Fragrance Note Glossary
Deepen your understanding of scent with our fragrance note glossary. Discover the origins, nuances, and profiles of the notes that describe fragrances. Get ready to elevate your candle scent game and impress your friends (maybe?) with your newfound knowledge!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
M
magnolia
Description:
floral, white flower, jasmine, fruity, citrus, vanilla
Olfactive Profile:
Delicately suave, Magnolia seduces with its white floral signature. An elegant jasmine-like heart note contrasted by lemony, slightly fruity and vanillic tones.
Facts:
Fossil records show that magnolias existed in Europe, North America, and Asia over 100 million years ago, making them one of the most primitive plants in history.
mandarin
Description:
citrus, fruity, bitter, floral, green, sweet, slightly aromatic
Olfactive Profile:
Mandarin is a citrus note that is both fresh and soft, with a slightly bitter greenness balanced by floral and candied undertones. This note adds luminosity and sparkling freshness to fragrances, making them more vibrant and colorful.
Facts:
Mandarin is a vibrant citrus fruit with hues ranging from orange to red, originating from the Southeast Asian regions of China and the Philippines. In Chinese culture, this fruit is considered a symbol of good fortune and is widely incorporated in the festivities of the Chinese New Year.
mango
Description:
fruity, exotic, green, sweet, sugary, juicy, crisp
Olfactive Profile:
Mango is fruity, exotic, and sweet with a crisp texture. This tropical fruit strikes a harmonious balance between green and milky tones, reminiscent of juicy peaches.
Facts:
Mango is originally from India, where it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. Over time, this delectable fruit spread its influence to other regions, being introduced to Jamaica, later Tahiti, and eventually making its way to Brazil.
maple
Description:
gourmand, sugary, caramel, sweet
Olfactive Profile:
The scent of maple syrup is sugary, like dark caramel, with salty roasted walnut undertones.
Facts:
Quebec, a Canadian province, leads the world in maple syrup production, responsible for three-quarters of the global output. Vermont takes the lead as the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States.
marine
Description:
aquatic, fresh, mineral, salty, transparent, watery
Olfactive Profile:
Marine notes are fresh and airy with an aquatic feel. They evoke watery fruits and idyllic seaside imagery.
Facts:
In 1951, chemists developed a compound called calone during pharmaceutical research. While initially intended for drug use, they realized its aroma closely replicates the sea and later marketed and patented it for fragrance use. Calone contains a formation similar to the pheromones released by certain brown algae, contributing to a fragrance's marine characteristics.
marshmallow
Description:
gourmand, sugary, creamy, fruity, vanilla, powdery
Olfactive Profile:
Deliciously sweet marshmallow blends vanilla, powdery, and fruity notes. Marshmallow is nostalgic and comforting, with an irresistible mellowness reminiscent of coconut milk or pistachio ice-cream notes.
Facts:
Marshmallow root's gelatinous extract was first used to make marshmallow candy in ancient Egypt. While the candy was said to be reserved for gods and royalty, it was also reportedly used as a remedy for sore throats.
milk
Description:
creamy, milky, sweet, gourmand, lactonic
Olfactive Profile:
Milk has a creamy, lactonic, slightly acidic aroma with a smooth, subtle sweetness.
Facts:
Cleopatra was known to bathe in milk and honey as part of her beauty regimen. In ancient Egypt, milk was believed to have beauty-enhancing properties.
mimosa
Description:
green, grassy, soft, spicy, fluffy, heliotrope, powdery
Olfactive Profile:
Mimosa is a very green, vibrant floral note with powdery and honey undertones.
Facts:
The Mimosa flower has a unique mechanism that allows the leaves to respond quickly to external stimuli. It's sometimes called the "sensitive plant" because its leaves fold in when touched or exposed to heat.
mint
Description:
green, aromatic, fresh, sweet, minty, cooling
Olfactive Profile:
Fresh mint offers a natural aromatic, sweet, and leafy note with earthy accents. It provides a green cooling effect thanks to its menthol qualities.
Facts:
While the most commonly used varieties of mint plants are peppermint and spearmint, there are over 600 different species of mint.
molasses
Description:
sharp, bitter, sweet, gourmand, earthy, warm, mineral, brown sugar
Olfactive Profile:
Molasses has a sharp, bittersweet smell, similar to brown sugar. Molasses smells warmly sweet with mineral and bitter undertones.
Facts:
Molasses is a thick syrup used as a sweetener. It comes from crushed sugar cane or sugar beets and is especially popular in Southern American and Caribbean cuisine.
moss
Description:
woody, mossy, earthy, powdery
Olfactive Profile:
A woody, mossy, powdery scent. It gives an earthy character to a fragrance.
Facts:
Moss can absorb and retain large amounts of water, up to 20 times its own weight.
musk
Description:
animalic, clean, comfortable, long-lasting, powdery, round, sexy, soft
Olfactive Profile:
Musky notes are animalic, skin-like, and sensual. This popular note adds depth and longevity to fragrances and has a familiar yet abstract, interesting quality. While traditionally sourced from a gland on the abdomen of the musk deer, this practice is now illegal and most modern musk notes are synthetic.
Facts:
Professor Leopold Ruzicka, a Nobel Prize-winning Croatian-Swiss chemist, analyzed the composition of animal-derived musk and discovered molecules with warm, soft, powdery, round tones. He then became the first to synthesize musk molecules, making it possible to make musk fragrances without animals—a discovery still hugely important to the fragrance industry today.
myrrh
Description:
sweet, ambery, balsamic, smoky
Olfactive Profile:
Myrrh is sweet with warm, spicy tones and hints of licorice. Smoky undertones and a distinctly sharp balsamic quality add to its unique aroma.
Facts:
Myrrh is a natural resin or gum obtained from the bark of trees in the Commiphora genus, native to the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and parts of Asia. When their bark is cut or injured, these trees produce a resin or gum, which hardens into a fragrant, reddish-brown substance. Myrrh was traded along the ancient spice routes to Egypt, Greece, and Rome.