Fragrance Glossary of Materials and Terms

Fragrance Glossary of Materials and Terms

absolute: A solvent-extracted fragrance material, traditionally from more delicate natural substances, such as jasmine, which would be damaged by the high temperatures of steam distillation. When both an absolute and a steam-distilled essential oil are made from the same material, as is the case with rose, they tend to differ greatly due to the lower temperature of the solvent versus the steam. Traditional absolutes are derived by using alcohol to extract the fragrance from what is known as concrete, a semisolid extraction of waxes and other substances as well as fragrance, though modern solvents may allow direct extraction of the absolute.

accord: Several notes combined to create an effect; related to the idea of a musical chord.

aldehyde: An organic compound that ends in a C=O(H) group. Perfumers use many different aldehydes in their palettes.

aldehydic: Characterized by the smell of the straight-chain aliphatic aldehydes C10, C11, and C12, first used prominently in Chanel No. 5.

amber: A blend of fragrant resins, such as styrax, benzoin, and cistus labdanum, traditional in the Middle East.

ambergris: A rare and valuable type of excreta produced in the stomach of the sperm whale, which coughs the material up into the ocean. Its characteristic odor, rich and marine, is attained only after years of floating in the sun. Synthetic ambergris substitutes are more often used, being cheaper and more reliable, but they smell little like the natural material.

ambrox (also ambroxan): A synthetic molecule developed by Firmenich as an ambergris material.

angelica: A European plant also used in confectionery; an extract of the roots used in perfumery and has lactonic-anisic character.

animalic: Characterized by the bodily smells or smells most associated with traditional animal materials, such as musk, castoreum, and civet.

anosmia: An inability to smell.

aquatic: Referring to effects that derive from the synthetic floral-melon note of calone and related aromachemicals, first used significantly in New West (1988).

aromatic: Aromatic scents have intense spicy and grassy smells. These fragrances are high in spice and citrusy notes.

artemisia (also wormwood): Natural material with a woody-anisic character.

Australian sandalwood: Material extracted from a species of sandalwood native to Australia (Santalum spicatum) with a sweet woody character and without the complex milky facets of traditional Mysore or Indian sandalwood (Santalum album).

balsamic: Characterized by sweet-smelling fragrant plant resins, typically balsam of Peru, or tolu balsam.

base: A prefabricated building block of fragrance composed of various materials and used as a single material by perfumers, such as the famous peach base Persicol.

benzoin (also styrax): Fragrant resin extracted from the styrax tree with a powdery, woody, vanillic odor, the fragrance of the burning papers known as papiers d'Arménie.

bergamot: Oil extracted from the peel of the bergamot citrus fruit, the odor of which has a soapy, lavender-like facet; a mainstay of classic perfumery top notes.

blackcurrant (also cassis): Can refer either to a synthetic berry note, typically made of theaspiranes, with a camphoraceous red fruit odor, or to the natural extract of the flower bud, which has a sharp, green, sulfurous odor sometimes described as "cat piss"; can also refer to a cassis base sold by Firmenich.

butyric: From the Greek for butter, a molecule (or, in the case of esters, part of a molecule) with a distinctive cheesy smell, encountered in rancid butter.

calone: A synthetic aromachemical with a distinctive fresh melon-aquatic character, used heavily in 1990s fragrances like Eau d'Issey (1992).

camphor: Named for the camphor laurel tree, a terpenoid with a distinct pungent smell of old-fashioned mothballs, related to the smells of eucalyptus, menthol, and cajeput (as in Tiger Balm muscle rub).

cashmeran: Synthetic aromachemical that alone smells mostly of wet cement (or the Chinese liqueur maotai) but that in compositions can provide a desirable effect between wood and musk, without the sweet and animalic aspects.

chypre: A genre of perfume built on a structure made famous by Coty's Chypre of 1917, based on oakmoss, cistus labdanum, and bergamot. Chypres can be further divided into floral chypres, fruity chypres, leather chypres, and so on.

cistus (also labdanum): A resin extracted from the leaves and branches of a flowering shrub known as rockrose. It has a sweet woody smell with smoky or leathery aspects and is a traditional amber material.

civet: Traditional perfumery material obtained from glands of the civet cat, usually cultivated in Ethiopia. It has a powerfully fecal character when pure. Civet has been largely replaced in perfumery by synthetic substitutes.

cologne: The oldest extant fragrance genre, dating at least from the 1700s. Traditional eau de cologne is a blend of citrus, florals, herbs, woods, and musk. Confusingly, an eau de cologne can also designate a concentration of a fragrance more dilute than an eau de toilette.

concrete: A waxy, semisolid solvent-extraction from natural materials, which when further refined gives an absolute.

coumarin: Aromachemical found in tonka beans and other plants, with a sweet, biscuit-like odor of hay.

damascone: Powerful materials with rosy-apple smells, related to the ionones that give violet notes.

dihydromyrcenol: Woody-citrus material much used in recent masculines.

drydown: The late stage of a fragrance that develops after the top and heart notes subside and before the smell completely fades.

eau de parfum (also parfum de toilette): 15 to 18 percent dilution of the pure fragrance oil in a solution of 98 percent ethanol and 2 percent water.

eau de toilette: Roughly 10 percent dilution of the pure fragrance oil in a solution of 98 percent ethanol and 2 percent water.

elemi: Resinous extract of a tree native to the Philippines, with a peppery-woody-resinous odor.

enfleurage: Traditional method of extracting fragrant plant oils, such as jasmine, by absorbing them onto a fatty substitute, such as tallow, now mostly supplanted by solvent extraction.

essential oil: A natural aromachemical extracted by steam distillation, by which steam droplets capture and carry away the fragrant molecules, which when collected separate naturally into water-soluble and oil-soluble parts, known as the hydrosol (e.g., rosewater) and the essential oil (e.g., rose oil).

ester: Combination of an acid and an alcohol, which typically but not always gives a fruity smell.

extrait (also parfum): 25 percent and higher dilution of the pure fragrance oil in a solution of 98 percent ethanol and 2 percent water.

fixative: A material of higher molecular weight that, when added to a perfumery mixture, slows down the evaporation time of a fragrance, which means it lasts longer.

fougère: A traditionally masculine genre based on the original Fougère Royale (Houbigant), an abstract composition of lavender, oakmoss, and the tobacco-and-hay note of coumarin.

fig: In perfumery, a note of fig leaves given by a number of molecules in the oxime group, -NOH.

fine fragrance: Fragrance sold as fragrance, not as the scent of another product.

Firmenich: Major manufacturer of flavors and fragrances, privately owned and based in Switzerland.

flanker: A fragrance sold as a variant of a previous fragrance, which may or may not smell the same or similar; e.g., Shalimar Lite was a flanker of Shalimar (Guerlain).

fruitchouli: Genre ultimately deriving from Angel (Mugler, 1992), combining strong berry smells borrowed from flavor chemistry, such as strawberry and raspberry materials, with a sweet woody accord built around a patchouli note.

functional fragrance: Scent for functional products, such as soaps and cosmetics.

galbanum: A plant resin used since ancient times in medicines, incenses, and perfumes, notable for its distinctive bitter green smell.

geosmin: Bicyclic saturated hydrocarbon alcohol with an earthy odor of extraordinary potency, found in soil and in beets.

Givaudan: Swiss-based company, which is the largest fragrance manufacturer in the world.

gourmand: A subset of orientals that has become more popular in recent years, designed to smell distinctly dessert-like with emphasis on vanilla.

green: Smelling of cut grass or leaves.

headspace: An attempt to replicate the smell of an object by using a chemical analysis of the air surrounding it.

heart note: The middle portion of a fragrance, after the top note subsides but before the drydown, often considered to be the fragrance's true personality.

hedione: An aromachemical used to impart a feel of dewy freshness to florals, first used significantly in Eau Sauvage (Dior).

helichrysum: (also immortelle or everlasting flower): Oil extracted from the Helichrysum italicum plant, with a sweet, spicy odor reminiscent of curry or fenugreek.

helional: Synthetic aromachemical with a milky-metallic character.

heliotropin (also piperonal): Aromachemical, both naturally occurring and synthetic, which has a cherry-almond-mimosa odor.

herbaceous: Smelling of kitchen or medicinal green herbs, such as sage, lavender, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary.

hydroxycitronellal: The best synthetic muguet material, of which there are no natural versions.

hyperosmia: Increased sensitivity to smell.

hyposmia: Diminished sensitivity to smell.

IFF: International Flavors & Fragrances, one of the largest fragrance manufacturers in the world.

IFRA: International Fragrance Association, the main fragrance industry self-regulatory body.

incense (also frankincense or olibanum): Aromatic gum collected from trees of the genus Boswellia and traditionally burned for their fragrant smoke, for example in Catholic and Orthodox church ritual, or more generally, materials burned for their fragrance.

indole: A molecule with an inky, bitter, fecal odor, occurring naturally both in human feces and white flowers, such as jasmine and orange blossom.

ionone: Type of aromachemical that gives the main smell of violet flowers.

iris (also orris): A material extracted from the rhizome of the iris plant. The traditionally aged extract is one of the most expensive natural materials in perfumery, though more quickly made, cheaper versions exist.

irone: Type of aromachemical that gives the main smell character of iris.

ISIPCA: Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmetique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire, the only professional perfumery school outside of private firms.

jasmine: One of the most common white floral materials of perfumery, extracted from Jasminum grandiflorum or Jasminum sambac; its two main odor character materials are benzyl acetate, known to Americans as the taste of pink bubblegum, and cis-jasmone, which gives a waxy celery note.

lactone: Cyclic ester structure, such as peach, coconut, or milk lactone, which can give a creamy-fruity smell to fragrances.

lactonic: Characterized by perfumery materials containing cyclic ester structures known as lactones, such as peach lactone and milk lactone, which can give a creamy-fruity smell to fragrances.

lavender: In perfumery, can refer to oil extracted from the lavender or lavandin plant, or to a variety of synthetic materials, such as linalool and linalyl acetate, often together with small amounts of cineole.

leather: In perfumery, characterized by bitter-smelling isoquinolines or smoky-smelling rectified birch tar, to replicate the smell of the tanning chemicals used to prepare leather.

LMR: Laboratoire Monique Remy, a major supplier of natural materials to the fragrance industry (owned by IFF).

LVMH: Louis Vuttion Moët Hennessy, a conglomerate of luxury goods companies, including Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

maltol: Aromachemical with a candyfloss or cooked sugar smell.

Mane: Fragrance and flavor manufacturer based in France.

marine: Can refer to aquatic fragrances or to notes suggestive of natural seaside odors.

muguet (also lily-of-the-valley): A small white flower with no natural extract used in perfumery, represented solely by synthetic means, traditionally with the now highly restricted hydroxycitronellal character best known from the original formula of Diorissimo (Dior). The term is also used in the industry to describe a wide range of synthetic floral aromachemicals, such as the widely used Florhydral, which unlike hydroxycitronellal do not smell close to the natural reference.

musk: Traditionally an extract of the pods of the Himalayan musk deer, used both for its smell and for its fixative qualities in perfume, now largely replaced by various cheaper, more reliable synthetics.

neroli: An extracted oil of bitter orange blossom generally with green, citrus, and white flower notes.

niche: Type of fragrance firm that produces in limited quantity and sells in few shops.

note: An isolated odor character in a complex fragrance.

oakmoss: Different species of mosses from which are extracted dry, bitter-smelling materials essential to chypre fragrances.

opopanax: Resinoid extracted from Commiphora trees with a sweet, balsamic note.

oriental: A fragrance genre typified by an emphasis on amber, with the oldest surviving member being Shalimar (Guerlain). The genre may be subdivided into floral orientals, spicy orientals, woody orientals, and gourmand orientals.

osmanthus: Material extracted from the osmanthus flower, with an apricot-leather odor.

oud (also aloeswood, agarwood, aoud, oudh): Oil extracted from the fungus-infected wood of Aquilara trees, with a complex and highly variable odor profile, including honeyed, animalic, balsamic, fruity, and leathery notes; the wood is also burned as incense.

P&G: Procter & Gamble, a Cincinnati-based multinational manufacturer of a wide variety of consumer goods, including Pampers, Tide detergent, Crest toothpaste, Secret deodorant, and also includes a fine fragrance division including Jean Patou and Rochas.

patchouli: Extract of the patchouli plant, a fragrant leafy herb, with a woody, earthy, camphoraceous odor, which develops in complexity with aging.

phenolic: Smelling of phenois, i.e., like tar.

resin: Viscous, sticky plant materials such as labdanum or styrax that resemble molasses, used frequently in amber orientals or in chypres for their sweet smells and fixative qualities.

salicylate: Aroma material, such as benzyl salicylate, with a bittersweet floral character.

sandalwood: Extract of wood from a tree of the Santalum genus, usually refers to Santalum album, or Indian or Mysore sandalwood, with a distinctive rich, creamy, woody odor that develops further with aging.

shiso (also perilla): Variety of mint with anisic, green, woody, and fruity facets.

sillage: French for the wake left in the water by passing ships; fragrance industry jargon for the scent trail left by a perfume at a distance from the wearer.

soliflore: A fragrance meant to represent a single flower. For example, a rose soliflore is designed to smell mainly of rose.

suede: Sweet, powdery leather accord, less bitter than classic leathers.

tea: In perfumery, a base or mixture of materials, including ionones and linalool, meant to replicate the smell of tea.

tonka: Coumarin extract of the tonka bean.

top note: The first few minutes of a fragrance, when the materials with the lowest molecular weights and highest volatilities evaporate first.

vanilla: Extract of the fermented vanilla bean, the note can also be represented by synthetic vanillin, ethyl vanillin, isobutavan, or ultravanil.

vetiver: Extract of the roots of a fragrant grass native to India and planted worldwide, notably in Haiti and Indonesia, with an earthy licorice smell.

violet-leaf: Though there exists natural violet-leaf absolute, which gives an intensely green cut-leaf odor, the note is mostly represented in perfumery by methyl octine carbonate (methyl 2-nonynoate), which has a green, peppery, acetylenic character.

woody-amber: A type of synthetic aromachemical now widely used to replace more expensive natural woods and ambergris. Woody-ambers smell like very strong versions of rubbing alcohol.