There are lots of perfumes with food notes in them these days (you can read an article on this by Joanna McLaughlin at http://www.theperfume-reporter.com). Harlem from Bond No. 9 has coffee notes. Angel by Thierry Mugler has vanilla and chocolate and the write-up says there is cotton candy there, too. Definitely sugary. And Sugar, Lemon Sugar, and Sugar Blossom from Fresh are all foody.
In Vietnamese, the word for perfume is the same word as for pineapple. Apparently, to the Vietnamese nose, pineapple is the natural fragrance. I don't know any Vietnamese perfumes, but I suspect they might use pineapple the way we use citrus.
I also tried something called Cherry by Masaki. I understand the new Bond No. 9 scent (Coney Island, no, I don't own it...yet) lists as one of its notes, "Magarita Mix."
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Cardamom is an edible pod used in fragrances
A Guide to Perfume Appreciation
Pick Your Favorite From This Oldies-but-Goodies List
Perfumes I Love in May
- Groove by Carol's Daughter
- Little Italy by Bond No. 9
- Black Orchid by Tom Ford
- Tuberose Garden by Estee Lauder
- Clear by Neil Morris
- Grace by Philosophy
- Burberry Brit by Burberry
- Green Tea by Bvlgari
- Cinema by Yves St. Laurent
Cardamom
Cardamom is an edible pod used in fragrances
Fast Chart to the Lingo
In terms of strength (defined by ratio of scent to vehicle, that is, smelly part to non-smelly part) fragrance products (starting with the strongest) are:
Perfume (also sometimes called by the French name parfum)
Eau-de-parfum (always in French, hyphens appear optional)
Eau-de-toilette or toilet water
Cologne
You can also buy scented creams, shower gels, soaps, powders, and other products. A lot of perfume lovers layer fragrance that way.
Fragrances can also be grouped in families but there are no hard dividing lines. Here are terms you hear:
Florals (perfumes with mostly flower smells)
Fruity florals (like it sounds)
Woody florals
Citrus (lemons, limes, grapefruit, even bergamot)
Orientals (spices, vanilla, amber, musk; this is sultry stuff)
Chypres (this is rare on the market today, it's from the French word for cypress)
Green (botanical stuff)
Aldehyde (this is a synthetic used a lot in perfume; the best I can say is that it smells "sparkly")
Most perfumes have floral components. Sometimes florals get subdivided into white florals (made from white flowers, including freesia, lilies, gardenias), pink florals, roses, and so on, but that's not always necessary.
To distinguish between families of perfume, it's best to experience types and gradually train your nose to classify them.
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