Key takeaways
- Permanent Marker is named for its aroma: inky, slightly chemical, sweet and gassy, rather than a plain candy or dessert smell.
- It is most often reported as a cross involving Biscotti, Sherbet and Jealousy genetics. Sources differ on the exact parents, so treat lineage as reported.
- Elite Terpenez lists two profiles: Premium Line (citrus, spice, sweetness) and Natural Terpenes (inky chemical edge, sweet fruit, gassy earthy base).
- The two profiles read the same strain differently, so choose by the listed aroma notes, not by the name alone.
- Start at your usual low cut, test a small batch and re-smell after a day, because a gassy ink note changes as it settles.
- Elite Terpenez does not sell cannabis. These are flavour and aroma ingredients for adult makers (18+).
What is the Permanent Marker strain?
Permanent Marker is a hybrid cannabis cultivar from the recent wave of dessert and gas strains. It is usually listed as an indica-leaning hybrid, and it became popular largely because its smell is unusual. Most dessert strains smell of cake, candy or cream. This one smells like a stationery cupboard with a sweet fruit bowl next to it.
The name is simply a description of that aroma. Reviewers say the jar smells like an uncapped marker pen: a sharp, clean, slightly soapy note with something sweet and fruity beneath it. That unusual character is what makers look for when they search for a Permanent Marker flavour.
A quick note for UK readers. Cannabis flower is a controlled drug in the UK and Elite Terpenez does not sell cannabis. This article describes the flavour and aroma the strain is known for, and the terpene profiles that Elite Terpenez has named after it.
What does Permanent Marker smell like?
Permanent Marker smells like fresh marker ink over sweet fruit, with a gassy, earthy base. The first impression is sharp and clean, almost solvent-like. Sweet candied fruit follows, and a low, fuel-like earthiness sits underneath and lingers.
It helps to read the smell as four layers rather than one word:
- Ink and chemical edge: the sharp, clean top note that gives the strain its name.
- Soapy brightness: a fresh, slightly floral cleanliness some people notice alongside the ink.
- Sweet fruit: candied, rounded sweetness that stops the ink from smelling harsh.
- Gassy earth: a deep, fuel-like base that gives the smell weight.
If you only remember one thing, remember the contrast. The appeal of Permanent Marker is sharp against sweet. A profile that is all ink smells like a workshop, and one that is all sweetness smells like a generic candy. The good ones keep both in view.
Why does a strain smell like a marker pen?
No single molecule smells like a marker pen. The impression comes from a blend of aroma compounds that the nose reads as solvent-like, clean and slightly sweet, which is the same family of impressions as fresh ink. Terpenes such as limonene and linalool are often named in this context, but the full smell is a combination.
That matters when you choose a profile. A name like Permanent Marker is shorthand for an aroma direction, not for one ingredient, so two suppliers can build quite different versions and both be fair. This is why Elite Terpenez prints the aroma notes on each product page. Read the notes first, then decide whether that version of the ink-and-sweet idea is the one you want.
What does Permanent Marker taste like?
Permanent Marker tastes sweet and fruity up front, with a clean, slightly sharp edge and a gassy finish. The ink note is felt more as a bright, clean sharpness than as a literal taste. Expect sweet fruit and a savoury, fuel-like depth at the end.
The two Elite Terpenez profiles show how the taste can be steered:
- Premium Line, Permanent Marker: citrus, spice, sweetness.
- Natural Terpenes, Permanent Marker: inky chemical edge, sweet fruit, gassy earthy base.
The Premium notes lean on citrus and a little spice over a sweet centre. The Natural Terpenes notes name the inky edge directly and add the gassy earth. Neither is wrong. They are two readings of the same smell.
What terpenes are in Permanent Marker?
Lab reports on the Permanent Marker flower most often name limonene, caryophyllene and myrcene, with linalool also appearing. Sources disagree on the order, and amounts vary from batch to batch, so treat any single result as a snapshot. This is general information about the flower and not the recipe of any Elite Terpenez product.
The table covers the molecules most often mentioned. Figures are from PubChem, including its limonene record and linalool record.
| Terpene | Class | Formula | CAS number | Typical aroma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limonene | Monoterpene | C10H16 | 138-86-3 | Citrus peel |
| Beta-caryophyllene | Sesquiterpene | C15H24 | 87-44-5 | Peppery, woody, spicy |
| Beta-myrcene | Monoterpene | C10H16 | 123-35-3 | Musky, herbal, ripe fruit |
| Linalool | Monoterpenoid alcohol | C10H18O | 78-70-6 | Floral, lavender-like |
In plain aroma terms, limonene explains the citrus lift in the Premium notes, and caryophyllene explains the spice. Linalool is the likeliest source of the soapy, floral cleanliness. Our guides to limonene, caryophyllene and linalool describe how each behaves, and our guide to what terpenes are covers the basics.
What is the lineage of Permanent Marker?
Permanent Marker is most often reported as a cross of Biscotti, Sherbet and Jealousy genetics. Some listings describe it as a three-way cross, others name only two of the three, and breeder credit is repeated differently across sources. We therefore keep to the commonly reported parents and do not name a breeder or a date.
| Reported parent | Aroma it is commonly associated with | What it adds to the idea |
|---|---|---|
| Biscotti | Toasted cookie, butter, spice | Warm, baked depth and gentle spice |
| Sherbet | Creamy fruit, berry, citrus tang | Sweet, tangy fruit |
| Jealousy | Candy, cream, fuel | Dessert sweetness with a gassy edge |
That mix explains the profile. Cookie and cream bring sweetness, sherbet brings fruit, and the gas gives it a sharp spine. Elite Terpenez has separate guides to the Biscotti strain and the Sunset Sherbet strain if you want to compare the ideas side by side.
How is the Permanent Marker flavour recreated as a terpene profile?
A Permanent Marker terpene profile recreates the ink, fruit and gas smell of the strain from terpenes. There are two broad sources, and Elite Terpenez offers one of each for this flavour:
- CDT, cannabis-derived terpenes: taken from the plant. The Premium Line uses live resin style, strain-specific CDTs, each listed with its primary flavour and notes.
- BDT, botanical-derived terpenes: taken from other botanical sources and blended to capture the aroma and flavour of a strain. The Natural Terpenes range is built this way.
Strain-derived profiles aim to carry the plant’s own nuance, while botanical blends give a consistent, repeatable result. For a smell as unusual as this one, the difference is easy to hear when you put the two bottles next to each other.
Which Elite Terpenez Permanent Marker profiles are available?
Elite Terpenez sells two Permanent Marker profiles and one close relative. All come in 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml bottles, with bulk on request. The table shows each with its aroma notes as listed on the product page.
| Profile | Line | Source | Listed aroma notes | Listed ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Marker | Premium Line | CDT | Citrus, spice, sweetness | Cultivated cannabis-derived terpenes (CDTs) |
| Permanent Marker | Natural Terpenes | BDT | Inky chemical edge, sweet fruit, gassy earthy base | Botanical-derived terpenes (BDTs) |
| Z Marker | Natural Terpenes | BDT | Sweet candied fruit, inky chemical edge, gassy earthy base | Botanical-derived terpenes (BDTs) |
Z Marker is a different flavour, not a Permanent Marker variant. It moves the same ink-and-gas idea toward candied fruit, which is closer to a Zkittlez-style sweetness. Our Zkittlez strain guide explains that fruit-candy direction.
Which Permanent Marker profile should you choose?
Choose the Premium Line profile if you want a citrus-led, spiced and sweet reading that stays easy to place in a finished product. Choose the Natural Terpenes profile if the point of your product is the ink-and-gas character itself, because its notes name the inky chemical edge directly. Choose Z Marker if you want that edge softened with candied fruit.
A practical way to decide is to order a 2 ml bottle of each and smell them side by side on a clean strip. Write down your first impression and your impression ten minutes later, because the sharp top note fades first. Browse the Premium Line and Natural Terpenes collections to see the neighbours of each profile. For cannabinoid content of any of these profiles, contact us and we will confirm before you order.
How do you build a Permanent Marker flavour in your own product?
Treat the ink note as a seasoning. Most makers use the Permanent Marker profile as the lead, then adjust a small sweet or creamy partner to round it off. Because the sharp edge is the point of the flavour, avoid burying it under a heavy dessert profile.
- Keep it lean: let the marker profile carry at least most of the blend, so the ink character stays recognisable.
- Soften with fruit or cream: a small amount of a sherbet or candy-style profile adds sweetness without hiding the gas.
- Change one thing at a time: keep notes on every trial so you can repeat the version you like.
- Re-smell after a day: sharp top notes soften as a mix settles, so judge the blend again before you change it.
How do makers use the Permanent Marker flavour?
Makers add Permanent Marker terpenes at a low percentage of the finished product, never undiluted. Elite Terpenez’s starting cuts are 6% for vape cartridges, 4% for concentrates, 2% for tinctures, 1% for edibles, 0.5% for beverages and 3% for topicals. Treat these as a place to begin, not a fixed rule.
Use the terpene mixing calculator to turn a percentage into a weight for your batch size, and always test a small batch first. A sharp, gassy flavour can turn harsh when over-dosed, so move in small steps.
Handling and storage
Terpene profiles are concentrated. Wear gloves and eye protection, and keep them away from children, pets, heat and flames. Store the bottle tightly closed in a cool, dark place; refrigerated is ideal. For general workplace guidance on hazardous substances, see the HSE’s COSHH basics. These profiles are for adults (18+) only. Our quality and safety page has more detail.
Sizes and bulk
Each profile is sold in 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml bottles. For larger runs, ask about bulk on the wholesale and bulk page. Free UK delivery on orders over £80.
Is Permanent Marker legal in the UK?
Cannabis flower, including the Permanent Marker strain, is a controlled drug in the UK. The government’s list of controlled drugs places cannabis in Class B. Elite Terpenez does not sell cannabis, and the Permanent Marker profiles described here are flavour and aroma ingredients for adult product makers. Elite Terpenez sells terpenes as flavour and aroma ingredients and makes no claims about effects. Check the rules that apply to your own product before you make or sell anything.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Permanent Marker strain smell like?
Permanent Marker smells like fresh marker ink over sweet fruit, with a gassy, earthy base. The top note is sharp and clean, almost solvent-like, and a rounded candied sweetness sits behind it. That contrast between sharp and sweet is what separates it from ordinary dessert strains.
Why is it called Permanent Marker?
The name describes the smell. People say the flower smells like an uncapped marker pen, with a clean, slightly soapy, chemical edge. It is a naming joke that stuck because the aroma really is unusual. The name tells you nothing about how the strain was bred.
What is Permanent Marker a cross of?
Permanent Marker is most often reported as a cross of Biscotti, Sherbet and Jealousy genetics. Listings differ on the exact parents and on breeder credit, so we treat lineage as reported information and focus on the aroma of each profile rather than the breeding history.
Which Elite Terpenez Permanent Marker profile is best?
It depends on the smell you want. The Premium Line profile lists citrus, spice and sweetness. The Natural Terpenes profile lists an inky chemical edge, sweet fruit and a gassy earthy base. Order 2 ml bottles of both and compare them before you commit to a larger size.
Is Permanent Marker the same as Z Marker?
No. Z Marker is a separate Natural Terpenes profile with notes of sweet candied fruit, an inky chemical edge and a gassy earthy base. It shares the ink-and-gas idea but leans toward candy. Permanent Marker keeps the ink more central, so pick by the listed notes.
What aroma notes are listed for the Elite Terpenez Permanent Marker profiles?
The listed notes are: Premium Line Permanent Marker (citrus, spice, sweetness); Natural Terpenes Permanent Marker (inky chemical edge, sweet fruit, gassy earthy base). Notes come from each product page, and every profile is sold in 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml bottles.
Can I test Permanent Marker in a 2 ml bottle first?
Yes. Every Permanent Marker profile is sold in 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml bottles, so a 2 ml bottle is a low-risk way to test a small batch. Smell it on its own, then in your base, and judge again after a day before ordering more.
Ready to build a flavour with a sharp edge? Browse the Permanent Marker profiles in the Premium Line and Natural Terpenes ranges, order 2 ml samples to compare, or contact us for bulk quantities and to confirm anything about a profile before you order.
