Not knowing what oil I picked when doing the frangrance test has been really helpful. It allows me to not make any assumptions of what the oil will smell like. Instead, I put a couple drops on tester, take the first initial sniff, wait 20 minutes and take another, and then wait some more time, depending on what note it is. Today I landed on Ho Wood (Cinnamomum camphora var linalool) and truth be told, it first smelled like kerosene/medicinal to me, which I had been calling “phenolic.” But it was ever so slight. What came to mind was something deep, and I thought maybe this is earthy? After a few minutes, something else started to peek through... floral? I think so. I decided to find out what oil it was and was surprised that it was Ho Wood. I read it described as woody, floral, and camphorous. That tracks with what I was experiencing. After 20 minutes it was floral, but not overpowering. And that deep quality was still there, which I think is woody - but not fresh cut lumber. All of the facets were really subtle and lovely. I’ll stick with woody, floral, and slightly camphorous.
