During my trip to London last month, I visited the 4160Tuesdays studio in Hammersmith and caught up on sniffing the more recent releases. As we were about to leave the studio, I was still grappling with the mysteries of Ginger Snap Eau de Parfum (2025) on the blotter, so I shamelessly asked for a sample, and perfumer Sarah McCartney graciously granted my wish.

What really kept my nose going back to the blotter and my mind turning its cogs was a warm note that reminded me of skin in the sun on a hot day, perhaps the inner elbow slightly moist with sweat, but in a pleasant way. Certainly not the stink of urban summertime scents that have been accosting me everywhere I go! Consensus from the few people around me was that this was probably the ginger, but my nose and mind somehow couldn’t accept this simple explanation…

The 4160Tuesdays website explains:

For spice month on our Patreon, Sarah experimented with a bunch of different spice accords but this was our tingly hot favourite. Ginger is a wayward material. If you mix it with a floral blend it bubbles up all soapy, so she is always a little reluctant to try it, but this time it decided to behave and present its best self.

Fragrantica thus far lists only the one note, ginger. This is the part where I wish perfume names didn’t bias one’s impression even before smelling it. My nose’s insistence on deconstructing the scent doesn’t seem to be shared widely, though. One day as I was wearing it, my other half and I were in an elevator on our way out to eat, and he said, “I keep getting wafts of your Ginger Snap, and it’s making me hungry!”

Funnily enough, through most of the wear it doesn’t really make me think of cookies. In the opening, I detect orange, the heat of cinnamon, and toasted sugar. The first gourmand impression for me is actually savory, and I suspect the structure gets some help from a powerful amber wood or woody amber aromachemical in moderation. Later, Ginger Snap reveals some fuzz in the form of coumarin, likely a tonka note.

I haven’t verified any of these observations with Sarah, so this is just my guessing game.

From a distance, there are moments when I also manage to find it very literal. My skin doesn’t overcomplicate things as my brain does—it eats up the fragrance completely after several hours!

Have you tried Ginger Snap? What are your thoughts on perfume names that tell you exactly what to expect?