Scientists Develop New Glossary Of Marijuana Aromas That Industry Could Use To Better Inform Consumers

Researchers have developed a new glossary to describe cannabis aromas,
debunking certain theories about what gives marijuana strains their unique
smell profiles and creating a lexicon to better classify varieties for
consumers and businesses. Notably, they found that— contrary to popular
belief—terpene content is a poor predictor of cannabis’s scent profile.

For the study, published in the journal PLOS One this month, researchers at
Oregon State University recruited a 21-judge panel to assess 91 samples of
unburnt marijuana flower. The panel was tasked with smelling the varieties
and checking off aroma descriptors that they felt applied.

“The primary goal of this study was to develop and systematically evaluate
a reproducible aroma lexicon for *Cannabis* inflorescence, which is a
foundational step toward a standardized, evidence-based framework for
describing *Cannabis* aroma,” the study says.

“While this study does not generate or validate a lexicon in a definitive
sense, it represents an important phase in the continued evolution of a
comprehensive descriptive system for *Cannabis,*” it says. “It organizes
and refines existing sensory terminology into a coherent, data-driven
structure suitable for both research and applied contexts.”

“In this way, the lexicon contributes to an ongoing process of refinement
and expansion, and its demonstrated ability to consistently differentiate
samples underscores its value as a tool for both scientific inquiry and
industry communication,” the authors said.

“This study generated and evaluated a descriptive aroma lexicon for intact
Cannabis inflorescence consisting of 25 terms with defined reference
standards.”

Of the total 8,075 descriptors that were selected across the study, three
stood out as the most common, accounting for 26 percent of the marketed
descriptors: “herbal,” “citrus” and “woody.”

Interestingly, while it’s commonly believed that terpenes in the cannabis
plant are primarily responsible for giving each strain its aroma profile,
the researchers said that doesn’t appear to be entirely the case.

“Terpene profiling revealed clear chemical clusters, but terpene profiles
alone poorly predicted sensory character,” it says. “Terpinolene was the
only compound consistently associated with sensory descriptors,
specifically ‘citrus’ and ‘chemical.'”

“Total terpene concentration was also not correlated with the frequency of
use of each attribute per sample, suggesting that intensity of aroma…cannot
be directly inferred from total terpene content… [Q]uantitative chemical
differences do not translate to perceptual sensory differences.”

“Despite the chemical groupings, sensory and terpene clustering did not
correlate well which underscores a key point: terpene chemistry alone does
not predict a sample’s sensory profile,” the researchers wrote. “This is
crucial given the overreliance on terpene content in current Cannabis
industry marketing and labeling practices.”

“Neither terpene nor volatile sulfur compound profiles strongly predicted
sensory perception. These results emphasize the limitations of chemical
composition as a proxy for aroma quality.”

The study also revealed that varieties with high THC and low CBD were “more
frequently described as ‘skunky,’ ‘musty,’ and ‘animalic,” whereas low THC
and high CBD strains were commonly associated with the descriptors
“citrus,” “fruity,” and “candy-like.”

“These findings are especially relevant considering the current *Cannabis*
market, which is saturated with inaccurate potency claims, misleading
‘effect’ descriptions, and persistent safety concerns, including pesticide
contamination,” the authors said. “As the industry transitions from
unregulated to legal frameworks, it’s critical to offer consumers tools for
assessing product quality beyond THC content, which has been shown to
correlate weakly or negatively with enjoyment, and does not impact aroma.”

“In fact, aroma is the only known predictor of subjective enjoyment,” they
said. “However, as this study and others show, terpene profiles do not map
cleanly onto sensory attributes, and traditional classifications such as
‘indica’ and ‘sativa’ have been shown to be unreliable predictors of
*Cannabis* attributes.”

Given the relatively loose associations between terpene content and sensory
quality, the study posits that “key perceptual drivers may lie in other,
unmeasured compound classes, such as esters, aldehydes, or other volatiles
that behave in complex synergistic manners creating characteristic impacts
beyond individual terpene contributions.”

“In summary, this study developed and systematically evaluated a 25-term
lexicon for the aroma of *Cannabis* inflorescence. This work lays a
foundation for future work to build upon with an initial list of
descriptors and an associated sensory method,” the study concludes. “Future
work requires a larger inflorescence sample size, particularly for defining
associations between volatile aromatics and aroma descriptors, and should
explore expansion of the lexicon as more terms can be evaluated and
validated. The inclusion of consumer hedonic data would deepen our
understanding of aroma-driven quality perceptions and consumer liking.”

“Additionally, agronomic and post-harvest variables, including farm origin,
harvest maturity, drying methods, storage, and trimming style warrant
exploration through both sensory and chemical lenses,” it says. “Finally,
as the lexicon presented here is further expanded and built upon with a
more globally representative sample set the attributes present can become
more expansive and representative of the wide array of *Cannabis* aromas.
Such insights will help guide breeding efforts and optimize production
methods aimed at enhancing the aromatic and experiential quality of
*Cannabis* products.”

This comes about a month after another team of researchers published a related,
comprehensive sensory-guided study of the odor-active compounds in dried
cannabis flowers, uncovering dozens of previously unknown chemicals that
shape the the plant’s distinct fragrance. Combined, the findings expand
scientific knowledge of marijuana beyond the common understanding of
terpenes, CBD and THC.

The studies build on research related to standardization of cannabis strain
identification. In 2022, researchers found that the commonly used marijuana
strain labeling system can be highly misleading for consumers. The study
analyzed the chemical composition of almost 90,000 cannabis samples across
six states.

Research earlier this year on cannabis genetics suggested that incentives
in the legal marijuana market—such as the desire for plants to mature
faster and produce more cannabinoids for extraction—may be leading to a
decline in biodiversity of the plant worldwide.

This paper also builds on a July 2025 scientific review in the journal
Molecules that took a deep dive into the flavors and aromas of marijuana,
examining how the plant’s genetic makeup, cultivation methods and
post-harvest processing affect the various compounds that give cannabis
products their distinctive palate.

The post Scientists Develop New Glossary Of Marijuana Aromas That Industry
Could Use To Better Inform Consumers appeared first on Marijuana Moment.