Heady and suave, orange blossom is an utterly bewitching scent. Flittering floral facets recall notes of jasmine—honeyed and sweet. Its citrus twist melts seamlessly in floral accords and adds a sparkle to fruity notes like apricot. The oil distilled from orange blossoms is considered an aphrodisiac, and the blossom itself has been a bridal symbol for many years. Orange blossoms are native to Southeast Asia, and grown all over the world - as well as being the state flower of Florida in the U.S. Orange blossom has a powdery, orange-citrusy, and very plush scent, like powdery orange suede. It is often used in fruity floral perfumes along with jasmine, rose, and other heavier floral notes. It’s part citrus, part floral scent is ideal in hotter weather, but tends to dissipate quickly in colder months.

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 must-have in any perfumer’s arsenal, sandalwood forms the base note of countless fragrance compositions. Its milky, suave facets make for a deliciously blendable fixative that has inspired perfumers for millennia. It’s a woody and ambery note with a pervasive warmth that is both velvety-smooth and decadently creamy. Sandalwood’s mystical scent is found everywhere in perfumery. It’s luxurious, milky, tangy, and caramel-sweet aroma infuses a fragrance with deep, exotic accents. Sandalwood can also appear bright and bone-dry, and display its arid, woody side in a gorgeous and austere perfume. Sandalwood’s depth of tone and smooth, polished texture adds elegance, refinement, and mystery to any perfume - it can mimic vanilla’s deliciously sweet, butter-fat heaviness, or fade into cedar’s sharp and bitter feel. It’s also a fantastic and evocative scent on it’s own as well as in a blended fragrance. Sandalwood’s tastefully exotic lusciousness is wearable year-round by either sex, and you could spend a lifetime sampling all the different ways it can be used in perfumery.

Woody notes encompass an entire olfactory family of deep, warm scents. They are resinous and decadently aromatic, and often derive from dried leaves or roots. Popular woody notes include the creamy, sensual scent of sandalwood, the invigorating fragrance of pine or the smoky aroma of vetiver. Woody notes are popular all year round, but are particularly suited to the colder months for their earthy, rich facets.