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"Tangy" scents

post #1 of 26
1/13/07 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
I realized that I really enjoy "tangy " scents like Pour Une Femme by Caron, Guerlain's Mitsouko, Chanel's Coco, Jil Sander's # 4 & Creed's Vanisia. I have no clue what they all contain that gives them that tang but I love it. Anyone know of some other scents that are TANGY ? Thank you, Allie
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post #2 of 26
1/13/07 at 11:03pm
When I think "tangy," I usually think something with a lime rind note or perhaps a pink pepper note. But then again, I also might use "tangy" and "metallic" interchangeably.

For an easily available scent, I find Burberry Brit tangy (lime), and up the ladder a bit more Parfums de Nicolai Vanille Tonka (lime rind). Etro's latest Dianthus has a zesty peppery top note that in addition to the yeasty Atlas cesar is also tangy.
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post #3 of 26
1/13/07 at 11:19pm
Hi Tink! could you, or anyone, describe what makes a scent "tangy"? I have been wondering about this adjective before, and seen it in many perfume reviews. Consulted two different english-swedish dictionaries....the first one claimed it's used to describe "strong and unpleasant" odours/flavours (!), while the other one said it had to do with "strong and pleasant" aromas..... When I use the define-function on google I get descriptions of coffee, goat cheese....etc, but I am not much wiser. I just realised when i saw your post I have always subconciously assumed both "tangy" and "zesty" were synonyms, referring to citrus-like qualities of a scent (probably because I associate it with "tangerine"....)

edit: didn't see Paisley's post before I posted mine. That answered some parts of my question. thank you Paisley!
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post #4 of 26
1/14/07 at 7:22am
wow, i thought I could help you when you said tangy, but when coco is in your least I am totally lost lol. explain what tangy means to you then i can try to help ^^
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post #5 of 26
1/14/07 at 7:54am
The etymology of "tang" derives from a Medieval English word meaning dagger, or point. American astronauts were reported to have imbibed an artifically produced orange drink called "Tang" on one of their first flights.
Hope this adds to the confusion! :bounce:
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post #6 of 26
1/14/07 at 8:14am
I find Paris by YSL to be somewhat tangy.
Also Sake, by Fresh, which I believe has a bit of grapefruit in it.
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post #7 of 26
1/14/07 at 10:25am
Thread Starter 
For me these scents are almost like stewed fruit, not a sweet stew but more like a thick, savory sauce . I'm not sure that helps!
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post #8 of 26
1/14/07 at 10:48am
So, does cardamom register as tangy to you? Or something like mango chutney? A slight almost citrus-like twang that almost makes your mouth water...?

Giorgio Beverly Hills Red, Etro Etro, Issey Miyake Le Feu D'Issey, Aramis Havana pour Elle, Serge Lutens Cedre, Balenciaga Rumba, Caron Eau de Reglisse, Estee Lauder Spellbound, Estee Lauder Knowing...

These are all perfumes (there are more) which have this 'tanginess' in common.
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post #9 of 26
1/14/07 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 
You got it, moondeva!! It's mango chutney ! I'm not sure what cardamom smells like. I love GBH 's Red & Balenciaga's Rumba, I'll have to check out the others you listed. Thank you everyone!
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post #10 of 26
1/14/07 at 11:42am
"Tangy" to me means "sour", so citrus automatically comes to mind (bergamot, lemon, grapefruit, etc.). But I think sandalwood also has a bit of a tang. My skin seems to pick up and amplify sandalwood. Samsara and Coty's Vanilla Musk are both tangy on me because they are very sandalwoody.
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post #11 of 26
1/14/07 at 11:55am
I just got my whole family involved in a debate of what 'tangy' consists of and what it really is... so we're bored a little. Three computers all researching 'tangy'. Hubby is very involved, my sister is laughing, and I am seriously confused. All we've come up with in agreement is that Thai soups actally do smell and taste tangy... as far as any of our fragrances are concerned, none of us really have any clue.

I don't think that cardamom is tangy in any way however.
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post #12 of 26
1/14/07 at 12:02pm
Hmmmm. Well, these are the ones I call "tangy" but I associate this with citus or champagney notes:

YSL Paris
Paris Roses Enchantees
EnJoy
Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune
Happy Heart
Eau de New York
Little Italy
Cabotine
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post #13 of 26
1/14/07 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goddess_Dreams

I just got my whole family involved in a debate of what 'tangy' consists of and what it really is... so we're bored a little. Three computers all researching 'tangy'. Hubby is very involved, my sister is laughing, and I am seriously confused. All we've come up with in agreement is that Thai soups actally do smell and taste tangy... as far as any of our fragrances are concerned, none of us really have any clue.

I don't think that cardamom is tangy in any way however.

Your opinion is appreciated. That's the beauty of fragrance appreciation - personal perception and association.

Can you understand the impression of 'tangy' that Giorgio Beverly Hills Red, Balenciaga Rumba, and Jil Sander No.4 all have in common?

Maybe, what is being described as 'tangy' may actually be an aspect of 'boozy' - like warm balsamic, 'pickled' fruits / florals...

sherrie11 - I too perceive certain sandalwood rich blends as tangy. Serge Lutens Santal Blanc and Givenchy Organza Indecence both have that tangy / boozy quality for me - at least on first application to the skin.
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post #14 of 26
1/14/07 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Pickled is probably the word I should have used! I find Vanisia, Coco & Caron's Pour Femme to be the most pickled. They somewhat remind me of hot & sour soup... minus the hot
Last year at this time I wouldn't touch such scents with a ten foot pole, it's funny how much tastes can change!!
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post #15 of 26
1/14/07 at 2:09pm
"Tang" always makes me think of the orange breakfast drink. Is Tang still around? It had a sharp note to it that I preceived as "sour" and it made me pucker my mouth.

I think what we're all calling "tangy" is something that comes across as tart, sour, bitter, and acedic. It seems that citrus, brine, vinegar, some alcohol, lemongrass, some cheeses, and certain spices produce that acerbic note we call "tangy." I think onion, maybe some peppers bring out this note, too? It's kind of astringent? What do you think?
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post #16 of 26
1/14/07 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goddess_Dreams

I just got my whole family involved in a debate of what 'tangy' consists of and what it really is... so we're bored a little. Three computers all researching 'tangy'. Hubby is very involved, my sister is laughing, and I am seriously confused. All we've come up with in agreement is that Thai soups actally do smell and taste tangy... as far as any of our fragrances are concerned, none of us really have any clue.

I don't think that cardamom is tangy in any way however.

See why I have recently morphed into connecting scents with visuals?
Tell us, Tinker, can you name a painting that reminds you of this tangy note?
hee hee hee
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post #17 of 26
1/14/07 at 2:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtamara41

See why I have recently morphed into connecting scents with visuals?
Tell us, Tinker, can you name a painting that reminds you of this tangy note?
hee hee hee

"Fulfillment" by Gustav Klimt
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post #18 of 26
1/14/07 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tovah

"Tang" always makes me think of the orange breakfast drink. Is Tang still around? It had a sharp note to it that I preceived as "sour" and it made me pucker my mouth.

I think what we're all calling "tangy" is something that comes across as tart, sour, bitter, and acedic. It seems that citrus, brine, vinegar, some alcohol, lemongrass, some cheeses, and certain spices produce that acerbic note we call "tangy." I think onion, maybe some peppers bring out this note, too? It's kind of astringent? What do you think?

I agree. I think of tangy first as a flavor-- and I think acidic. The acid in foods that make your salivary glands spasm, most noticable to me if I pop a vitamen C tablet in my mouth first thing in the morning. Yeooooowwwww.

I always put a dash of vinegar in chili. It brings out the acid flavor lost in tomatoes which are invariably canned in winter and makes it a little fresher tasting. Just FYI there, for you all.

I'd add pomegranate (how the heck is that spelled...) to the tangy note list.
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post #19 of 26
1/14/07 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinker424

Pickled is probably the word I should have used! I find Vanisia, Coco & Caron's Pour Femme to be the most pickled. They somewhat remind me of hot & sour soup... minus the hot
Last year at this time I wouldn't touch such scents with a ten foot pole, it's funny how much tastes can change!!

Now I am confused and have to reconsider the aspect of these perfumes you are attempting to convey.

I am not familiar with the Vanisia or Caron's Pour Femme, but Chanel Coco happens to be one of the most distinctive 'bronzey' perfumes I have ever known. Your chosen visual of Gustav Klimt's Fulfillment, with its wonderful warm burnished inlaid background serves to reinforce the impression that this may be the aspect you are alluding to...

I find Coco very hard to wear because it is not an warm sensual oriental, as I would expect given the name and list of notes. No, to me, Coco, like all the other Chanels, is a cool, aloof perfume. It is a unique polished bronze, scentwise, buffed and shiny like an Anthenean battle shield or matt antique beaten gold with a subtle patina of age. The scent equivalent of a dramatic gold choker that a Chanel woman may wear with a winter suit to the office or to an after work social event. Ostensibly warm and relaxed but held strictly in check. The undercurrents let you know unmistakably that over familiarity is not welcome.

Other Scents with that aspect are Basile by Basile, Reichenbach Golden Drop, Fendi Donna, Dolce & Gabbana Woman, Rochas Byzance, Chanel No.5.
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post #20 of 26
1/14/07 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
I will just assume there is some fruit note they all share that gives a pickled/tangy/boozey/whatever odor. Thank you all for the answers.
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post #21 of 26
1/14/07 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinker424

I will just assume there is some fruit note they all share that gives a pickled/tangy/boozey/whatever odor. Thank you all for the answers.

Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I just remembered that a few years ago I'd made an olfactory connection with a couple of the fragrances you'd mentioned. I think I finally decided that particular note they share (to my nose) is galbanum. Galbanum could absolutely be described as "tangy"; it's a resin with components of turpene and sulphur. I smell this note is Bois des Iles as well, but it's more balsamy in BdI, and sweeter in the scents you've mentioned.

Answers.com says: "Galbanum has a fresh, earthy, balsamic, woody, spicy scent." Sounds "tangy" to me, LOL!
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post #22 of 26
1/14/07 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tovah

Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I just remembered that a few years ago I'd made an olfactory connection with a couple of the fragrances you'd mentioned. I think I finally decided that particular note they share (to my nose) is galbanum. Galbanum could absolutely be described as "tangy"; it's a resin with components of turpene and sulphur. I smell this note is Bois des Iles as well, but it's more balsamy in BdI, and sweeter in the scents you've mentioned.

Answers.com says: "Galbanum has a fresh, earthy, balsamic, woody, spicy scent." Sounds "tangy" to me, LOL!

I have to disagree here, galbanum is a rich green moist scent very similar to the scent of freshly sliced green bell peppers or the scent of the inner pulp of a young bud / shoot. Not really a 'tangy' scent at all. Galbanum smells green, like vegetation but deeper and more complex then grass or leaves.
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post #23 of 26
1/14/07 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tovah

Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I just remembered that a few years ago I'd made an olfactory connection with a couple of the fragrances you'd mentioned. I think I finally decided that particular note they share (to my nose) is galbanum. Galbanum could absolutely be described as "tangy"; it's a resin with components of turpene and sulphur. I smell this note is Bois des Iles as well, but it's more balsamy in BdI, and sweeter in the scents you've mentioned.

Answers.com says: "Galbanum has a fresh, earthy, balsamic, woody, spicy scent." Sounds "tangy" to me, LOL!

I share moondeva's stand on this one. I look for galbanum as a favorite topnote. It's fresh, waxy, green to me. And tender yellow-green at that. Did you ever test Penhaligon's Bluebell? That's where I got my idea of what galbanum smells like.
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post #24 of 26
1/14/07 at 7:23pm
Hmmmm. Yes, galbanum smells like a stem, to me too. It's got a resiny bitterness that I think of as "tangy." I think the topnotes of Chanel No. 19 are "tangy". I never tried Bluebell, but I sure want to now!

As the deconstructionist that I am, this thread is honestly fascinating me. Could Tinker's tangy scent be Opoponax? Wonder if there's coriander in the particular fragrances Tinker mentioned? Or maybe bergamot?

I wish I could help! It's so frustrating trying to find a particular note, and then out of the blue, when it's unexpected, you sniff it in something.

This happened to me really recently. For years I looked for a scent that had a particular note in Safari. I decided that Chanel No. 19 and Boudoir both had this note, but I couldn't pin in down. Recently I tried Annick Goutal Heure Magique and it was one of those "Eureka!" moments. I thought the note was galbanum! Wonder what it is?:bounce:
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post #25 of 26
1/18/07 at 7:58am
Another one that never gets a mention here is:
SpongeBob Squarepants EDC for girls. (by Nickelodeon)
And I am not kidding when i say that it's really, really nice.
Oceanic-light floral and Tangy.
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post #26 of 26
1/18/07 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by castorpollux

Another one that never gets a mention here is:
SpongeBob Squarepants EDC for girls. (by Nickelodeon)
And I am not kidding when i say that it's really, really nice.
Oceanic-light floral and Tangy.

Hey, that sounds like one I'd like (seriously)!
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