Sweet and strong, gourmand and bitter, soft, spicy and warm, with some animalic facets. Vanilla is one of the most popular and sought-after notes in perfume. It’s simple, spicy, sweetness is a powerful aphrodisiac, and it blends wonderfully with any other note. The range of vanilla accents is deep, ranging from light, filigreed frosting to plush, heavy, smoky syrup. It’s natural spiciness allows vanilla to pair well with not only other sweet, dessert notes but also exotic additions like suede, patchouli, yuzu, or litchee fruit, gardenia and tuberose. What’s best about vanilla perfumes is that they are always appropriate no matter the season, and transition instantly from light day wear to ultra-sensual late-night looks. Vanilla perfumes are a must in any collection, and the variety available will allow years of happy sampling. For those seeking the finest, spiciest style in vanilla scent - start by trying Madagascar vanilla first.

Litchi

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.

Oud is a very popular essence among the Persian Gulf countries. Across Arabia, men and women are known to dote over the raw material—admiring the lavish fragrance for all its warmth and complexity. In fact, oud is so popular in Arabian fragrances that there exists several subfamilies of oud (such as fruit oud, leather oud, rose oud—and the list goes on!). Agarwood, or oud, is the most expensive note in a perfumer’s palette. It has been valued for thousands of years and is considered one of the most luxurious ingredients in the world of perfumery. Oud is derived from the dark resin of the Agar tree, which grows in very rare conditions. Although its popularity skyrocketed in the past decade, oud has been known and used by various ancient civilizations in esoteric ceremonies and meditation practices for hundreds of years. Perfect for cold weather, oud has a distinctively woody, slightly animalic, and rich scent. Oud’s warmth adds whole new brevity and depth when combined with floral or spicy notes.