It especially sucks since fragrances have always been a huge deal in the cultural regions the Gerudo were based off of. There are lots of scent notes that he could smell like that would make sense for an upper class man in an arid region like the Middle East or Ancient Egypt or North Africa that aren’t “spices.”
Labdanum: a resin derived from the rockrose plant from the Mediterrranean. Shepherds would carefully comb rockrose resin off the beards and wool of goats and sheep who grazed on the shrubs, since the resin fetched a good price from traders, making it an excellent side hustle. Labdanum was used for medicinal purposes to treat colds, menstrual cramps, and arthritis, but it was also prized for its warm, clean, comforting scent. Ancient Egypt especially went gaga for it, to the point where the false beards pharaohs wore as part of their regalia may have been meant to represent a beard styled with enough fragrant labdanum resin to turn it completely stiff. Later, demand for it in the West soared when it turned out that it could function as a more ethical replacement for ambergris, which saved whales from extinction by contributing to the decline of the whaling industry. In modern perfumery, it's a key ingredient in the warm, cozy "amber" family of scent notes.
Frankincense: another resin, this time tapped from the Boswellia tree. Another extremely popular and expensive perfume ingredient, it's been used in countless sacred rites from embalming rituals in Ancient Egypt to incense used in churches in Jerusalem during the early days of Christianity. It was given to baby Jesus as a gift by the Wise Men precisely because it was so valuable, either as a liquefiable asset that could be sold for quick cash or as an essential part of any special religious ceremonies he'd take part in as he came of age. It has a warm, woody, peppery scent, so it's probably one of the notes newbie fic writers think of when they describe an "exotic" man as "spicy." However, it smells less like a seasoning and more like an extremely high-end aftershave, or a fancy men's cologne with a bit of a zing to it. Frankincense notes have a very clean, sexy, masculine scent, especially when combined with our next entry.
Myrrh: the other gift given to baby Jesus, which, you guessed it, is also derived from a resin, this time from the Commiphora genus of thorny trees native to Somalia, Ethiopia, and parts of Saudi Arabia. It has antiseptic and analgesic properties, which made it useful for wound care and pain relief in ancient times. It has a scent that's very similar to frankincense in terms of its peppery notes to the point where they're often paired together, although myrrh also has darker, earthier, and more medicinal undertones that set it apart, adding to its complexity. It's famous in Jewish history for being a rare, precious ingredient used to make sacred incense and the holy oil used to anoint the tabernacle and the foreheads of high priests and kings. Myrrh was also commonly used alongside frankincense during the embalming process of mummies in Ancient Egypt. In the New Testament, it was associated with funerary rites, and was used during Jesus' burial.
Oud/Oudh: an extremely precious and highly sought after perfume ingredient in the Middle East. However, extracting it from agarwood trees is a more complicated process than frankincense or even labdanum, as oud isn't derived from the raw sap of the tree, which is odorless. Oud only gains its signature scent from a chemical the tree produces when it's trying to fight off a fungal infection by P. parasitica. The resulting sap has a dark, rich, and earthy aroma, like rotting wood and damp forest dirt mixed with the warm fur of some huge, magnificent beast. It's a powerful note that can be an acquired taste for anyone who isn't used to it, but it's also extremely versatile and mixes well with many different kinds of floral or woody notes, giving a perfume greater complexity and depth. Unfortunately, agarwood trees are very rare due to overconsumption wiping out their wild populations, which contributes to how expensive high-grade oud gets. High quality oud is quite literally worth its weight in gold.
Vetiver: derived from the roots of the vetiver grass native to India. This plant is a common sight in fields since its deep roots protect soil from erosion by heavy rains. The oil extracted from this plant has a fresh, green, grassy scent. It's a very popular ingredient for perfumes in the "green" or "aquatic" scent families, since its note can range from "freshly cut grass on a dewy morning" to "petrichor after a nice, cleansing rain." It's also extremely useful as a fixative in perfume formulas, which is a chemical that equalizes the vapor pressure of the ingredients in alcohol- or water-based perfumes, increasing the longevity of the scent once it's sprayed onto the skin.
If we're going for pseudohistorical/geographic accuracy, the perfumes Ganondorf would wear would probably tend towards the amber family, giving it a warm, clean, resin-y scent. It might also feature a bit of musk (in perfumeland, "musk" is a name for a very specific, subtle, "crystalline" scent note associated with freshly washed human skin/baby powder/plain rock candy dissolving in water, not unwashed animal stank). If he wanted to insist on his ceremonial importance, he could incorporate a frankincense + myrrh combo to produce a very masculine scent with more punch to it that nevertheless doesn't lose its sophistication and turn animalic. If he wanted to smell like a luxury few can afford, he could use oud paired with floral notes like rose, saffron, jasmine, tobacco, etc. to create a very complex blend with many layers that slowly reveal themselves as the scent dries and fades on his skin.
However, I imagine he'd get a little more ambitious with florals as he gained access to Hyrule's perfume industry with its exotic ingredients. There's this one scent made by BPAL called "Whitechapel" that's this delicious blend of lilac, citron, and lime that smells like a pastille candy. it's modeled on a Victorian dandy's perfume, and for some reason I always associate it with WW Ganondorf because he seems like a man who'd appreciate a cold blue floral mixed with a gourmand note. "Dee" is another one I'd associate with him, since its blend of rosewood, incense, and old leather evokes the study of famed British occultist, John Dee.
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