This week is all about new smells; loved brands are revisited, new ones discovered. Olfactory cravings? Consider them satiated (for now).
Fragrances mentioned:
Neroli Pomodoro, Caffè Amaro/ Bianco Profumo
Do Son/ Diptyque
Tamarindo/ Memo Paris
Tuberose Tantra, The Poet & Wedding in Oaxaca/ Kismet Olfactive
Jardins de Misfah/ Une Nuit Nomade
Glow/ Akro
Vetiver in Wool/ Scents of Wood
Un Bel Amour d’Été/ Parfum d’Empire
Workaholic/ Fugazzi
Be sure to follow on Instagram @btwnotes for more smelly updates, and feel free to leave a comment or reach out through email at btwnotespod@gmail.com.
Music & sound engineering: Jasem Jarrar
This week is all about discovering the breadth of Tuberose fragrances: the creamy, the fruity, the metallic and the narcotic. We also chat about a recent column from Jessica DeFino on strong smells, and an Ottoman lost artisanal profession (aka, the ultimate vibe curators): incense burning. Swipe to last image to see my favorite tuberose - a deep dive to come on that next episode!
Fragrances mentioned:
Tuberoza / Nishane
Narcotic V. / Nasomatto
Honor Woman 43 / Amouage
Café Tuberosa / Atelier Cologne
Tubereuse / Headspace
Tuberose & Moss / Rogue Perfumery
Eshaal & Pichola / Neela Vermeire Creations
Tuberose Tantra / Kismet Olfactive
Moonwake Tuberose / Nomad Noé
Readings:
Jessica Defino: "I’m sensitive to the scents my children’s friend brings into the house. What do I do?" Ask Ugly Column for the Guardian
Ergin, Nina, "The Fragrance of the Divine: Ottoman Incense Burners and Their Context" The Art Bulletin, New York: RoutledgeCheck out Goldensniff's awesome Tuberose axis here
Be sure to follow on Instagram @btwnotes for more smelly updates, and feel free to leave a comment or reach out through email at btwnotespod@gmail.com.
Music & sound engineering: Jasem Jarrar
This week is full of new smells, old favorites and some heartbreaks. I also chat about the unique ways frankincense is used in Omani daily life as discussed in Hajer Harrathi's work.
Fragrances mentioned:
Molecule 01 + Iris / Escentric Molecules
Delta of Venus / Eris Parfums
Tubéreuse Absolue / Perris Monte Carlo
Burrow / Paraphrase Parfum
Champaca / Ormonde Jayne
Milky Dragon / Isabelle Larignon
Pluck! / Jerom Studios
Forbidden Bloom / Mabelle O'Rama
Fougère Émeraude / Les Indémodables
Island Lush / Goldfield & Banks
Vanilla Powder / Matière Première
Roasted Green Tea, Sumo Wrestler / J-Scent
Vetiver Bourbon/ Parfum D'Empire
Reading:
Frankincense's Ritual Uses in Oman: An Anthropological Study, Hajer Harrathi (Al-Muntaqa, 2023)
Podcast music & Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar
Be sure to follow on Instagram @btwnotes for more smelly updates, and feel free to leave a comment or reach out through email at btwnotespod@gmail.com
We often think about smell and fragrance in a vacuum; as a alternative form of self expression or beauty. But, scent is political. In this episode Sarah discusses Shivani Kapoor's writing on how Dalit autobiographies highlight smell and a critical experience that defines the caste system in India, and connect it to broader ideas of smelling "of your class". Don't worry, I of course chat about pretty smells too (perfume oils especially!)
Fragrances mentioned:
- Pear Inc/ JHAG
- Myth/Ellis Brooklyn
- 3 Fleurs, Le Cri, Vetiver Bourbon, Tabac Tabou/ Parfum d'Empire
- Egyptian Musk, Sandalwood/ Nemat
- O'Feminin/ M. Micallef
- Yara/ Lattafa
- Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere
Reading:
Shivani Kapoor: "Words that Smell: Caste and Odors in Hindi Dalit Autobiographies" in Aromas of Asia: Exchanges Histories, Threats. Edited by Hannah Gould & Gwyn McClelland
Be sure to follow on Instagram @btwnotes. If you have recommendations or want to say hi, you can also email at btwnotespod@gmail.com
Music & Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar
This week is all about comfort scents, and the ongoing search for a new hyperfixation: the soapy, bubbly, shampoo-y scents of your dreams (a sign of the times). I need to know: what's the squeaky, fruity floral concoction you find yourself back to now and then?
Fragrances mentioned:
Hydra Figure/ Miller Harris
Fascent/ I Fig you
No. 19 Poudre & No. 5 Eau Premeire/ Chanel
Sandalwood/ Nemat
Kimono/ d'Annam
Queen Nzinga/ Marissa Zappas
Porcelain Pulse/ Roan
Champaca/ Ormonde Jayne
Ghost in The Shell, You or Someone Like You / Etat Libre D'orange
Purple, Blue Pour Femme, Bright Crystal/ Versace
Pear Inc./ JHAG
Lazy Sunday Morning/ Maison Margiella
Sweet Pea/ Bath and Body Works
Myth/ Ellis Brooklyn
Be sure to follow where you listen and keep in touch on Instagram @btwnotes!
Have something to share? Write to btwnotespod@gmail.com
Music & Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar
Looking for a cardamom fragrance to fit your mood? Look no further, from the opulent to shape-shifting, Sarah shares the ultimate shortlist has a something for everyone, and then gets into the olfactive power of protest and memory that enables us to retain ties (even if complicated ones) to our places of origin.
Fragrances mentioned:
Trayee / Neela Vermeire Creations
Nordic Cedar / Maya Njie
Kyoto / Comme des Garçons
Moon milk/ Stora Skuggan
Tchai/ Hima Jomo
Jaipur chai/ Ineke Parfums
Otis & Me / Jazmin Saraï
Honorable mentions:
Night Flower / Eris Parfum
No. 7/ Enchanted Alchemy
Readings:
Lyrics: Fontaines D.C., Fairouz " El Kods Al Atika, القدس العتيقة"
Book: "Men in the Sun" Ghassan Kanafani
Make sure to follow where you listen, Between the Notes on Instagram, and message if something struck a chord with you!
Music & Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar (@jas3m.j)
This week's episode is a bit more relaxed and chatty as Sarah talks about a recent smell trip, an very impulsive buy, the continued search for the perfect cardamom fragrance, and fragrance recession indicators (not all facts, observations and vibes).
Fragrances/ products mentioned:
Neroli Body Oil/ Nuxe
Body Lotion in Black Rose & Oud/ Salt & Stone
The New Savant Candles (Androgyne was the favorite)
Amber/ Nemat
Nippon Kodo Incense Sticks (Musk, Jasmine, Green Tea, Lotus & Sandalwood)
Olivenol Body Cream/ Medipharma Cosmetics
Mure, Bergamote/ Outremer
Summer in Paro, Tchai/ Hima Jomo
Dandelion Butter/ Clue Perfumery
Moonmilk/ Stora Skuggan
Toor Toor/ Regime de Fleurs
Fleur d' Ete/ Bienaime
Golestan, L'Air du Desert Marocain, L'Air Des Alpes Suisses/ Andy Tauer
Matchbox Romance/ Binaurale
You can follow Between the Notes on Instagram @btwnotes
Feel free to reach out to the show's email: btwnotespod@gmail.com
Music & Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar
This week Sarah gets into reviews for fragrances from d'Annam, Chapel Factor, Aesop and more. Then from Indonesia we discuss Saki Tanada's research on how smell is associated with different states of being in Lombok, Indonesia.
Fragrances:
Tokyo Nights, Hinoki Meditation, Kimono/ d'Annam
Marrakech Intense/ Aesop
Holy Stick/ Chapel Factory
Ashoka/ Neela Vermeire Creations
Un Air d'Apogée/ Violet Parfum
Euphoria/ Calvin Klein
Gucci Guilty Intense Pour Femme/ Gucci
Work Cited:
Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Smell of Vunerability in Lombok, Indonesia by Saki Tanada, in "Aromas of Asia: Exchanges, Histories, Threats" (2023)
Music & Sound Engineering: Jasem JarrarBe sure to comment, like and follow where you listen, and connect on Instagram: @btwnotes
This week Sarah discusses thoughts on Amer Perfume's Arabian Jasmine (Art & Olfaction award-winning), Perennial and Mandaroud before diving deep into the introduction of AI in the perfume industry, and its impact on the concept of craftsmanship (and Sarah shares her absolute no-nos for AI in perfume)
Perfumes mentioned:
Arabian Jasmine, Perennial, Mandaroud/ Amer Perfumes
Works cited:
Arabelle Sicardi for The Verge "How AI Infiltrated Perfume" June 24, 2025
I also suggest reading further on all the tech mentioned in this article and in the episode!
Music @ sound engineering: Jasem Jarrar @jas3m.j
Reach out and share your thoughts! Between the Notes on Instagram: @btwnotes
This week, Sarah gives a brief review of Trayee, an introductory scent from the house of Neela Vermeire Creations. Then we dive into Dora Goldsmith's work on constructed smellscapes in ancient Egypt, and muse on smells of today's Egypt. Chuck out your 1920s harem pants and bobs, because this is not the Egyptology you think it is!
Fragrances mentioned:
Trayee/ Neela Vermeire Creations
Works mentioned:
Goldsmith, Dora. "Smellscapes in ancient Egypt." The Routledge Handbook of the Senses in the Ancient Near East. Routledge, 2021. 636-662.
Hessler, Peter. The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt. Profile Books, 2019.
Dana El Masri for Alabastron Journal, 2024
Sound Engineering & Music: Jasem Jarrar
This week's episode is an overhaul list of incense fragrances and wonderful recommendations. We also get into some musings on smellmaxxing, its positioning, and its connection to practices in the past. After you listen, i'm curious to know, why do you wear perfume?
Fragrances mentioned:
Kyoto, Avignon, Ouarzazate, Floriental/ Comme des Garçons, Wazamba/ Parfum d'Empire, Princess/ Lanvin, Oak & Oak/ Scents of Wood, Indigo Smoke/ Arquiste, Copal de Terre/ Le Monde Gourmand, Etui Noir/ Miller Harris, Otis & Me/ Jazmin Sarai, Euphoria/ Calvin Klein, Purple Mantra/ Room 1015, Gucci Guilty pour femme intense/ Gucci, Reliq d'Amour, Rev d'Ossian/ Oriza Legrand, Feminite du Bois/ Serge Lutens, Olibanum/ Profumum Roma
Additional fragrances to try that were missed:
Mandala/ Masque Milano
Tucson/ Astier de Villatte
Works cited:
New York Times, Smellmaxxing Explained: https://tinyurl.com/4u3fv6d5
Suzy Nightingale, "The Tiktok Boys" for The Scented Letter (Spring 2025)
Alice du Parcq's Substack, "Why we must celebrate teen boy scent hounds": https://tinyurl.com/ydu2pxuv"
The Golden Peaches of Samarkand" by Edward Schafer
"On a Trail of Incense: Japan and Olfactory Thought" by Lorenzo Marinucci (chapter in "Aromas of Asia)
Be sure to check out Between the Notes on Instagram and follow where you listen! https://www.instagram.com/btwnnotes/#
Music & sound: Jasem Jarrar @jas3m.j
For this week, we get into a review of a lovely narcissus find and an interesting, impulsive shopping experience. For our fragrance cultural discussion we delve into fragrance practices and identity in Zanzibar as discussed in Rosabell Boswell's work from 2008: How fragrance practices shifted after the 1964 revolution, how it converged and diverged African and Arab ethic identity expression, and the tricky business of documenting "intangible" cultural heritage like fragrance.
Fragrances mentioned:
Mariya/ OmanLuxury
Narcisse Taiji, Neroli Hasbaya, Cédre Figalia/ Atelier Materi
Work discussed on podcast:
Scents of identity: Fragrance as heritage in Zanzibar by Rosabelle Boswell, Journal of Contemporary African Studies 26 (3), 295-311 (2008)
Be sure to follow where you listen and check out Between the Notes on Instagram! @btwnnotes
Music & sound engineering: Jasem Jarrar @jas3m.j
This week is another discovery set deep dive! I chat about the Les Indémodables collection. Each offering presents an austere, well respected material traditionally used in perfumery, and takes an elegant yet playful approach. Yet, each playful take is grounded in a classical style of perfumery. Les Indémodables encapsulates the best of niche perfumery, emphasizing luxury and quality with each composition.
Discovery set (in order of appearance):
Fougere Emeraude
Oranger Sirocco
Oriental Velours
Chypre Azural
Escale en Haiti
Cuir de Chine
Escale en Indonesie
Iris Perle
Patchouli Nosiette
Musc des Sables
Rose de Jamal
Vanille Havane
Ambre Supreme
If you've tried the collection, tell me what your favorite is! If you haven't, which one intrigues you the most?
Thanks for listening in and be sure to follow Between the Notes on Instagram! @btwnnotes
Music & sound engineering: Jasem Jarrar @jas3m.j
This week we chat about musings on my personal "big bottle manifesto" and discuss the Hiram Green discovery set. Spoiler: Tryst has become my most beloved orange blossom fragrance. Ever. Let me know your favorites from the brand!
Fragrances mentioned:
Papyrus Oud/ Parle Moi de Parfum
Neroli Nasimba/ Maison Crivelli
Riva/ Lootah
O'Feminin/ M.Micallef
All of me/ Narcisco Rodriguez
Maggie the Cat is Alive i'm Alive/ Marissa Zappas
La Panthere Parfum/ Cartier
Discovery set/ Hiram Green
Be sure to comment & follow on Instagram @btwnnotes
Sound & engineering: Jasem Jarrar @jas3m.j
This week we chat out decolonizing our sense of smell, Japanese linguistics and the antidote to perfume overconsumption all in one go! Both segments of today show are taken to discuss a wonderful piece by Lorenzo Marinucci, but next week we will be back with new smells and perfume reviews!
Neroli Oranger/ Matiere Premiere
Galavant / House of Puente
Phoenix Flame/ Mabelle O'Rama
Incense Kyoto/ Comme des Garçons
Works cited:
Marinucci, Lorenzo. " On a Trail of Incense: Japan and Olfactory Thought". Aromas of Asia: Exchanges, Histories, Threats, edited by Hannah Gould and Gwyn McClelland, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, 2023"
Fragrance and Impermanence" from Joseph Colbourne's Substack https://tinyurl.com/mwkw4ms6
Between the Notes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btwnnotes/#
Music & sound: Jasem Jarrar @jas3m.j
What did scented dreams and smelly caves say about 17th century Ottoman social mobility and global positioning? Why do I like perfume oils so much? How many Turkish words can I mispronounce in an hour? All are answered on this week's episode!
I get into some new perfume acquisitions, hint at some discovery sets on the way, and review "Aromas of knowledge, networks of scent: tracing the olfactory imagination of a 17th-century Ottoman traveler" by Rao Mohsin Ali Noor. Let me know your thoughts!
Perfumes mentioned:
Ashore/ Amouage
Ambre Supreme / Les IndémodablesGucci Bloom / Gucci
Lust/ Lush
Otis & Me / Jazmin Saraï
3 Fleurs / Parfum D'Empire
Jasmin et Cigarette / Etat Libre D'Orange
Various perfume oils/ Tarife Attar
*Mehmet Efendi was the writer I was referring that is associated with the last cave passage discussed; Yazıcıde is the word I couldn't pronounce and I read that is was a term to refer to someone who was the "son of a writer" or someone who was apart of the Ottoman court.
Citation for work discussed: Aromas of knowledge, networks of scent: tracing the olfactory imagination of a 17th-century Ottoman traveler, Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali. Abingdon: Routledge, The senses & society, 2023-01, Vol.18 (1), p.52-65
Be sure to comment and follow on Spotify and Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/btwnnotes/
Sound engineering and music: Jasem Jarrar
Welcome to Episode 2 of Between the Notes!
This week Sarah defines what a "mama perfume" is and reviews works that outline the "cultural biography" of aromatics like Saffron in 7th century China.
Fragrances mentioned:
Beautiful, Knowing and Knowing legacy by Estee Lauder
Charlie Azure by Revlon
Chanel No. 5 & Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere by Chanel
O'Feminin by M. Micallef
Rival by Lootah
Iris Celadon by Armani Prive
Incense Kyoto by Commes De Garcon
Oak in Oak by Scents of Wood
Vetiver Bourbon by Parfum D'Empire
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btwnnotes/
Works cited:
Scented Protection: Saffron's Transcultural Premodern History by Yan Liu, 2023
The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of T'ang Exotics, Volume 1 by Edward H. Schafer, 1963
Sound engineering & music: Jasem Jarrar
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Between the Notes!
Hosted by Sarah, a lifelong lover of perfume, this podcast explores fragrance through a social and historical lens.
Between the Notes aims to challenge common understandings of perfume across time and place, highlighting its rich cultural significance. And while we’re at it, I’ll also share some of my current favorite scents!
Fragrances mentioned:
3 Fleurs: Parfum d' Empire
Reflection Man: Amouage
Night Flower: Eris Parfums
Indigo Smoke: Arquiste
For a similar vibe to the musky concoctions/ oils mentioned: check out Smell of Dubai and Nemat perfume oils (US)
Main source referenced: The Musk Trade and the Near East in the Early Medieval Period by Anya H. King
*Sogdian Letters (1-5) dates to around 312-313 CE
You can follow and comment on Between the Notes on Spotify, and get the latest updates on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btwnnotes/
Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar (@jas3m.j)