If notes are the ingredients, accords are the overall flavor of the dish. An accord describes the general character of a fragrance: woody, floral, fresh, gourmand, and so on. A single perfume usually has several accords, with one or two dominating. Learning accords is one of the fastest ways to find perfumes you will actually enjoy.
Notes vs accords
- A note is a specific material, like bergamot, rose, or sandalwood.
- An accord is a broader impression built from multiple notes working together.
- Accords help you compare scents at a higher level when you do not want to memorize every ingredient.
Common accord families
Accords can overlap
- Real perfumes rarely sit in one box. A scent might be woody and amber at once, or floral with a gourmand base.
- On Scentapedia, accord bars show relative weight so you can see 60% fresh and 40% woody.
- Two perfumes tagged woody can smell completely different if one leans dry cedar and the other creamy sandalwood.
Notes are ingredients. Accords are the flavor of the dish.
How Scentapedia uses accords
- Each perfume page shows its dominant accords with relative weight, so you can see at a glance whether a scent leans fresh, woody, or sweet.
- You can browse the full accords glossary or filter the catalog by accord to find perfumes that match your preferences.
Using accords to discover
If you love one fragrance, check its accords and explore others with similar profiles. Accords are one of the fastest ways to branch out from a known favorite without starting from scratch. For a tour of major styles, read our fragrance families guide.