The recordsOdour descriptors

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Odour descriptors

Forty-four odour descriptors, grouped by family. The words of smell: each word, its family in the published classification, and the molecules and materials that carry it.

Each line is one record page: the name, a short fact, and the first line of the record. Every field on the page carries its source. Choose a group to show only that group; “All” shows them all again.

Show All 44Aldehydic 1Amber 2Aromatic 1Balsamic 3Citrus 2Floral 7Fruity 2Green 1Herbaceous/herbal 1Moss/leather/animalic 5Musk 2Spicy 2Wood 5A quality, not a family 10

Aldehydic 1

  • Aldehydic aldehydicAldehydic: the fizzy, waxy, soapy sparkle of the fatty aldehydes.

Amber 2

  • Amber amberAmber: in perfumery, a warm, resinous, sweet accord (labdanum, vanilla), not the fossil resin.
  • Ambergris amberAmbergris: the smell of ambergris: marine, musky, woody and a little sweet.

Aromatic 1

  • Hay aromaticHay: the sweet, dry smell of drying grass, as of coumarin and tonka.

Balsamic 3

  • Balsamic balsamicBalsamic: warm, resinous and sweet, as of balsams, resins and benzoin.
  • Piney balsamicPiney: the resinous, green smell of pine needles and pine resin.
  • Vanilla balsamicVanilla: the smell of cured vanilla pods: sweet, creamy and warm.

Citrus 2

  • Citrus citrusCitrus: the bright, zesty smell of citrus peel oils such as bergamot and lemon.
  • Lemony citrusLemony: citrus narrowed to lemon: sharp, clean, a little sour.

Floral 7

  • Floral floralFloral: the smell of flowers in general; the heart of many perfumes.
  • Jasmine floralJasmine: the smell of jasmine flowers: rich, sweet and floral, with a heady depth.
  • Lily floralLily: the smell of lily flowers; a fresh, sweet, watery floral.
  • Muguet floralMuguet: lily of the valley: a fresh, green, dewy floral that the flower itself does not yield as an oil.
  • Narcotic floralNarcotic: heady and overpowering, the dense sweetness of white flowers; an evaluator’s word, not a pharmacological one.
  • Rose floralRose: the smell of the rose flower: floral, a little fruity and honeyed.
  • Violet floralViolet: the powdery, woody-floral smell of violets (and of orris).

Fruity 2

  • Fruity fruityFruity: the smell of ripe fruit, from berry to apple to plum.
  • Jammy fruityJammy: cooked, concentrated fruit: fruity with a sugary depth.

Green 1

  • Green greenGreen: the smell of cut leaves, stems and grass: sappy, sharp and vegetal.

Herbaceous/herbal 1

  • Camphoraceous herbaceous/herbalCamphoraceous: the cool, medicinal-herbal smell of camphor, as in lavandin.

Moss/leather/animalic 5

  • Fecal moss/leather/animalicFecal: the frankly animal smell of indole at high concentration.
  • Animalic moss/leather/animalicAnimalic: warm, skin-like and faintly dirty, as of musk, civet or indole.
  • Leathery moss/leather/animalicLeathery: the smell of tanned leather: smoky, dry and animal.
  • Mossy moss/leather/animalicMossy: the damp, earthy, forest-floor smell of oakmoss.
  • Tobacco moss/leather/animalicTobacco: the sweet, dry, hay-like smell of cured tobacco leaf.

Musk 2

  • Musky muskMusky: the soft, warm, skin-like smell of musks, natural or synthetic.
  • Waxy muskWaxy: the smooth, fatty smell of wax; said of musks and some aldehydes.

Spicy 2

  • Peppery spicyPeppery: the sharp, dry prickle of peppercorns.
  • Spicy spicySpicy: the smell of kitchen spices: warm (clove, cinnamon) or cool (pepper, cardamom).

Wood 5

  • Creamy woodCreamy: soft, rich and rounded, as of sandalwood; a texture word.
  • Milky woodMilky: lactonic and soft, as of warm milk; said of sandalwood.
  • Rooty woodRooty: earthy and damp, as of roots dug from the soil; said of vetiver.
  • Smoky woodSmoky: the smell of smoke and burnt wood.
  • Woody woodWoody: the smell of wood: dry, warm or resinous, from cedar to sandalwood.

A quality, not a family 10

  • Bright a qualityBright: lifted and sparkling, the quality of a top note that seems to catch the light.
  • Fresh a qualityFresh: a cool, clean, airy impression, the opposite of warm or heavy; used across families.
  • Honey a qualityHoney: the warm, waxy sweetness of honey; also "honeyed".
  • Medicinal a qualityMedicinal: the smell of remedies and antiseptics, as of thymol.
  • Powdery a qualityPowdery: soft, dry and cosmetic, like face powder; often of orris, musks and coumarin-like notes.
  • Refined a qualityRefined: smooth and polished, with its rough edges taken off; an evaluator’s word.
  • Sharp a qualitySharp: edged and pointed rather than round; said of a material that cuts through a blend.
  • Soapy a qualitySoapy: clean and waxy, the smell of soap.
  • Sweet a qualitySweet: the impression of sweetness a smell gives, as of sugar, vanilla or honey.
  • Uplifting a qualityUplifting: an effect word for a lively, energising top note rather than a smell of its own.

The other kinds of record

each record as data: /data/descriptor/<name>.json · counts made from the records when the site was built

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