Paper, Book, or Library? A Niche and Indie Mini-Review Collection for Bibliophiles
The following mini-reviews were born out of my deep and enduring obsession with capturing books in fragrance. There are three primary ways that I see this done continuously: the fragrance draws upon the metaphorical sphere of papery and parchment notes, delicate and musty book accords, or large and evocative atmospheric library accords.
At some point, after sampling Sorce’s English Major, I made it a personal goal that whenever I tried a new fragrance house, I would always include a sample of a scent that claimed to feature notes related to paper, books, or libraries.
Over time, having amassed a modest but thoughtful collection of these fragrances, I wanted to share some overarching thoughts, observations, and interesting trends that I’ve uncovered along the way to help those who might be intrigued by and interested in exploring this same fragrant space.
Sorce - English Major. 5/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
It’s hard to knock the queen off her throne. English Major was my first book-oriented scent and it completely stopped me in my tracks (the exact language I used at the time was that my eyes went ‘catnip wide’ at it.) It completely altered my perception of what fragrance could be at the time. The orris and marshmallow notes keep it lovely and creamy, while the carrot seed and the papery undertones keep it firmly grounded in the category of ‘book scent.’
This is not one book, it’s a backpack full of them, without the dark mahogany tones of the ‘library’ scents you will find throughout this list. English Major should be an easy introduction to the genre of book scents, it’s cozy, it’s friendly, and the slight sweetness does not detract from the stories it wishes to tell.
Solstice Scents Library. 5/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: LIBRARY 🏛
Warm, broken-in leather and a brightness from the cedar and ink BUT without that acrid note I associate with many inky fragrances. This makes me smell professional and I typically wear it into trick my brain into writing more and being more productive. Library is a classic environment smell, you get tall ceilings and built-in bookshelves into the wall before you actually smell any books. But it lasts all day and puts me in the right state of mind, so for that I will always reach for it. This smell is responsible, you could have it co-sign a lease for you. It’s no-nonsense interpretation of a library definitely leans non-fiction.
There are many ‘library’ interpretations on this list, but Solstice Scents wins out by having the most true-to-form floor-to-ceiling interpretation of the built-in bookshelf.
Alkemia - Novella. 5/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
This one will be divisive for my ranking because to argue it ‘smells the best’ would be utter folly. No, there are definitely more pleasant fragrances on this list, but nothing in my whole journey smells MORE like yellowed paperbacks than Novella. It’s floral, dusty, a bit wet, a bit dry, and in my opinion, utter perfection. The earl gray note is not just atmospheric but also lends to the age of the book it tries to portray, this the book that’s been dragged to mealtimes, lost outside overnight, and then stuffed in the car for long roadtrips.
This is my exact childhood of scouring thrift stores for paperbacks of Goosebumps ‘Readers Beware, You Choose the Scare’ or ‘Sweet Valley High’ or ‘Animorphs.’ If you want to smell like old, cheap paperbacks yellowed and poorly stored, THIS is your girl, and she is loyal and long-lasting.
Diptyque - L’eau Papier. 5/5
Paper, Book, or Library: PAPER 📜
It is an inexplicable masterpiece that makes me feel grounded and firm, as long as I do not twist myself into knots around performance. It does something to my brain. It gets a permanent pass. In my own head for funsies I invented a fake fragrance family based on fabric accords, earthy grains and matte textural perception that I call "Carbs." L'eau Papier is the John Hancock of the Carbs Committee. (You might think Carbs are enemies of Ozonics but they are actually girlfriends doing just fine.)
Is it a ‘book’ scent? No. This is pulpy, starchy paper. And yet I think everyone should give this a shot at least once, a rite of passage into the continuum of paper to book, book to library.
Andromeda's Curse - Caladrius. 4/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: PAPER 📜
Love this one for having florals in it. The vibe is 'saved love letter from decades ago found in a drawer.' Absolutely blows my mind that it can be a floral and still a recognizable book. This is a slightly more-pleasant but less true-to-form yellowed paper fragrance, which is why Alkemia’s Novella still beats it out.
Lilies and a fresh tea note separate this within the genre of book fragrances by giving you the full ‘writer’s experience'— this is a collection of love letters being written on a spring morning, a cup of tea forgotten as the writer pores her heart into her work, freshly clipped flowers surrounding her as her head bobs up and down as she writes.
Replica - Whispers in the Library (DISCONTINUED). 4/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: LIBRARY 🏛
Alas, this one is on the list to mourn. On the continuum from book to library, WITL is of course more atmospheric and closer to a library portrayal. It has deep woods without falling into a dark pit of incense and resin, it had smoke without drenching the reader in ash. It was a balanced, long-lasting library interpretation, albeit slightly light on paper portrayal for my personal preference. It will never make sense this was discontinued and I will continue to pour one out for it.
Sucriebelle - Book Witch. 4/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
Book Witch is the whole gal, she smells like the girl you want to get to know and not just the book of secrets she carries. There’s a creamy note where she’s sipping her milk tea, a lovely resinous benzoin that suggests her efforts of rebinding a few books, and even the sweetness of her half-eaten pastry. Some might dislike me ranking this so high up in the list given that books are just one element of the profile, but I think it’s instantly recognizable as a book fragrance and so on the list it goes.
I recommend this to beginners who are not used to breaking down notes extensively and separating scent profile from marketing— this one is a nice little primer into ‘what is marketing in a notes list versus what is distinguishable by formulation.’ Note, I don't recommend this brand much because of the cost/value equation. But if you can catch a sale, they typically take a concept and make it fun.
Poesie- Bookish Brew. 4/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: LIBRARY 🏛
Wonderfully similar to Book Witch but with an oat milk note that is going to make somebody’s day. I am not big on oat milk lattes, so for me Book Witch slightly beats it out, but if you want to embody the atmospheric scent of a home library, a large sweater, and an oat milk latte, this is your Poesie.
Poesie - Library Ghost. 3/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: LIBRARY 🏛
Very similar in profile to Sorce’s English Major, except with an initial creamier and smoother presentation that highlights its sweetness. But like a ghost it immediately disappears, and/or, I go anosmic. None of the other Poesie’s I have are this short-lived, so this a real shame, it could easily top the list if it were not such a shy ghost.
Bibliotheca - Alkemia. 3/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: LIBRARY 🏛
Mahogany-forward. This library is surely behind a hidden door in a fancy clubhouse and is warmed by an active fire that leaves the room a bit too smoky for most reader’s tastes. Its owner likes martinis and old records. I simply have nothing in common with this library interpretation, it’s utter fanciness makes it feel like perhaps there are Illuminati records somewhere in these tomes.
It is instantly recognizable as a ‘library’ scent with its leatherbound books and mahogany tables, but it is perhaps a bit too formal and stuffy for me to delve deeply into a good book for hours here.
Cardinal Scents - Gentle Reader. 3/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
Given how wildly enthusiastic I was for orris butter in Sorce’s English Major, I genuinely thought I would latch onto Gentle Reader a bit more deeply than I ultimately did. This edition is a hardback novel featuring recent rebinding efforts, with a slightly glue-like quality to its spine—I struggle to say that in a way that sounds endearing, but I truly AM fond of this tactile imperfection, so don’t let the word "glue" scare you away.
The book feels a bit stiff, and its pages themselves are a warm, vanillic cream color. Any hint of mustiness it carries doesn't repel but rather fills your heart with a profoundly nostalgic warmth. Yet, despite these charming qualities, it offers nothing entirely new to the olfactive accord that I already experience with English Major or Novella. For someone who finds Novella’s strong yellowed paper accord a bit overwhelming, I would wholeheartedly recommend they dive straight into Gentle Reader instead.
Sucriebelle - Byzantine. 3/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: PAPER 📜
Black tea and paper! It's a little dusty and aromatic and focuses more on translating "the sound of paper rustling" than how the others are about the room or the leather-bound cover. Note, I don't recommend this brand much because of the cost/value equation. But if you can catch a sale, they typically take a concept and make it fun.
Commodity - Paper. 3/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: PAPER 📜
Starchy, clean journal paper. Is it thick, plush parchment from an old book? No, it’s journal paper. Is it drafting paper or thin-lined notebook paper? No, it’s journal paper. Is it in old tomes filled with magical spells? No. It’s journal paper.
Commodity - Book. 3/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
‘Book’ is not simply Commodity’s Paper plus another element— no, Book presents an entirely different fragrance profile that shares very little with its sister scent, Paper. (Did I mention that Paper smells like a fresh journal straight from Barnes and Noble? I might have mentioned that Paper evokes the scent of a journal.) Book, on the other hand, offers a very simple, nearly soliflore interpretation of a book pulled right off the shelf at Barnes and Noble— it is cedar-y but approached from a completely different angle than pulped paper, with notes of bergamot and sandalwood that evoke the experience of walking through the aisles of a commercial bookstore.
This fragrance is another no-nonsense introduction into the genre of book-inspired scents but, perhaps, it doesn’t feel particularly inspired or unique in its execution.
Alkemia - Book of Shadows. 2.5/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
Inky, dark, and actively eager to curse you with its mysterious power. This is not a book for beginners, no— the curses woven throughout this volume are deliberately crafted to make a deal with you, one that may very well tip the scales against your favor. While I absolutely adore Alkemia’s signature ‘heavy parchment’ note, the rich blend of incense and ink that shrouds this shadowy tome in darkness makes it difficult to imagine as a scent for everyday wear. Still, it remains delightfully book-focused, evoking that deep, literary ambiance.
I would highly recommend this fragrance for a special night out—perhaps one where you’re set on encountering lost, wayward dreamers at a dimly lit bar, ready to barter their eternal souls under the veil of twilight.
Gibbon's Boarding School. 2.5/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: LIBRARY 🏛
Solstice Scents is the reigning monarch of the atmospheric fragrance world. Gibborn’s Boarding School transports you into a richly detailed, three-dimensional time and place, filled with the scent of dusty wooden desks, crisp paper, worn leather, and the unmistakable aroma of tobacco from the headmaster’s pipe—right down to the subtle notes of leaves gently falling from the trees outside an open window. The book elements are really just one small stroke of paint within a far larger, more intricate painting. It evokes a sense of nostalgia and charm that’s truly lovely, making you quietly jealous that you never had the chance to attend Gibbons.
Because it encapsulates an entire fall semester and focuses less on the library/book scents than the others, it remains a somewhat lower priority compared to other book-inspired scents on the list.
Amorphous - Book Fair. 2/5
Paper, Book, or Library? VERDICT: BOOK 📚
I hate to rank this lowest because it has such a true-to-form vision. This IS the Scholastic book fair scent. It’s just that… deeply entrenched in the nostalgia of that one magical day per year in elementary school is the actual true fact that the Scholastic Book Fair smell is mostly… Plastic. I give this fragrance props for bringing a different lens to book genre, but I do not actually want to smell like this all day.
Nui Cobalt has quite a few book scents, but in transparency, I have not tried them:
Bibliomancy - Vanillic and lavender
Forbidden Library - Vanillic and black oak, heavy incense
Rudiments of Augury - Egyptian amber and bookshelves
Stories and Spidersilk - Tobacco, cotton, and leather-bound books
Reading Nook - Paper, leather, mahogany and ‘squishy pillows’ (Dying to try this one)
Bibliophilia - Vanillic and bookshelves, pipe tobacco, and faded leather
Voyeur - Lavender, lemon verbena, and books
Canoodling in the Library - Bright and inky, with a musky atmospheric lens