Fragrance or Flavor Odor Type Listing

Fragrance and flavor substances are comparatively strong-smelling organic compounds with characteristic, usually pleasant odors.

The odors of single chemical compounds are extremely difficult to describe unequivocally. The odors of complex mixtures are often impossible to describe unless one of the components is so characteristic that it largely determines the odor or flavor of the composition. Although an objective classification is not possible, an odor can be described by adjectives such as flowery, fruity, woody, or hay-like, which relate the fragrances to natural or other known products with similar odors. Such as, Pure ethyl cinnamate has a fruity and balsamic odor.

A few terms used to describe odors are listed below:

Aldehydic	odor note of the long-chain fatty aldehydes, e.g., fatty-sweaty, ironed laundry, seawater
Animal(ic)	typical notes from the animal kingdom, e.g., musk, castoreum, skatole, civet, ambergris
Balsamic	heavy, sweet odors, e.g., cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, Peru balsam
Camphoraceous	reminiscent of camphor
Citrus	fresh, stimulating odor of citrus fruits such as lemon or orange
Earthy	humus-like, reminiscent of humid earth
Fatty	reminiscent of animal fat and tallow
Floral, flowery	generic terms for odors of various flowers
Fruity	generic term for odors of various fruits
Green	typical odor of freshly cut grass and leaves
Herbaceous	noncharacteristic, complex odor of green herbs with, e.g., sage, minty, eucalyptus-like, or earthy nuances
Medicinal	odor reminiscent of disinfectants, e.g., phenol, lysol, methyl salicylate
Metallic	typical odor observed near metal surfaces, e.g., brass or steel
Minty	peppermint-like odor
Mossy	typical note reminiscent of forests and seaweed
Powdery	note associated with toilet powders (talcum), diffusively sweet
Resinous	aromatic odor of tree exudates
Spicy	generic term for odors of various spices
Waxy	odor resembling that of candle wax
Woody	generic term for the odor of wood, e.g., cedarwood, sandalwood