What Does Cinnamon Smell Like in Perfume?

Cinnamon combines warm sweetness with a dry and lively spice. Bark-style notes tend to feel rich, woody and familiar, while other cinnamon effects may be sharper, greener or more medicinal. Perfumers can use natural cinnamon oils, cinnamic fragrance materials or a constructed spice accord. Vanilla and amber make cinnamon feel sweeter, while woods, leather and patchouli bring out its dry and darker sides.

True cinnamon comes from Cinnamomum verum, a tree native to Sri Lanka. The familiar spice is produced from the inner bark. In perfumery, aromatic materials can be obtained from cinnamon bark or leaves through distillation, although these materials have different scent profiles. Perfumers may also use fragrance molecules to control the strength, warmth and sharpness of the cinnamon effect.

Cinnamon is usually used in the heart or base of spicy, woody, amber, leather and gourmand fragrances. It blends well with orange, plum, cherry, rose, clove, cardamom, tobacco, patchouli, sandalwood, amber and vanilla. A small amount adds warmth and movement, while a larger dose creates a clear hot-spice character.