A haze of smoke, dust, and resin can hit you like a million-dollar perfume.
A haze of smoke, dust, and resin can hit you like a million-dollar perfume.
October 9, 2025
A haze of smoke, dust, and resin can hit you like a million-dollar perfume.
"Reeking of weed" was once an unfavorable notion, but what about cannabis scent in perfume? According to Fragrantica, by 2024, over 180 perfumes on the market claimed to contain a "cannabis note" - a threefold increase compared to a decade ago when pioneers ventured into the world of intoxicating ingredients. Early examples include Fresh Cannabis Santal, Maison Margiela Music Festival, and Floraïku One Umbrella for Two.
This surge is no coincidence. Andrew Goetz, co-founder of Malin + Goetz, shared that his company's Cannabis Eau de Parfum was once a risk. "Now, everyone is trying to find their way and their opportunity," he stated. Linda Levy, president of the Fragrance Foundation, affirmed that cannabis scents "seem very timely, very right now." According to her, "Cannabis in beauty has become one of the most talked-about topics in the past two years."
Indeed, in recent years, this billion-dollar industry has witnessed a myriad of creations centered on this inspiration: Chronic (19-69), inspired by 1990s California, features a dense blend of patchouli, cedarwood, and bergamot. Over.dose (Scentologia) describes itself as an "olfactory journey of cannabis" through a combination of wood, smoke, resin, and patchouli. Meanwhile, Canna Crush (Bleu Nour) offers a sweet "cannabis" scent blended with white florals and vanilla.
But does what we call "cannabis smell" actually come from the plant, or is it merely an olfactory illusion, much like how other fragrances are born?
While not found on Sephora shelves, names like Malin + Goetz Cannabis, Nasomatto Black Afgano, and Heretic Dirty Grass were niche trailblazers for cannabis to become an underground icon in the early 2010s due to their burnt grass aroma - the rebellious scent of urban nomads and freedom lovers. Was it truly the smell of weed? Or was it merely an evocative layer of smoke created by cedarwood, pepper, patchouli, and a hint of lingering frankincense? The word "perfume" itself originates from the Latin "per fumus," meaning "through smoke," reflecting the origins of early perfumes produced by burning aromatic resins. That's an intriguing coincidence, evoking associations with the hot, rebellious scent of cannabis.
In essence, the "cannabis note" is not merely a crude extract from the hemp plant, but rather a simulated olfactory structure built from a combination of suggestive notes. It's known as an "accord." And naturally, the purpose of this fragrance accord is to evoke a feeling or mood, rather than to replicate the original cannabis scent. "Even natural cannabis scent is very strong; CBD oil or hemp oil ultimately smells very little. These raw materials are not typically used in perfume creation. The only exception was Heretic's Dirty Grass (2018), which caused a stir by using real CBD - a legal, non-intoxicating extract from the hemp plant combined with vetiver to recreate a "purposefully herbaceous" sensation. For this reason, the cannabis scent is artificially recreated in perfume accords."
The cannabis note often begins with an acidic quality, developing into a herbaceous, almost balsamic heart. It frequently features a distinct aromatic aspect, with mint and camphor sensations. It can smell resinous and evoke dry grass, lavender, seaweed, or fruit. It is primarily a dry and woody scent that exudes animalic and even tar-like nuances.
Ultimately, no one can truly define what the cannabis scent in perfume genuinely is - if it were as clear as vanilla or rose, perhaps it wouldn't captivate people enough to make them ponder it. All we know is that this scent can manifest as dark woody smoke, like Black Afgano (Nasomatto, 2009), fresh green herbaceousness, like Demeter's Cannabis Flower, or a blend of rose, suede, and white amber, like Cashmere Kush (Boy Smells, 2020). Sometimes, it's a velvet rose shrouded in smoke, like Boy Smells Kush, or a distinctly cinematic aroma like Maison Martin Margiela Music Festival (2017) - carrying the dampness of old wood and leather, the smell of burnt grass mixed with patchouli, reminiscent of Woodstock 1969.
Fundamentally, the "cannabis" note has never been a single ingredient but a synthetic accord. So, when notes labeled "Cannabis" waft from your wrist, don't expect some raw material truth - what remains is merely a game of perception.
If you don't smell cannabis at all, you're right - many bottles labeled "Cannabis" contain no actual cannabis extract. Sometimes it's merely a naming game for fashion houses and perfumers, where "Cannabis" is used as an allusion simulated based on smoky wood molecules and terpenes (aromatic compounds).
To achieve that unique "cannabis feeling," perfumers employ a rich palette of ingredients from compounds like terpenes (over 150 types in cannabis flowers, and over 30,000 types in other plants like mint, cinnamon, lavender), VSCs (Volatile Sulfur Compounds) that offer tropical fruit notes, and even esters that evoke banana, strawberry, or pineapple.
From this understanding, talented "noses" skillfully draw from their palette sulfurous notes with grapefruit, or sage for the aromatic aspect. They then combine patchouli, galbanum, vetiver, labdanum, hemp oil, cedarwood, or even leather, tobacco, smoked wood, or burnt coffee to recreate what is called "the cannabis feeling" rather than copying the real smell. Cannabis in perfume isn't meant to simulate a high; it's meant to create a scent that doesn't belong to any rules," perfumer Geza Schoen once admitted. "For me, there are many different cannabis, weed, or marijuana smells depending on the strain; but in my opinion, they always have an acidic start, an aromatic herbaceous aspect, and finally a sticky, more or less balsamic resinous note." This is an accord that transcends boundaries - like the artisanal oudh blending philosophy of Middle Eastern masters.
While not directly extracted from the cannabis plant, the following fragrances are iconic in shaping how we perceive the "cannabis note" in perfume. Interestingly, if cannabis truly had a scent, it might be vastly different from what you imagine. Some describe the "cannabis accord" as smelling like "an August afternoon in Venice Beach with a blend of sea salt, sweat, and burnt grass" – sounding both languid, enjoyable, and primal. This is because cannabis – a scent that niche perfumers once obsessed over – was considered "taboo," much like musk, leather, or even the smell of sweat – non-floral, non-classically sweet elements that were excluded from the lexicon of luxury.
Thus, it's not surprising that some recall Demeter's Cannabis Flower as an entry point into exploring these hard-to-define scents. For those unfamiliar with the smell of cannabis, this will be an experience that is both unpleasant and unforgettable because it is one of the first bottles to attempt to subtly recreate the "stunky" smell of cannabis in a refined way, designed to smell "like authentic cannabis adjusted enough to be wearable" by Mark Crames, CEO of Demeter Fragrance Library. This perfume simulates the smell of cannabis flower – a slightly raw and bitter herb that reminds one of an old apothecary, with a hint of the pungent aroma of dried flowers pressed in an old book.
In the mass-market segment, it's also no surprise that perfumes with or evoking cannabis notes became popular with Fresh Cannabis. This bottle opens with a warm, sweet spiciness. You can immediately recognize subtle citrus notes smoothed out by the smell of ripe plum. In the heart, patchouli and rose create a familiar duo of moist sweetness and allure. It's a smoky sweetness of ash, not like birch tar but closer to the scent of incense wood. The scent transitions to a drydown of a buttercream cake with vanilla, dark chocolate, musk, and vetiver.
In stark contrast, Black Afgano (Nasomatto) takes cannabis into the realm of darkness, intense and sharp. Here, you'll experience a rollercoaster ride starting with raw green vegetal notes, ground coffee, then abruptly shifting to deep benzoin resin, continuing to absorb frankincense and tobacco, and finally settling into a blend of benzoin and vanilla in the base.
In another rendition, By Kilian's "Smoke for the Soul" is one of the clearest attempts to portray cannabis through scent – a cool, sharp tang on the nose from grapefruit and eucalyptus that lingers, but gradually recedes into warm, sweet wood, a hint of spice mixed with a wisp of smoke. If there is a cannabis scent, it is undoubtedly fresh, green, leaning more towards the leaf than smoke, just enough to be reminiscent without trying to be shocking.
One cannot omit Maison Margiela Music Festival. This perfume is an ode to the Woodstock music festival, described as having the smell of "patchouli and fresh bud." It carries the dampness of old wood and leather, the smell of burnt grass mixed with patchouli, like a journey to Woodstock 1969.
The world of perfumery is witnessing an exciting new wave: cannabis-inspired fragrances. The burgeoning cannabis industry has permeated many fields and is now making an indelible mark in the world of perfume.
From high-end options to more accessible scents, an increasing number of "Ganja Cologne" – perfumes deeply infused with the spirit of cannabis – are appearing on the market. Regardless of price point, these accords share a commonality: they are crafted with the artistry of perfumers, utilizing a diverse array of fragrance molecules to evoke a unique cannabis sensation.
A small survey by Basenote indicated that only about 23% of users clearly identified the "cannabis note" in perfumes claiming to contain this ingredient. The rest described the smell as smoky, damp, green, sweet, or spicy, but not quite like the plant they knew. So ultimately, what is called Cannabis in perfumery might just be a reminder of something, not necessarily the smell of the plant itself. As long as each time we immerse ourselves in the "cannabis" scent, we can dream of something nameless, slightly illogical, yet strangely captivating.
