Between the Notes

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 [email protected].

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.

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: Routledge

Check 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 [email protected].

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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, some 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: [email protected]

Music & Sound Engineering: Jasem Jarrar

This week Sarah gets into reviews for fragrances from d'Annam, Chapel Factory, 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