Dark notes are represented by botanical scents such as cedarwood, sandalwood, ginger. clove, and amber. Learn the reasoning behind my botanical scents fragrance wheel.
How lovely! Two years ago I made a botanical perfume for the Norse God Odin. It's probably the "darkest" perfume I've made -- lots of rich smoke, tobacco, cedarwood, black berries... I'd placed it in the more traditional "leather" category, but I love dark as a botanical option (it is vegan after all)! I can see so many of my perfumes being perfectly described as "dark". This has been such a fun series.
Hello, Juniper! I am glad that you've enjoyed this series! I have had fun in writing it, too. More to come in the paid subscriber post and workshop next year :) Yes, a lot of the categories overlap, and I struggled with dark and vintage, just like with the traditional fragrance categories. That's why it's really a matter of perception in how each artist/perfumer sees it. But it helps to have a guideline to start with, I think. Your perfume creation sounds gorgeous - especially the addition of blackberries! Was that a tincture or an absolute? I love dark perfumes as well. Thank you for reading!
Love dark notes. I've never smelled the tobacco and I didn't know the makeup for Amber...is it always those three? I love that one for the darker time of the solar year...as soon as the feeling of autumn arrives I also begin wearing my ambler jewlery. What sandalwood do you use? ✨📖✨
Hi Shellie! Amber generally is made up of labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla (to get that sickly sweet aroma) but I find that quite sweet and do my own variations on it! As it's not an actual extract itself, it's open to interpretation. But that seems to be the general consensus. I have a variation of an amber note in my final perfume to be released in the fall: Back to Bacall. Like you say, a distinctly fall aroma! I use a sandalwood that I get from my perfume teacher, Charna Ethier at Providence Perfume. She does a custom sandalwood blend of pure sandalwood from different sources and it's divine! Tobacco is a new one to me as an aromatherapist as well but I'm learning to incorporate into my perfumes 😊
How lovely! Two years ago I made a botanical perfume for the Norse God Odin. It's probably the "darkest" perfume I've made -- lots of rich smoke, tobacco, cedarwood, black berries... I'd placed it in the more traditional "leather" category, but I love dark as a botanical option (it is vegan after all)! I can see so many of my perfumes being perfectly described as "dark". This has been such a fun series.
Hello, Juniper! I am glad that you've enjoyed this series! I have had fun in writing it, too. More to come in the paid subscriber post and workshop next year :) Yes, a lot of the categories overlap, and I struggled with dark and vintage, just like with the traditional fragrance categories. That's why it's really a matter of perception in how each artist/perfumer sees it. But it helps to have a guideline to start with, I think. Your perfume creation sounds gorgeous - especially the addition of blackberries! Was that a tincture or an absolute? I love dark perfumes as well. Thank you for reading!
I’ll look forward to what’s to come. It was more of a dark berry accord with black current and almond extract, among a million other things ;)
Sounds beautiful! 💗
Love dark notes. I've never smelled the tobacco and I didn't know the makeup for Amber...is it always those three? I love that one for the darker time of the solar year...as soon as the feeling of autumn arrives I also begin wearing my ambler jewlery. What sandalwood do you use? ✨📖✨
Hi Shellie! Amber generally is made up of labdanum, benzoin, and vanilla (to get that sickly sweet aroma) but I find that quite sweet and do my own variations on it! As it's not an actual extract itself, it's open to interpretation. But that seems to be the general consensus. I have a variation of an amber note in my final perfume to be released in the fall: Back to Bacall. Like you say, a distinctly fall aroma! I use a sandalwood that I get from my perfume teacher, Charna Ethier at Providence Perfume. She does a custom sandalwood blend of pure sandalwood from different sources and it's divine! Tobacco is a new one to me as an aromatherapist as well but I'm learning to incorporate into my perfumes 😊