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.

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.

Tuberose is one of the most dramatic and powerful floral notes in perfume, along with jasmine, gardenia, freesia, and iris. Tuberose exudes a liqueur-like, velvety, dark, and powdery-sweet aroma, and a classic floral perfume note., It can come off as “too grandma” for some - but a very seductive and potent aphrodisiac for others. If you enjoy stronger styles of perfume, and feel best when your scents make an intense and sensual statement on the skin, tuberose is a must-try. It’s best when paired with other, heavy floral notes such as jasmine, gardenia, and freesia, and contrasts wonderfully with pungent spices like black pepper, frangipani, licorice, and anise, as well as ripe, sweet fruit like raspberry, blackberry, and cherry.

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.