Most individuals who use perfume feel that it is a final touch to any wardrobe, adding a feeling of confidence and completeness.  When allowed to pick out our signature scent, each perfume we sample will smell different than the one before.  This freedom offers us the chance to make a statement when walking into a room and be known and identified by our signature scent.

Since the beginning of recorded time, a scent that has been derived from nature has been used as the primary base for many fragrances.  In fact, to this day, many of those same scents and ingredients that were used millennia ago are still part of the process of perfume creation today.

May ingredients in perfume today are a balanced blend of oils, alcohol, and various aromatic components.  A fragrance has a different top, middle, and bottom note that is solely based on how the perfume was blended and the various ingredients used.

Many of the ingredients in perfumes today may seem familiar, while others not so much.  To that end, we have offered a little information on some of the more widely used ingredients in perfume manufacturing today.

Agrumen

Part of the aldehyde family and presents with a fresh, green, and soap-like scent.  It also offers a citrus undertone and will aid in your fragrance lasting longer.  Scent: green and citrusy

Aliphatic Aldehydes

An organic compound found in nature that vary in fragrance but are usually a pleasant floral or fruity scent.  Scent: floral and fruity

Amber

Synthetically produced from the fossilized sap of the Pinus Succubefera tree, this oil offers a rich and warm fragrance which makes it a favorite in oriental perfumes.  Scent: rich and sweet

Bergamot

Harvested from the bergamot orange, grown mainly in Italy, this citrusy ingredient is popular due to its uplifting and refreshing tangy and bright fragrance.  Scent: tangy and citrusy

Black Pepper

Harvested from the not quite ripe peppercorns of the Piper nigrum vine, this ingredient offers a luxurious and sensual fragrance, as well as providing a spicy and slightly woody tone.  Scents: woody and spicy

Cashmeran

A synthetic aldehyde, this scent invokes both the feel and the smell of cashmere and is a comforting and cozy fragrance.  Scent: oriental and floral

Citron

Harvested from the zest of the citron fruit, this ingredient is citrusy similar to a lemon. Citron provides a top note that both dry and citrusy.  Scent: crisp and citrusy

Clary Sage

The clary sage contains an oil that is both sweet and herby-smelling and is used in many unisex perfumes.  The more earthy aroma also hints at notes of amber and tobacco.  Scent: floral and earthy

Frankincense

An Arabia and Eastern Africa gum resin, also known as Olibanum, presents with a slightly sweet and spicy fragrance giving most perfumes it is used in a boost of confidence.  Scent: spicy and earthy

Heliotrope

Derived from the Heliotrope flower, which is native to Bolivia, Peru, and Columbia, this scent presents a somewhat strong vanilla fragrance with undertones of an almondy scent.  The flower’s fragrance pairs quite nicely with other floral notes, such as that of jasmine and rose.  Scent: sweet and vanilla

Indole

This is one of the more widely used ingredients in perfume as its primary use is for strengthening the floral note in a perfume.  Giving off floral notes when mixed in small concentrations, this ingredient should not be used in higher concentrations as then the fragrance will smell rancid.  Scent: floral and strong

Jasmine

Is a flower found widely used in the perfume industry due to its refreshing and light floral fragrance.  As it turns out, Jasmine is one of the most expensive of all of the perfume ingredients on this list, and as a result, it is oftentimes replaced by its cheaper counterpart, hedione.  Scent: fresh and floral

Lavender

When most individuals think of lavender, they think of the fragrance in terms of aromatherapy, as the fragrance is well known to promote calmness and aid in reducing stress.  In the perfume world, lavender aid by giving fragrance notes that are floral and fresh, making the scent distinctive without overpowering. Scent: fresh and floral

Lily of the Valley

Also referred to as muguet-presents with a scent reminiscent of spring, presenting with such notes as sweet green and citrus hints.  This fragrance oil is synthetically produced, as lily of the valley does not produce an oil.  Scent: sweet and green

Magnolia

Used in many summery fragrances, this scent offers both a sweet and a refreshing floral scent with hints of a fruity note.  With its relaxing and refreshing fragrance, magnolia is another scent widely used in aromatherapy. Scent: fruity and floral

Mandarin

Offers up a fragrance that is not only fresh, citrusy, and fruity but is also tangy and intense.  Harvested from the mandarin orange, and originating from China, this ingredient if used in many of the spring and summer fragrances on the market today.  Scent: sharp and citrusy

Musk

Naturally derived from the glands of the musk deer, this fragrance presents as both animalistic and slightly sweet-smelling.  Because this ingredient is expensive and in high demand for men’s fragrance, the ingredient is often synthetically produced.  Scent: sweet and animalistic

Myrrh

Found in Arabia and Eastern Africa, myrrh is a gum resin that can be dated back to biblical times.  With its dark and rich fruit fragrance, this ingredient offers the addition of warm, woody, and earthy fragrances to both perfumes and colognes.  Scent: woody and earthy

Narcissus

Presenting as a white flower, this ingredient has a rich and intense fragrance.  Its fragrance can run from dark green leaves to vanilla and even to musk, depending on the variety.  Scent: rich and floral

Oakmoss

Due to its complex scent profile oakmoss, which is derived from a type of lichen that grows on oak trees, is a highly valued perfume ingredient.  When first applied, its scent presents as both oriental and warm, but when dry, the fragrance shifts to that reminiscent of foliage and bark.  Scent:  earthy and oriental

If you are looking to sample great smelling, premium scents, take a look at Scentbox.  We offer an economical monthly subscription plan that allows you to test a wide variety of scents and determine what works for you without breaking the bank.