Notes Glossary
What does each note smell like?
Every note in the PickSniff library explained simply. No chemistry degree required.
Bergamot
A citrus peel with a floral edge, sharper than orange, more complex than lemon. The backbone of countless colognes.
Cedar
Dry, pencil-shaving woods with a slight sweetness. Versatile and grounding.
Sandalwood
Creamy, milky, and smooth with a warm woodiness that lingers for hours.
Vetiver
Smoky, earthy, and rooty. Dry and complex with a grassy undertone.
Vanilla
Sweet, warm, and enveloping, like warm cake but more sophisticated in fragrance.
Rose
The queen of flowers. It can be dewy and green or velvety and opulent depending on the extract.
Jasmine
Heady, indolic, and intensely floral with a slight animalic quality at high concentrations.
Lavender
Herbal, floral, and slightly medicinal. Fresh, clean, and endlessly versatile.
Pepper
Dry, spicy, and sharp. Black pepper adds crackling energy; pink pepper is softer and fruity.
Amber
A warm, resinous accord of labdanum and musks: golden, sweet, and enveloping.
Oud
Rich, smoky, animalic wood from infected agarwood. The most precious raw material in perfumery.
Musk
Skin-like and intimate. White musk is clean; animalic musk is warmer and more carnal.
Patchouli
Dark, earthy, and slightly sweet with a chocolate edge. Divisive but distinctive.
Iris
Powdery, rooty, and slightly chilly. Evokes violet and a hint of carrot. Elegant and expensive.
Lemon
Clean, bright citrus with a tart freshness that vanishes quickly but lifts everything around it.
Orange
Sweeter and fuller than lemon: juicy, sunny, and immediately likeable.
Grapefruit
Slightly bitter citrus with a green, slightly metallic quality. Energising and modern.
Cardamom
Warm, slightly sweet spice with green herbal undertones. Bridges Eastern and Western perfumery.
Neroli
Orange blossom distillate: floral, honeyed, slightly bitter, and intensely aromatic.
Tonka Bean
Sweet like vanilla but with almond, hay, and coumarin. Warm, gourmand, and addictive.
Ambroxan
A synthetic amber molecule: warm, woody, and musky with incredible longevity. The secret weapon of modern fragrance.