alpha aromatics®Woody perfumes are like no other, as they feature base notes that add richness, intensity, luxury and warmth to any given fragrance.
Notes derive from Nature; namely, trees, resin, moss, bark, pine cones, bushes and also roots.
Fragrances emanated from grasses and leaves can also evoke an intoxicating, sensual woody character.
Woody perfumes usually contain elements of: creamy and sensual sandalwood; balsamic and refreshing pine, slightly sweet and musky patchouli, green, smoky vetiver and clean somber cedar wood.
A Brief History of Woody Perfumes
Woody fragrances first appeared across the perfume horizon in the 1940s and due to their potent character, were initially considered male scents.
That all changed in 1952 with the launch of the first women’s fragrance, Féminité du bois, a classic scent created by French designer, Serge Lutens.
Composed of mostly cedar wood, this marks the first time so much of this aspect was incorporated into a single scent.
Today, all woody perfumes appeal to both sexes, and that is the main reason why these notes are used so expansively in both personal care and home products.
Woody fragrances often serve as the base for the creation of a vast range of aromatic blends.
Personal care products infused with woody scents particularly are becoming more and more popular in everything ranging from lotion to body wash, and deodorants to scented candles, deodorizers and floor cleaner.
Their kinship with the great outdoors and refreshing nature make these scents ideal for home cleaning products.
The Character of Woody Fragrances
The rise in prominence of woody base notes is largely due to trends in the fragrance industry concerning the avoidance of synthetic ingredients and the embrace of simple, natural aromas, such as the timeless, appealing muskiness of wood.
These scents are often combined with other neutralizing elements that include: grassy, spicy, floral, aromatic, fruity and citrus notes.
The different families are noted below.
Spicy
Spices from the culinary world, such as cinnamon, cloves, cumin and nutmeg, warm potent wood notes.
They are more suitable for winter fragrances and add a sense of fullness and intensity to a woody scent.
Aromatic
Perfumed herbs such as: lavender; geranium; basil; cumin; rosemary and sage provide fresh and green facets to woody notes. They are used more in masculine fragrances.
Barks, mosses, patchouli and sometimes resins are featured, and they serve to soften and warm the scent.
Floral
Floral aspects serve to lighten woody fragrances and render them more feminine.
The more popular blooms include: sweet, rosy peony; mellow, creamy gardenia; waxy tuberose, fresh, delicate lily-of-the-valley, dreamy, musky rose, buttery magnolia, and sugary, warm and powdery mimosa.
Woody Fruity
The introduction of fruity facets to a woody formulation softens and adds a touch of sensuality to a perfume, which by itself can often be dry and masculine.
Fruits, such as velvety peach, fruity plum and succulent nectarine, add a luxurious and honeyed texture to a fragrance.
Woody Citrus
Woody fragrances often emphasize citrus aspects such as: complex, refined bergamot, tangy, uplifting grapefruit, clean, acidic lemon and juicy mandarin.
These top notes flow like an invigorating stream before they fuse with the heavier heart and woody base notes.
Woody Oriental
These fragrances are derived by blending earthy notes such as dark, intoxicating patchouli and warm, creamy sandalwood mixed with spicy and sweet notes.
Traditional oriental ingredients, such as elegant and rich vanilla, sugary, nutty coumarin, very dense, and leathery labdanum and sweet, woody, ambergris enrich luxurious woody aspects.
How Woody Perfumes Transform Products
Consumer research indicates that fragrance is one of the key factors that affect preferences for cosmetics and personal care products.
The woody fragrance family is often employed in this sector because it is extremely versatile, pleasing and extensive. These facets render structure and vibrancy to a perfume.
In personal care and home products like scented candles and soaps, they enhance the overall user experience.
Earthy fragrances, sometimes associated with dirty fragrances, are timeless and the adaptability of their properties is vital to achieving an aesthetically pleasing product.
Fragrances used for personal care products particularly, body soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, should always render a highly intimate significance for consumers.
In one sense, our perfumers at Alpha Aromatics are actually behavioral psychologists, as they must have a practical understanding of how fragrance can transform it.
For example, they must consider their desired target audience, which breaks down further into knowing exactly what a consumer is looking for and what language they may use in describing a desired product.
This can and usually does require considerable research.
A Few Of Our Recently Formulated Woody Perfumes
The following represents a partial list of Alpha Aromatics’ more popular woody perfumes.
Almond
A powerful olfactory adventure hailing from the gourmand family of perfumes, a succulent splash of luscious orange and meaty, crisp and green almond kernel unfold and soon meld into a bittersweet heart note bouquet marked by mellow and nutty almond extract.
A piquant base note of warm and woody cedar completes this memorable fragrance.
Black Currant Tobacco
Appealing more to masculine sensibilities, this fragrance, when applied via a deodorant body spray, renders a feeling of general freshness.
Top notes brimming with aspects of piquant, complex and elegant bergamot, tart and woody-nuanced raspberry and tangy, fruity black currant soon fold into an intense heart note marked by haunting, intoxicating jasmine and spicy, hot clove.
The scent completes with a base note featuring slightly sugary, woody and mossy tobacco leaf, warm, creamy sandalwood, dark, musky patchouli, passionate, sensual musk and elegant, lush vanilla.
Bamboo Grass And Ginger
The quintessence of all things tropical, this fragrance opens with a sultry stream of citrusy, spicy and complex bergamot and redolent, plush and velvety peach.
These aspects soon acquiesce into a heart note marked by sensual and intense jasmine, papery, woody and aromatic bamboo, rich, spicy and inviting ginger and warm, exotic white tea bud.
A base note characterized by earthy, floral and nutty sage, sensual and passionate musk and dense, honeyed amber complete this memorable fragrance.
Natural Coconut Sandalwood
Streams of fresh guava, exotic, milky coconut and luscious, waxy pineapple open this exotic fragrance, which soon seamlessly flow into a sensual heart note brimming with facets of earthy, savory and nutty sage and musty, balsamic vetiver.
This intense scent finishes with a base note of creamy sandalwood and warm, woody, dry cedar wood.
Apple Blossom Teak
A top note laden with elements of fresh, slightly sweet pear, elegant and gingery mango, firm and crunchy apple and sugary persimmon open this fruity/floral and woody-nuanced fragrance that is favored by both men and women.
A floral heart note soon takes hold with facets of dusty, woody violet, sugary and luxuriant jasmine petal and subtly sweet and fleeting begonia blossoms.
The fragrance completes with a base note comprised of earthy, uplifting precious woods, warm amber and sensual musk.
Teakwood Tobacco
A burst of invigorating citrus introduces this fragrance with streaming aspects of uplifting and tart grapefruit, juicy orange and fresh, salty, aquatic tones.
A warm heart note soon follows marked by elements of hot, sugary clove and bright and sensual ginger.
The scent completes with a base note of rich, honeyed amber, sensual musk, polished, aged teakwood and woody, slightly mossy tobacco.
Diffuser Oils
Santal
This opulent formulation conjures a landscape deep within the mind’s eye of the dark, primeval majesty of the night forest coupled with the seductive warmth of a flickering open fire.
Elements of slightly sweet, spicy and woody cardamom oil, dry, smoky and earthy papyrus, and sensual, passionate musk form the core of this scent, and these aspects finally meld to become a compelling and unforgettable fragrance.
In Conclusion
Our routes stretch as far back as the 1940s and our perfume formulations have always represented a dynamic, artistic frontier with no boundaries excluding those imposed by human imagination.
Our perfume masters create and supply scents for some of the most respected personal care brands in the world today.
Our fragrances are painstakingly developed and utilize the most innovative and sustainable technologies available.
These fragrances are used in soaps and shampoos, natural and organic perfumes, candles, diffusers, odor neutralizers and more.
If you’re a brand owner, product developer or formulator, cosmetic chemist, product development scientist or you’re simply looking to start your own perfume line, call our teams today for help with developing a woody scent for your product or product line.
Make it shine with one of our memorable woody fragrances!
Final thought about fragrance: Perfume is magic; It’s mystery. We recreate the smell of a flower. Of wood. Of grass. We capture the essence of life…We make dreams. ~M J Rose
Photo Credits: Pixabay and Jonas Neilson
