What does a woody fragrance smell like?

Woody fragrances smell like dry wood (cedar, sandalwood), damp earth-and-leaf (patchouli, vetiver), or modern volumetric synthetic woods (Iso E Super, Cashmeran). The accord is dry, warm, and grounding · less sweet than oriental, less green than fresh.

What is the difference between sandalwood and cedarwood?

Sandalwood (especially Mysore sandalwood) is creamy, milky, and sweet · the most expensive natural woody material. Cedarwood is drier, sharper, and pencil-shaving-like · much more affordable and widely used in modern perfumery as a structural woody base.

Why is Iso E Super in so many fragrances?

Iso E Super is a synthetic molecule (introduced 1973) that produces a soft, transparent, velvet-skin woody character with exceptional diffusion. It is the most-used molecule in modern perfumery and forms the base of countless niche and designer fragrances. Molecule 01 (Escentric Molecules) is essentially pure Iso E Super.

Are woody fragrances masculine?

Historically woody fragrances skewed masculine, but contemporary woody compositions (Le Labo Santal 33, Tom Ford Oud Wood) are emphatically unisex. The woody accord is one of the most gender-fluid in modern perfumery.

Woody Accord

Woody accord

Wood-derived accords · sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, and synthetic woods (Iso E Super, Norlimbanol, Cashmeran).

By Katie Johnson Founder, The Fragrance World Last reviewed 5 May 2026 Liverpool, UK

What the Woody accord is

Woody is one of the foundational fragrance accord families. Natural woody materials include sandalwood (Mysore and Australian), cedarwood (Atlas, Virginia, Texas, Himalaya), vetiver (a grass root with woody character), and patchouli (a leaf with damp-woody character). Synthetic woods (Iso E Super, Norlimbanol, Cashmeran, Ambroxan) are essential to modern perfumery and produce effects that natural woods cannot · diffusion, transparency, and volume. Le Labo Santal 33 (2011) and Tom Ford Oud Wood (2007) are the canonical contemporary woody references.

Related fragrance notes

The notes that contribute to a Woody accord:

Common questions about Woody

What does a woody fragrance smell like?: Woody fragrances smell like dry wood (cedar, sandalwood), damp earth-and-leaf (patchouli, vetiver), or modern volumetric synthetic woods (Iso E Super, Cashmeran). The accord is dry, warm, and grounding · less sweet than oriental, less green than fresh.
What is the difference between sandalwood and cedarwood?: Sandalwood (especially Mysore sandalwood) is creamy, milky, and sweet · the most expensive natural woody material. Cedarwood is drier, sharper, and pencil-shaving-like · much more affordable and widely used in modern perfumery as a structural woody base.
Why is Iso E Super in so many fragrances?: Iso E Super is a synthetic molecule (introduced 1973) that produces a soft, transparent, velvet-skin woody character with exceptional diffusion. It is the most-used molecule in modern perfumery and forms the base of countless niche and designer fragrances. Molecule 01 (Escentric Molecules) is essentially pure Iso E Super.
Are woody fragrances masculine?: Historically woody fragrances skewed masculine, but contemporary woody compositions (Le Labo Santal 33, Tom Ford Oud Wood) are emphatically unisex. The woody accord is one of the most gender-fluid in modern perfumery.

Browse other fragrance accords

The Woody accord is one of 12 fragrance accords in our encyclopedia. View all accords.