With so many materials available to the perfumer, there are many that sit silently, waiting for a perfumer’s nose to stumble upon them. These are a few gems I’ve dug up.

Blue Cypress E.O - The name will throw you. Nothing like the Cypress you know. My friend, Eric, turned me on to this material. One of the most stunning oils to grace my nose. This material smells like what I imagine a sprawling forest looks like to a child the first time they walk in: Imaginative and awe-inspiring. Take the heartwoods of sandalwood and cedar, the nectar of ylang-ylang, a pinch of spices, a splash a star anise liqueur. Now, shut your eyes, 😌…and say hello to the forest folk! 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♀️🧚…🧌 and the forest troll that protects them…almost forgot about the big guy. Like I said. Imaginative.

Filbertone (Symrise) - Wow. There’s impact…and then there’s IMPACT💥 This material I first smelled in Jo Malone’s English Oak and Hazelnut (I didn’t realize it until I smelled the raw material on its own years later) Found naturally in hazelnut, it calls to mind a spicy, green nuttiness; not really the sweet hazelnut we think of though. It’s opening reminds me of the spiciness of Mace EO (the oil produced from the outer rind of nutmeg) with green undertones and a sweet, woody nuttiness that reveals itself more so in the later stages. It’s impact and aroma can transform everything. Get nutty with it 🌰 

Hazelnut via Anna Evans

Lavender Seville - You read lavender and you think, well, lavender. Not so much. Lavender Seville smells nothing like the lavender you know (English Lavender/Lavender Angustifolia) This resident of Spain smells like a crazy cross between Davana, Cognac, and Clary Sage. So, think dried fruits, slight cooling eucalyptol, herbal tea, dark spice, and hay notes. It still has the same calming effect like other lavenders, but in its own way. Like a glass of refreshing herbal tea with a splash of cognac, sitting on a sun-drenched wood table in the middle of a field. Next to the glass, a plate of dried apricots. I mean, come on!

Lavender Seville via Janine Meuche

Hidden gems aren’t going to just find themselves. Get digging. Smell everything.

Michael, Perfumer at For the Scent of It