Making sense of scents.

Welcome to our fragrance guide, created to help you explore and understand the world of scents.

Discover how fragrances are built through top, mid/heart and base notes, each adding its own unique layer to the overall scent experience. Explore the four main fragrance families—Amber, Floral, Fresh, and Woody—along with their subfamilies and signature notes.

Our fragrance note directory offers insights into individual aromas, helping you better appreciate the ingredients that shape each fragrance's personality. Whether you're a fragrance enthusiast or new to the world of scents, this guide will enhance your understanding and enjoyment.

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The Notes

Lets begin with the three different layers and aromas that make a fragrance, the way in which these combine gives each fragrance its own uniqueness...

Top notes

These are the scents you first smell, they are usually citrus, herby or soft florals; they evaporate the quickest to make way for the mid/heart notes.

Mid/heart notes

The longer your candle burns these will appear, forming the body of the fragrance, giving balance between the top and base notes. They are usually floral or aromatic.

Base notes

Last to develop, adding depth and the lasting impression of the fragrance, these rich deep scents have longevity and linger.

Fragrance families

Fragrance can be catagorised into four main families, with each group having subfamilies with their own distinctive characteristics and profiles. A single scent can belong to more than one fragrance family because candles often feature complex blends that combine elements from various categories. A candle might have a fresh, floral top note like lavender, while also incorporating earthy, woody undertones such as cedar or sandalwood. This allows the scent to fit into both floral and woody families. As the candle burns, different notes reveal themselves, creating a layered fragrance experience that evolves over time.

  • AMBER

    exotic, rich, sensual, luxurious

    Subfamilies include: Soft Amber, Amber, Floral Amber, Woody amber
    Familiar notes in amber family include vanilla, tobacco, cinnamon, tonka bean, musk, orchid, orange blossom, amber, patchouli, sandalwood, myrrh.

  • FLORAL

    flowery, from light & delicate to complex & intense

    Subfamilies include: Floral, Soft Floral, Fruity
    Familiar notes in the floral family include rose, jasmine, peony, lilies, lavender, peach.

  • FRESH

    zesty, vibrant, refreshing, uplifting

    Subfamilies include: Citrus, Green, Water, Aromatic
    Familiar notes in fresh family include lemon, mandarin, bergamot, sea salt, rosemary, lavender, basil, sage.

  • WOODY

    rich, captivating, warm, earthy

    Subfamilies include: Woods, Moss, Wood, Dry wood
    Familiar notes in woody family include vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, amber, oud, leather, oakmoss.

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Fragrance Note Directory

Amber warm, sensual, exotic, musky

Anise sweet, soft, liquorice, 

Benzoin vanilla, cinnamon, sweet

Bergamot  fruity citrus, floral, spicy 

Berry fresh, sweet, red fruits, musky, powdery

Black Cherry rich, sweet, fruity

Black Currant fruity, tart, red fruit, juicy, sweet

Butter sweet, creamy, milky

Candy sweet, sugary, fruity

Cassis fruity, floral, green

Cedar warm, woody, citrus, balsamic

Cinnamon warm, woody, spicy, peppery, almond, clove

Citrus bitter, bright, fresh, zesty

Clove spicy, smoky, cinnamon

Coconut sweet, creamy, tropical

Cypriol woody, earthy, smoky 

Fig fruity, sweet, earthy

Ginger warm, fresh, citrus, woody, spicy

Grapefruit citrus, fresh, juicy, bitter

Green Leaves green, fresh, aromatic, crisp,

Guaiac wood smokey, woody, sweet, balsamic

Heliotrope floral, sweet, warm, creamy, powdery, nutty

Honey gourmand, sugary

Jasmine rich, sweet, floral, musk

Lavender aromatic, floral, herbaceous

Lemon citrus, clean, sharp, fresh

Lime citrus, green, acid, bitter

Mandarin citrus, fruity, bitter, sweet

Milk creamy, milky, sweet, gourmand

Moss woody, earthy, smokey

Musk animalic, powdery, sensual

Myrrh sweet, ambery, balsamic, smoky

Neroli sweet, floral, green, fresh

Nutmeg spicy, aromatic, pepper, warm, woody

Oakmoss woody, earthy, amber, musk

Orange sweet, juicy, citrus, zesty,

Oud, also known as agarwood  woody, amber, leather, animalic, smoky, earthy, musk

Patchouli woody, green, earthy, mossy, balsamic, powdery

Peony, white flowers, rose, lily of the valley

Petitgrain green, floral, citrus

Plum fruity, berry, honey

Praline balsamic, burnt sugar, nutty, caramel

Prune rich, ripe, fruity, slightly smoky

Rose floral ,sweet, powdery

Sandalwood woody, sweet, balsamic, cedar, warm, spicy

Spice intense, vibrant

Suede velvety, leather, musk

Tiaf rose rich, floral, powdery, honey, tea

Tobacco Leaves warm, earthy, sweet, aromatic, balsamic

Tonka Bean sweet, spicy, nutty, herbaceous, woody, vanilla, tobacco

Vanilla warm, aromatic, gourmand, sweet

Vetiver woody, earthy, smoky

Violet floral, powdery, soft, feminine 

Wood dry, earthy, rich, sensual, smoky