Camphor: Camphor has a strong and long-lasting smell. It is fresh, herbal, and aromatic with a 'cooling' facet. It can have qualities of pine or a balsamic quality.
Cannabis: Cannabis has a famously strong, aromatic, herbal, sometimes nutty or grassy vibe (and occasionally ‘skunky’ and animalic, even. It’s probably present in fragrances more for its shock/publicity factor than for any genuine narcotic quality it brings. (Though it can help to accent other herbal elements of a composition.)
Caramel: Caramel has a dual quality both sugary and salty, delightfully textural with its creamy and mellow sensations.
Cardamom: Cardamom shows itself in many ways. It has a spiciness that is laden with aromatic, balsamic and citrusy facets.
Cassis: With dominant notes of blackcurrant, yet green and slightly floral, this is a popular berry scent.
Castoreum: Originally derived from the anal glands of beavers has now almost always been recreated synthetically. It has a musky sensuality, which also has a hint of fruitiness. Harsh smelling itself, it is only when expertly blended does it soften and seduce, blending well with rose and oud in particular, and acting as an excellent ‘fixative’ for other notes.
Cedar/Cedarwood: Cedar has a strong woody note, yet is warm and spicy. It is often used in blend with other “woods” to give a rich natural and powerful masculine effect in composition.
Camomile: A bright, crisp, sweet, fruity, herbaceous, fresh scent with a bitter top note and tea-like facet.
Cherry: Cherry notes are sweet, fruity, and slightly tart, often with an underlying bitter-almond nuance (reminiscent of cherry pits). It can range from artificial "cherry candy" or cola to a deep, sophisticated, boozy, or "sour cherry" scent.
Cherry Blossoms: While real cherry blossoms are slightly bitter and green with a faint scent, perfumers usually create a "fantasy" accord that is clean, airy, and floral. It often includes nuances of violet, lily of the valley, and lilac.
Chocolate: Chocolate in fragrance is a popular gourmand note designed to evoke warmth, indulgence, and comfort, ranging from bittersweet dark chocolate to creamy milk chocolate. It is rarely a natural extract, but rather an abstract accord crafted using synthetic molecules to create a rich, sweet, and powdery, or woody scent profile.
Citron: Citron is French for lemon. But a citron fruit (Citrus medica) is rarer than a lemon – and not nearly so juicy. It’s generally the (antiseptic) essential oil from the leathery, knobbly rind of citron which makes its way into zesty Colognes and as a richly fragrant top note in some perfumes, adding a dry citrus edge.
Copol: Copal has a warm, sweet, and balsamic scent, often described as a lighter, more citrusy cousin to frankincense.
Coriander: An aromatic seed note that is spicy, woody, and slightly citrusy
Cumin: Cumin is a powerful, warm, and spicy fragrance note, often used to introduce a bold, intimate and slightly animalic character to a perfume.
Cypress: Cypress is woody green with a warm resinous character and fresh citrusy tones.
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