Mint scent notes

Mint covers two very different oils. Peppermint is rich in menthol and smells cool and sharp. Spearmint is sweeter and softer, with carvone giving it the familiar chewing-gum note. Oregon's Willamette Valley has grown both for more than a century.

Mint is a top note, used to cool a vanilla or brighten a green tea blend. The essential oils carry the note at full strength, so a small amount goes a long way in soap, lip balm and candles.