(Fragrance)
The Allure Of Single-Note Fragrances
Less is more.
A few weeks ago, a friend told me we had reached “peak fragrance.” Without her needing to explain, I immediately understood what she meant. Our nasal canals are constantly bombarded by overpowering scents — whether we’re in the waiting room of a dermatologist’s office or shopping at a clothing store. In New York City, it’s nearly impossible to walk a few blocks in SoHo without catching a whiff of Baccarat Rouge 540 lingering in the air. When it comes to fragrance, the culture seems to be moving in a “more is more” direction. But what if you prefer a more streamlined, subtle yet interesting scent? What if you want a fragrance that isn’t obnoxiously omnipresent?
Turns out there’s an alternative option: single-note fragrances. Perfumes typically contain three layers of notes: top, middle, and base. This composition creates an olfactory journey through time for the wearer. Single-note perfumes, however, focus on just one note or ingredient. This streamlined approach doesn’t mean the scents are boring. “A single-note fragrance tends to be more linear,” explains Romano Ricci, co-founder and brand director of Juliette Has a Gun. “This doesn’t mean it’s static but rather that it evolves more subtly, often reacting with the wearer’s skin chemistry. The experience is more about depth and nuance than a dramatic transformation.”
Ahead, we dive into the world of single-note fragrances — exploring what they are, how they’re formulated, and more.
What Are Single-Note Fragrances?
A single-note fragrance can consist of one ingredient, or it can be a combination of different notes that evoke the essence of a single, specific scent. Fragrances like Escentric Molecules Molecule 01, Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume, and Etat Libre d’Orange Attaquer Le Soleil Marquis De Sade fall in the former group; scents like Stora Skuggan Pine and Matiere Premiere Radical Rose are a part of the latter.
When Geza Schön, the nose behind Escentric Molecules, first smelled Iso E Super, a synthetic fragrance molecule, he was immediately captivated. “I took it and gave it to a friend of mine, and I said to him, ‘Can you wear a drop here?’ And then we went to our local bar. We stood around with a bottle of beer, and this woman passed us on the way to the bathroom, and on her way back, she just stood still and said, ‘It smells nice here.’” Fifteen years later, in 2006, Schön launched Escentric Molecules with its first fragrance, Molecule 01, which only features one ingredient — Iso E Super.
With Pine Eau de Parfum, the Stora Skuggan team wanted to express a single note while also capturing a sense of nostalgia. “Over half of Sweden is covered in pine forest, so we naturally have a relation to it,” says Tomas Hempel, one of five co-founders of Stockholm-based Stora Skuggan. “[There are] childhood memories of the smell of a newly chopped Christmas tree, the citrus-like acidity in biting into spruce shoots, and the warm smell of a forest floor covered in pine needles.”
Hempel goes on to add: “To realize the scent of the entire tree, we used a lot of different materials sourced from needles, wood, resin, and moss. All materials have different volatility, so it evolves just like most perfumes.”
The Appeal Of A Single-Note Fragrance
There are several reasons why someone might be drawn to a single-note fragrance. One is that they tend to be less overpowering, olfactorily speaking. “There are still many people who find perfume too intense and don’t want to be surrounded by a strong scent the moment they spray it on,” explains Schön. A single-note fragrance is also ideal for someone who “appreciates minimalism but still wants something bold,” says Ricci. “It’s perfect for those who don’t necessarily want a complex fragrance journey but rather a signature scent that’s understated yet memorable.”
For consumers who know exactly what they like, a single-note fragrance is ideal. “They’re simple and straight to the point,” says Florida-based fragrance content creator Abigaille Cadet. “I like patchouli, so just give me patchouli. I like vanilla, give me vanilla.” Fragrance content creator Farah Elawamry, based in Los Angeles, agrees. “It’s a great way for people to experience more of the notes they enjoy,” she says. As a fan of rose, Elwamry tends to seek out fragrances that aren’t necessarily marketed as single-note scents but still do a great job of highlighting one note. She’s a fan of Régime des Fleurs Little Flower: “Its composition isn’t just one note, but they do it so well that the fragrance literally smells like rose water. It’s a little complex, so it’s not boring, but it still highlights the rose.”
Formulating A Single-Note Fragrance
Developing a single-note fragrance isn’t necessarily easier or simpler than formulating a conventional perfume. “With a single-note scent, you have to perfect one ingredient, ensuring it is pure, long-lasting, and expressive,” says Ricci. “The perfumer must enhance the natural beauty of the raw material, making sure it is both simple and sophisticated. It’s a lesson in balance — you have to create something minimal but not boring, powerful but not overwhelming.”
Choosing the right molecule is also challenging. For fragrances featuring a single molecule, it must be one that is complex in and of itself. When developing Molecule 04 for Escentric Molecules, Schön selected Javanol as the singular molecule. “[Javanol] is classified as a sandalwood ingredient, yet its top note has almost a grapefruit quality. Then it develops some rose notes before the massive, very unique sandalwood notes emerge.”
Schön adds, “Not many aromachemicals we use in perfumery would qualify to become a molecule because they’re too linear, too singular — why would someone want to wear them? I would say 99% of all molecules, I wouldn’t dare launch in a bottle.”
Ensuring that the perfume lasts while remaining true to your ethos can also be a challenge. “It comes with complications, especially in terms of performance. How well it projects or lasts on your skin might suffer because using classic materials to increase performance could take it away from the subject at hand and into ‘generic perfume’ territory,” explains Hempel. “Figuring out how to create a functional perfume while staying true to the desired note is a crucial challenge in development.”
But once this balance is struck, it’s a win — not just for the perfumer but for consumers, too, who are seeking variety in their fragrance wardrobe. “A single-note fragrance is like a perfect white T-shirt — it works on its own, but you can also dress it up or down,” explains Ricci. “You can wear it solo for a clean skinlike effect or layer it with other perfumes to add depth.”
