Development

Fragrance 101
 

Learn how to talk the talk when it comes to fragrance.  From accords and fixatives to top notes and base notes, click on the link to learn the nuts and bolts of fragrance development.

Accord – Basic character or theme of a fragrance. It is created by blending two to four notes to produce a new, unique scent. The original notes used to create this new fragrance are undetectable.

Alcohol – Alcohol is used in the making of perfumes. It carries and releases fragrant extracts when the fragrance is dispensed.

Compounds – Concentrated fragrance mixtures.

Body – Refers to the heart or main theme of a fragrance.

Blend – Mixture of fragrance ingredients.

Essential oils – Aromatic liquids and pastes extracted from flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots or trees.

Fragrance – The scent of a perfume or cologne (although it is often used interchangeably when describing perfume and cologne, they are not the same thing).

Fixatives – A natural or synthetic substance used to slow the rate of evaporation and improve the stability of a fragrance. Fixatives allow a fragrance to last longer while keeping its original scent.

Modifiers – Ingredients that alter the primary scent in order to give it a desired character. For example, fruit esters may be added to a primarily floral scent to create a final product that is fruity and floral.

Note – Refers to the olfactory impression of a single smell. All fragrances have three sets of “notes” which combine to form the harmonious chord of the scent. Below are definitions of each note in a fragrance:

Top Note – The scents that are perceived immediately on application of a fragrance. The first impression or first hint of a fragrance.

Middle Note – The scent that emerges as the top notes begin to fade. The middle note is the heart or main body of the fragrance and lasts longer than any of the other notes.

Base Note – The foundation on which the fragrance was built.  Base notes emerge slowly and are usually the lasting notes of the fragrance.

Olfaction – Sense of smell.

Perfume – A mixture of essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives and solvents used to give a pleasant smell.

Perfumer – An expert on creating perfume compositions. Perfumers are sometimes referred to as "Noses."

Raw ingredients – Materials such as freshly picked flowers, cedar wood, spices and plants that are used in fragrance development. Essential oils are pulled from these raw materials and are used to develop unique scents.