The Bergamot Fruit

Bergamot is a citrus fruit roughly the size of an orange and with a vibrant color between green and yellow. This small citrus has raised controversy amongst botanists about its genesis; some arguing that bergamot is a natural hybrid resulting from a cross between a bitter orange and lemon. According to others, it is simply a subspecies of the bitter orange. The plant likely originates from Southeast Asia and was introduced to the Mediterranean and North Africa via trade along the Silk Road. Now, the fruit is grown predominantly in the Calabria region of southern Italy where the soil and microclimate are ideal for its cultivation. Over 90% of the world’s supply is now exported from Italy.  Unlike other more common citrus fruits, bergamot is grown not for eating but for its fragrant peel. This peel produces an essential oil prized in perfumery and aromatherapy.

What Does Bergamot Smell Like?

The cold-pressed oil from the rind contains a medley of aromatic compounds—like linalyl and limonene—that lend bergamot its signature scent: fresh, floral, gently spicy, and faintly bitter. True bergamot oil can only be obtained through labor-intensive cultivation and careful, hand-picked harvesting, often making it one of the more exclusive citrus oils in the fragrance world.

How to Make Bergamot Oil

Cultivators harvest bergamot fruit in early winter, between November and February, and typically extract its essential oil through cold pressing. This process involves mechanically puncturing the rind and then using centrifugal force to separate the essential oil. This heat-free extraction method preserves the delicate aromatic compounds of the fruit. As the fruit is delicate and the yield is relatively low, pure bergamot oil is both precious and potent.

Its unique chemical profile gives it a dual character—bright and zesty on one hand, but soft and rounded on the other—which allows it to bridge both floral and woody compositions. These qualities make bergamot not only a key top note in many perfumes but also a subtle harmonizer within complex scent blends.

Historical & Cultural Uses of Bergamot for Aromatherapy

Bergamot has a long and rich history of use, both for its scent and medicinal properties. In traditional Italian folk medicine, healers used bergamot oil as a natural remedy for fevers, inflammation, and infections. Its soothing, mood-enhancing properties were also historically employed in teas and tonics. Most famously, bergamot is foundational in the creation of Earl Grey tea, where bergamot rind is blended with black tea to lend its unmistakable flavor.

In aromatherapy, users continually celebrate bergamot for its ability to uplift the mood and reduce stress. Its bright, clean scent has been found to ease anxiety and promote a sense of well-being. Skin care formulations also use it as a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent.

Today, bergamot remains a cornerstone in perfumery. Perfumers often use the note to add radiance to blends and enhance both floral and green compositions. Its crisp character can create a sense of elegance and ease, making it a favorite for both personal wear and ambient scenting.

Air Aroma’s Illuminate Fragrance

Bright, Optimistic, Citrus, Aquatic

Bergamot, Blood Orange, Grapefruit, Verbena, Marine Air, Asian Pear, Lily of the Valley, Neroli, Moss, Cedarwood

Luminous through a gradient sky, the central spark of a soft glow. Radiant and deep, gracefully descending through wide expanse. The ember that doesn’t die, illuminating all that is. Felt as truth, a tangible light, the sinking sun as simultaneously permanent and fleeting.

With its fresh, uplifting profile, Illuminate is a popular choice for luxury hospitality, wellness spaces, and retail environments. Used in hotels like The Langham New York, Fifth Avenue and The Beverly Wilshire, Illuminate offers a sunny, welcoming atmosphere that enhances any space.

Bergamot is a timeless choice for those drawn to the clean, effervescent energy of citrus. Discover the light-filled beauty of bergamot in Air Aroma’s Illuminate, Sencha, and Verdure fragrances. Or, create your own custom scent inspired by the luminous freshness of bergamot.

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Eucalyptus Tree

Eucalyptus oil is derived from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree—a fast-growing evergreen native to Australia and now cultivated in temperate regions around the world like China and Brazil. To produce eucalyptus fragrance, the tree’s aromatic leaves and stems are removed, chopped and then steam-distilled to extract the potent essential oil. With over 700 species, eucalyptus belongs to the myrtle family, sharing botanical ties with other fragrant plants like tea tree and clove.

Iconically Australian, the Eucalyptus tree is by far the most common forest tree in Australia. The prolific species covers about 77% of its total native forest area. The trees are essential to the conservation of Australia’s rich biodiversity, supporting forest-dwelling and dependent flora and fauna. This notably includes endangered species and species endemic to Australia, like the beloved koala, who mainly eats eucalyptus leaves.

Historical Uses

Historically, Australian indigenous populations had many uses for the eucalyptus tree. From honing weaponry to spiritual cleansing to healing tea, both the wood and the leaves were utilized by aboriginal tribes.

Oil from the eucalyptus tree is now used worldwide for its medicinal properties. The oil has antiseptic qualities, making it a natural ingredient to clean and heal wounds. Its decongestant properties help clear colds when inhaled and it can even be used in ointments as an anti-inflammatory or insect repellant. Studies have found eucalyptus oil to be effective against respiratory pathogens, healing lung infections such a tuberculosis when used in traditional medicine.

In aromatherapy, its benefits are widely acknowledged: eucalyptus is known to support respiratory health, enhance mental clarity, and reduce feelings of fatigue and anxiety. Its clean and sharp aroma has a purifying quality, which is why it’s frequently diffused in wellness spaces and used in personal rituals to restore balance and energy. While eucalyptus has been celebrated for its use in natural medicine, wellness rituals, and personal care products for centuries, its role in fragrance has steadily grown.

What Does Eucalyptus Smell Like?

Like peppermint woven into dry paper, eucalyptus smells like nature’s apothecary. The scent of eucalyptus is cool, camphorous, and subtly sweet, making it a favorite in modern perfumery and interior scenting for its clean and rejuvenating character. Often used as a top or middle note in compositions, eucalyptus adds a bright, crisp layer that pairs beautifully with woody, citrus, and herbal accords.

Whether it’s the first inhale of a spa treatment or the subtle freshness in a luxury hotel lobby, eucalyptus offers a sensory experience that is both refreshing and comforting—making it a perennial favorite for wellness and beyond.

Air Aroma’s Iron Bark Fragrance

Fresh, Awakening, Grounding

100% Essential Oil Blend with Eucalyptus, Ravensara, Fennel, Cinnamon, Tea Tree

 Humbled by the ridges of thousands of years. A step through a once molten lava basin, now dried with the winds of stone queens. Virtuous and proud, an imperfect forest of unending brown layers crunches beneath. Warped, thick, stone like bark stands as a statue of time, offering the gift of reflection in its depth. A new era of discovery begins.

Iron Bark is a bright, clarifying essential oil blend, elevating spa areas, fitness and wellness brands, and spring or summer seasonal scenting.

Air Aroma’s Serene Fragrance

Evergreen, Camphor, Cleansing

100% Essential Oil Blend with Lavender & Eucalyptus

As the starry sky reveals its luminescent pearls, the echo of energy received from the sun lulls in narrow eucalyptus leaves. Relaxing from the nourishment into the night, the satisfaction from the electric vitality of life lingers. The potent container of cellular activity alongside a glittering dark expanse, each sparkle a quality of the same force.

With its fresh, herbal profile, Serene is a relaxing essential oil blend utilized popularly in spa areas, fitness and wellness brands, and medical centers.

Eucalyptus is an uplifting and crisp scent for fans of cool, softly woody aromas. Explore the invigorating splendor of eucalyptus in Air Aroma’s premium Iron Bark and Serene scents. Or, design a custom signature scent to take advantage of the versatile properties this scent has to offer.

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The Sandalwood Tree

Sandalwood refers to a several species of trees within the genus Santalum. These trees share the characteristics of having heavy, fine-grained wood that gives off a lavish aromatic scent. When sandalwood as we know it is discussed, it is most often in reference to the varietal called true sandalwood, or white sandalwood (Santalum Album). This type of tree is native to India, and can be found distributed throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Islands of the South Pacific. The tree itself is a semi-parasitic varietal, growing from the roots of other tree species and relying on its host for water and nutrients.

White Sandalwood is prized for its fragrant wood which, of the many sandalwood varieties, holds the highest concentration of alpha-santalol and beta-santalol, the chemical compounds responsible for the plant’s distinctive scent and medicinal properties. Sandalwood is often harvested faster than it can be replenished as the trees are slow growing, taking about 30 years to reach an economically useful thickness. In today’s market, pure sandalwood can be quite expensive as demand surpasses supply. It is commonly considered one of the priciest woods in the world.

Both the wood and the roots of the tree contain a yellow, aromatic oil which can be distilled for usage. The raw sandalwood oil that perfumers use in their blends is obtained through the process of steam distillation. This practice begins with the heartwood and roots being ground into powder. The output is then processed in distillation stills, which are injected with steam. As condensation is produced, the oil is separated from water and purified for final use.

Uses in History

Throughout time, sandalwood has been revered for its fragrant wood and healing properties. The trees have been cultivated since antiquity for their heartwood, which plays a major role in many funeral ceremonies and religious rites. For example, in Buddhism, sandalwood is used as incense and burnt during prayer and meditation to purvey its calming properties. Ancient Egyptians imported sandalwood for the process of embalming and ritual burning as an offering to their Gods.

Modern homeopathic health practitioners continue to utilize sandalwood. The wood’s chemical properties make it a powerful antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agent, lending it to uses such as wound healing, aiding in digestion, and calming skin conditions. Sandalwood is also used in the common practice of aromatherapy. It has been found to aid relaxation and sleep by lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels.

Aside from ceremonial and medicinal uses, sandalwood has been used in consumer goods for thousands of years. While the wood of sandalwood trees has been used to produce aromatic ornamental pieces, furniture, fans and more, contemporarily, it is most often consumed in the form of fragrance.

Beginning in early Arabic and Indian perfumery, sandalwood is still one of the most beloved fragrance notes in perfumery today.  Known for its woody, balsamic scent, sandalwood delivers a lasting effect that is synonymous with exotic luxury. The oil itself displays fixative properties in fragrance, meaning it can stabilize and increase the longevity of a perfume. This helps to fix notes of a blend which would otherwise evaporate and fade quickly.

Air Aroma’s Sandalwood Gold Fragrance

Fresh, Green, Woody

Australian Sandalwood, Leather, Fennel, Cardamom, Violet, Cedar 

Golden hues meander through a deep cavern. Heat of charred ash casts a warm glow on a vast wall of intricate formations. Innate wisdoms reverberate like a smoky silage of woods and spices. Gentle and warm but dark and sultry.

With its warm, rich allure, Sandalwood Gold is a luxurious aroma oil utilized popularly in hospitality, retail, and high-luxury clients. The fragrance is often used for autumn and winter seasonal scenting. Sandalwood Gold is diffused in hotels like Andaz Napa by Hyatt, and premier entertainment facilities like Resorts World Las Vegas, and is a luxurious aroma oil that elevates every space in which it is featured.

Sandalwood is a timeless and enchanting choice for those who appreciate the natural warmth and spiciness of the historic wood. Explore the beauty of sandalwood in Air Aroma’s Sandalwood Gold, Moonshot, and Pomelo Pulp fragrances. Or, design a custom signature scent inspired by the many facets of sandalwood.

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The ability to discern and appreciate various fragrances is a learned skill and one that anybody can practice to enrich their sensory skills or better comprehend fragrances. Although not strictly mathematical, as describing fragrance still requires a bit of imagination, tools like Michael Edwards’ Fragrance Wheel prove to be invaluable.  While scent can be subjective, there are usually general ideas or themes that one can pick up on. Categorizing and naming fragrance components helps to make associations between different fragrances and understand their origin and character with greater context. The ability to discern between various fragrances can grow stronger over time with practice and deepen one’s relationship to the sensory world overall.

The Fragrance Wheel

The fragrance wheel was developed by perfumer Michael Edwards in 1983. Much like a color wheel, it groups categories together in a way that allows for overlap and gradual variances. Fragrance families or olfactive groups are based on aromatic characteristics commonly found across all fragrances. The wheel is useful in that it provides a visual representation of the olfactive spectrum.

The Fragrance Wheel uses four major scent categories: floral, oriental, woody, and fresh. Each category then has subgroups that further define these characteristics based on aromatic variances. These include floral oriental, soft oriental, woody oriental, mossy woods, dry woods, aromatic, citrus, water, green, and fruity.

The Fragrance Families

Floral

Floral fragrances encompass a beautiful bouquet of floral style scents, from delicate rose to exotic jasmine, and sweet strong tuberose that evoke elegance and femininity. Floral fragrances with powdery notes can be referred to as soft floral, while sweet, spicier fragrances with notes like orange blossom falling under the subcategory floral oriental.

Find verdant floral in Ginger Flower, floral citrus in Zuri and Zesty White Tea, and floral oriental in Spice Trader.

Oriental

As floral notes move into oriental, there is a noticeable depth and complexity that appears in this style. Indulgent and luxurious, the oriental family includes notes of amber and incense in soft oriental, resins, and woodier notes like sandalwood and patchouli in woody oriental.

Explore Amber Grand, Thé Vert Oriental, and Spice Trader in Oriental scent styles.

Woody

Scent notes described as woody are often very important in the overall composition of a fragrance, as these stronger base notes help build the foundation for the scent and allow the notes to work together seamlessly. Aromatic woods include the root vetiver, while mossy woods include notes of oakmoss. Dry woods include cedarwood and leather. Earthy, warm and sophisticated, woody notes play a prominent role in popular scent compositions.

Smell Cedar Mood, Havana, Sandalwood Gold, and Saffron Suede as some of our favorite woody styles.

Fresh  

Refreshing and clean, fresh notes offer a lightness that is found within various subcategories – often in citrus like bergamot and lemon, aquatic styles in marine notes, fruity in notes like berries, green in grass and botanical notes, and aromatic or herbal notes including lavender, mint and rosemary. Many fresh fragrances reiterate invigorating experiences in nature, like fresh morning mists or a walk along the seashore.

Discover fresh styles in Illuminate, White Tea Thyme, Sunkissed, and Iron Bark.

Using the Fragrance Wheel

View the wheel as you’re smelling fragrances to build the associations and start identifying fragrance families. Let the wheel be your guide and pinpoint the prominent notes in a fragrance composition, tracing their placement on the wheel. By understanding the primary olfactive families and their subgroups, you can decipher the composition of a scent and appreciate its nuanced character.

In the end, it’s not just about smelling the fragrance; it’s about experiencing the emotions, memories, and dreams it evokes. Just as a symphony transcends the individual music notes on a page, a fragrance exceeds the mere combination of its notes.

Explore Air Aroma’s range of fragrances to discover unique, elevated scent compositions.

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The Fig Tree

Scientifically identified as Ficus Carica, the fig tree is native to the Mediterranean region and has been cultivated for thousands of years. Yielding hundreds to thousands of fruits in a single growing season, its fruits are a delicious culinary delight that bear a distinctive fragrance which varies throughout the tree’s life cycle. Fig fragrance captures the essence of the entire fig tree, from its fresh, hardy green leaves to the ripe, sweet violet fruit and even the earthy, woody notes of the tree’s bark.

Fig History

Fig trees could have been the first domesticated plant of the Neolithic Revolution, which dates to almost 12,000 years ago. This is a time period in which humans began cultivating plants, breeding animals for food, and forming permanent settlements, which was an incredibly important period of change. So it can be said that figs were among the first fruits to be cultivated by humans!

Fig fragrance’s rich history includes ancient Greeks and Romans, who revered the fig tree both for its fruit and aromatic leaves. They used fig leaves to create wreaths and garlands, infusing their festivities with a natural green scent.

Referenced in religious texts like the book of Genesis, the Ficus Carica trees provided the fig leaves worn by Adam and Eve after eating forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden.

What Does Fig Smell Like?

Fig fragrance is incredibly versatile, exuding fresh and green qualities and warm and woody notes simultaneously. On top of that, it has a fruity note that’s juicy sweet while remaining lush and sophisticated. Because of this, it’s an accessible fragrance tailored to different preferences, with a natural, inviting quality. The milky sweet or lactonic characteristic is reminiscent of coconut or milky butter. The emotional resonance of fig conjures warm, powerful connections of vivid images like biting into a fresh fig or meandering through Mediterranean hills.

Air Aroma’s Fig Essence Fragrance

Fruity, Woody, Green

Fig Sap, Coriander, Fig, Violet, Peach, Cyclamen, Fig Wood, Cedar Wood, Sandalwood

A forbidden romance meandering over rocky hills of the sea. Bells ringing in the distance and a stone overlook perched above fig trees. The buzz of hummingbirds moving through gardens to arrive at a dropped piece of fig fruit, severed open and perfuming the sky. Sultry juiciness tempts for a bite from a quail or a lover’s lips. A dark sweetness.

Fig Essence

Used in hotels like Casa Laguna and Walker Hotel Tribeca, and luxury office receptions like Ten Grand, Fig Essence is a luxurious aroma oil that elevates hotels, offices, homes, and retail spaces.

Fig fragrance is a timeless and enchanting choice for those who appreciate the natural beauty and complexity of the historic fruit. Explore the beauty of Fig in Air Aroma’s fig essence fragrance, or design a custom signature scent inspired by the many facets of Fig.

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Mimosa Components

Its bark and roots were first used in making incense and had a connection to immortality and resurrection. In fact, Egyptian mythology connected the acacia tree with the tree of life. This was described in the Myth of Osiris and Isis. Other uses have included edible seeds and fruit used in cuisines and drinks, timber for making furniture, and a gum produced by the bark that works as a stabilizer for printing and ink.

The distinctly positive yellow puffs are what make the mimosa most memorable, though. The Mimosa is like a burst of delight in winter, being one of the few flowering species in the winter. Its masses of fragrant yellow flowers continue to blossom through January and February; its full blossom season is from November to March. Along with the hyacinth, it is one of the rare flowers to bloom in the winter.

A Journey to France

It was imported from Australia to France around 1850, and soon spread throughout the French Riviera, contributing to dreamy landscapes of Cote D’Azur. France developed a close relationship with the flower, using it in perfumery for its delicate violet like scent, and even including them in regular celebratory decorations as a sign of good luck and joy, a positive message that enhanced events like parades and carnivals. On the Mediterranean coast there is a scenic route called La Route des Mimosas, filled with elegant yellow blossoming trees.

Mimosa Fragrance

In perfumery, Mimosa is used as a heart note. With its dry and powdery floral qualities, it can bring aspects of other notes to light and provide balance. The scent is as lovely and delicate as the blossoms, exuding a grace and suppleness that is quite charming. Almost clean linen like, it’s innocently joyful, like the childhood nostalgia of playing in the yard on a late summer afternoon. The scent originates from the entire flower, incorporating the green cucumber aspects of the leaves and stems with the creaminess and honeyed traits of the tiny silky flowers.

The tiny colorful poufs emanate elegance and charm, capturing the beauty of a fleeting positive moment. Mimosa reminds us of the subtleties of being alive and the joy found in nature. Like the movement of a gentle breeze, it arrives and leaves with grace, only to return again.

Smell Mimosa in Air Aroma’s fragrance, Moonshot.

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Traditional female oriented fragrances display sweet, floral and fruity notes like strawberry, jasmine, rose and vanilla while their male counterparts boast more intense, woody, and musky notes such as tobacco, oud, and leather. However, these clear gender roles in fragrance are not based in our biological preferences but rather in cultural devices of Western society. Gender in fragrances tend to reflect everything from characteristics of individual scent notes to perfume stories and their targeted marketing.

History of Gender in Fragrance

Before the time of modern advertising, his and hers fragrances did not exist. In ancient times, wearing perfume was not an indication of masculinity or femininity but rather of status. Only royalty and the elite had enough money to afford perfumes, thus signifying power and wealth in all who wore them.

As early as the Middle Ages, natural perfumes were worn by all genders of the upper class for the purpose of feigning hygiene and masking body odor. It was not until the late 19^th century when gendered scent stereotypes originated with the rise of the middle class. With social changes and rapid economic growth of the Gilded Age, the middle class emerged as a grouping of upwardly mobile consumers who now had more spending power than the working class of previous generations.

The middle class was also categorized by a shift towards more distinctive gender roles, with only men working and women in turn focusing on family and pursuits at home. During this time, products that were fashionable with the social elite became more accessible with modern manufacturing and thus created perfume as a commercial product available to anyone with financial means.

Gender and Fragrance Marketing

Marketing allowed the arbitrary associations of which smell belongs to which gender seep into the collective unconscious through manufactured socially accepted gender archetypes. Advertising amplified these standards, presenting pink fragrances in bottles shaped like flowers or stilettos and running hyper sensualized ads targeted towards female consumers to signify idealized femininity. On the other hand, scent advertising positioned towards male consumers emphasized boldness, strength and sophistication with streamlined, no-frills products to appeal in an aspirational way to the working man.

To the companies marketing them, gendered fragrance has been an effective strategy as it reinforces the social norm that men and women are supposed to look, dress, act and smell a certain way, creating a positive feedback loop for future revenue. However, the modern generation of consumers has begun to break these norms, causing brands to rethink the way fragrance is commercially positioned.

Younger generations of men are taking steps to undo the restrictions of historic toxic masculinity, exploring their emotions and femininity in a way that has never before been socially acceptable. Women are no longer confined to homemaking, closing gender gaps in all facets of society and power. A push towards gender equity and exploring beyond the binary of masculine and feminine are reflected not only in individual identities but in the products we consume.

Current Trends and What’s Ahead

With the rise of LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance, gender fluidity has made its way into social canon. Rather than a focus to fit in with a societal grouping, younger generations are working to flip the script by finding acceptance in individuality and self-expression. The clothes we wear, and the fragrance we put on, reflect this – acting as signifiers of personality, emotions, and values.

Scent can be used as a device for personal expression, beyond adhering to binary gender roles and for the purpose of attraction. This has lent itself to the rise of genderless and unisex fragrances, which as of 2018, made up more than half of new fragrance launches. Many of these unisex scents feature notes of a traditional gendered scent but with surprising key notes that change the overall impression, or they’re created with neutral notes that don’t typically speak to one group over the other. Innovators are recognizing that it’s not about refusing gender but recognizing that gender is a much larger spectrum that we can explore everyday.

With consumers looking to break the mold, it’s no wonder that a trend towards unisex and genderless fragrance is booming and will only continue to evolve as societal expectations around gender constructs are dismantled. Finding a scent in today’s climate is less focused on which scent is for who, and more on which scent is for you.

Air Aroma offers a wide range of fragrances in many styles and can design something custom for yourself or your brand. Contact us for guidance or to inquire about a signature scent.

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Thinking of the decadent details of these lives, one may consider the lavish clothing worn, intricate architecture, vast expanses of lands, and substantial collections of gold in kingdoms. On a more personal level, how did these queens live day to day? What foods did they eat, how did they leisure, and what fragrances did they use to anoint themselves with?

Fragrances have long been a part of human experience and ritual and even more closely revered in ancient times. In 2012 in a city in lower Egypt known as Thmuis, researchers discovered silver coins and jewelry located near a kiln where Egyptians used to furnace clay where they would make perfume bottles for royals. Researchers Dora Goldsmith and Sean Coughlin used a scientific approach “residue analysis” to see if they could retrace the leftover liquids discovered from the kilns to see what famous rulers back in Egypt smelled like long ago.

When they ran their tests, the results produced myrrh based Mendesian and Metopian perfumes. Myrrh is a natural gum extracted from a thorny tree species found in parts of Africa and Asia, which produces a decadent and resinous perfume oil. Myrrh can smell exotic and addictive, herbal and bittersweet. Mendesian has a very light and delicate aspect whereas Metopian is described as much muskier and harsher. It is said that Cleopatra took pleasure in the extent of her beauty routine. It is rumored she used to take baths in sour goat’s milk and put dried crocodile dung on her face. To create an intoxicating personal allure, Cleopatra used hundreds of different scents of perfumes to choose from daily. But according to researchers, the Mendesian was her most preferred scent she used the most often.

Smelling something in this style can remind you of the mysterious and powerful essence of these female rulers and transport you through time. Even more so, we can feel into the same qualities of richness, ritual, and mystery that exist in the perfume DNA. Whether you prefer Air Aroma’s rich Cedar Mood scent or are looking to create something custom, create your own sense of historic royalty and relish in the depth of ancient aromas.

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A scent can change with how and when the scent is experienced as well, and the scent itself is subjective – a person who naturally is shaped by their experiences and feelings may interpret a scent differently than someone with a different set of experiences and emotions. A scent can take you on a trip, transport you, make you feel, stir perceptions of reality…

How are Fragrances Made?

That being said, we can still break it down to scent being an actual thing, meaning a set of materials. Fragrances are composed of a combination or selection of natural plant materials and essences, man-made molecules, aldehydes, and solvents like vegetable oil or alcohol. Oftentimes unless you are well versed in the scent industry, a molecular component won’t really speak to the experience of a scent in the way that a fragrance family, note, or theme would, such as petrichor, or wet pavement accord, or ozonic; aka the smell after a rainstorm. Before modern perfumery advanced with man-made materials gaining popularity in the early 19th century, fragrances were derived from a single natural source, like a plant or flower. Today, fragrances are composed of a wide variety of both natural and synthetic ingredients, allowing for more exploration, innovation, and creation.

Natural scent components include essential oils and plant essences that are distilled or pressed directly from a natural source, such as flowers, seeds, grasses, roots, resins, spices, and fruits. Though, not every plant source produces a usable scent component – there’s only about 200+ natural ingredient materials. One example is lily of the valley, which does not produce an essential oil, so the smell is created in a lab to replicate the scent found in nature (it is also called muguet). Synthetic fragrances are also used to create new ingredients as well, which expands the creative potential of smell.

What Is a Synthetic Fragrance?

In today’s fragrances, many variations include aspects of synthetic notes, which allow for more stability, consistency, and freedom without risk of harming nature. It is important to note that in the fragrance industry, synthetic does not equivocate to harmful or toxic, and natural does not equivocate to good or safe. Synthetic simply refers to the creation of a molecule, either nature inspired or novel, in a lab. Since the late 1800s, chemists have become increasingly adept at producing synthetic variations on natural compounds, a process that has changed the industry entirely and facilitated in the more widespread manufacturing of fragrance.

Modern perfumery allows us to create a linear scent, more fined tuned and nuanced for the user experience. Dynamic in their composition, as well as varying based on the subject and environment, fragrances can smell unique to different individuals at different times. It is simply all in their DNA.

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From its rich hues and graceful appearance to its unmistakable scent, the queen of flowers has captivated and inspired all who encounter it, and moved Shakespeare to write of its essence, Cleopatra to adorn her ships in rose oil, and Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, and Grace Kelly to perfume themselves in its signature scent. The scent of rose captures its aura and radiance in a way that reveals the flower’s romantic dreaminess.

There are several thousand species of rose, but only a few that produce a scent. Experiencing the scent of a garden rose is usually a majestic encounter not forgotten. Two of the most popular species used in perfumery are Rosa Damascena and Rosa Centifolia. Though they only blossom once a year, it takes three years for a flower to mature to harvest. The pink petals are harvested before 8am between mid-May and mid-June. Rose can be produced into an essential oil (rose otto), created from steam distillation, or absolute from a solvent extraction, an accord built in tandem with supporting notes, hydrosol (a water byproduct of steam distillation), or commercially available rose water. It is a versatile note that speaks to the heart of a fragrance, and is coveted for its elegant, warm characteristics. It takes about 10,000 pounds of flowers to create 1 lb of rose oil, making it rare and costly. 

Just like in wine, the terrain and region can affect the color and scent of rose oil. Scent impressions can range from fresh and crisp to waxy, sweet and rubbery to green and dewy to spicy and rich. A Rose Damascena from Morocco can be of a browner color with a spicier hay-like aspect than a Turkish Rosa Damascena, which is a notorious rose as it’s classically floral green with a darker pink color. The Bulgarian rose valley is treasured for its ideal climate and winds, though other countries of origin include Turkey, Morocco, India, Russia, Moldovia, Egypt, and France. 

Remarkably, the oldest rose fossil was found in Colorado, USA at approximately 55 million years old, proving that the essential flower has been enchanting the earth for quite some time. It is a far-reaching feeling to connect to the energy of a rose in this way as its essence can permeate time and space. It seems as if the qualities of rose and what it represents, that of love and beauty, are essential components to life itself. Appreciation of beauty drives us and love transforms our nature. Compassion can change perception, kindness can move us to connect, and the more we can open to love, the wider our hearts expand. 

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