Standard Witch hazel has no added scent to it. The characteristic smell which some like and some hate comes from the product. If you smell the Dickensons and smell a typical store brand like Walgreens or Walmart the Dickenson has a much stronger smell to it. That's because the store brands use less extract or water it down. Now if you can think of another reason for the difference in intensity of the smell I can't. I've tried em all and found the store brands were not the same as the Dickenson even though Dickenson probably makes all of them.