Notes Glossary
What does each note smell like?
Every note in the PickSniff library explained in plain English. 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 — 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.