an intense wine-y note. The smell of pine resin is more subdued.

Amber, Kuumba Made: warm honey and beeswax yummy. Note: This is labdanum paste.
Ambroxan: this one i liked immensely. it is ambery with very soft mellow notes and a hint of wood and
even frankincense(?). i think i could wear just that and be happy with this scent.

Ambroxan: clean, woody, ambery (?) musk. I like this one too!

Ambroxan – Not technically a musk, I think. Sweet, floral, ambery, animalic. I like this base.

Balsams and Resins

Tolu Balsam, synthetic, Eden Botanicals – Interesting, sweet, strong cinnamon-like amber.

Tolu Balsam: rich and resinous with a lot a vanilla and cinnamon developing after some time. yummy!

Tolu Balsam – sweet, sort of like vanilla extract with a hint of cinnamon this is intriguing and it is different

Peru Balsam: faint, sweet, pine resin, overrripe peach

Peru Balsam, unknown origin, Eden Botanicals – Complex, sweet, woody, dry paper, amber, clashing
evergreen or juniper undertones. I’m not fond of this one. A bit of urine odor.

Turkish Storax - styrax officinalis, not to be mixed up with Turkish sweetgum or liquidambar orientalis.
Black, sticky pieces of a gummy material, tinctured in ethanol, ratio about 1:1. After some research, I
found out that styrax officinalis was used in antiquity, but isn't used in perfumes nowadays. It is used only
as fragrant incense gum. I bet, since my tincture isn't as sticky as benzoin but is pitch black and stains!
Interestingly, the gum smelled strongly of cinnamon and faintly of incense (a delightful cinnamon-y
aroma!), but the tincture smells the other way round: strong incense - sweeter than frankincense - with a
soft cinnamon aspect.

Storax tincture: warm vanilla resin sweet Storax - An evil-looking, dark brown liquid--but thin and
pourable--awaits me. I expect the worst, I open it and smell and get... A lively, spicy, resinous aroma like
tolu balsam, somewhere between cinnamon, clove, and labdanum. You know what this smells like? A
major component of Youth Dew.

Siam Benzoin, Southeast Asia – Fascinating note. Sweet, nutty, vanillic, with almond-cherry
undertones.

Siam Benzoin - This is an exceptionally buttery sample of this material. It is butterscotchy with its vanillic
notes creating a burnt sugar aroma. Mine had a more pronounced almond-cherry note. This one is
gourmand.

Siam Benzoin: sweet, light vanilla, resinous, grape juice

Benzoin Sumatra resin grains: smoke, wood, vanilla, incense--lovely stuff!

Benzoin tincture (siam): dark vanilla

Benzoin – Have you smelled Santal de Mysore by Serge Lutens, I think it's a benzoin monster.

Benzoin, natural crystals, origin Siam, tinctured in ethanol, ratio approx 1:1 in volume: I found out I am
definitely a benzoin lover. This resin has a warm, comforting but at the same time sensuous smell. Deeply
vanillic with sweet citrus accents. Sweetly smoky but devoid of any incense facet. The crystals were
yellow/brownish and were crushed fairly easily to a thin powder which dissolved completely in the alcohol.
Also highly fragrant in their uncrushed state.
Benzoin, resins in jojoba oil - Crushed them slightly, covered with oil, and then put the bottle in a bowl of
hot water for 90min. Poured out the oil and it smelled just like Friar's Balsam without the medicinal notes.
Kind of a weird vanilla-ish, not sure how else to describe it.

Opoponax, Kenya, Soma Luna, tinctured – Nutty, smooth, old wood aroma.

Opoponax - I find Les Nereides Imperial Opoponax to have a very soft resinous quality. Opoponax is the
star of the show, but I detect a heavy dose of benzoin in it also.

Myrrh, India, Soma Luna, tinctured – Nutty, woody, with a strange latex undertone.

Myrrh tincture: warm woody resin

Myrrh - Definitely the best myrrh sample I have smelled. Perfect "latex" note on top of a sweet, nutiness.
My own homemade myrrh resin did not tincture up as nicely as this. Anone who wants to know, difinitively,
what myrrh smells like, this is it.

Myrrh, natural crystals, origin Somalia, tinctured in ethanol, ratio approx. 1:1 in volume. These crystals
were another story - much harder to crush and didn't dissolve well. In fact, there is still quite an amount of
"sand" in my tincture. Almost unscented in its un-tinctured state, myrrh was a great satisfaction

. It reflects what I identified as the myrrh note in perfumes. Moist, earthy, almost
leathery, with just the tiniest spicy aspect, but also luminous and golden. As I always stated, it reminds me
of freshly picked and sliced mushrooms. After having experienced the real thing, I can say that the best
and truest myrrh note I have smelled is in Serge Lutens La Myrrhe.

Olibanum, India, Soma Luna, tinctured– The classic frankincense note. Sweet, lemon-orange-pine,
dusty, aromatic. Used exentsively in churches in Europe and North America.

Olibanum, Frankincense (natural?) – This sample capturs the dusty, citrusy aspect of frankincense
resin, but he real resin is ever so much more beautiful—sweeter, orangier, fuller. This sample focuses on
the dry, peppery aspect.

Olibanum, Frankincense: incensey, plus vicks. Reminds me very much of Serge Noire actually.

Olibanum, Frankincense, probable origin India (I think I read this somewhere on Linda's site but can't
find it anymore), 2% dilution in carrier oil.
Serious bordering on stern, the smell of a church during a Roman Catholic mass. It conveys the colour
grey to me, like the smoke when you burn it. Initially quite peppery, then it becomes more rounded, but
retains its austere character. I think it's more "feeling" than reality, given that I can't avoid the association
with its main use.

Copal, Peru, Soma Luna, tinctured – Used extensively in churches in Mexico and Central America.
Eucalyptus undertones, outdoorsy, fresh.

Pinon Pine, USA, Soma Luna, tinctured – Used in religious rites by North American Natives. Freshly cut
pine lumber, outdoorsy, bonfire wood.
Animalics

Musks - I had to dilute the musks with alcohol and diffuse them on paper strips in covered wine glasses
in order to smell them. They are similar. All of them do a nice job as soft, pretty bases. Either that, or I
had to put them on a test strip, close them in a room, leave, and come back later to smell them in the
room.

Animalid: faint odour but it is nice and it is musky. as i am a total "musk in its variations" newbie that´s all
i can say for now.

Ambrettoloide: yes, musky! but it is kind of subdued and does not do too much for me.

Ambrettolide, Perfumers Apprentice – The sweetest, most vanillic-floral of the musks I tried.

Ambrettolide - I could barely smell this one--a little sweet, musk-like. Strangely, it is giving me a
headache

Cashmeran – Light, clean, bright musk. Not animalic at all. Almost dry and pine-like in its freshness. A
bit apple-fruity.

Ethylene brassylate – Nice, floral, woody musk. I can smell this one pretty well, so I would recommend
it to anosomics.

Galaxolide - 2% dilution in carrier oil : this was the hardest one - warm/clean?

Galaxolide: bright floral musk... perhaps with a tiny bit of wood.

Galaxolide – Soft, pretty base. Bright, clean musk.

Habanolide, Perfumers Apprentice – Soft, pretty base. My favorite, all-around, useful, white musk.

Habanolide – A bit more skin-like, powdery, white musk. This is my favorite.

Habanolide - 2% dilution in carrier oil : sweet, a little floral.

Habanolide: soapy and clean musk

Habanolide: more masculine/unisex musk, with a bit of green and some leather. Somewhat reminds me
of Bandit.

Tonalide – Soft, pretty base. A bit sharper and drier to my nose than the others. More masculine.

Tonalide: mmm, familiar but can't place it. Feels rather minimalist but at the same time reminds me of
paper with some musk.

Tonalide - 2% dilution in ethanol : warm, white musk.

Velvione: sweet and clean musk

Velvione-- I love this. I was hoping to find a biodegradable macrocyclic musk that had nitro-musk
attributes and this is it. Soft, powdery and sexy.

Velvione, Perfumers Apprentice – A wee bit dirtier, more natural, warm musk.
Attention: these musks (although soft and cuddly) are extremely tenacious, in fact so persistent, that the
trash can where I threw away my test strips still smells like them one month later. Like the synthetic
sandalwoods, they cannot be underestimated in terms of their strength and usefulness. Curiously, the
best way to smell them is to put the test strip in a room, close the door, and leave. Later, come back, and
the room smells like musk. Or alternately, take a brandy glass, put the strip in there, cover it with foil, and
leave it for a few hours or overnight. Take the glass to a "clean" room and uncover it. It doesn't work very
well to drop musk on a test strip and then smell the strip. For some reason, especially in the presence of
other samples, it is difficult to smell them immediately before they diffuse. I'd imagine the best way would
be to dilute them to safe concentration and put them on one's skin.

Musk Ketone: sweet, classic, feminine, floral musk. Smelled like a perfume in itself rather than a note (I
would wear this on it's own!)

Musk Ketone – Soft, pretty base. Has the sightly sour, warm, animalic aroma that I remember from musk
oil in the 70s.

Musk Ketone - 2% dilution in carrier oil : relatively more distinct than the others - white musk, clean.

Musk, Red from Mid-East source- Dry, unsweet, musty, pungent, powdery, bitter, dusty, leathery. Hours
later, sweeter and very complex. Sharper and more masculine than the white musk. As time passes, it just
gets better and better.

Musk, White from Mid-East source- Smooth, musty, powdery, starts out bitter and ends up sweet and
leathery. Soft yet animalic. This is drier, and dirtier. Hours later, still sweetening and becoming powdery.
This is very nice. Smells like perfume all by itself. Still later, smells very sweet and close to some synthetic
musks. Now I see what chemists have tried to capture--it is the drydown phase, alone, of real musk. This
is gorgeous." I let my cats smell my arms, and they both started licking me. They have never done this
before.

Musks – On the Habanolide/Velvione thing, I just got Habanolide as well, and haven't fully explored it yet.
The funny thing is, there's a girl I know (I had a very drunken one night stand w/her once, 2 years ago)
who wears Wild Musk. I can always tell when she's been in a hallway or elevator, and everytime I smell
nitro-musks or musk ketone, it reminds me of her. Strange, because I have difficulty smelling some musks
like Galaxolide, but the more powdery nitromusks are easier.

Ambrox DL - 2% dilution in ethanol: a rather strong smell of something that seems familiari but which I
cannot place, something marine but mineral and dry, like hot sand. It becomes slightly powdery in the
drydown. To my nose, it does not smell like ambergris and is not even reminiscent of it (nor does it smell
anywhere near resin-based amber, BTW). Note: Described by industry as animalic amber.

Ambergris tincture 1%: musky civet animal stinky

Ambergris - Salty, dry, bitter, very diffusive, gradually sweetens. I didn't get much on myself, and it didn't
last as long as I thought it would.

Ambergris tincture, natural, profumo.it - Strange, complex, off-putting and attractive at the same time.
Ambergris smells a little like stomach bile. It is the bitter, medicinal aroma in one's mouth after a long
illness. It is strong, very strong. After purging and no eating for many days, the body is empty, the system
has reached the point where it must survive. There is nothing left. The digestion is cleansed of all outside
substances and ready to resume its work. There is a taste in the mouth, and this is it. Also, it smells like
old perfume. (Conversely, old perfume smells like ambergris.) Most women who wore perfume at the turn
of the century, in the 1900s, had access to ambergris. As a child, I wrinkled my nose and thought it was
extremely odd and slightly unpleasant--an unclean, musty odor. And yet, I could not stop trying to smell it.
I looked for it. I looked forward to smelling it again. You can smell it in the bottom of the dried-up bottle of
ancient perfume still, after all these years. that is how pervasive--and unforgettable--an odor it is.

Ambergris - 1% tincture in ethanol : after all the wonders I read about real ambergris, I was quite excited
to eventually experience it. Its smell is weirdly appealing....strange and fascinating. Droppings of seagulls
or small critters dried out by the sun. Warm and dry, like bleached bones and pieces of wood washed
ashore. There's definitely something marine in it. It is alien but familiar at the same time.

Ambergris - Flashback! I have smelled this in old perfumes before! Some of them that I thought had
"turned" were merely smelling like the ambergris had permeated the formula!What does it smell like, you
ask? Bitter, slightly rank, like stomach bile. You know how the exhalation of a person smells who has been
ill and not eaten for days? Like that. Maybe a bit musty, too. Ambergris is distinctive, dark, and
unrelenting. Its bitterness would lend weight to a perfume the same way that oud does. It has the same
type of medicinal aroma, something that one cannot describe as "good" but that nevertheless is
fascinating. And fixative. Decidedly fixative.

Civet: moth balls, aged urine, ammonia

Civit, synthetic, Perfumers Apprentice – By far the strongest note in the palette. This one packs a punch.
Sulfuric and fecal aroma. (You would not want to spill it anywhere.) Oddly, this synthetic accord of civit
was not as long-lasting as I had expected. It was permeating, but for something that packs such a punch
in the top notes, it managed to back down appreciably. Perhaps this synthetic version was engineered to
fade out so it would be more useable in perfumery.

Civet (Natural, profumo.it)--swings between smelling fecal and smelling like mothballs. I do not get any
urine smell here as I do with the synthetic civet. I think natural civet is much more pleasing, however, I am
really impressed that synthetic civet comes as close as it does to the natural scent. I recognize this scent
very well from Jicky, and of the concentrations I've tried, the civet in Jicky extrait comes closest to
smelling like this natural civet. In the drydown, it has a sweetness that is unexpected, but helps me see
how this can blend so well in oriental bases that include sweet balsamic notes.

Civet (givaudan): oh what a surprise! i actually liked the civet smell! is there something wrong with me? "It
hits you like Wladimir Klitschko’s right hook and smells like his boxing shorts after 10 rounds", and that´s
the polite way to put it, to quote chandler burr. but for me - amazing - it is quite pleasant, even sweet.
could it be that i diluted it too much? i came as 10% and i diluted it to 1%.

Civet: whoa! Rasa Extreme without the roses! At first it reminded me more of someone's bad breath than
faeces. But then that disappeared and it turned to poo. Well at least now I know what it smells like!

Civit – Fecal, musty, overwhelming. Unique aroma.

Civet - reconstitution, 2% dilution in carrier oil: eeeek ! was the first word I
uttered when I smelled this molecule. It smells of old urine, strong and definitely unpleasant. I wonder
what it will do to other notes when mixed - I am planning to mix it with rose, for instance. I also wonder if
those who say they love civet as a note in fragrances ever smelled the single note, real or synthetic.
 I am not able to exactly identify a civet note in a perfume, I usually detect only a
generic animalic tone.

Castoreum (Natural, from profumo.it): Urine, wet cardboard, feces at first. When it dries, it turns more
sweet but has a slightly dry, astringent edge--gorgeous. Surprisingly, it has a similar antiseptic note to the
synthetic castoreum I have smelled. Real castoreum smells much more floral to my nose, and the
antiseptic note seems more herbal rather than like "band-aid". Later, it takes on more of the familiar
leather quality I expected from the start, but at the same time has a sort of tropical flower quality to it. I
wonder if Shalimar ever had real castoreum and civet in it?

Castoreum - I am one of those people who likes animalic notes in her perfume. Something about the
warmth and organic nature of these aromas fascinates me. Jean Patou 1000, Guerlain Jicky, Paloma
Picasso, vintage Cuir de Russie--all have strong animalic notes. They fascinate me. Their "dirtiness"
holds my attention. One would, therefore, assume that I like civit and castoreum. To the contrary, I was
surprised to find that can barely tolerate these substances on their own.

Castoreum Natural, profumo.it- smells rude and aggressive. It is leather with a bitter edginess. It has a
fecal topnote and rubber undertone. My cat jumped up on my desk while I was writing about castoreum,
and I held out my arm to her. She sniffed, looked at me with wide, alarmed eyes, and promptly jumped
down and left the room. Do you understand what I mean by "aggressive?" Even she, with no vocabulary
to describe it, decided that whatever had marked my arm with its scent was big, strong, and not to
angered. This is a "masculine" note, no doubt about it. It claims territory.

Castoreum: i find this one fascinating. it is warm, velvety, honeyed leather with ambery notes. like you
spent some days in a saddle, reminding me of days when i rode the one or other mean horse. why so
many people find this smell repulsive - beats me. for me this is a great, great smell and i will definitely use
it when we start to mix.

Castoreum, synthetic, Perfumers Apprentice – Registers as a “leather” note to me. Bitter, animalic, oily,
a bit rubbery and smoky, slightly fecal. Yet, I find this note to be attractive. It smells like the pelt of a fur-
bearing animal. If anyone has visited a furrier and stuck his or her face into the fresh coats, this is the
aroma that exists underneath all the expense and supposed glamour—real animals. Now that I recognize
it, I can say that my favorite perfume with castoreum is Paloma Picasso. (I always thought this was the
“dirty little secret” of the department stores, possibly the most animalic of all mainstream perfumes these
days, never failing to make some sales assistant wrinkle her nose in disgust.) I really like this note.

Castoreum: vanilla, leather, "band-aid", manure, antiseptic, must be the note that Dzing! emphasizes so
well. I have smelled it in Shalimar and some other leather frags (can't remember now which ones). It is a
bit headache-inducing.

Quinoline – Amazing. Took me by complete surprise. Dry, pleasant leather. (I think this is what goes into
Azuree.) Salty in character, non-sweet dry herbs, a bit spicy like cumin. Quinoline and castoreum are both
leather scents, but they are quite different. Quinoline impresses me as dry, while castoreum is more of a
wet, animalic leather, like the pelt of an animal, or a tack room in a horse barn
Quinoline: odd, dark, slightly bitter leather - also a little salty with a kinda petrol-y smell to it. I resniffed
Alliage to compare and I think I do smell quinoline in Alliage.

(Isobutyl) Quinoline - 2% dilution in carrier oil: dry, green, bitter, rubbery fake leather. How much did

Mdame Cellier pour into Bandit and Jolie Madame? To my nose, at least 20%! I
have a couple of ideas myself on mixing with this note.

(Although not noted, most synthetic notes in this project are samples from Perfumers Apprentice.)