Ingredient Guide
When honey is used as a fragrance note, perfumers delight in two facets: the sweetness of honey drizzled over a dessert, and a deeply seductive side. Its scent has not only gourmand nuances, but also floral, woody, and tobacco-like notes.
Honey has two sides: a devil and an angel. In an Oriental structure, honey creates a sweet, reassuring effect that takes you back to childhood. Yet adding just a little to a women’s perfume can make it intensely sensual.
Christine Nagel
What Does It Smell Like in Perfume?
“Honey” in perfume does not necessarily mean that edible honey has been added directly. Natural beeswax absolute has a rich scent of sweet balsamic notes layered with honey, dried fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and hay. Other materials combine beeswax- or honeycomb-derived components with synthetic fragrance ingredients, while synthetic molecules with honey and rose nuances are also used. This note adds animalic warmth and dry depth to sweetness, enriching floral and gourmand compositions.
Choosing Honey Fragrances
Honey fragrances offer more than sweetness. Their appeal also lies in the warmth created by pairing honey with dried leaves and spices.
- Rich honey sweetness: Vanilla and amber suit those who enjoy a distinctly sweet fragrance.
- Dry leafy bitterness: Tobacco and tea bring the bitterness of dried leaves into the sweetness.
- Fresh sweetness: Herbs and cooling notes combine the warmth of honey with a fresh scent.
Fragrances Featuring Honey
Tobacco Honey Eau de Parfum (Guerlain)
Enveloping honey sweetness is layered over a powdery scent reminiscent of dry tobacco leaves. Rich honey and dry leaves define the fragrance.
Koala (Zoologist)
A honey-candy-like sweetness is layered with eucalyptus, black tea, spices, and woods. Eucalyptus adds cool freshness to the honey.
From Honey to Your Next Fragrance
Once you have a sense of the scents you enjoy, open our Fragrance Finder. Choose “Favorite fragrances & notes” on the home screen, search in the “Favorite notes” field, and select an option from the suggestions shown. Choose “Next” to continue. You can start with notes even if you do not yet have a favorite perfume.
