Riiffs notes, explained
The 10 Riiffs scents with a note list name 55 different notes between them. 12 notes return in three or more scents and have a page of their own; every note is explained below in a sentence.
The most listed notes
With the number of scents that list each: Cedarwood leads with 6.
Cedarwood (6)Bergamot (5)Amber (4)Lemon (4)Vanilla (4)Caramel (3)Clary sage (3)Ginger (3)Grapefruit (3)Lavender (3)Musk (3)Tonka bean (3)
Citrus
Bergamot
Grown mainly in Calabria in southern Italy, this citrus fruit gives a peel oil that smells bright, fresh and faintly bitter, with a floral edge.
Listed by 5 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with bergamot
Lemon
Sharp, zesty and clean, lemon peel oil is one of the most recognisable fresh smells in perfumery.
Listed by 4 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with lemon
Grapefruit
Tart, juicy and slightly bitter, grapefruit peel oil gives a vivid citrus smell with a sparkling edge.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with grapefruit
Mandarin
Pressed from the peel of a small, loose-skinned citrus fruit, mandarin oil smells sweet, juicy and gentler than lemon or grapefruit.
Listed in Momento (top) and Momento Liquid Gold Extrait (top).
Orange
Orange oil comes from the peel of the sweet orange and smells juicy, sunny and sweet, with only a hint of bitterness.
Listed in Nasma Extrait (top).
Fruit
Apple
Crisp, juicy and fresh, the apple note can lean green and tart or round and sweet, depending on the variety it suggests.
Listed in Aswaar (heart) and Freeze in Flames Extrait (top).
Fruity notes
A collective term for an accord of several fruits that the listing does not name one by one, often juicy and sweet.
Listed in Nasma Extrait (heart) and Zenith (heart).
Blackcurrant
The dark berry of a shrub also known as cassis, blackcurrant smells tart, juicy and a little green.
Listed in Aswaar (heart).
Coconut
Creamy, sweet and softly nutty, coconut gives a tropical, milky note drawn from the white flesh of the nut.
Listed in Zenith (top).
Passion fruit
A tropical fruit with a tart, juicy and slightly sulphurous sweetness; the note is recreated with aroma molecules rather than extracted.
Listed in Freeze in Flames Extrait (top).
Raspberry
A sweet and tart red berry smell with a faint violet-like floral facet, built from aroma molecules rather than extracted from the fruit.
Listed in Freeze in Flames Extrait (top).
Flowers
Jasmine
Small white jasmine flowers are picked for their heady fragrance, which is rich, warm and honeyed, with a touch of fruit and a faintly animal warmth.
Listed in Nasma Extrait (heart) and Zenith (heart).
Rose
The petals of the rose give a classic floral smell that can be fresh and dewy, honeyed and rich, or slightly peppery, depending on the variety.
Listed in Momento (heart) and Momento Liquid Gold Extrait (heart).
Geranium
The leaves of the scented pelargonium give an oil that smells green, rosy and slightly minty, with a lemony freshness.
Listed in Fareed (heart).
Iris
The dried root of the iris plant gives the note usually called orris, which is cool, powdery and slightly earthy, with a buttery floral softness.
Listed in Seasons Rise (top).
Orange blossom
The white flower of the orange tree gives a note that is honeyed, fresh and soft, with a slightly citrusy, green edge.
Listed in Seasons Rise (top).
Peony
Soft, rosy and lightly fresh, peony gives a fluffy, watery floral smell with a delicate green and slightly fruity side.
Listed in Freeze (base).
White flowers
Jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, orange blossom and ylang-ylang are the creamy, often indolic blossoms this collective term points at, not a single flower.
Listed in Nasma Extrait (heart).
Spices, herbs and tea
Clary sage
Clary sage is an aromatic herb that smells herbal, slightly sweet and musky, with green, tea-like and hay-like facets and a soft, warm depth.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with clary sage
Ginger
The knobbly root of a tropical plant, ginger smells warm, peppery and zesty, with a fresh, slightly lemony sparkle.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with ginger
Lavender
Lavender is a purple-flowered Mediterranean herb whose oil smells fresh, herbal and floral, with a slightly camphor-like edge.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with lavender
Cardamom
The seed pods of a plant related to ginger give cardamom its smell, which is spicy, aromatic and slightly sweet, with a cool, eucalyptus-like freshness.
Pink pepper
Despite the name, pink pepper comes from the dried berries of the Peruvian pepper tree and smells fresh, lightly peppery and a little rosy and citrusy.
Listed in Seasons Drift (top) and Seasons Rise (top).
Saffron
Saffron consists of the dried stigmas of a crocus flower, and it smells dry, warm and leathery, with a honeyed, slightly metallic edge.
Listed in Momento (top) and Momento Liquid Gold Extrait (top).
Sage
Made by distilling the leaves of common garden sage, the oil smells herbal, camphoraceous and dry, with a slightly bitter green freshness.
Listed in Freeze (heart) and Freeze in Flames Extrait (heart).
Tea
Tea notes come from extracts of tea leaves or accords built to match them, and smell green, slightly smoky, dry and lightly floral.
Listed in Freeze (heart) and Freeze in Flames Extrait (heart).
Cinnamon
Cinnamon comes from the dried inner bark of a tropical tree and smells warm, sweet and spicy, with a faintly woody edge.
Listed in Seasons Rise (heart).
Mint
Cool, sweet and green, mint comes from the leaves of aromatic herbs and gives a lively, refreshing smell.
Listed in Freeze (top).
Nutmeg
The seed of a tropical evergreen tree, nutmeg smells warm, sweet and slightly nutty, with a soft, woody spice.
Listed in Seasons Rise (top).
Pepper
Dry, sharp and warm, pepper comes from the dried berries of a climbing vine, and has a woody side with a touch of citrus.
Listed in Fareed (top).
Spearmint
A milder, sweeter relative of peppermint, spearmint smells green, cool and slightly sugary, like fresh leaves crushed between the fingers.
Listed in Freeze in Flames Extrait (heart).
Spices
An umbrella term that names a group, not one material, spices usually stand for warm, aromatic seasonings such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom and pepper.
Listed in Nasma Extrait (base).
Woods and moss
Cedarwood
Dry, clean and lightly resinous, cedarwood has the scent of freshly sharpened pencils, with a warm woody sweetness underneath.
Listed by 6 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with cedarwood
Amberwood
Amberwood is a modern aroma material that smells woody and ambery, with a dry, warm, slightly earthy and mineral depth.
Listed in Momento (base) and Momento Liquid Gold Extrait (base).
Oud
Formed in agarwood trees as a reaction to a fungal infection, oud is a dark, resinous wood that smells deep, smoky and slightly animalic.
Listed in Momento (heart) and Momento Liquid Gold Extrait (heart).
Sandalwood
The heartwood of the sandalwood tree gives a creamy, soft and slightly milky woody smell with a faint sweetness.
Listed in Seasons Drift (base).
Vetiver
Extracted from the roots of a tall tropical grass, vetiver smells earthy, smoky and woody, with a green, slightly bitter freshness.
Listed in Fareed (base).
Woody notes
An umbrella term for a group, not one material, woody notes stands for the dry, warm or creamy smells of woods such as cedar or sandalwood.
Listed in Zenith (base).
Amber, resins and incense
Amber
Not a single material but a warm, sweet accord, amber is typically built from resins such as labdanum and benzoin, with a soft, powdery, vanilla-like glow.
Listed by 4 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with amber
Labdanum
Gathered from the rock-rose shrub as a sticky resin, labdanum smells warm, ambery and sweet, with leathery, slightly animal and honeyed tones.
Listed in Seasons Drift (base).
Resin
A collective term for warm, balsamic tree resins such as benzoin, labdanum or myrrh, which give a sticky, ambery depth to a base.
Listed in Seasons Drift (base).
Vanilla and sweet notes
Vanilla
Cured pods of a climbing orchid give vanilla its smell, which is sweet, creamy, warm and comforting, with a soft, slightly smoky depth.
Listed by 4 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with vanilla
Caramel
Based on the smell of cooked sugar, the caramel note is sweet, toasty and buttery, with a faint burnt edge.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with caramel
Tonka bean
The seed of a South American tree, tonka bean smells sweet and warm, like a mix of vanilla, almond and freshly cut hay.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with tonka bean
Sugar
Sugar notes are accords built from caramel-like molecules such as maltol and furaneol, smelling sweet, warm and slightly toasty, like melted or brown sugar.
Listed in Momento (top) and Momento Liquid Gold Extrait (top).
Creamy notes
A collective term for soft, milky or buttery facets in a composition, usually built from lactones, vanilla and sandalwood rather than from one material.
Listed in Zenith (top).
Praline
Praline smells of caramelised nuts and sugar, with a sweet, roasted, buttery and slightly creamy gourmand character, much like a confectioner's nut paste.
Listed in Seasons Rise (base).
Musk and aroma molecules
Musk
Synthetic molecules supply most musk today, and the note smells soft, smooth and skin-like, from clean and powdery to warm and slightly sweet.
Listed by 3 scents. All Riiffs perfumes with musk
Ambroxan
Warm, dry and slightly salty, ambroxan is a modern woody-ambery aroma molecule with a smooth, skin-like mineral quality.
Listed in Aswaar (base) and Seasons Rise (base).
Cashmeran
A synthetic aroma molecule that smells woody, musky and warm, with spicy, powdery and slightly fruity facets and a soft, velvety feel.
Listed in Aswaar (base) and Seasons Rise (base).
Ambermax
A modern aroma molecule with a dry, woody and ambery glow, used in small doses to give a base radiance and a clean, mineral warmth.
Listed in Freeze (base).
Iso E Super
A widely used aroma molecule with a soft, velvety cedar-like smell that many people find faint on its own but that adds air and volume.
Listed in Aswaar (base).
Powdery notes
Powdery notes are an umbrella term for a soft, dry effect like face powder, given by materials such as iris, violet or musk.
Listed in Zenith (heart).
Marine and mineral notes
Snow accord
An accord meant to suggest the cold, clean air of snow, usually built from aldehydes, mint-like cooling notes and transparent musks.
Listed in Freeze (top) and Freeze in Flames Extrait (top).
Ice accord
An accord that suggests cold, built from cooling and watery materials rather than from any one ingredient; it makes a composition feel crisp.
Listed in Freeze (heart).
Notes and families
A note list tells you what a perfume is built from; the family tells you where it is heading. The range is sorted both ways: see Riiffs perfumes by scent family.
Top, heart and base
Top notes are what you smell straight after spraying. Heart notes follow once those have faded. Base notes stay the longest. A note list tells you what a perfume is built from, not how it will smell on your skin; for that there is no substitute for trying it.
Collective terms such as woody notes, spices or powdery notes are in the glossary as well. They name an effect or a group without naming one material, so this guide does not count them when it compares two scents.
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