Woody fragrances are built from trees, roots, and resins, and there is no single woody smell, only a shared quality of depth and dryness.
Sandalwood is creamy and milky sweet, and genuine Mysore sandalwood is now so scarce that most compositions rely on synthetics such as Javanol. Cedarwood is dry and immediately recognisable as pencil shavings, though Atlas cedar and Virginia cedarwood behave quite differently. Vetiver is smoky, earthy, and rooty, with Haitian vetiver as the benchmark, and it divides opinion more than almost any other material. Patchouli changes character completely depending on how long it has been aged. Guaiac wood adds smoke with an unexpected rose facet.
