English Major

Sorce's English Major is outstandingly evocative yet very wearable and comforting. On initial spray, this truly does smell like aged books. There is a slightly dusty facet paired with a spot-on interpretation of a vanillic, ambery quality that is reminiscent of vintage book binding glue. This book accord carries lots of texture, and the smoldering vanilla, brown sugar, and paper facets blend together in a way that reminds me of the sugared oat crumble topping used in desserts. This fragrance is ever so slightly 'dusty' smelling, perhaps from the orris note, but it is not especially obtrusive to my nose. The dry down is relatively simple, but preserves the smoldering vanilla base of this fragrance in a really lovely way. I would say that this fragrance is certainly gourmand-leaning, but it is aromatic, woody, and unusual enough that it is difficult to classify. Longevity is excellent, with a moderate sillage. This perfume really blew me away, I have seldom seen such an evocative yet palatable perfume. 9.5/10

TLDR It smells like you're at the library, you're wearing a sweet marshmallow perfume, but you got soaked by rain on the way in. but like in a good way. This is my first Sorce fragrance and I'm not going to lie, I was REALLY worried that it'd be overhyped and I'd hate it. WRONG. I love it. I love marshmallow and orris , two of my favorite notes but I wasn't sure how I was going to like them together. Perfectly executed. I get the sweet fluffy, slightly toasted marshmallow right on top and the base smells like outside after it's just rained. Maybe that's the fallen leaves, but it very distinctly reminds me of rain or wet earth. It's exactly what I'd hoped for. I could sniff this all day long. Easily one of the most interesting fragrances I own. Edit, this review was in February, I'm now at the end of June. I let my bottle sit and it's far sweeter now. The marshmallow has really deepened. I love it even more now.

Really lovely vanilla iris with just enough library to make it interesting. The powdery sweetness reminds me of marshmallows. It simple but smells good quality and lasts for 8+ hours, wears close. It’s very nice to wear to bed or on rainy days, times you’d usually read a book. Similar to Warm Bulb by Clue in concept but more wearable imo. I’ve been chasing a scent like this for a while, sampled and bought many but this is my favorite thus far. Kepping it simple was a good call. Like all of their fragrances it comes in many sizes and configurations and is priced very affordably. Bonus points for friendly staff! Fragrantica is wrong again on the note list so I’ll do their job for them: Library books, orris absolute, marshmallow, decalepis hamiltonii absolute*, carrot seed, sandalwood, fallen leaves

This one is *weird* in a good way!! Initially, the "old books/dusty library" smell is THERE. And she's almost a little musty/dry mildewy, like actual 100-year-old books in an abandoned castle. But then the sweetness kicks in. The marshmallow here smells almost like berry bubble gum. It's sweet, whimsical, powdery, oddly addictive. Instead of a warm and gooey marshmallow, this marshmallow is cold, dry, dusty. It sounds weird but it's good good good. The dry down is so sweet and pleasant, a little powdery, a little musky. The earthiness fades away as the day goes by. LOVE. (the notes here differ to the notes on Sorce's website - missing the carrot seed/fallen leaves notes and adding coconut and fire. Not sure what's up with that)

A past review noted there is reminiscence of the glue you would use to bind the spines of deteriorating books and after I sampled this, I realized that they were dead-on. I'll admit, I almost scrubbed it the first time because the opening screamed, "PAINT", but I found the dry down worth giving it a few more test-runs. After I knew what to expect, I began to be able to appreciate the marriage between the industrial side of this and the honey-sweet gourmand. It reminds me fondly of my school library, growing up. I find it comforting and just unusual enough. I've had great luck with the longevity and this is easily my favorite Sorce perfume. I would love to see more perfumes in a similar wheelhouse from them.

I get swest cough syrup vanilla and musk from this. My college self would have loved this and fell for the marketing. It's too lactonic for me at the start. Not the scent I expected. I dont get library from this. Byredo biblioteque smells more of that to me. This lasts a long time and withstood desert heat and a swim.. It turned into a sweet musky scent losing the lactonic part. I get some kind of strawberry. The cough syrup bit disappears completely... The longer it sits the better it gets! I judged too early and I came back to say I was wrong and to move it to the love category after many, many hours of hardcore testing.

Smells like musty old books (in an extremely /pos way), with a marshmallow sugary sweetness to it. Very cosy to me! It has a very slight touch of smoke to it too, evokes imagery of reading by candlelight with a cup of hot chocolate. Dries down woody, on my skin I get mostly sweet and marshmallowy with an old mysterious dusty parchment smell. Some of my favourite memories at uni were exploring all the old leather-bound medical texts in the library, and this made me think of that. On it’s own I get light academia vibes, pairing it with something darker and spicier would make a fabulous dark academia scent.

i bought this despite seeing all of the hate on it.. and i'm so glad i did. my first impression was that it smells like an old library (duh) or even some kind of antique store with books, so i'm shocked to see people disagreeing so heavily. yeah it might smell a little bit musty, but if you're going for a library/old books vibe, you gotta commit to the bit. nonetheless, this perfume is very wearable, at least to me. don't buy a perfume with notes of old books, orris, and woody notes expecting a sabrina carpenter sweet tooth dupe...

This feels like my perfect elevated and richer (in the indulgent way) your-skin-but-better scent. I want to smell like I just walked out of the library I work at after an all day shift but I still smell like I just got out of the shower at the same time, and this does JUST that. As a book lover, this one is truly for me. Will be purchasing a full bottle! Amazing. (I would not suggest it for a gourmand-lover unless you really love the cozy/paper/skin scents as well.)

I must say tbirdfreebird described this PERFECTLY, and Byulhaart said this is certainly one of MY favorite scents of all time as well. It's a must have in my collection, and one of the most unique scents I've ever smelled. It's one of those scents that smells like me and my very being. The marshmallow is so gooey, there's a beautiful note of well-loved paper, and the orris helps add to that fluffiness. 100/10 ❤️ Sorce is one of my favorite brands of ALL time.

My all-time favorite perfume ever. This is literally the coziest perfume you can own 😭. Reminds me of my childhood, going to the library and tucked into the corner at a table while reading books but at the same time having a cup of tea and s’mores in front of a fireplace at the same time. Definitely a fall time fragrance or wearable during cloudy or rainy weather but I wear it all the time lol.

As an English Graduate who loves perfume— I had to have this. Unfortunately, they have changed their bottles so I bought an expensive 15ml for the old packaging. Honey, I am in love with this scent. I do not smell old books though :( It is very sweet instead of being slightly woody like I expected. I would love a 50ml or 100ml of this bottle! I think this will be a staple for me.

WOW! Just wow! When they say library books it is literal, but in the prettiest way possible. It is Gilmore girls in a bottle, it is so fall in a small town esque. It is the tiniest bit sweet in the dry down with the marshmallow, but not a gourmand. The marshmallow is actually very faint to me. It is more slightly sweet woody. I love it so much, my favorite sorce perfume thus far.

Love, love, love! It’s like the scent of working in a book archive in a library. While gluing the spine back together of old, highly desirable texts. Ok maybe that’s over playing it a little. The archivist would also be sipping on a marshmallow heavy drink of some sort on their breaks.

The most beautiful, original, evocative scent. It smells like being at the library on a rainy day and is somehow nostalgic. The dry down is also the most elegant marshmallow- more interesting than other marshmallow scents as well. Writerly, lyrical- my favourite smell atm.

This is a really unique scent. I do smell the old books and powdery scent. Not really for everyone but I can see many people would like this. I don’t think this is a safe blind buy definitely get a sample to try!

I love Sorce was really excited to sample this one, but I found it kind of disappointing. Something about it (maybe that mushroom note?) made it just this side of unpleasant for me. So I put it aside and moved on. Then four months later I picked it back up and tried it again, and this time I’m really enjoying it. I don’t know if it actually smells different or I’m just appreciating it more or what but I’m thinking about ordering a full size. It’s got the kind to dusty vanilla of old book pages and the dry muskiness of fallen leaves but also a cozy sweetness from the marshmallow. And the performance is truly impressive. I feel like my skin “eats” perfume. I have many more expensive perfumes that disappear in an hour but I sprayed this before bed and could still smell it the next morning. I didn’t even have to actually smell my skin it was just lingering around me. I’m currently 6 hours into the workday and I can smell it around me right now. Definitely sample first and don’t be afraid to give it a couple of tries to make sure it is/isn’t for you, but if you love academia vibes, fall scents, and something unique, this is a great option.

This is unique and truly beautiful. I love this one from start to finish. I love that weird old book smell, it’s nostalgic to me in a most comforting and pleasant way. Of course, the other notes in there contribute to the magic this fragrance evokes. The iris note is very translucent to me. It’s not a dirty roots-y earthy iris, it’s a refined and delicate texture that reminds me of how thin and fragile bible pages are in a Bible book... I love the sweetness of this fragrance as well but it’s not the sweetness of a gourmand scent. It’s more the aroma you get a whiff of when you are checking out a very ancient book in some dusty library. The pages have yellowed and have some spots on them from age... This is a pleasant surprise to me as I was not expecting to love this at all. I am very picky when it comes to iris as a note in any fragrance and carrot seed as well. But this is wonderful and I will probably add it to my collection at one point...

november in a bottle. strong powdery orris, sweet sweet pen ink, and carrot seed in the opening. that earthy, root-like smell is what evokes old books the most, but it's mostly gooey vanilla marshmallow in the base and dry-down. a very unique and well-blended scent; if it weren't for the faint, sharpie/printer paper chemical note of the ink (which i quite like), it could almost pass for an innocent, autumnal carrot cake perfume. i don't know if it's entirely wearable for me. i gravitate towards more universally likable scents with instantly identifiable notes that get me a "you smell good!" or two, maybe i'm a simple girl... but i look forward to wearing this in the fall and winter, maybe in the office (i work in book publishing, so it's fitting). strange-sweet and cozy, a success!

I kept seeing this being labelled online as dark academia library vibes in a bottle, but I was a bit disappointed to see that this was less "dark" than what I'd imagined. I can definitely sense that book note from the muskiness of the orris root and the powderiness of the marshmallow note, but I do not find it to be photorealistic to old books or anything like that. Rather, it's more of an artistic interpretation of such. I also find this to be quite similar to Oak by Demeter, which is a fraction of the price considering how inexpensive Sorce kinda already is. These two are not exactly the same nor are they dupes, but similar. I have both, which seems a bit redundant to me. Overall, English Major is still a pretty scent but I am personally not in love with it.

This gives me a very very specific scent memory to those Smencils that they used to have at the scholastic book fair and which I would very excitedly waste my book fair allowance on. I think the paper/pencil shaving smell mixed with the powdery sweetness is what does it... I wanna say it smells like the root beer scented one specifically. It's definitely different and a little out there as all Sorce frags are, and I'm deciding whether I love it or not. Even if I don't love love it, I think it's worthy of a try by anyone due to its uniqueness.

The first gourmand I'd describe as.. chilly? Hits deep 90s nostalgia for me; crisp fall air, nights before the internet, reading stacks of books from the library (mustiness, old paper), and something sweet to keep your tummy satisfied. Bizarrely conjures up Halloween night as a little child, and also, studying late in the college library. VERY SWEET, but the carrot seed and orris butter make this marshmallow-centric concoction wearable. Powerful, lingers on clothing for several days. Unexpected love from a usually anti-gourmand person.

old, dusty books, and roasted marshmallow. orris root blending them together, aging the paper, along with the woody notes bringing the air of a library. close to cloying marshmallow, except in cold weather- then feels like the perfect fit for a soft knit and looking out toward a gothic snow-covered windowsill, holding a flaky pastry. the faint fireplace notes solely serve to make it woodier. like all sorce formulas, incredibly long lasting.

I looove the idea of a old library smell and Source got it but there’s just way too much marshmallow, it overpowers it.. English Major has the ‘old and dusty book’ smell perfect but if they would have toned down the marshmallow and the coconut and instead enhanced the woody, dusty smell, and maybe add a little black pepper like Whispers in the Library I’d be in heaven.

This is a really sweet scent, and while I personally don't really think it evokes the image of an English major it's still really nostalgic to me. This perfume kinda smells like old Claire's makeup I'd buy at the mall as a kid in the mid 2010s. Maybe it's the marshmallow, but I'm not sure why it reminds me so much of this specific memory.

I so wanted to love this but for me it’s just ok. I get the vanilla and the old books smell but there’s something that makes it slightly unpleasant. Maybe it’s the mushroom? It’s just too earthy for me. I’ll use up my sample, maybe layering with something to amp up the vanilla or book notes, but probably won’t repurchase.

I really do love this. It is dusty old shelves, vintage books... with such a lovely sweetness, marshmallow. I just wish it wasn’t such a skin scent. I have to get close to wrist to smell. I also wanted the dark academia vibe to punch more... then this would’ve been perfect!

I think this does evoke yellowing old book pages and antique stores, but much more sweet, vanillic, and approachable. It reminds me a little bit of warm bulb but less weird. Not unique enough for me to want to full bottle.

very sugary/cozy fragrance! the "book" smell faded quickly and became a slightly woody vanilla/marshmallow scent. some might say the sweetness is overbearing, though. 4/5

Soft powdery iris with a hint of vanilla

Unfortunately, with this one, I find the old books to come across more like a mildewy basement, like old wet stone. While I love me a marshmallow note, when you mix that with the damp, decaying smell, it comes across a bit sickly. It certainly doesn't smell awful, not as awful as I made it sound. It's just simply not something I want to smell like. The orris could have been playing a part in that as well, I'm not entirely sure. It was probably one of the weirdest samples from my Sorce orders. (Please note this is a review for the IPM-based version, as I am Canadian)

When first sprayed, I got an overpowering spicy sort-of scent. Not entirely sure how to describe it, but definitely artificial. After drying down for around an hour, it became sweet and nice, but still had something off about it. Unfortunately, I didn't get books, paper, or library at all from this. Should I come across it in a store somewhere, I will try again, but until then, it is a no from me. Note: I have only tested this from a decant, so it is possible that the undesirable notes were from cross-contamination

Dusty and cozy, like a vintage library near a crackling fire. I smell sticky marshmallows with some woodiness, and the old books note is not setting well on my skin. It's not amazing but not terrible. It's okay. I would recommend sampling multiple times - this is my 2nd test wear on skin, so maybe I will grow to like it over time!

teeny hints of smokiness over sweet fruity (???) marshmallow. too sweet for me and im frustrated that it smells so generic and one dimensional because this brand is always celebrated for their unique gourmands. my mistake for thinking i would share the taste of dedicated gourmand lovers to be honest. oh well!!!!

this opens up SO musty on me :((( i was really excited but i don't love the dust kind of smell... it does dry down into a nice powder scent - might revisit it in the future when it's colder weather...

slightly burnt woody and orris? not super sweet in my opinion, but was fun to sniff, just probably wouldn't buy... i do think the name is very apt, however

i wanted to like this soooo badly because the concept itself is so dreamy and right up my alley. but oh. my. god. english major opens with the most ridiculously intense marshmallow notes i have ever smelled. and it’s not cutesy, store-bought jiffy puff marshmallows, no, this is the pungent, musky, and sickly sweet smell of mallow root straight from the earth. it’s utterly nose searing. i had all three of my roommates smell it on me and they literally all made the same wrinkled up face of a toddler trying a lemon for the first time. the punchline? the dry down is absolutely gorgeous and everything i hoped it’d be. if you’re somehow able to avoid all human contact for 1-2 hours after spraying it so the scent can settle, it smells identical to a dusty, sun-soaked wooden library. it’s the very warm, comforting scent of old paper and book glue. but dear god it’s not worth the cost of marshmallow death gas.

Disliked when I first got it, but it's grown on me since. There's still a hurdle in this for me -- it's a lingering musty note from either the library books or fallen leaves that I struggle to mesh with. The marshmallow, carrot seed, orris, and sandalwood blend together so nicely that I've begun to fall for it a little. Very strong and long lasting. Great scent to wear on a stormy night with a sweater and some tea; I like to put it on to go see a movie.

Don’t hate it, don’t love it. I just don’t think buttery orris will ever not make me slightly ill. I’m sad because I always find myself trying to find that perfect old books smell, the sweet vanillin of browned pages from a disintegrating paperback. But I have yet to find it. This is nice, it is very sweet, very cozy. Perfect for a cold wintery day in a warm sweater by the fireplace. I can see liking it if only I didn’t have my nose.

I thought I'd really enjoy this one. The fire and wood notes work well together but the orris is so overpowering for me, to the point it affects my overall enjoyment of the fragrance. Kinda fits the vibe of "English Major", but just not quite. Torn between "ok" and "dislike", I'll leave it at ok for now and come back when my nose is more developed.

truly not evocative of books or paper at all. sweet and warmly spicy, extremely sugary. this just reads as a classic marshmallow gourmand to me. i get vanilla as well despite it not being listed as a note. this is suffocatingly sweet. the name and top note is misleading to me, but it’s not at all repulsive or unwearable

Sorce uses a very sweet vanilla and anything in the line with vanilla will smell like it. It’s similar to the sweet note from an ariana grande perfume. Im not sure if its the carrot seed or what but theres something odd that sticks out and doesnt smell nice.

From the notes I thought I'd like this one more than I did; it's just so syrup-y sweet in a way that feels cloying to me, like if you burned a pot of caramel and the smoke clung to your sweater. I see why people would like this one, but it's not for me.

Smells like musty books and a bit like porridge with a hint of marshmallow. Not very nice. As it dries down the marshmallow is undetectable and all I get is the nauseatingly musty smell. Wiping this off because it makes me feel ill.

This smells like sweet moth balls. I can see why some people might like it in a way.. but it gives old lady to me.

The idea of a perfume that evokes library coziness was absolutely tantalizing! There is something in here that I hate though, and I'm not sure if it's the orris or the "mallow root straight from the earth" as described by reviewer Starnoodle (hilarious and perfect description!) ...but my stomach turned😭 I buckled up the next day and sprayed my wrist hoping for it to change on my skin but it just continued to make me sick, and I wasn't able to wait for the dry down. I wish I could experience what others are describing. I may have to accept that I'm a basic B when it comes to fragrance and search for perfect fall coziness outside of books/paper/fire and keep it to the gourmand realm. If you were as hopeful as I was and had to try it despite knowing it would probably be a hard no, I hope you feel less alone reading this. If you haven't tried it yet, I wish you all the best on your library journey.

I like the opening, a little papery note, a little floral- but then its turns into 12+ hours of burnt sugar that doesn't end. After being worn for over night, I had to scrub several times to try to get the burnt sugar smell off. I bet it would last days if left on. It's a weird scent, if you really like the smell of sweets and marshmallows toasted over a fire- this may be your thing. But the description didn't really hold up. Not a safe blind buy. I didn't outright hate it, but it's an interesting scent. Edit: I keep going back to it, and the paper, books binding glue, burnt sugar thing does something to your brain. I thought it was way too sweet for me, but it's done something to my brain, I need a decant or a travel size. Its absolutely something I never saw myself going for.

first spray gets you a noseful of dust. i thought i would have to scrub it off, it was so musty. but then after about two hours i went in for a whiff of my arm where i had sprayed it and it had settled to a very sweet marshmallow with an undercurrent of something woody and earthy and sort of powdery or peppery? very hard to describe. this one may have to grow on me because i absolutely hate this initial scent but dry down is so up my alley that i may have to power through also, i am an english major and i work in a library so i would love for this to work for me. fated, sort of. hopefully my nose agrees

Ugh I love my sample of this! I purchased a 15ml almost immediately. This smells mostly of marshmallow and powder to my nose. The old book note is more in texture IMO. Orris is very subtle and adds almost a mushy texture to it. Super soft, powdery, a bit baby wipe-y but not in a bad way. Smells like a perfect fall day of getting a cold brew with cold foam & shopping at the bookstore. You went to a bonfire the night before and have the lingering smell of marshmallow on your well loved sweater. Reminds me of Gilmore Girls! Song: Renegade by Big Red Machine and Taylor Swift

I really thought I'd love this. I wanted this to be a cozy, earthy marshmallow/book scent. But there's a note in here that keeps me from wanting it on my skin. Not sure if it's the orris or the carrot seed, but there's something that just makes this unpleasant to my nose. Like mildew, but somehow super dry? I'm going to revisit it in a few months - maybe it will change with some time. Also, there's no coconut listed in the notes on the website, so I'm not sure why coconut is listed here. Definitely doesn't smell like coconut.