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.

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.

Created by perfumers, the praline note reproduces the sweet, gourmand scent of caramel with molecules such as Maltol or Ethyl Maltol. Reminiscent of childhood sweets, praline is decadently warm, vanilla-sweet, and adds a balsamic facet to fragrances. A smooth, milky, and candy floss-scented base note. Count on this popular gourmand note to make any fragrance extra sweet and tempting. It smells like roasted nuts and sugar, with an added dose of warmth and delight. Sprinkled generously in gourmand fragrances, it is a regular star in feminine creations, although any predominantly masculine fragrance is perked up by its lively presence.

Cypress