Not drawn yet: a drawing of what it smells like.

Indole

Ingredients · Florals · dry-down

Indole

Say itIN-dohl

Mothball-like and fecal neat; heady, narcotic white flower when diluted.

What it is
A molecule made in a lab.
Where it comes from
natural in jasmine, orange blossom and narcissus
When you smell it
Dry-down: hours later.
What perfumers do with it
The narcotic, animalic heart of jasmine, orange-blossom and tuberose accords; used in traces.
Worth knowing
The same molecule scents both jasmine and human feces; concentration decides which you smell.
Also called
2,3-Benzopyrrole

Not on the label of any of the 232 perfumes read so far.