(Aspiring) perfumers will train their nose with ingredients, dilute them, figure out their relative performances etc. I currently don’t have those ambitions (although I will be diluting them just for practice later on). For now, I have these oils to get familiar with them, to have an idea of what I’m smelling when reviewing fragrances. Listed are 100 ingredients in my possession with my brief thoughts on them (in progress). Note: I’ve smelled them undiluted or at the dilution level provided. All of these materials were bought at Pell Wall; if you click on the name of each ingredient, you can visit its respective page on the Pell Wall website for more info.
Aldehyde C10 – Decanal 10%
A more milky, lactonic aldehyde to me. Subtle orange scent; like an orange creamsicle. Really good acidic citrus edge to it, more zesty.
Aldehyde C11 10%
This is what I imagine to be a more clean aldehyde, that goes in a white musk direction. Very soapy, bubble bath vibes.
Aldehyde C12 Lauric 10%
An almost creamy, very fatt, soapy scent. Not fresh per se, as it has more sweetness to it than just soapiness. Not as citrussy or fruity, or even floral as I would expect based on the description on the Pell Wall site. Smells very traditional and like a default, (almond) milky hand soap from the supermarket.
Aldehyde C12 MNA 10%
This aldehyde smells very metallic to me. Sharp, mineralic, barbershop-esque. Definitely not the most pleasant to smell like this; green facets and hints of glue. I could see this mostly fitting in traditionally masculine leaning compositions.
Aldehyde C14 ‘Peach’ – gamma Undecalactone
The ‘peach’ aldehyde. Ironically, I first thought of strawberry when I smelled it (which is C16). However, once settled, definitely peach. I would’ve imagined this to come across more creamy and lactonic; I found it a little more rind/skin-like.
Aldehyde C16 – ‘Strawberry’ Glycidate
A lovely aldehydes to smell on its own. Warmer, sweeter than C14. Definitely a noticeable strawberry scent profile. Becomes more green and acidic after the initial impression. Smells remarkably natural/foresty for a strawberry scent in my opinion; so many strawberry fragrances end up smelling far removed from this.
Aldehyde C18 – ‘Coconut’ gamma Nonalactone 10%
Milky, yes. Coconutty, yes. But not in a gourmand way on its own. This feels very floral and sharp to me. Sharp and creamy at the same time somehow. The coconut tinge is very pleasant however and it doesn’t have the fruity edge that quite a few lactonics seem to have.
Ambermax 50%
By Givaudan, in 50% dowanol. One of the harshest and least pleasant amberwoods. Smells like it has a burnt edge, very dark and stoic woodiness. This feels like vintage wood, an old, musty cabin in the woods. In the direction of Cedramber and Timbersilk, but quite a bit harsher. Not comparable to ingredients Ambroxan (which people usually toss in the same group) or Ambrarome in my opinion.
Ambrarome 10%
A warm, but harsh ambery scent. I get tones of liquorice and tar. Also get the mineralic side; this is much more like ambergris than for example ambroxan is. It’s warm in a furry, fiery, animalic way. Even a bit resinous and sticky. As the Pell Wall site states; a much more animalic, daring take on something like labdanum. Hard to process on its own, but not necessarily bad smelling; just too powerful in this form factor.
Ambrettolide 50%
Fruitier than I was expecting. Berries are reference, but it reminds me of (overripe) apple as well. Almost like a fermenting fruit pile, with a clean white musk as juxtaposition. Has more acidity than any of the other musks I’ve tried so far on their own, making it land in between a white musk and other ingredients, so I can see this being a versatile tool to a perfumer.
Ambroxan 10%
The one that everyone knows. Ambroxan is often said to replace ambergris; they smell absolute nothing alike in my experience. Another notion is that ambroxan (because of its heavy usage) has ruined a lot of modern perfumes (according to more traditionalists in the fragrance community); more often than not, they’re probably smelling different amber woods (which are not related to ambroxan). Ambroxan, on its own, is very pleasant. It’s not harsh and it’s pretty much wearable as fragrance (hence Escentric Molecules success). Sweet, sugary, watery. I don’t get any mineralic/salty aspects from ambergris.
Anisaldehyde
Does its name justice. Starchy, creamy anise. Close to coumarin and tonka bean, with a more floral edge to it. Quite pleasant to smell on its own; more gourmand than it is floral.
Aurantiol 10%
A clear scent of orange blossom. Because of the high concentration on its own, a bit piercing, like a petitgrain at first. But quickly goes floral and softer. Smells quite ‘white’; Pell Wall references neroli, but Aurantiol smells rather sweet and not soapy to me.
Benzyl Acetate
Very sweet and sharp. This reminds me of (probably toxic) drinks I used to have as a kid, like ‘kids champagne’ (Gazeuse for the Dutchies). Candied, with just a hint of floral. Mostly used for floral accords, but on the Pell Wall page there is also an idea to use in apple scents, which makes a lot of sense to me, when smelling it on its own.
Benzyl Salicylate
I can’t say that I could smell this one much on paper. It is sweet and I get some gummy resins. Hard to pinpoint any scent based of smelling this on its own like this for me.
Calone 20%
One of the more known ingredients on this page. Smells fresh, clean, a little bit soapy/shampoo-like. Often said to smell like melon; I can see that. Perhaps surprising is that I find it a little bit creamy or lactonic on its own; like a body milk. Not as fruity as I expected/remember from smelling it from another source.
Cashmeran 50%
I have a love-hate relationship with cashmeran, that veers more towards hate. On its own, this can be a lovely scent. Even at 50%, in the air, it’s not unpleasant, however up close, the side of cashmeran that I don’t enjoy comes out. Often named cashmeran or cashmere musk; this has much more of an earthiness to it than the often touted ‘soft suede’ or sweeter elements. Up close and in high doses in perfumes, this smells like mud, earthy patchouli and wet newspaper to me; it has ruined many a drydown when overused.
Cassis Base 10%
A recreation of blackcurrant bud absolute by Firmenich. This is surprisingly green to me; with a strong grassy core. Cut grass and fruit. Not full-on blackcurrant, but also green apple comes to mind for me. Lovely crisp scent on its own. Very vibrant.
Castoreum Givco 10%
Synthetic castoreum recreation by Givaudan. Smelling very familiar; like high-end more animalic leather scents. Earthy and chocolate-like undertones, and perhaps more so, dry tobacco facets. I think this is outstanding for a synthetic scent of its nature. Much better than most fragrances in this direction (which is maybe not that strange given its higher price point). Reminds me of accords in Strangers Burning Ben.
Cedramber
A warmer cedarwood style scent. Not as harsh as some of the amber woods, not as nutty or smoky. Also not as watery and clean as cedarwood can be. Not as strong as some similar ingredients either; I get a floral undertone from it.
cis-3-Hexenol 10%
My arch nemesis of ingredients… I guess? There is something in this that I appreciate, as it captures crushed grass and some leaves vividly and it feels like a slice of nature in a drop. However, it’s one of the toughest scents to deal with for me personally; very strong, green, oily, thick. A bit of earthiness here as opposed to the fruitier and sweeter cis-3-Hexenyl Acetate. Maybe after smelling this more often it will turn into a love-hate balance that leans less far into the hate side.
cis-3-Hexenyl Acetate
Cis-3-Hexenol is one of my nemeses. This is definitely related in scent. Taking me back to playing soccer as a kid with wet, crushed grass. The acetate is much nicer however, much fruitier and sweeter. It starts smelling pretty nice after a while, but it retains that crushed leaf oil.
Citronellol
Sharp citrussy and cleaner scent. All neon colors in my mind with this. Yet, surprisingly floral. Like a neon painted abstract impression of flowers. Some of my favorite acidic rose scents have this edge to them (Jazeel Ghala in particular seems to have a high citronellol quality to it). I smell an overlap with geraniol. Warms up and even gets a tad earthy.
Civet (synthetic) 0.1%
Firmenich’ sythetic civet absolute recreation (diluted to 0.1%). It takes a few seconds to hit you; at first you think, this isn’t all that animalic, but it keeps building. My experience and/or expecations of civet leans more towards the pissy side of animalic, but this ingredient is definitely more in the fecal direction. Strong ties to indolic flowers here to my nose; the floral tinge seems to have been added to this civet. Almost like a clean floral, in heavy contrast with the fecal animalic side. Not pleasant to smell on its own, but from a distance, you get more of the intriguing facets; up close most of the ‘dirty’ facets.
Cyclamen Aldehyde
One of the prettiest ingredients and prettiest aldehydes. Very floral, like a muguet with a white muskiness. Green, stemmy, reminiscent mostly of colder florals to me (freesia comes to mind). Smells crisp and clean.
Dihydromyrcenol
Citrus that you would get from a cleaning product, although not necessarily in a bad way. Sharp, green and especially bitter. Slightly herbal. I can definitely see the coriander edge in this. I feel like this offers the sharper, fresher side of citrus whereas a lot of citrus oils are warmer and sweeter than what you would want from a refreshing citrus scent.
Dimetol
Mostly lavender, but not as bright or herbal as I expected based on the descriptions. Has more of a liquid, smooth texture like a lavender shampoo; or the sweeter clary sage more so. Smells slick and pretty pleasant.
Ebanol
An absolutely lovely woody scent. Not as sweet or powdery as some sandalwood replacements. To me, this smells oily, clean, slick. Subtle, but the woodiness is nicely coming across. It has some spiciness to me (akin to perhaps immortelle).
Ethyl Linalyl Acetate
A pretty interesting mix of sweet, acidic and floral. Much more mature and less sweet than Linalool for example. I get more stem from this and a more vibrant, substantial floral petal scent (closer to rose). From smelling this on its own for the first time; I don’t necessarily smell the bergamot effect named on the Pell Wall page.
Ethyl Maltol 10%
One of the most overused scents that recently (as of 2024) started to overtake the drydowns of many (feminine) leaning niche scents in my experience. (Cotton) candy, sugar, caramel. Not an unpleasant scent, but a one trick pony that evokes a much cheaper scent than a decent vanilla or tonka bean (or vanillin, coumarin etc). produces. There’s something powdery, dry, almost starchy to Ethyl Malton that you can feel in your mouth when you smell it.
Ethyl Methyl 2 Butyrate (1%?)
Listed as 1% dilution in the Pell Wall kit, but non-diluted mentioned on the separate listing or on my vial, which is easily one of the strongest materials I have. Smells fruity and syrupy. Pear and pineapple are descriptors, but I mostly smell blackcurrant and ‘forest berries’ syrup. Fresh yes, but super strong and dense. Reminds me of the fruitiness used in scents such as Atelier des Ors Pink Me Up, Carner Marbella etc. Ever so slightly mentholated on the back end.
Ethylene Brassylate
A very sweet, powdery musk. Almost as if you take a fresh laundry powder musk and mix it with ethyl maltol a bit. I also get a purple/lilac/pink hint of fruitiness, as in parma violets. Smells familiar. Chalky.
Eugenol
The scent of clove; unmistakable. Spicy and sweet. I get little hints of dried fruits (plum, date). You can smell this in most clove-tobacco fragrances, often overdosed to the point where clove take over the composition. Very linear and strong.
Evernyl / Veramoss 10%
Smells like a natural forest scent. Mossy, slightly sweetened. Cedarwood. Smells retro to my nose (probably due to its fougere associations).
Exaltolide Total 50%
One of the most ‘beautiful’ musks I’ve smelled, albeit simple. Not as well-rounded to me as Tonalide, but definitely much smoother than the IFF Musk Ketone substitute. Has a bite to it, like powdery, chalky, palpable dryness. Laundry detergent in powder form more than fresh linen.
Floralozone
My first thought was; this isn’t pleasant. And that happened to be exactly what the info on Pell Wall says about using it on its own. Very sharp and mix of sweet and clean. I get strong hints of anise. I actually started finding it more pleasant once I landed on it being an anise liquor.
Florhydral
Very interesting ingredient to smell. Hard to pinpoint; it’s a fresh flower, but it has a very unnatural side to it; like the petals are laminated in plastic. I may even get some suede facets from this. Somehow this reminds me of walking in a furniture/interior design store.
Fructone
Substantial fruity scent. I first get grape or blackcurrant, later apple or pear. Quite acidic, but not very bright or light. Green apple cuts through, but it is a bit heftier; like a fruit stew or home made jam. Lovely material.
Galaxolide
Galaxolide is about as familiar smelling as a white musk gets. Quite powdery and strong. A tiny hint of fruitiness to my nose, but more so, a bit more sweetness than some of the other musks. Reminiscent (from memory) to Ethylene Brassylate, albeit not as smooth and sweet as Tonalid based on my very limited smelling of them.
gamma-Octalactone
A coconut scent. Not as lactonic and gourmand as Methyl Laitone. This is a more dry coconut; reminds me of the inside of a Bounty. Has some sharpness to it as well. Tones of tonka bean.
Geraniol
A lot more acidity and rose-like floral scent here than in the Geranyl Acetate. Very oily; reminds me of the oily rose in Jazeel Ghala, especially with its earthy, patchouli-esque undertones. Lovely material. I get an overlap with citronellol.
Geranyl Acetate
Sweeter than I expected. Pell Wall references lavender and it smells like sweet lavender (as the Tasmanian lavender used by Goldfield & Banks in Purple Suede). Sweetness fades and leaves a more herbal, greener take. I also get small hints of Earl Grey / bergamot.
Hedione
Very hard to detect on paper or from the vial; despite being the first I tried, it was the only one in a set of 20 that I had trouble detecting. Warm floral scent. I can see why it is used in jasmine and tuberose accords. Mostly get warm tones, but very faint; I don’t smell citrus undertones.
Hexyl cinnamal
To my nose, this has a strong marzipan, almond-paste, coumarin sweetness to it. The link to Pell Wall states that it will get increasingly floral in combination with others notes; on it’s own, I’m surprised at how sweet it is.
hydroxycitronellal 75%
Hydroxycitronellal stabilised with 25% Hydroxycitronellol; pretty strong and very oily in this form. Familiar in scent; cleaning product citrus, soapy, super bright, neon-colored florals. Very pleasant, you can picture a lot of citrussy and light florals with this as a core component.
Indole 10%
For me, not nearly as challenging as it often is depicted. An infamous and often named facet of white florals in perfumes. On its own, I don’t get anything fecal for example. This is floral, super dry and bitter. Even at 10%, manageable for short amounts of time; it will get annoying after a while. This material seems to pull the oxygen out of its surroungs; like it creates a bitter, musty, dusty vaccum. Not as bad as my experience with for example Skatole.
Ionone alpha
Lovely to smell. References violet. Very warm, very sweet, very floral, but also acidic. Well-rounded. There’s something syrupy to it. I could see this working well with notes as plum or date.
Ionone beta
Beautiful smell, but surprisingly woody to me. Not as floral, more sweet, warm woody. What is described as fruity, I think registers as a varnish to me. Glossy, sweet varnished wood comes to mind. Not as floral as Ionone Alpha.
Linalool
One of the most complete ingredients; smells like a whole fragrance on its own. Floral, sweet and citrus combined; think of fragrances like Kilian Love Don’t Be Shy or Parfums de Marly Oriana. Pretty much any sweet floral fragrance could be imagined here.
Linalyl Acetate
Said to smell like florals, pear and bergamot. This definitely has a pear tinge, but it does not smell overly pleasant or natural on its own. It’s very acidic with a hint of grassiness. I was also reminded a little bit of lemon grass, but sharper. Comes across ‘liquid’/wet in texture.
Melonal
Very strong on its own, undiluted. Rather unpleasant; you get a faint, subtle fruitiness, but it’s overpowered by a sharp, piercing cleaning product scent. Tart, in an almost toxic way is how it comes across; like I could clean my vinyl floor with it. I can see why this should be used in minimal doses.
Methyl anthranylate 50%
Such a recognizable, but abstract scent. Hard to describe, but it’s familiar. Inviting, sweet, floral. I get some herbacious, but warm and balmy facets; like walking in a sauna.
Methyl Diantilis
Supposedly a carnation scent. Instantly goes to vanilla for me. Quite dark vanilla; like the leathery edge that vanilla bean can have. Quite sugary; I can see this working well in tandem with tobacco.
Methyl Ionone Iso Super
Easily one of the prettiest materials to me. I smell iris and blond tobacco, but also a fruitiness akin to what I get from pink pepper. Smells very buttery and floral with some sweet woody undertones; like the image that one may have of the (less forgiving and more earthy) orris. This smells very well-rounded and smooth.
Methyl laitone 10%
Very clear milky coconut or coconut ice cream scent. Lactonic, sweet, but at the same time somewhat fresh. Smells lovely on its own; like some sweet liqueur.
Methyl salicylate 10%
I absolutely know this exact smell from some product or place in my daily life, but for the life of me can’t remember what it is. A mix of fruity and pine forest. This wintergreen scent I find hard to describe, but I think most people would instantly recognize it.
Musk Ketone Substitue
A clean and minimal musk. Not as inviting, warm or soft as some others, just clean and soapy. A bit waxy. Whereas Tonalide for example smells like something I’d wear on its own, the same can’t be said for this Musk Ketone substitute (from IFF).
Nectarate
A peach scent, but to my nose, a bit candied. Sweet and maybe even a little but lactonic (in a sandalwood way). The slight acidity from the fruitiness is quite piercing to set it off.
Nerolin Yara Yara 10%
Pretty strong orange blossom scent, I even get some violet. It has the soapy edge of neroli, although it overall doesn’t remind me much of neroli. The Pell Wall page states this is often used in household items, like soaps and that’s what it reminded me off. A vibrant floral handsoap.
Norlimbanol 50%
Not too pleasant up close. Harsh, nutty, dry, woody. Obviously has its use, but one of those ingredients that seems to have been overused in modern perfume drydowns, making things harsh, even suede/leather edges appear. That being said, this is not nearly as rough as some other amber woody scents. Not very green either; the description of ‘just producing dryness’ rings true.
Orange Terpenes B (Blood orange)
Orange Terpenes (d-limonene) (Sweet orange)
A great mix of juice and rind. The sharper acidity and slight bitterness of orange zest, with a lot of the juicy, sweet and almost drinkable elements of orange just as well represented. Grows to be sharper and airy after a while, but a pleasant scent.
Pamplocoeur
A grapefruit recreation by Firmenich. I found this to smell delicious. Smells close to a Fanta Pomelo drink. Sparkling, projecting, crisp with citrus, but with the distinct bite that grapefruit has; perhaps even more (like ginger?). Makes you want to drink the vial.
Peonile
I really like this scent. A bright, soapy, fruity floral scent. Soft, bright petals (peony, rose, magnolia), with a waxy, balsamic handsoap. It has a classy, luxurious air to it; what I would often refer to as ‘perfume-y’. A strong citrus edge to it as well, making it quite multifaceted upon first sniffing it and it feels quite soft and well-rounded.
Phenoxyethyl isobutyrate
Cloyingly sweet fruity scent. Sticky, thick syrupy, overriped fruit with some sourness left. There is something a little bit daring to me as well, almost indolic/fecal. But somehow, not unpleasant.
Phenyl Ethyl Acetate
Similar overall vibes to Phenoxyethyl isobutyrate. Sweet fruity with a hint of indolic on the back end for me. This is a bit more subtle, more floral and a bit more honeyed, versus the more vibrant fruitiness of the isobutyrate.
Raspberry Ketone 10%
Smells like a warm fruity hair gel. Fruity and jammy yes, but with a hair gel/hairspray-like edge to it. The description mentions it being used to bring a fruity tone to florals and that feels more appropriate than it being a full-on fruit scent to me, based on testing it as is.
Rose Oxide 10%
Quite surprising scent to me (I’ve smelled other roses before, that were quite different). I get a lot of vegetal qualities; like paprika or chili. Spicy, green, oily and slick. Smells more vibrant than most other ingredients on this page.
Safraleine
Smells very familiar; like shoe polish/leather. Warm and surprisingly sweet. Wet tobacco. Bold, but beautiful. I don’t get freshness from smelling it on its own. The strongest scent out of a set of 20 ingredients that I smelled in a session.
Styrallyl acetate
An extremely strong, daring fruity floral scent. Rhubarb stands out. It’s dry, almost airy, but at the same time very heavy. Like intoxicated, thin air with a chemical stench to it. To me this reads like an aldehyde on overdose. Green.
Tonalid 10%
A magnificent musk scent. Quite sweet for a white musk. I would wear this on its own just as easily as I’d wear a lot of musk scents with a sweeter soft sandalwood base. A tiny hint of berries and a dessert are hiding underneath the freshness.
Triplal Extra
I get two clear different aspects from this one. On one hand: Woody, earthy. Like vintage, lacquered, polished, hard-wood floors. A hint of the crushed leaf/grass from the cis-3-hexenol, but Triplal Extra is a much darker ingredient in some regards. On the other hand, you get the citrussy, elemi-like acidity as well. Very strong. Didn’t read as particularly soapy (as opposed to the description on Pell Wall) to me.
Vertofix
This vertofix coeur (IFF) is surprisingly nice to me. It’s a dense, cedarwoody scent with a sweetness to it. It feels quite modern, like slick, lacquered and oiled wood, but it has a soft and suble sweet side. Much nicer to smell on its own that a lot of woody/amber/amberwoody ingredients.
Vetiveryl Acetate 50%
Derived from Haitian vetiver in this case. Said to mostly provide the ‘smooth’ side of the vetiver and not the harsher, smoky notes. It does not come across harsh indeed, but it’s not the diffuse, green or lighter/almost soapy side that vetiver can have. I find this to smell mostly woody and nutty, but pleasant.