What I think The Magnus Archive character’s smell like:

Jon - Jon smells like old books that were left in a room with an air freshener all day, meaning that he smells like any library that’s existed for more than a decade. The way he smells is not helping the “Jon is old” allegations that his coworkers give him.

Martin - Martin smells a bit like tea, which isn’t a surprise to anyone considering how much he makes. But he also smells a lot like peppermint because of a hand lotion he uses. (Bonus headcanon that Jon used to not like the scent of mint, but by Season 4 he has a bowl of peppermints on his desk.)

Tim - Tim smells like a noticeable body spray that would be applied by frat boys and apparently Magnus Institute workers. Most people couldn’t pull the scent off, but there’s something about his general demur that makes the smell seem to suit him more than it should.

Sasha - Sasha smells like a coffee shop. She smells warm and sweet like hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls being served as a treat. The way she smells is very comfortable and welcoming.

Melanie - If you asked Melanie this question she would say that she doesn’t smell strong of anything. However, if you Georgie would say that smells faintly like coconut deodorant and hair dye. This is because Georgie likes women.

Georgie - Georgie smells like green apple because of the soap and shampoo she uses.

Basira - Basira smells like a mix of coffee and a room full of house plants combined into one. Being around her is like being around the physical embodiment of a sunroom.

Daisy - Daisy smells like a spring day. She smells like soil soaked by rain and a forest full of pine trees who’s cones are in bloom. She has this very natural smell about her that couldn’t be replicated by any cologne or shampoo.

Peter - Peter smells like saltwater. No matter where he goes he the the ocean follows him.

Elias - Elas somehow smells exactly like an eye doctor’s office. It’s not on purpose, he just achieves that uncomfortable clinical smell naturally.

Gertrude - Gertrude has smelt like the wick of a candle that was just went out ever since her ritual with The Desolation. Before that she had a slight orange smell that she expects clung to her clothes from her daily lunchtime snack, but that was a long time ago.

Gerard - Gerard’s clothes reek of smoke. Between his cigarette habit and his book burning he smells like a dirty chimney being lit most of the time, with the only expectation being late at night when he paints. He smells like watercolor and acrylic then. Though it’s always fleeting.

Michael Shelley - Michael smells soft like laundry that was just taken out of the dryer. When Distortion Michael has a smell he smells like laundry that was just taken out of the dryer but also tv static mixed with coffee cake and lilac. Maybe.

Helen Richardson - Helen Richardson smells like her favorite strawberry lotion and perfume. Distortion Helen smells like strong lemon cleaning products, making her smell like a sterile hotel lobby in a way that’s both familiar and distressing. She has a much more consistent scent than Distortion Michael since she’s a bit more stable. But it’s still unsettling.