Almond scent notes

The almond note in fragrance is marzipan rather than the nut you snack on. Its source is benzaldehyde, the molecule that gives bitter almonds and cherry pits their sweet, faintly cherry-like smell.

It is easy to mix up with sweet almond oil, a carrier pressed from the nut that has almost no scent of its own. Perfumers often use almond near the top of a blend, where it softens bright fruit and leads into vanilla and tonka bean underneath. Gourmand candles and bakery-style soaps lean on it most.