I will forever associate perfumes with romance, not necessarily about the romance between two people but a passion for life, self-care, and the day ahead. It doesn’t matter if I am going out on a particular day but I spray perfume even at home after taking a shower when I feel like it.
Some notes in perfumes are highly romantic. It makes you want to go on airy daytime dates or think of candlelight dinners.
So let’s check out some of the most romantic notes we often find in our perfumes, and what to look for the next time you want to gift a perfume to your partner.
- Rose
Roses are universal. A perfume without roses can be beautiful but I cannot imagine the whole world of perfumery without the existence of roses. Since ancient times, people have used fresh roses or dried petals for numerous aspects – during religious rites or on hair for scent and decoration.
Roses are ingrained in the tales of history and fairytales. It is said that Cleopatra had her bedroom floor filled with rose petals when she welcomed Mark Antony to her room.
Remember the Beauty and the Beast fairytale? Everything started because the Prince refused to accept the rose offered by a beautiful enchantress in the guise of a haggard old lady. The enchanted rose in the fairytale continues to be an important theme of love throughout the story.
Symbolising love and beauty, the rose is at the top of the list for romance notes. Whether your bouquet is full of red roses, or pink roses, the message of affection and love is conveyed.
The best part of this note is that you have more than one type of rose note to choose from.
Top Roses Perfumes to Choose From
- Diamond Dust Edition Agent Provocateur
- Mon Guerlain Bloom of Rose Guerlain
- Trésor Midnight Rose Lancôme
- Coco Mademoiselle Chanel
- Musk
When you learn that musk comes from the gut of East Asian deer, you are right to think that there’s nothing romantic about it. But hear me out – musk being romantic has nothing to do with metaphors, but is purely biological.
Animal musk is said to be similar to human testosterone and hence has the power to arouse sexual desire in humans. Women respond to the smell of musk just like they would when they smell human pheromones.
And a man wearing musk – a beautifully designed musk fragrance – will get the attention of their special someone. I am not sure if a scent is powerful enough to get a man laid, but I am sure a beautiful musky scent would make intimate moments more memorable.
The best part? Perfumes don’t use real musk. Thanks to chemistry, the world of perfumery has now 20 synthetic musks that are used for making beautiful scents.
Top Musk Scents to Choose From
- Amber
A lot of people find amber notes to be sexy but I don’t.
When I wear a beautifully designed amber perfume, I feel like a cheerful girl, running across the fields, living a life that has nothing to do with responsibilities.
Amber makes me feel safe and protected, it is the scent of the warmth and innocence of my childhood years. And that makes sense to me because amber is a very expensive note in the world of perfumery.
Note that amber is more like a perfume accord than a note in itself. This accord contains vanilla, benzoin, and labdanum.
Only Amber fragrance I recommend as of now:
- Passion fruit
Passion fruit note is like a…holiday romance. A honeymoon.
It’s sensual and sweet, and it’s sophisticated and you can find it only in secluded lands. It’s exotic.
The sourness of this note can also be refreshing and uplighting to most. But I know for sure that it is not a perfume note that everyone likes.
But for me, passion fruit is all about passion in life and relationships.
My recommendation:
- Jasmine
I don’t necessarily associate jasmine notes with love and sensuality, but it sure is a beautiful and calm fragrance. I see jasmine perfumes all the time, and I jasmine notes on some of my favourite perfumes.
Although quite a popular note, it is quite expensive too. At least 50 pounds of jasmine flowers are required to extract one pound of jasmine fragrance oil.
While jasmine is considered a highly beautiful and aesthetic scent in the West, as an Indian, I don’t necessarily consider jasmine exotic. I have smelt enough jasmine perfumes all my childhood, and my brain cannot associate the smell with anything exotic. Except for night-blooming jasmine, which is a beautiful fragrance.
Unfortunately I don’t have any recommendations for this note yet.
