Best paired with violet or intoxicating mimosa, iris is a somewhat subtle, soft and sensual note. A high-brow note reserved for only the finest accords perfumery has to offer, iris is renowned for its steep price tag. In fact, iris could well be the priciest ingredient in a perfumer’s arsenal. And for good reason: its floral, powdery facets lend an unmatched elegance and air to fragrances. Iris imbues a scent with gorgeous melancholy- its “wet sidewalk in the rain” scent imparts a sense of nostalgia and depth to a floral perfume. The aroma of iris is similar to violets, only not as sweet - it’s full-bodied, powdery, and plush with a slightly mineral/metallic accent. Iris is at its best in demure, thoughtful florals where its mesmerizing intimacy is featured alongside violet, peony, rose, jasmine, and soft spicy notes.

Oakmoss is all about deep, musty, green, earth tones. It’s aroma is already in the name; you can picture dark green mosses climbing up the base of an old oak tree, with a spongy, rich, vital green scent wafting up from the forest floor. Oakmoss in perfume is a mainstay of men’s colognes, and its rich, moist, green fern-like scent pairs marvelously with other earthy notes like vetiver, leather, tobacco, and aromatic spice. Oakmoss is definitely more for the fall/winter seasons rather than spring or summer - it’s heavier texture isn’t suited for hot weather wear.

Vetiver is a profoundly earthy note with dry, woody facets that recall a soft, smoky warmth. It is an intense, grounding scent with surprising undertones of mildew and even grapefruit. For the perfume fan that loves the earthy smell of the woods, nothing beats vetiver. Vetiver is grass whose roots create a smoky, mossy, mineral scent when distilled. It is one of the most complex ingredients found in fragrance, with over 150 separate aromatic compounds, and it also acts as one of the best fixatives available to perfumers, which accounts for its frequent presence in fragrance. There’s also nothing quite like the scent of vetiver. It’s both immediate and ancient, with a similar smell to the soft earth of virgin forests.

The bedrock of perfumery, roses are inextricably linked to the fragrances we’ve come to know and love. In fact, rose comprises more than 400 known constituents, with a variety of reconstructions across every price point. Its scent is powerful and rich, with floral and fruity facets of contrast: sweet yet spicy, green yet honeyed. Rose is often described as a feminine note with floral, powdery facets. Roses in perfume - it gets no more classic, no more romantic, and no more legendary than this. Rose notes are THE most versatile, and paradoxically, the hardest notes in perfume to obtain. It takes nearly a warehouse full of rose petals to distill enough oil to add their hypnotic scent to a perfume.Rose can be icy, full, velvety, silky, candy-sweet, dark, airy - there’s a rose scent for any mood you’ll ever experience. Rose notes go with any other note, style, and texture of fragrance - they blend in a scent better than any other material. And of course, a rose perfume is NEVER out of style, or season - her majesty is welcomed everywhere. If you have only one perfume in your collection, make it a rose fragrance.