The Odorare Circle

Jasmine in perfumery: Grasse, Egypt, India

The word "jasmine" covers two different flowers, harvested on two continents, which do not smell the same. The grandiflorum jasmine of Grasse and Egypt produces a round and honeyed absolute, while ...

Labdanum and benzoin: the resins of the amber accord

The amber accord found in so many fragrances has nothing to do with ambergris: it is most often based on two plant resins, labdanum from the cistus and benzoin from Styrax benzoin. This article exp...

Leather note in perfume: why it never smells like leather

The leather note in perfumery never smells like leather in the sense that you would smell a jacket or a saddle: it is an entirely reconstructed accord, built from birch tar, smoky resins, and synth...

Olibanum incense: from Oman to modern perfumery

Olibanum is a resin obtained from trees of the Boswellia genus, harvested by incision in the arid regions of Oman and the Horn of Africa. Its scent, both lemony and resinous, makes it one of the mo...

Vanillin: from pod to molecule

Vanillin is the molecule that gives vanilla its distinctive aroma, but it exists in several forms that do not smell exactly the same. This article explains where vanillin comes from—vanilla beans o...

Calabrian bergamot: why so many fragrances start with it

Bergamot opens an impressive number of compositions because it offers a citrus note that is both tangy and slightly floral, difficult to achieve with another citrus fruit. Calabria, in southern Ita...

Tonka bean in perfume: coumarin and warm almond

The tonka bean owes its warm almond and freshly cut hay scent to a specific molecule: coumarin. Isolated and synthesized as early as the 19th century, this substance became established in perfumery...

Saffron in perfumery: leather, honey and spice

Saffron gives fragrances a facet that is at once spicy, leathery, and slightly honeyed, rare for a single ingredient. This scent comes from a specific molecule, safranal, which perfumers most often...

Vetiver in perfumery: the root that smells of earth

Vetiver is a root, not a grass: it is this botanical detail that explains its smoky earthy scent and its place in perfumery. Haiti, Java, and Réunion Island each produce a different version, depend...

Sandalwood in perfumery: Mysore, Australia, New Caledonia

Sandalwood owes its milky, creamy scent to molecules that only certain species within the Santalum genus produce in significant quantities, and only after decades of growth. Between historic Mysore...