Velixir notes, explained
The 79 notes that Velixir names across its 28 perfumes, with one plain sentence on each and the perfumes that list it. 27 of them have a page of their own.
Notes with their own page
Bergamot (13)Musk (12)Amber (8)Ginger (7)Cedarwood (7)Mandarin orange (6)Sandalwood (6)Vetiver (6)Patchouli (6)Vanilla (6)Pear (4)Rose (4)Jasmine (4)Violet (4)Lavender (4)Tonka bean (4)Orange (3)Grapefruit (3)Lemon (3)Blackcurrant (3)Peony (3)Magnolia (3)Neroli (3)Mint (3)Ambroxan (3)Ambrette (3)Praline (3)
Citrus
- Bergamot
- A citrus fruit grown mainly in Calabria, in the south of Italy; its peel oil is bright, slightly floral and a little bitter. Listed by Adonis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Asteria, Comus, Concordia, Himeros, Icarus, Morpheus, Narcisus, Orion, Poseidon and Uranus.
- Citron
- A knobbly citrus fruit with very little juice; its peel smells of lemon, but drier, sweeter and a bit more herbal. Listed by Morpheus.
- Grapefruit
- Tart and juicy with a bitter edge; grapefruit peel oil gives a sparkling, slightly sulphurous opening. Listed by Ares, Athena and Concordia.
- Lemon
- The brightest and sourest of the citrus notes: clean, sharp and quick to fade. Listed by Asteria, Comus and Demeter.
- Lemongrass
- A tall tropical grass whose leaves smell of lemon with a grassy, slightly herbal edge. Despite the name it is not a citrus fruit. Listed by Harmonia.
- Mandarin orange
- The sweet, soft cousin of the orange; its peel oil smells juicy and gentle rather than sharp. Listed by Ares, Asteria, Hera, Icarus, Persephone and Poseidon.
Fruit and berries
- Blackcurrant
- A tangy, deep, slightly musky berry note, often called cassis in perfumery. Listed by Comus, Demeter and Panacea.
- Coconut
- Creamy, sweet and a little nutty; the smell most people link with sun lotion and tropical holidays. Listed by Helios.
- Fig
- Milky, green and faintly sweet: fig notes usually draw on both the fruit and the leaf. Listed by Helios.
- Green apple
- Crisp, tart and juicy: the smell of a freshly cut apple with the skin on. Listed by Apollo.
- Litchi
- Another spelling of lychee: sweet, juicy and a little rosy, which is why it is often placed next to rose and peony. Listed by Aphrodite and Athena.
- Pear
- A soft, juicy, slightly green fruit note with a watery sweetness. Listed by Artemis, Hera, Icarus and Persephone.
- Raspberry
- A sweet and tart red berry; jammy next to sugar and vanilla, fresher next to flowers. Listed by Panacea and Selene.
- Rhubarb
- Tart, green and slightly sharp, like the raw stalk; it adds a sour freshness to fruit and flowers. Listed by Athena.
- Sapodilla
- A tropical fruit with a soft, sweet, brown-sugar and pear-like smell. Listed by Orpheus.
Flowers
- Daffodil
- A green, slightly bitter and heady spring flower. Listed by Artemis.
- Freesia
- A light, fresh flower with a hint of pepper and citrus; clean rather than heavy. Listed by Athena.
- Jasmine
- A heady white flower: sweet, rich and slightly animal. Jasmine sambac is the greener, fruitier, creamier kind. Listed by Artemis, Demeter, Ether and Selene.
- Magnolia
- A creamy, slightly lemony white flower with a fresh, green edge. Listed by Harmonia, Orpheus and Selene.
- Neroli
- Distilled from the blossom of the bitter orange tree: fresh, floral and slightly bitter-sweet. Listed by Ether, Morpheus and Uranus.
- Orange blossom
- The white flower of the bitter orange tree: honeyed and citrusy at once. Neroli is distilled from the same blossom. Listed by Icarus and Narcisus.
- Peony
- A soft, airy and slightly watery flower with a light rosy character. Listed by Aphrodite, Panacea and Selene.
- Rose
- The most used flower in perfumery: honeyed, green or fruity depending on the material and how it is paired. Listed by Aphrodite, Athena, Ether and Harmonia.
- Rose geranium
- The leaves of a scented geranium: rosy, green and a little minty and lemony. Listed by Selene.
- Tiaré
- The Tahitian gardenia: a creamy, white flower with a slightly coconut-like warmth. Listed by Asteria.
- Violet
- Soft, sweet and powdery with a faint woody, green edge; usually built from ionones, molecules that smell of violet and iris. Listed by Comus, Ether, Hera and Orpheus.
- Ylang-ylang
- A tropical yellow flower: creamy, sweet and a little like banana and jasmine. Listed by Artemis.
Herbs, tea and greens
- Basil
- A green, peppery herb with a faint anise-like sweetness. Listed by Demeter.
- Clary sage
- An herbal sage with a sweet, slightly musky and amber-like warmth. Listed by Apollo.
- Juniper berries
- Piney, resinous and slightly fruity: the smell of gin's main botanical. Listed by Apollo.
- Lavender
- The purple Mediterranean flower: clean, herbal and a little sweet, and a staple of aromatic perfumes. Listed by Adonis, Demeter, Hera and Paladin.
- Mint
- Cool, sharp and sweet-green; the smell of fresh mint leaves. Listed by Adonis, Demeter and Helios.
- Rosemary
- A resinous, camphor-like herb with a piney freshness. Listed by Demeter.
- Tea
- Dry, green and a little smoky, like tea leaves; black tea is darker and drier than green. Listed by Harmonia and Morpheus.
- Thyme
- A dry, herbal and slightly medicinal kitchen herb. Listed by Demeter.
Spices
- Cardamom
- A spice from pods: cool, slightly camphorous and sweet, with a citrus-like freshness. Listed by Uranus.
- Cinnamon
- A warm, sweet bark spice with a woody, slightly dusty edge. Listed by Orion.
- Ginger
- A root with a zesty, peppery, warm-fresh bite that adds sparkle to citrus and flowers alike. Listed by Aphrodite, Apollo, Concordia, Himeros, Icarus, Morpheus and Poseidon.
- Nutmeg
- Warm, sweet and nutty with a woody edge. Listed by Uranus.
- Pink pepper
- The dried berries of the Peruvian pepper tree rather than a true pepper: dry, rosy and lightly peppery. Listed by Panacea and Uranus.
- Saffron
- The dried threads of a crocus flower: warm, honeyed and a little leathery and metallic. Listed by Panacea.
Woods and earth
- Akigalawood
- A modern ingredient name for a peppery, woody note with a patchouli-like character. Listed by Athena and Icarus.
- Amberwood
- A woody-amber effect: dry wood with a warm, resinous glow. Listed by Apollo.
- Cashmeran
- A synthetic with a soft, warm, woody-musky and slightly spicy smell; its name nods at cashmere. Listed by Ether.
- Cedarwood
- A dry, clean wood that smells of pencil shavings and cigar boxes. Listed by Apollo, Ares, Comus, Demeter, Himeros, Icarus and Orpheus.
- Georgywood
- A trade name for a dry, clean, woody-amber ingredient. Listed by Icarus.
- Guaiac wood
- A smoky, slightly sweet and tar-like wood from a South American tree. Listed by Morpheus.
- Papyrus
- A dry, papery, woody note, reminiscent of dried reeds. Listed by Panacea.
- Patchouli
- An earthy, damp and slightly sweet leaf note with a dark, woody depth. Listed by Aphrodite, Ares, Artemis, Hera, Narcisus and Panacea.
Resins, amber and incense
- Amber
- Not a material but an accord: warm, sweet resin built from labdanum, benzoin, vanilla and similar notes. Listed by Adonis, Ares, Comus, Galatea, Nyx, Orion, Orpheus and Panacea.
- Ambergris
- Naturally a waxy substance from sperm whales, aged by the sea: salty, warm and skin-like. Modern perfumes mostly use synthetic stand-ins. Listed by Poseidon.
- Ambrofix
- A trade name for a modern ambergris-type ingredient with a dry, woody warmth. Listed by Icarus and Narcisus.
- Ambroxan
- A synthetic molecule modelled on ambergris: dry, woody, warm and slightly salty. Listed by Ether, Morpheus and Orion.
- Benzoin
- A resin from Styrax trees: sweet, balsamic and vanilla-like. Listed by Adonis and Persephone.
- Incense
- The smoke of burned resins such as frankincense: dry, resinous, a little lemony and smoky. Listed by Nyx.
Musks, powders and roots
- Ambrette
- The seed of the musk mallow, a plant: a soft, warm, skin-like, slightly nutty and floral musk smell. Listed by Artemis, Orpheus and Persephone.
- Heliotrope
- A flower note that smells of almond, vanilla and powder. Listed by Orion.
- Musk
- A family of soft, clean, skin-like notes, made today from synthetic molecules. Listed by Ares, Asteria, Athena, Comus, Demeter, Ether, Galatea, Hera, Icarus, Orion, Orpheus and Persephone.
- Orris root
- The root of the iris: powdery, buttery and earthy, and one of the costliest materials in perfumery. Listed by Athena.
Sweet and gourmand
- Biscuit
- A baked, buttery, slightly toasted note. Listed by Galatea.
- Cacao
- Bitter, dark and powdery: the smell of cocoa beans rather than milk chocolate. Listed by Aphrodite.
- Caramel
- Burnt sugar: sweet, toasted and a little bitter at the edge. Listed by Galatea.
- Honey
- Sweet and waxy, with an animal edge that gets stronger the more of it there is. Listed by Galatea.
- Milk
- A soft, creamy, lactonic note. Listed by Galatea.
- Praline
- The smell of caramelised nuts and sugar: sweet, toasty and rich. Listed by Comus, Galatea and Orion.
- Tonka bean
- The seed of a tropical tree: sweet like vanilla, with hints of almond, hay and tobacco. Listed by Adonis, Apollo, Galatea and Helios.
- Vanilla
- Sweet, creamy and warm: the cured pod of an orchid. Listed by Adonis, Athena, Galatea, Hera, Orion and Paladin.
- White sugar
- A clean, dry, sugary sweetness without caramel's toasted edge. Listed by Galatea.
Effects and collective terms
- Aldehydes
- Sparkling, soapy, clean-smelling molecules, slightly waxy; perfumers have used them for about a century to give a perfume a fresh, polished feel. Listed by Ether.
- Citrus
- A collective term for the citrus family. A brand that writes only “citrus” does not say which fruits. Listed by Ares and Hera.
- Green notes
- A collective term for the smell of cut leaves and grass, not one material. Listed by Helios and Himeros.
- Marine notes
- A collective term for the salt and sea-breeze effect, usually built from synthetic molecules. Listed by Helios.
- Powdery
- A collective term for a soft, dry, cosmetic-powder effect, not one material. Listed by Asteria.
- Solar notes
- Not one material: a name for a sunlit, warm-skin effect. The brand does not say what is in it. Listed by Himeros.
- Watery notes
- A collective term for a clean, transparent, rain-like effect. Listed by Artemis.
How to read these entries
The explanations are general perfumery knowledge: what a material is and how perfumers use it. They are not statements about how a particular Velixir perfume smells or lasts. A note named in a perfume's list is the brand's word for it; where the brand writes only a collective term, such as woody notes or green notes, the entry says it names an effect and not a single material.
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