Tobacco fragrances

A tobacco note doesn't smell of cigarette smoke — it smells of dried tobacco leaf before anyone lights it. It's a warm, slightly sweet scent with hay, dried fruit and honey, considered one of the most 'grown-up' in perfumery. It's obtained from an absolute of Nicotiana tabacum leaf and is often supported by honey, vanilla, tonka or cocoa, which emphasise its sweet side, or by leather and oud, which pull it in a darker direction. That split explains why two tobacco fragrances can be so different: Xerjoff Naxos sets tobacco beside honey and cinnamon and gets something almost gourmand, while Spiritica Lynch leaves it beside myrrh and styrax and gets something smoky and dark. Tobacco is mainly an autumn and winter note, because in the heat it quickly turns sharp and smoky.

Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition: Tobacco as the central note in an Arabian interpretation — sweet tobacco with an amber background.
Xerjoff Naxos: Tobacco combined with honey and lavender — one of the iconic tobacco fragrances.
Spiritica Lynch: Tobacco is the first accord, with smoke and cherry beside it. The most directly tobacco pick in the catalogue.

Do tobacco fragrances smell of cigarettes?

No — the tobacco note in fragrances is the scent of tobacco leaf, not cigarette smoke. It's warm, sweetish and complex. It won't bother anyone.

Is tobacco a more masculine or feminine note?

Tobacco is traditionally a masculine note — but combined with vanilla, rose or honey it becomes more unisex. Feminine tobacco fragrances are a trend in niche perfumery.

Which fragrance has the strongest tobacco note?

Xerjoff Naxos and Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition are among the more tobacco-intense in our range.

Will a tobacco fragrance make me smell like a smoker?

No. The smell of a cigarette comes from burning, while the tobacco note in a fragrance comes from the dried leaf before that. It's closer to hay, dried fruit and honey than to an ashtray. The only scenario where it gets close to smoke is tobacco combined with strong incense or birch tar.

Is tobacco suitable for the office?

As a rule, not in a full dose. A tobacco note is dense and lingers indoors. If you want to wear it to work, choose a fragrance where tobacco is in the base rather than the heart, and stick to one spray on your clothes.