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.

A surprising aphrodisiac, ambergris has been used as a quasi-love potion in fine perfumery for millennia. Its beguilingly erotic effect is matched by its ability to act as a unique fixative: giving volume and amplification to a fragrance, and softening or binding the delicate balance of aromas after a considered process of maceration in 96% alcohol. Nowadays, ambergris is often replaced by synthetic products (such as Ambroxan, Ambrox or Orcanox) due to its exceptionally high price tag and relative unreliability in terms of production, sourcing and accessibility.

A versatile note of many facets, ambrette seed is musky and animalic, slightly fruity pear and floral powdery, iris-like. It is considered the best natural/non-synthetic alternative to musk. However, this note comes with a rather lavish price tag—relegating its usage to fine perfumery.

Fruity, fresh and fragrant, apple notes are commonly used as heart notes in both functional and fine perfumery to evoke a sweet and juicy essence. The green, fruity tonic fragrance blends easily with other notes, offering versatility in all its crisp and smooth complexity. Apple notes are often used across both men’s and women’s fragrances. Pear’s exotic, sugary sparkle enhances citrus and floral perfumes and opens up more palate possibilities in your scent wardrobe. It’s melon-y sweet, but very crisp and dry, making it an excellent punctuation point in fragrance. Pear goes best with other tropical citrus notes like yuzu fruit, litchee, peach, and pineapple. But it’s also fantastic with sharp spices like ginger and cinnamon - spices whose dry, crisp flair will allow pear’s natural juiciness to come forward. So if you enjoy fruity floral scents, but with a more sophisticated, tailored, and exotic edge, pear perfumes are worth seeking out.