Fragrance Note Reference for Natural Perfumery
A reference list of common natural perfumery materials organized by volatility and use.
Top Notes — The First Impression
Light, volatile, evaporate within 30 minutes of application.
Top Notes — The First Impression
Bergamot: citrusy, slightly floral, the most versatile citrus in perfumery. Lemon: clean, bright, energizing. Grapefruit: fresh, slightly bitter. Litsea cubeba: lemony, clean, more durable than lemon EO. Petitgrain: woody-citrus, bridges top and heart. Eucalyptus: camphoraceous, fresh. Use 15 to 30% of the total formula.
Heart Notes — The Character
Emerge as top notes fade, last 2 to 6 hours.
Heart Notes — The Character
Lavender: versatile, aromatic-floral, blends with almost everything. Ylang ylang: intensely floral, use sparingly (1 to 3% maximum or it dominates). Geranium: rose-like, earthy, bridges floral and herbal. Rose otto: the queen of florals — expensive, use at 0.5 to 2%. Neroli: floral-citrus, softer than orange blossom absolute. Clary sage: herbal, slightly musky. Use 50 to 60% of the formula.
Base Notes — The Foundation
Emerge late, fix the fragrance, last 6 to 24 hours.
Base Notes — The Foundation
Vetiver: smoky, earthy, woody — the most common natural fixative. Sandalwood: creamy, woody, gentle. Cedarwood atlas: pencil shavings, woody, soft. Benzoin: vanilla-like, resinous, sweet. Labdanum: animalic, ambery, complex. Patchouli: earthy, dark, used in many classic oriental fragrances. Use 10 to 25% of the formula.
Absolutes Are Different from Essential Oils Absolutes (rose absolute, jasmine absolute, labdanum absolute) are solvent-extracted rather than steam-distilled. They are more concentrated, more expensive, and capture aromatic compounds that do not survive steam distillation. They are generally not considered natural by strict standards (solvent traces remain) but are widely used in natural perfumery for their superior complexity.