Alluring, sensual, enticing… Musk is well-known for its aphrodisiac powers. Perfumers play with a myriad of synthetic musks to fix, blend and mold ingredients in a number of intoxicating accords. These notes are clean and transparent—lending a velvety, skinny effect. Musk notes in perfume used to be processed from the actual musk glands of animals to impart a gamey, warm, and sensual texture. But this practice is illegal in modern times, and nowadays musk notes in fragrance are entirely synthetic. Musk’s tangy aroma can range from sheer, metallic and bright to very animalic and even as intimate as the scent of warm, damp, human skin. Musk adds a sultry, sensual feel to demure feminine scents, as well as making masculine notes like tobacco and leather vividly expressive in cologne. For perfume fans who enjoy the alluring scent of warm, clean, skin - musk is a must-have note in fragrance.

Bergamot’s sheer, dry, citrusy feel is one of the most popular perfume notes, especially in mens’ cologne. It’s a Mediterranean fruit grown mainly in Calabria, Italy, and its aroma and taste is slightly between grapefruit and orange. Bergamot is a year-round pleasure to wear, and will blend well with any other note, making bergamot fragrances versatile and a sophisticated option for citrus fragrance fans.

A wintry scent of warmth and wonder. A unique combination of warm, fresh, spicy facets intermingle in a charming scent that is mostly used to add hints of spiciness to complex accords. Its soft, aromatic facets add an air of charm to Eaux de Cologne and Eaux de toilettes for men, as well as a myriad of ambery fragrances. Nutmeg is one of the warmest, coziest spices in perfume. It has all the presence of coriander, saffron, and cardamom, with none of their waxy heat. Instead, nutmeg has a round, dry, welcoming warmth that plays well with other spices and adds depth to bright citrus scents. It’s approachable texture makes it an easy note to identify and enjoy if you’re just now getting into aromatic fragrances. Nutmeg’s crisp yet casual appeal is a fantastic springboard into spicier scents, and it will display its charms best in the fall months, and on into winter.

This spicy top note adds a layered vibrancy to complex accords. As a first impression, cardamom feels fresh and airy, but soon shifts to reveal a warmth that is both sweet and woody. Often likened to the aromatic effects of citrus notes, cardamom can be revitalizing with its zestful kick. Cardamom is particularly well suited to woody, chypre and ambery fragrance families.