The power of scent is one of our most significant senses. Our olfactory systems can literally sniff out memories, impact our taste, and create real ambient scenarios. SensoryCo takes great care in formulating our scent cartridges so that the nose of every aroma smells as authentic as possible. The definition of basic smells varies with descriptions (notes) ranging from nutty and woody to chemical and pungent to fruity and citrusy. Basic smells also are classified by their relation to taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
What is a Scent Profile
A scent profile or “personality” describes olfactory families categorized to identify and explore diverse smells and their characteristics. Typically, scent profiles are placed in categories floral, wood, amber, and fresh to start then further broken down into more specific groups. The fragrance wheel below is a helpful tool for understanding scent profiles.
“A fragrance wheel, also known as aroma wheel, fragrance circle, perfume wheel or smell wheel, is a circular diagram showing the inferred relationships among olfactory groups based upon similarities and differences in their odor. The groups bordering one another are implied to share common olfactory characteristics”
– Aftelier Perfumes
Science of Scent
When we sense a smell in the air, we pick up hints of small, vaporized molecules that move through the air into our noses. These smells are the result of evaporated molecules coming from the surface of surrounding materials. Think about natural or environmental triggers such as orange blossoms, chocolate, and grass that stimulate our olfactory senses and allow us to recognize or identify a specific smell.
While a precise chemical compound makes up different scents, personal preference and an ever-changing landscape of fragrance notes make the science of smell a bit more interpretive. A note is how someone describes a particular scent, so blending scent profiles isn’t necessarily an exacting science but a nuanced art. “Nose experts” have continued refining different scent profiles and olfactory families. Though not reflected in the fragrance wheel above, here are a few more scent components:
- Water/Aquatic fragrances: inspired by the oceans have marine-based notes and often rely on a chemical compound called “calone” which has a fresh sea breeze tone.
- Solar fragrances- blend citrus, floral and woods to evoke a bright, summery, sunshine smell
- Fougere – references a masculine guise that tends towards leather, spicey, and woodsy scents
- Chypre/Amber – is said to capture the essence of the feminine fragrance style that calls upon floral, citrus, and fresh tones
- Unisex fragrances: the traditional concept of male and female gender scents blend to balance stronger notes.
SensoryCo Scents
SensoryCo’s sensational “smell scientists” have created a catalog of foundational aromas that can be mixed to create endless scent possibilities. We have created custom coffee aromas, specific BBQ chicken smells, targeted “village” smells, jet fuel odors and we’ve often been asked to help create the smell of Christmas. Below you’ll find some of SensoryCo smell examples created using differing scent profiles.
SensoryCo Scent Cartridge Examples:
| Floral | Geranium | (citrus, fruity, and spice notes) |
| Gourmand | Blackberry | (citrus, musk, and fruity notes) |
| Amber | Curry | (green, woody, and spicey notes) |
| Spicy | Cinnamon | (amber, woody, sweet notes) |
| Woodsy | Pine Needle | (fresh, green, smoky citrus notes) |
| Fresh | Spearmint | (fruity, citrus, and spicy notes) |
| Earthy | Dirt | (woody, musk, mossy notes) |
| Citrus | Pink Grapefruit | (floral, woodsy, green, solar notes) |
| Aquatic | Seaside/Seaweed | (green, herbaceous, woody, leather tones) |
| Solar | Orange | (bright, spicy, green, warm citrus notes) |
| Unisex | Frankincense | (earthy, woody, with soft, sweet and citrus notes) |
| Green | Cucumber | (fresh, green, floral notes) |
| Smokey | Bacon | (musk, amber, smokey animalic) |
| Agrestic- | Marijuana | (earthy, herbal, green, woody notes) |
| Animalic | Beef/Meat | (musk, amber tones) |
| Resinous | Sulfur/Volcano | (green, woody, citrus tones) |
SensoryCo has an extensive scent library of ready-made scents for popular smells used in military and law enforcement training, themed environments, museum exhibitions, and experiential marketing. Our scent sommeliers also create custom signature scents for clients by blending different scent profiles to produce an array of odors and malodors depending upon the application. Clients wishing to explore the design of custom scents for their particular application can schedule a consultation with one of our team members to discuss options.