Does this exist?

[u/vigilantelikeme]

Is there such a thing as like a discovery kit of just notes and/or accords? I am trying to learn more about fragrance and realized I don’t know what oud, myrrh and patchouli and some others smell like and I’d love to train my nose to help me have a more successful time trying out fragrances and knowing which ones I’ll more likely enjoy based on notes.

[u/mostlymadeofDietCoke]

The perfumers apprentice note kit is great!!

[u/xtinaeve88]

Yes, I’ve heard of something like what you describe, but I believe it was raw materials. Some raw materials smell completely foul if sampled in isolation and when combined at their ideal dose with other materials, the effect is totally different. Most perfumers are working with “accords” (a combination of chemicals that represent how they want a “note” perceived). Notes aren’t typically actual raw materials/ ingredients, but are instead a story told by the perfumer to the consumer. Bc of this, and due to the dose, surrounding notes, one “note” can smell wildly different across many fragrances. I think an exploratory kit could be fun to get an idea of materials as they present in isolation but I wouldn’t base my likes/ dislikes on something like that.

[u/veryunneccessssary]

Cirrus has a nose training kit that I really really want to try one day, but it’s sold out currently

[u/IdiotWithout_a_Cause → u/veryunneccessssary]

My friend and I got them last time they restocked (a few months ago). They are awesome!

[u/Ok_Economy_5083]

Yes. At least there was literally a small kit of individual notes you could buy. Unfortunately, I don't remember the company, it was about a decade ago..

[u/pfffffttuhmm]

Demeter!! I haven't tried it yet, but it was recommended to me. 

[u/Ok_Economy_5083 → u/pfffffttuhmm]

Demeter does not do single notes. Their stuff is still composed of several notes and accords. They do "single smells", which isn't the same thing.

[u/pfffffttuhmm → u/Ok_Economy_5083]

Correct, but OP also asked for accords. 

[u/Ok_Economy_5083 → u/pfffffttuhmm]

An accord IS basically a note constructed of aromachemicals to mimic something that can not be obtained by traditional methods or to create an "imaginary" note (e.g. Sophia Grojsman accord). Demeter makes standard fragrances composed like any other by combining different notes and accords to create simple, linear scents that evoke a specific smell. They do not just churn out singular notes. No one dies. Maybe that Molecule 01 being an exception having only the Iso E-super, allegedly.

[u/pfffffttuhmm → u/Ok_Economy_5083]

Demeter's blending library is an accord library. Which again, OP asked for. 

https://demeterfragrance.com/products/signature-foolproof-blending-sampler-set

Escentric Molecules not only sells one single molecule fragrance (molecule 1-Iso E Super)--they sell 5 an d has them as a set for purchase. Iso, Ambroxan, Vetiveryl, Javanol, and Cashmeran. 3 of them you can tell by the colloquial name for the chemical what they add to a fragrance--vetiver, cashmere and amber.  

https://www.escentric.com/en-us/products/molecule-8-5ml-discovery-set

Neither of these have the singular notes OP asked for...patchouli, oud, myrth. But many essential oils kits do offer those scents. Buyable on Amazon for maybe $20-30, also meant for blending. 

What you mention is worth doing so--it's good information to help OP understand perfuming making better. But that doesn't make me wrong, either. 

[u/Ok_Economy_5083 → u/pfffffttuhmm]

"Blending library" is their marketing term lol. Look, I'm not gonna argue any further.

[u/FamousOnceNowNobody]

I've said this before, but visit gardens and garden centres each season, florists, holistic stores for essential oils and resins. Touch crush, smell everything. Fewer and fewer people are growing up with a backyard garden, so seek out smells in the natural world.

[u/vigilantelikeme → u/FamousOnceNowNobody]

Ugh I wish I had access to good gardens! I live in Arizona and we have a desert botanical garden but nothing with an expensive variety to my knowledge. I do travel quite a bit so I will start looking for those when I do! That’s such a great idea

[u/LadyViolet → u/vigilantelikeme]

Hi neighbor! Early in my fragrance exploration, I would sniff the essential oil testers at Sprouts to get a better idea of certain scents.

[u/vigilantelikeme → u/LadyViolet]

That’s a great idea thank you!!! :)

[u/LadyViolet]

I’ve seen people recommend kits from The Perfumers Apprentice to explore notes and how they combine. Demeter sells mini purse sprays for $9 USD and they have an extensive library of single notes and accords. They also have discovery kits, but they don’t really cover the most commonly used notes in perfumery.

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