Tired of Woody Aroma Chemical EDPs - Base Options?

[CeeTee]

Hi Friends!

Well, it seems that Akigala “wood” and other “woodsy note” bases are starting to bother me.
Example: Chloe Nomade was a pleasant reach for me, but recently, I detect the WACs, even though the base is supposed to mimic oakmoss. I’ve also tested a handful of niche samples with the same WAC prominence. Bummer.

I’m going to try different, grounding bases that anchor and serve as fixatives? I’m thinking these:
-Patchouli - but it can be overbearing.
-Oakmoss - hard to find ...There may be a good simulation, have you found any?
-Musk - So far, I‘ve only experienced laundry, but maybe I’m looking in the wrong places.
-Resins - I like them, but it seems like they try to sneak in imitation Guaiacwood/oud Using the WACs.
Are there any options I’m missing? Or maybe an example of a fragrance that achieves “wood” without the “cashmeran” or “woodsy/musk” which seem to be code for WACs?

I’m more of a spray on EDP or EDT person, over oils.
Thanks, all!

 

[grayspoole]

I feel your pain, CeeTee. Once the spell of WACs is broken, there’s no going back, at least in my experience.

Fortunately, there are many wonderful scents that don’t rely on the standard woody base aromachemicals but I think you have to go vintage/classic or indie/artisanal. Classic Guerlains and Chanels should work. Sample perfumes by indies such as Liz Moores (Papillon), Manuel Cross (Rogue), Mark Sage (Clandestine Laboratories), Darren Alan, Francesa Bianchi, Maria Candida Gentile, Sonoma Scent Studio, Ellen Covey (Olympic Orchids). If you want help buying vintage, you know where to find me.

Do keep in mind that AC’s such as ambroxan and cedar are naturally derived so that a “natural” perfume can be just as WACked out as any designer bottle (looking at you, Heretic Perfumes).

Patchouli is an important ingredient in many classic perfumes but it is usually a very subtle accent and of natural origin. Many modern feminine pink “chypres” use a fractionated patchouli or some kind of patchouli-derived aromachemicals that have an entirely different smell and, yes, I think this altered patchouli accord can be quite overbearing. But don’t fear patchouli in itself.

Oakmoss. Nothing replaces oakmoss, IMHO, but the IFRA-compliant version isn’t bad.

Musks. You might enjoy more animalic musks. Francesca Bianchi and Papillon offer good musky perfumes that are not dominanted by WACs. Or just buy a bottle of Bal a Versailles. Vintage is best, but modern BaV is good too.

Resins— There are lot of different resinous perfumes. You might enjoy perfumes that evoke different types of incense, such as the Comme des Garcons incense series, although some incense perfumes can be dominated by WACs.

Have fun exploring…

 

[CeeTee]

I feel your pain, CeeTee. Once the spell of WACs is broken, there’s no going back, at least in my experience.

Fortunately, there are many wonderful scents that don’t rely on the standard woody base aromachemicals but I think you have to go vintage/classic or indie/artisanal. Classic Guerlains and Chanels should work. Sample perfumes by indies such as Liz Moores (Papillon), Manuel Cross (Rogue), Mark Sage (Clandestine Laboratories), Darren Alan, Francesa Bianchi, Maria Candida Gentile, Sonoma Scent Studio, Ellen Covey (Olympic Orchids). If you want help buying vintage, you know where to find me.

Do keep in mind that AC’s such as ambroxan and cedar are naturally derived so that a “natural” perfume can be just as WACked out as any designer bottle (looking at you, Heretic Perfumes).

Patchouli is an important ingredient in many classic perfumes but it is usually a very subtle accent and of natural origin. Many modern feminine pink “chypres” use a fractionated patchouli or some kind of patchouli-derived aromachemicals that have an entirely different smell and, yes, I think this altered patchouli accord can be quite overbearing. But don’t fear patchouli in itself.

Oakmoss. Nothing replaces oakmoss, IMHO, but the IFRA-compliant version isn’t bad.

Musks. You might enjoy more animalic musks. Francesca Bianchi and Papillon offer good musky perfumes that are not dominanted by WACs. Or just buy a bottle of Bal a Versailles. Vintage is best, but modern BaV is good too.

Resins— There are lot of different resinous perfumes. You might enjoy perfumes that evoke different types of incense, such as the Comme des Garcons incense series, although some incense perfumes can be dominated by WACs.

Have fun exploring…

WACked out! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I mean- No kidding- I smell the WACs in my Downy fabric softener. Like you said, once I detected it, there was no going back. I can’t NOT smell it. I sniffed Terre de Hermes Extreme (something or other) about a month ago, and the card smelled WACk for weeks!

The current version on PoaL, holy cow! The base is not the same at all. The vintage was great. I just can’t. THEN, I smelled the Acqua Allegoria “Harvest“ variety and they were WACked out. Huh?! Harvest?!

I ordered a sample of LAdDM and even it had WACs in the base. I mean, if they’re done elegantly, that’s one thing, but I’m not encountering those. NOOOoooo!

Thank you for the tips on where to search.

 

[Bavard]

I had a similar experience of realizing I didn't like some popular aroma chemicals. And then feeling like they were everywhere. It's nice to meet someone else who has transitioned!

 

[CeeTee]

Patchouli is an important ingredient in many classic perfumes but it is usually a very subtle accent and of natural origin. Many modern feminine pink “chypres” use a fractionated patchouli or some kind of patchouli-derived aromachemicals that have an entirely different smell and, yes, I think this altered patchouli accord can be quite overbearing. But don’t fear patchouli in itself.



Have fun exploring…

The fractionated patchouli, like Akigalawood, is nails on my brain chalkboard. Ick.

 

[grayspoole]

The fractionated patchouli, like Akigalawood, is nails on my brain chalkboard. Ick.

It’s funny—natural patchouli oil (the OG funky headshop stuff) feels earthy, rich, and smooth in comparison. I am not 100% sure what is being used to create the so-called “patchouli” note in modern feminine pink chypres (perhaps it’s the fractionated patchouli, perhaps it’s a combination of things) but I find it stuffy, suffocating, and almost “sandy” in texture. I don’t think it smells like real patchouli at all.

Anecdote: I am taking a calligraphy/illumination course and last week, one of the other students—a lovely dignified women my age or older—was wearing a contemporary scent dominated by woody WACs. The sharp and sour cedarwood fumes were so intrusive that I almost asked her what she was wearing, but I didn’t. I’m so curious about it though!

And people think that vintage perfumes are loud and “perfume-y.” Give me a blast of Amarige any day—at least it smells like flowers.

 

[Schubertian]

I feel you CeeTee and am following this thread with interest.

I'm not sure which aromachemicals exactly I find annoying, and I don't think they always bother me (maybe okay in small quantities) but... yes, increasingly. Grayspoole made very good suggestions. Papillon, Rogue and Bianchi are wonderful, I'm just exploring MCG a bit.

I'd add Hiram Green. So far his fragrances haven't annoyed me, although he says he does also use some synthetic materials with naturals. Also some from Jorum Studio. I also recently tried a few perfumes by Annette Neuffer; liked one or two of these a lot (Sonnet 18!), though not others, and the prices are, well, eyewatering... so ymmv but worth sampling imo.

 

[sakecat]

It was this type of thing that sent me screaming to Etsy indie oils in the mid 2010s.
That and the realization that my true vibe is "dirty hippie in a bakery carrying flowers." (That hasn't changed BTW)

My Kryptonite is soapy "clean" musks.
My rule of thumb - avoid "clean" scents. Works about 75% of the time.

Trying to avoid woody aromachemicals is a much harder ask.
They hide it behind flowery prose + I find that their offensiveness depends on how they have structured the rest of the base.
Frankly, it's disappointing to find that so many modern perfumes treat their base as an afterthought.
This is the part of the perfume we are wearing for the bulk of the day!

As I revisit traditional perfumery, I'm finding myself evaluating scents through their dry-downs.
A perfume has to have an interesting dry-down for me to be interested in shelling out my money for a full bottle.
(unless it's under $40 and I need one more bottle to fill my cart for free shipping and it sounds kinda interesting...but we won't talk about that part)

Good luck @CeeTee !

 

[CeeTee]

It was this type of thing that sent me screaming to Etsy indie oils in the mid 2010s.
That and the realization that my true vibe is "dirty hippie in a bakery carrying flowers." (That hasn't changed BTW)

My Kryptonite is soapy "clean" musks.
My rule of thumb - avoid "clean" scents. Works about 75% of the time.

Trying to avoid woody aromachemicals is a much harder ask.
They hide it behind flowery prose + I find that their offensiveness depends on how they have structured the rest of the base.
Frankly, it's disappointing to find that so many modern perfumes treat their base as an afterthought.
This is the part of the perfume we are wearing for the bulk of the day!

As I revisit traditional perfumery, I'm finding myself evaluating scents through their dry-downs.
A perfume has to have an interesting dry-down for me to be interested in shelling out my money for a full bottle.
(unless it's under $40 and I need one more bottle to fill my cart for free shipping and it sounds kinda interesting...but we won't talk about that part)

Good luck @CeeTee !

I’ve been spying your collection because I believe we have similar tastes!

 

[sakecat]

I’ve been spying your collection because I believe we have similar tastes!

Hopefully I don't lead you astray

 

[CeeTee]

Hopefully I don't lead you astray

I doubt it. We both love GREEEEN! P.S. See my note about the Vent Vert. Mwahahahaha. (I mean this for @CookBot )

 

[thescentguru]

why not give all natural fragrances a try. There are hundreds of amazing artisans.

 

[CeeTee]

Hopefully I don't lead you astray

Oh wait…I was thinking about Cookbot as my fellow green fanatic. Lol

 

[sakecat]

Oh wait…I was thinking about Cookbot as my fellow green fanatic. Lol

Well, if you change your mind and want to smell like a dirty hippy in a bakeshop, you know who to call