Listen up, guys! If there’s one thing you do today, make sure it’s getting to know our favourite perfume notes. Right now you may not know your tonka bean from your bergamot, but we’re here to help. Prepare to be a pro-perfumer!
1. Tonka bean
There aren’t many things as tempting as chocolate, but the tonka bean is up on our list! Native to Brazil and Venezuela, it has a smell that’s a combo of cinnamon, almond, caramel and cloves. Look out for it alongside notes of chocolate and vanilla, and you’re onto a winner. It’s seriously affecting our taste buds!
Girls will love: Chloé (1975)
Guys will love: Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male
2. Jasmine
If you like sweet floral smells that don’t stick to the rules, you’ll love jasmine. Originating in India and China, it has a muskiness that we can’t get enough of. For the strongest jasmine fragrance, look for Jasminum grandiflorum notes, but if you prefer a subtler scent Jasminum sambac is your match. Either way, you’ll smell like a dream.
Girls will love: Yves Saint Laurent Opium
Guys will love: Davidoff Cool Water
3. Cinnamon
Want to know a secret? Cinnamon is our guilty pleasure. It started as a perfume note 2,000 years ago in Egypt and still adds spice to oriental perfumes today. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which is why our love affair with it will never end.
Girls will love: Jean Paul Gaultier Classique
Guys will love: Joop! Homme
4. Bergamot
This is a type of orange with the colour of a lemon or lime. Confusing… we know! It grows in southern Italy and gives perfumes a sweet, fruity scent with a mild tang. You’re most likely to find it as the top note of both male and female perfumes: so, basics, it’s the master of all perfume notes.
Girls will love: Armani Si
Guys will love: Dior Sauvage
5. Sandalwood
Native to India, sandalwood gives perfumes a rich, woody scent. Renowned in Asia for healing stress, it leaves you feeling cool and calm – as well as smelling incredible! It goes best with orange and ginger notes, so prepare to be amazed next time you pick up a perfume containing this gem.
Girls will love: Paco Rabanne Olympea
Guys will love: Montblanc Legend
