I’m only voicing my opinion here, and it is based simply on things that I smell a lot and see requested a lot. There’s nothing scientific about it, nor am I going to put up my dukes and punch it out. But I am going to say that there are certain fragrances that are quite popular, and their popularity sometimes works against them - in part, because the popularity can lead to overharvesting and plant extinction, but also because smelling a chemical too frequently can degrade our perception of it to the point where we no longer benefit from the emotional impact of the smell.
I would say, at the moment, these are the top ten most overused:
1. Vanilla
2. Lavender
3. Sandalwood
4. Patchouli
5. Cinnamon
6. Chocolate
7. Sugar/Candy-based scents
8. Jasmine
9. Berries
10. Grapefruit
Some folks may have other ideas, and I certainly do still use these in fragrances myself - market demand is, after all, market demand.
