The complex accord in perfumery

The accord
In perfumery, the terminologies used are often borrowed from other sectors of activity, such as architecture, gemmology or music. For
example, we talk about structure, olfactory pyramid, colours, facets and orchestration to describe the composition of a perfume, but
also about accord. In the same way as a chord in music, the chord in perfumery describes a combination of several notes.
What is the notion of accord in perfumery?

In perfumery, the accord is the pooling of different raw materials, balanced and harmonised to create a unique scent, defining the
soul of the fragrance. The accord is made up of a maximum of 6 to 10 different components.
There are two different types of accord: the simple accord and the complex accord.
 The simple accord
When a student-perfumer practices assembling a few raw materials in order to reproduce a precise and identified scent, such as a
rose scent for example, they will be able to do this with 5 ingredients. This is called a simple accord.
 The complex accord
Little by little, this young creator will learn how to sophisticate their accords and make them more complex. Then they will be able to
create a more complex accord, such as a floral bouquet, in which the pink accord will be the major note.
A complex accord is the association, almost magical, of many very different notes to create a unique blend.
Here are a few examples of complex accord:
 Fresh jasmine note + bergamot note + violet note = tea accord.

It was the basis of perfumes such as Bulgari's Le Parfum Thé, Calvin Klein's Ck One or Cartier's Declaration.
 Mint + lime + rum + sugar note = Mojito accord.
It was reproduced in Guerlain’s Homme.
What does the accord bring to the perfume?

The accord allows the message of the perfume to be transmitted. In a way, it represents its skeleton, and will give it its soul and its
unique signature. Every great perfume must have an innovative accord.
Moreover, in perfumery, an accord is not the simple sum of several components. It could be compared to the idea that 1+1+1 is not
equal to 3, but equal to 1, to a new scent, where different notes blend vaguely. The combination of the scents makes it possible to
create a new and unique fragrance in a mysterious process.
The accord intervenes in top notes, heart notes and base notes: it is the keystone of the perfume. The perfumer first creates the
accord, then dresses it with different notes or olfactory facets.
The olfactory families born from the accords

The great perfumery accords gave us different olfactory families of perfume:
The Fougère accord created by the perfumer Houbigant is composed of:
 Aromatic notes: lavender, lavandin or sage, rosemary, etc.

 Pelargonium or geranium rose
 Tonka bean or coumarin
According to various sources, either Guerlain or Coty created the chypre accord or scents of undergrowth in autumn:
 Bergamot
 Rose, jasmine
 In the background, tree mosses or patchouli, cistus labdanum
The oriental or amber accord was composed either by Guerlain or Coty, depending on the source. It was composed of balsamic, resin
or balms notes:
75 ‫ من‬1 ‫الصفحة‬
 Incense, myrrh, benzoin, styrax, opopanax
 Patchouli
 Vanilla or vanillin
 Animal notes
 Cistus labdanum
 Iris
 ‫يمكن إضافتها للكورس هى و الهيد سبيس‬
Great perfumes born of outstanding accords

In the history of perfumery, great perfumes have been created thanks to accords that are still very outstanding today. Below there are
some of the perfumes with different accords that give a general idea of the raw materials contained in them:
 Paris by Yves Saint Laurent: violet, damascone, light rose note, iso e super (woody note)
 №5 by Chanel: rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coumarin and aldehydes
 №19 by Chanel: violet, iris, vertofix (woody note) light rose note, galbanum
 Homme by Guerlain: mojito accord dressed with vetiver, pelargonium, cedar, rhubarb
 Insolence by Guerlain: violet, iris, orange blossom, red fruits, vanilla
 Samsara by Guerlain: bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coumarin sandalore, vanillin
 Angel by Mugler: veltol or caramel, patchouli and red fruits, galaxolide, lilial, coumarin (dewberry)
 Opium by Yves Saint Laurent: tangerine, rose, patchouli, clove or eugenol, vanillin, benzoin, benzyl salicylate
The olfactive facets

The architecture of a perfume is visually represented in the form of an olfactory pyramid, with the top notes being on the top of the
pyramid, the heart notes in the middle and the base notes in the bottom.
The olfactory pyramid allows the perfumer to architect his perfume and make it harmonious. It is used to balance the orchestration of
a formula and to make the evaporation of the fragrance continuous and gradual. In this way, the perfume can deliver all its facets and
the fragrance comes to life.
Just like a chord in music, a perfume is built around an accord, which is the main theme of a perfume. By assembling various
components, from 5 to 10, the perfumer-creator creates the architecture of the fragrance, which is in fact the soul of the perfume, the
emotions that it evokes to the person who smells it.
The Comité Français du Parfum (CFP) classifies the pallets of scents and notes into 6 families of perfume (or main accord).
The 6 olfactory families

 The hesperidae family (see Hesperidae facet)
 The floral family (cf. Floral family)
 The amber or oriental family (cf. The amber or oriental family)
 The chypre family (cf. The chypre family)
 The woody family (see Woody facets)
 The fern/ fougère family (cf. Fern facet)
All these families can be both feminine and masculine but, generally, the floral family is more feminine and the fern family more
masculine.
‫لماذا اللينالول صفرى‬.... Z‫ابحث أيضا عن الفرق بين االكورد والفيست‬.......‫يمكن إضافتها للكورس‬
The perfumer-creator can dress each main theme or accord with one or more olfactory facets to make the architecture of the perfume
more complex.
The olfactory facets dress the olfactory families. It should be noted that the different accords, oriental or amber, chypre, ferns, woody,
floral, citrus, can be expressed in a fragrance in the form of olfactory families or in the form of facets.
The different olfactive facets

From the most volatile to the most persistent notes, you will find the following facets:
 The citrus facet
Composed of citrus fruits: very fresh, lively, sparkling notes such as lemon, orange, bergamot, lime, grapefruit, yuzu, etc.
 The new freshness facet
It is more "technical", evoking “splash” notes, very tonic and clean, more often used in fragrances for men.
 The aromatic facet
It is made up of aromatic notes such as fresh plants that can be found in a garden: mint, lavender, lavandin, tarragon, rosemary or
thyme. They bring a lot of freshness with a character.
 The marine facet
Iodine or oceanic is most often brought by synthetic notes that give a fresh, invigorating wind effect and make one think of scents
reminiscent of the ocean.
 The green or vegetal facet
The green facet is composed of invigorating notes and scents of cut grass or crumpled leaves.
 The aldehydic facet
This facet is more technical and is composed of "clean and metallic" scents. They have the power to enhance the freshness and to
make the other facets vibrate, especially the floral facet.
 The floral facet
There are many categories of flowers: spring, pink, white, powdered, solar, spicy. The green flowers will act more in top notes, the
white flower notes more in the heart notes (cf. Orange Blossom Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte).
 The solar facet
The solar facet is given by flowers such as sambac jasmine, ylang-ylang, frangipani, tuberose and tiare flower. These flowers are
often accompanied by exotic fruity notes and by salicylated notes, that smell like warm sand and sun-warmed skin.
 The fruity facet
Fresh fruits such as pear and apple will be fresher than red fruits such as cherry, strawberry, or exotic fruits such as coconut and
mango. Few fruity raw materials are natural.
 The spicy facet
Fresh spices will act more as top notes, such as cardamom, ginger, pepper, etc. Warmer spices will act more as the heart and bottom
notes, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, saffron, etc.
 The fern facet
It is based on the fern accord created by perfumer Houbigant in the 19th century. It's a rather fresh and masculine accord that smells
like our grandfathers' shaving foam, which is the classic fern accord. The modern fern accord smells more like clean aftershave
scents.
 The woody facet
Some woods will be more present in the top notes, such as vetiver. Sandalwood, cedar, and patchouli, on the other hand, are more
present in the heart and base notes. Woods can be fresh and vibrant, warm and velvety, but also dark and intense.
 The chypre facet
The chypre facet is always woody, but denser in patchouli and moss notes. The chypre accord that was created by Guerlain or Coty
(depending on the source) is a classic perfume accord, it can remain classic or treated in a more modern way.
 The oriental or amber facet
Was the classic oriental note created by Guerlain or Coty? It is made up of resins, balms, vanilla notes, patchouli and other warmer
notes.
 The gourmet facet
It can support oriental or amber notes but can dress all the other olfactory families. They are regressive and titillate the taste buds (cf.
Collection Vanille by Sylvaine Delacourte).
 The powdery facet
It is characterized by vaporous, airy scents that evoke rice powders. It’s often based on iris, violet, mimosa, etc.
 The musky facet
It is composed of white musk notes that are synthetic ingredients, originally found in animal musks that are now forbidden. They bring
a soft, cocooning and enveloping side. They are very tenacious notes (cf. Musk Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte).
 The animal facet
Except for ambergris, hyraceum and beeswax, animal notes are now prohibited, namely civet, castoreum and musk. Vegetable notes
such as indole or musky notes with animal facets can bring a sensual tone. They are extremely tenacious.
If a perfume is orchestrated with many facets, it is said to be a faceted fragrance. The more faceted it is, the more complex it is, the
more surprises it will offer. It can be more appreciated by people who are olfactory educated. A not very faceted perfume is more
direct and will please more people who seek simple and pure fragrances.
The Spicy facet

In perfumery fragrances are classified into categories, called “families” (according to the classification of the French Perfume
Committee - CFP). They are six of them:
1. The citrus family

2. The floral family
3. The amber family
4. The chypre family
5. The woody family
6. The fougère family
Olfactive family is determined by its accord, or main theme, made up of 5 to 10 different components, and giving all its soul to the
fragrance. In addition, each main theme, or family, can be dressed with one or more olfactive facets. The more perfume is faceted, the
more complex it will be.
The spicy facet can dress all the families listed above.
The history of spices

The potential of spices was first exploited in ancient Egypt. The pharaohs were great consumers of spices, both for use in daily life
and for embalming at funeral ceremonies. Wealthier Egyptians burned cinnamon in their homes to combat the foul odor that
emanated from the streets.
Egyptian pharmacopoeias (collections of prescriptions for medical products) contained large stocks of spices, most of which were
considered to be real remedies.
There are several reasons why the spice trade became so important. First, it was a profitable business; second, spices were easy to
transporte and to consume in large quantities, especially by the upper classes of society; and third, the success of spices can finally
be explained by the poor quality of the food consumed.
When food wasn’t rotten, it was bathed in salt during mass production.
Wines, beers and vinegars shipped by boat were among the few preserved commodities.
Spices were very expensive, so spicy drinks were especially popular among people of a certain social class.
Until about the 16th century, the flow of spices followed the trail of Arab caravans to Constantinople and Alexandria. From then on, the
goods were shipped to their destinations by Italian ships. The spice trade thus transformed the small cities of Venice and Genoa into
brilliant metropolises.
In the same way, the economic wealth of the spice trade made great cultural advances possible in northern Italy, thanks in particular
to the generosity of rich merchants, artists, architects and philosophers.
The spice trade
In the 15th century, the old trade routes were interrupted, breaking the monopoly of Italian ports on the spice trade. The race for
spices and the hard search for new trade routes launched great explorers towards the seas. Christopher Columbus in 1492, thinking
he was heading for India, landed in the Bahamas where he discovered allspice peppers from Jamaica and vanilla.
In 1498, the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama landed in India, where he discovered cinnamon, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and mace.
* The expression "expensive as pepper" used by Voltaire, referred to the invective "pepper bag", dating from the Middle Ages, which
was used to designate a very rich man (spices were very expensive at the time).
Spice categories
There are two categories of spices: hot spices and cold spices.
In perfumery, spices immediately evoke warmth and a "spicy" side. But although they can be hot, they are also vectors of freshness.
Fresh spices act more as top notes, while warm spices develop mainly in heart and base notes.
Fresh spices
Cardamom, coriander, ginger, juniper berries as well as pink and timut peppers are considered as fresh spices.
 Cardamom
Cardamom, a plant native to India, comes from the same family as ginger and turmeric. It comes mainly from Guatemala and India.
In Egypt, it was called "the seed of the angels", it had divine properties. Cleopatra perfumed her palace with it before each visit of
Mark Antony.
The plant itself can grow up to five metres tall. There are green and black cardamoms.
Its fragrant seeds are distilled during the production of essential oil for perfumery.
This essence of cardamom is very expensive because it is very labour-intensive.
30 kg of cardamom gives 1 kg of essential oil, also exists in absolute form and can be treated by the C02 process.
It is considered a cold, slightly camphorated, green and terpenic spice.
 Coriander
Native to the Middle East, coriander is also known as "Chinese parsley" or "Arab parsley". It belongs to the same botanical family as
the carrot. Its scent is very uplifting, fresh like citrus fruits, lemony and slightly camphorated. There are olfactive differences depending
on the part that is being treated (the leaves or the seeds).
 Ginger
Ginger was brought back by Marco Polo from China and corresponds to the rhizome of a tropical plant. Ginger is a rising note,
popular among perfumers; it is fresh, citrusy and rosy.
Its spicy side can sometimes give a soapy scent to perfumes.
 Juniper berries
Produced from juniper (Juniperus communis), these small European fruits are used in cooking to accompany dishes, as well as in the
production of gin. Juniper berries are used in perfumery thanks to the distillation of the fruit.
 Pink pepper
Coming from South America, pink pepper, or pink berries, is a fresh and airy "false pepper" that goes very well with citrus notes. It is
frequently used in perfumery as a top note.
 Timut pepper
A variety of pepper recently used by perfumers, Timut (or Timur) pepper is a false pepper, close to Sichuan pepper. It diffuses
grapefruit scents.
Warm spices
Warm spices used in perfumery include: nutmeg and its husk (mace), cinnamon wood, peppers, saffron, and chilli pepper berries.
 Nutmeg
Among other things, nutmeg has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It is also used in cooking to embellish a dish (it is part of
the famous "Four Spices").
Its note is spicy, dry, warm and deep, and can evoke a leathery note, with a medicated camphor side, a clove facet, and an earthy
note.
Eugenol, methyl-eugenol and Iso-eugenol are molecules present in clove and nutmeg. All these molecules are limited or even
prohibited by IFRA (International Fragrance Association) laws and are naturally present in ylang-ylang and rose essence.
 Cinnamon wood
Cinnamon has been used for several millennia. Most cinnamon wood production is found in Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and
Madagascar. The spice is harvested every two years and the wood, which is very fine, must dry in the sun before being processed by
distillation.
 Peppers
There are three kinds of pepper (black, white and green). They come from different degrees of ripeness, but from the same variety:
Piper Nigrum. It is a very popular spice, both for consumption and in perfumery.
 Saffron
Nicknamed "red gold", saffron, which comes from a crocus pistil, is the most expensive spice in the world. It is not used in perfumery
because it contains allergenic components. However, a substitute exists: saffronal, which gives a very strong and spicy leather note to
perfumes.
 Pepper berries
Originally from the West Indies and mainly harvested in Jamaica, chilli pepper berries are processed by distillation, as are the leaves
(which are then called "chilli leaves"). Its perfume is spicy, and lies between nutmeg and cinnamon, while evoking cloves.
Spicy perfumes
Here are some spicy facetted fragrances, classified by spice :
Ginger perfumes
 Déclaration by Cartier
 Five O’clock by Serge Lutens
 Allure Homme sport Edition Blanche by Chanel
 Vangelis by Sylvaine Delacourte
 Eau de Gingembre by Roger Gallet
 L’Eau by Diptyque
 Fou d’Absinthe by L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Safran Troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Dzing from by L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Ginger Picante by Guerlain
 Baptême du Feu by Serge Lutens
Juniper berry scents
 Gin by Lord Of Barbès

Cardamom perfumes
 Voyage by Hermès
 Cardamusc by Hermès
 Déclaration by Cartier
Chilli pepper berry perfumes
 Mitsouko by Guerlain
 Piment Brûlant by L’Artisan Parfumeur
Saffron perfumes
 Safran troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur

 Saffron by Jo Malone
 Black Saffron by Byredo
 Ozkan by Sylvaine Delacourte
Pepper perfumes
 Poivre Noir by Caron

 Parfum sacré by Caron
Coriander perfumes
 Héritage by Guerlain
 Gentleman Only by Givenchy
 Intense by Jean Couturier
 Coriandre by Jean Couturier
Cinnamon perfumes
 Opium by Yves Saint Laurent

 Égoïste by Chanel
 Rousse by Serge Lutens
 Black Orchid by Tom Ford
 Noël au Balcon by Elo
 Dolce Vita by Dior
 L’Eau Lente by Diptyque
 Eau by Diptyque
Nutmeg perfumes
 Cacharel pour l’Homme by Cacharel

 Vétiver by Guerlain
 Opium pour Homme by Yves Saint Laurent
 Tubéreuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens
Perfumes with mixed spices
 Noir épices by Frédéric Malle

 Spice Blend by Dior
 Paprika Bresil by Hermès
 Épices Marines by Hermès
 Voyage by Hermès
 Helicriss by Sylvaine Delacourte
 Bois d’Arménie by Guerlain
 Vangelis Sylvaine by Delacourte (a scent that contains pepper, cardamom, ginger, juniper berries, and cloves)
Confidential spice perfumes
 Cumin present in Edmond Roudniska's by Femme de Rochas.
 Clove, which, together with rose, creates the "carnation" note present in Coco from Chanel, Opium by YSL, Aromatics
Elixir by Clinique, Miss Dior by Dior, Tam Dao by Diptyque, Florentina and Vangelis by Sylvaine Delacourte.
The Powdery facet

In order to understand what a facet is, it is important to know that a perfume has an architecture, it is built around several components
(between 5 and 10). These different scents interact with each other to form an accord, as in music. The main accord, also known as
the main theme of a perfume, will give the fragrance its full dimension and define its olfactory family. Perfumes are classified
(according to the CFP - Comité Français du Parfum) into six distinct olfactory families:
 The chypre family

 The hesperidae (citrus) family
 The floral family
 The oriental or amber family
 The woody family
 The ferns family
In addition, the main accord may be dressed in olfactory facets. The more facets there are, the more complex the perfume will be.
The powdery facet is one of the olfactory facets used to dress a perfume.
What is a powdery facet?

The name "powdery" comes from the first rice powders that were once scented with iris. The powdery facet, like a dry note, is quite
nasal and slightly woody, with accents of violet. It is often compared to pastel tones and has very evanescent notes.
The iris is considered to be the goddess of powdery notes. Its scent is mysterious and airy, rather difficult to grasp. Iris flowers indeed
exhale delicious perfumes, some of them even have a chocolate note.
Moreover, the powdery facets can evoke feminine boudoirs: they are mostly present in eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum for
women. They are sometimes present in fragrances for men, but mainly in confidential perfumery.
The powdery facet should not be confused with the vanilla facet, which is very tasteful.
The powdery iris notes in perfumery

 The Pallida iris
The Pallida iris, or Iris of Florence, is native to Italy. It is one of the most expensive raw materials in perfumery.
However, it is not the flower itself, but its root, the rhizome, is used in perfumery. The rhizomes are taken from 3 to 6 year old plants,
cleaned and then dried. At this stage, the plants are still odourless, and will have to be stored in bags for three years until they are
completely dry to become fragrant. Then the rhizomes are reduced to fine particles and treated by distillation to obtain a paste called
"iris butter", which is macerated in an organic solvent and extracted to produce iris absolute.
The elegance of the Florentine iris is superior in quality to all other varieties. Its scent has many facets: notes that oscillate between
violet and mimosa, woody accents, and a slight hint of raspberry and carrot. Very often, in order to replace or support the iris effect in
a perfume, carrot seed essence is added.
The iris is grown in Italy on steep, rocky and poorly exposed land, that eliminates the possibility of crop mechanisation. Planting takes
place from mid-September to mid-October and the harvest takes place in the third year after planting, between mid-July and mid-
August.
 The Germanica iris
The Germanica iris is of a less precious quality, and rougher than the Florence iris. In Morocco, the Germanica variety is simpler to
grow because the plants are more robust than the Florence iris. The rhizomes are uprooted and removed from the soil to be treated in
two ways:
1. Peeled rhizomes: they are peeled by hand and then washed. This stage is long and tedious (one person can process up to
40 kg of rhizomes per day).
2. Unshelled rhizomes: they are cut into slices, then dried for 10 days and stored in sheds under precise conditions of
aeration and humidity for three years.
Rhizomes ideally require six years of treatment before they reach their optimum quality. The irone develops during air drying, it is the
noblest and most precious part of the iris.
There is a third variety of iris: the Pallida iris from China.
These three qualities of iris are very different: the Iris Pallida from Italy is the noblest and most subtle, but it is also the most expensive
of the varieties. The iris Germanica from Morocco is of a lower quality because the rhizomes take only two to three years to dry
(sometimes even less) and the iris content is lower. Finally, the iris Pallida from China is of inferior quality to that from Italy, because
the rhizomes are pulled up more quickly. Some suppliers also produce Italian and Chinese Pallida iris communelles.
Powdery perfumes with iris

Here are a few fragrances that feature the iris in their composition:
 Infusion d’iris Prada
 Iris Ganache Guerlain
 Dior Homme Dior
 L’Heure Bleue Guerlain
 Après L’Ondée Guerlain
 Flower Kenzo
 Florentina Sylvaine Delacourte
 Dovana Sylvaine Delacourte
Mimosa in the powdery facet

Mimosa is a flower that is difficult to work with in perfumery, as mimosa absolute has a scent quite different from the fluffy flowers.
In 1770, Captain Cook was conquered by the smell of these little yellow flowers and brought the bush from Australia. Fossilised traces
prove that it has been already growing in this country for 250 million years. It is believed that the mimosa shrubs were brought from
Mexico by Napoleon III's troops. The first mimosa shrubs blossomed in Josephine de Boarne gardens.
This flower very quickly seduced the aristocratic salons of Great Britain and France. Empress Josephine had also tried to plant
mimosas in the greenhouses of La Malmaison. But her acclimatisation in the South of France only dates back about 150 years. Since
the end of the 19th century, the mimosa has been the symbol of the French Riviera.
This flower is mainly cultivated in the south of France, India, Egypt and Morocco. In perfumery, the mimosa is treated by extraction
with volatile solvents to obtain an absolute. However, it is also possible to treat the concrete (the first product resulting from the
extraction) by molecular distillation to obtain a molecular distillation absolute, which is different in smell and almost colourless.
Mimosa offers a green, powdery, honeyed and almondy floral note to the fragrances. It also has a fairly pronounced green
facet (close to that of the violet leaf) because its leaves are distilled at the same time as the yellow balls. This is why, in the mimosa
note, vegetal scents reminiscent of cucumber or even melon are perceptible.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of perfumes with a very marked mimosa note:
 Un soliflore L'Artisan Parfumeur
 Mimosa Pour Moi
 Champs Elysées Guerlain
 Summer Kenzo
 Farnesiana Caron
 Beige extrait Chanel
Some anecdotes about mimosa

 Etymology: its name comes from the Latin mimus, which means "stuffing", because some leaves retract as soon as you
touch them, like a reflex.
 It is said that if the mimosa blooms in winter on the French Riviera, it is because it has kept in memory its flowering period
in Australia.
 Two qualities are used by perfumers: acacia Dealbata and acacia Farnésina.
 In Spain, the mimosa symbolises reunion.
 Since 1946, the mimosa has been the emblem of Women's Day, on the 8th of March.
 The mimosa flower is offered on grandmothers' day, Marcel Pagnol used to say: "Grandmothers' day is like mimosa: it is
sweet and it is fresh, but it is fragile".
 Mimosa is edible: mimosa balls are reconstituted in sugar and flavoured. However, it is not possible to crystallise the
flowers directly, because the flower is too fluffy.
 There is a mimosa syrup that can accompany a glass of champagne with delight.
Cassie in the powdery facet
The cassia is a flower from the same family as mimosas (the acacia family). However, its branches have thorns. Like mimosa, it is a
rather difficult flower to work with in perfumery. As for its smell, it is denser, more mysterious, with animal notes close to those of
ylang-ylang, and has sulphur effects and aldehydic accents.
Among the cassia fragrances are :
 Cassie in Après L'Ondée

 Cassie flowers by Frédéric Malle with 4% absolute cassia
Synthetic products in the powdery facet

 The violet
According to legend, Zeus, who was in love with Io at the time, commissioned the Earth to create the most beautiful flower in his
honour: the violet.
Napoleon loved this flower and was sometimes nicknamed "Corporal Violet". It then became the emblem of Napoleon's imperial party.
In England, its scent was most popular during the Victorian era. Virtuous, violets are often associated with simplicity and modesty.
However, the violet does not give off its perfume (it is a "silent" flower). It is therefore methylionone and ionone molecules that enable
it to be reconstituted. The violet was called "Iov" or "Ion" in ancient Greek, hence the name "ionone", which refers to a chemical
compound.
 The methylionone
The first ionone was discovered in 1890. Ionones enabled perfumers to reproduce the scent of violet flowers as faithfully as possible.
There are also the "alpha", "beta" and "violet note" ionones, which are more complicated to use than the Methylionones.
This note is floral, powdery, close to raspberry, and even woody.
The Ionones and Methionones combine wonderfully with even more iridescent notes, such as natural or synthetic irones, or iris
absolute notes.
Après l'Ondée by Guerlai was one of the first perfumes contained these molecules, followed by l'Heure Bleue, Météorites, Vol de Nuit,
Insolence, Florentina by Sylvaine Delacourte.
We can also mention:
 Origan Coty - 1905
 Heure Bleue Guerlain - 1912
 La Violette de Toulouse Berdoues - 1936
 Violetta di Parma Borsari - 1970
 Detchema Revillon - 1953
 Lagerfeld Karl Lagerfeld (masculin) - 1978
 Paris YSL - 1983
 Eternity Calvin Klein - 1988
 Trésor Lancôme - 1990
 Tocade Rochas - 1994
 Iris Silver mist Serge Lutens - 1994
 Aimez Moi Caron - 1996
 Flower Kenzo - 2000
 Verte Violette Artisan Parfumeur - 2001
 Lolita Lempicka - 2004
 Insolence Guerlain - 2006
 Misia Chanel - 2015
 Florentina Sylvaine Delacourte - 2016
 The natural heliotrope
The scent of heliotrope, found in some nurseries, is between powder, vanilla and almond. It is a delicious aroma, absolutely essential.
 The heliotropin
It did not deliver its perfume, but fortunately the scent was discovered in 1869 by Fittig and Mielk. This raw material is synthetic but
can also be obtained from Tahitensis vanilla. It is a floral, almond note between mimosa, heliotrope and lilac.
Here again, this scent is present in Après L'ondée, Heure Bleue, Insolence, by Guerlain and Florentina Sylvaine Delacourte.
 Musky notes, or white musks
These molecules, like Muscenone, give off a very enveloping powdery note with a cashmere effect.
Collection Muscs by Sylvaine Delacourte with 5 different musky fragrances :
 Tender and fresh musk: Dovana

 Woody powdery musk: Florentina
 Sunny musk : Lilylang
 Fresh vegetable musk: Smeraldo
 Spicy musk: Helicriss
Discover them thanks to the Discovery Boxes.
Conclusion
The powdery notes bring softness and tenderness to the fragrances and are very enveloping, like cashmere. They can be modern (in
the form of musks) or more traditional, reminiscent of rice powder or women's
The Marine facet

To understand what a facet is, it is important to know that a perfume has a precise architecture, it is structured from several
components, usually between 5 and 10, that create an accord. The main theme of the fragrance will be given by the main accord,
which could be compared to the soul of the fragrance. The more facets are in a perfume, the more complex it will be.
What is the marine facet?

The marine notes are referring to scents of the sea, algae or sand heated by the sun. They are also called "iodized", "marine" or
"ozonated" notes. They are very invigorating, fresh, and limpid. They are also powerful, just like the scents you might remember from
your vacations at the sea. These marine notes allow you to rediscover salty water sensations reminiscent of freedom.
They appeal to both men and women and are especially appreciated in summer.
However, just like sunny notes, they can still be worn all year round if you want to remember the scents from your escapades to the
beach. These notes go particularly well with the new freshness facet, the citrus, aromatic or floral notes. However, they are sometimes
associated with all the other olfactory families (oriental, chypre, and woody).
Origin of marine notes

The marine facet was first used in New West for Her by Aramis in 1990, which later inspired many others. This facet was very
successful in the 1980s and continues to be used today, especially in the "sport" versions of iconic perfumes.
Synthetic marine notes

One of the first synthetic marine notes was a molecule invented in 1966 called calone. It has a marine scent, evoking iodized air, as
well as a slightly green and aniseed note with watermelon and melon hints.
The discovery of this molecule was actually by chance. It was originally developed for pharmaceutical purposes, which proved to be
disappointing. The chemists then noticed a very powerful and strange smell of fresh green leaves reminiscent of melon and decided to
file a patent. Eventually, this molecule fell into the public domain, and was then duplicated under other names by many perfume
houses (firlone, aquamor...).
As the magazine Le Nez explains, the calonne is very powerful: "it would be enough to add a quantity equivalent to a grain of salt to
perfume an Olympic swimming pool".
In 2000 Givaudan discovered the Azuzone molecule, exclusive to this company, it is even more powerful than the calonne. It was
used in the magnificent creations of the perfume company Etat Libre d'Orange. Helional is another marine molecule that is more
discreet, less direct and more flexible. Discovered in 1958, it has a light green facet with notes of cucumber and melon.
There are also ozonated notes such as Floralozone, that gives a sensation of a breath of fresh, pure air, Scentenal, Melonal (more
fruity and aqueous molecule), and Evernyl, a slightly marine woody moss note, situated between the smell of algae and the mineral of
waves that slap like a rock. There are now many other marine molecules such as oceanol, or maritima.
Natural marine notes
There are also natural marine notes such as Sea Christe, also known as sea fennel. It is possible to use an interesting note from
seaweed. They are treated by extraction with volatile solvents (to give an algae absolute). They offer a very refreshing sensation,
with an iodized temperament. These notes allow you to rediscover the euphoric sensations of the seaside and instant energy. In
addition, these notes can be used as "technical notes", to sublimate the freshness of a fragrance, as they are very effective in giving
trail and presence. They are used sparingly and don’t offer an obvious perception of marine notes.
Conclusion
The marine notes allow you to escape from everyday life and rediscover the sensations of the open sea that can respond to the
aspiration of a more ecological world.
Here are some perfumes with marine facet

 Coco Fizz Aqua Allegoria Guerlain
 Soleil Blanc Tom Ford
 Vanilla Vibes Juliette Has a Gun
 Acqua Di Gio Armani
 Cool water Woman Davidoff
 Sel Marin James Heeley
 Cool water Davidoff
 Eau Océane Biotherm
 Polo Sport Ralph Lauren
 Un Air de Bretagne Artisan Parfumeur
 Le Champ de Camargue Artisan Parfumeur
 Acqua Forte Cerruti
 Alma de Rosario Mizensir
 Eau d’Issey Issey Miyake
 Aqua marine Bulgari
 Vents et Marées Molinard
 Escape for men Calvin Klein
 Bleu Chanel
 Allure Homme sport Chanel
 Boss the Scent Hugo Boss
 Hermès Jardin sur le Nil Hermès
 Un Jardin Après la Mousson Hermès
 Eau des merveilles Bleue Hermès
 Vanille Galante Hermès
 Dior homme sport Dior
 Lucky Christian Dior
 Replica Maison Margiela
 Rem Reminiscence
 Lady rem Reminiscence
 Eau de Cologne Bleue Yves Saint Laurent l’Homme
 L’homme Idéal Guerlain Sport
 1828 Jules Vernes Histoires de parfums
 Eau d’Issey Issey Miyake
 Ck one Calvin Klein
 Flower Kenzo
 Acqua di Scandola Parfum d’Empire
 Lys Méditerranée Frédéric Malle
The Green facet

We often talk about the soul of a perfume when we talk about its main accord. Many components, from 5 to 10, build up the
architecture of a perfume. The assembly of these different components defines the main theme of a perfume. This accord is enriched
by other notes, which are the facets of the perfume. Thanks to them, the more complex perfume arouses a wider range of emotions.
6 olfactory families defined by the Comité Français du Parfum (CFP) allow to classify perfumes according to categories:

Each main theme or accord can be dressed in one or more facets. The green facet can be used to dress each of these 6 families.
Definition of green notes

Green notes: a breath of dynamism and nature
The green note is defined by the recognisable smell of crumpled leaves, cut stems, fresh grass wetted with dew. It is therefore a facet
that gives a lot of dynamism, cheerfulness and naturalness to the perfume. Moreover, this facet is also called vegetal notes or detox
notes. They are the symbol of renewal and spring.
Nowadays, green notes are more and more present in the new products on the market. In 1947 in Balmain's Vent Vert, the green
facet was used for the first time in a very intense form. The formula of Vent Vert was revised in 1991 and again in 1999, the green
note was combined with another bold note with a character: the galbanum note.
Galbanum
Galbanum is a plant of the umbelliferous family which grows in Iran or Afghanistan and whose gum is harvested by incising the roots
of the plant. It is then distilled to obtain an essence or treated with a solvent to obtain the resinoid.
Olfactively, galbanum is a very dark and crisp green note, like an intense scent of undergrowth. This note also evokes the scent of
peas, reminiscent of potatoes and nasturtium flowers with its wet, peppery note.
The galbanum note is difficult to work with because it very quickly marks the top note and can be raspy. It goes perfectly with the
hesperidia family, mint and basil notes. You can find galbanum note in Valkyrie from Sylvaine Delacourte’s Vanilla Collection.
Natural green notes

 Pronounced green notes: narcissus, daffodil, mimosa
Narcissus, daffodil and mimosa naturally have quite pronounced green notes.
 Fruity green notes: blackcurrant buds
Blackcurrant production takes place mainly in France, in the Burgundy region. The young buds are harvested in the beginning of the
year. The absolute, which is quite expensive, is obtained by extraction with volatile solvents. It is used in the compositions of
Pamplona by Brocard, Aqua Allegoria and Chamade by Guerlain, First by Van Cleef.
The smell of blackcurrant buds is both green and fruity. It can sometimes smell like boxwood. When the alchemy with the skin in not
good, the blackcurrant bud can then give an unpleasant note (cf. Testing a perfume, Choosing a perfume). From now on, there are
blackcurrant bud qualities that are free of this annoying smell.
Oscarine from Sylvaine Delacourte's Orange Blossom Collection contains this fruity and green note.
 Amazing green note : violet leaf
The violet is blooming from April to October, it is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa, now it is found in temperate regions. Many
species are odourless, the most fragrant is the viola odorata, whose colour varies from incarnat to mauve or from magenta to pink.
In perfumery, you can't get the scent from flowers, only the violet leaf delivers a natural note. Also, its smell is quite peculiar. Indeed, it
has a green note of cucumber, green bean, or a slightly sulphurous, earthy smell and even a leathery, harsh and raspy note.
 Mediterranean green note: lentisque
Lentisque is a shrub growing in the Mediterranean, in Corsica and Morocco. It has a raw, deep and slightly spicy green note. The
latter is increasingly used in recently launched fragrances. Moroccan mastic grass is present in Smeraldo, a green musk,
from Sylvaine Delacourte's Musc Collection.
 Green note "with angels" : angelica, seeds and stems
Angelica or angelica grass is an umbelliferous plant with a fluted stem, native to Europe and North Asia. The scents of angelica are
quite different, sometimes aromatic, sometimes herbaceous or woody, depending on whether you consider the seed or the stem.
These notes respond wonderfully to each other. The angelica of France is also present in Smeraldo from Sylvaine Delacourte's
Musc Collection.
There are only a few natural green notes, less than ten. This is why the perfumers have to use synthesis.
Synthetic green notes

The synthesis allows to bring many notes in the green facet, for example :
 Cis 3- hexenol, Cis 3- hexenyl acetate, triplal.

 Vivaldie, cortex and gabascone, the IFF specialities.
 The liffarome, the stemone, are necessary to create a fig note.
 Blackcurrant base.
 Sytrallyl acetate has an asparagus and gardenia effect.
 Nonadienal has a cucumber effect.
 Veticol acetate has a rhubarb effect.
Cinquième sens à Paris offers inexpensive day-long training sessions in their co-working space, where you can smell the raw
materials and discover classic and new fragrances.
Green perfumes
Fragrances with a green galbanum tonality:
 Vol de Nuit Guerlain (1933)

 Chamade Guerlain (1969)
 N°19 Chanel (1971)
 N°19 poudré Chanel (2011)
 Alliage Estée Lauder (1972)
 Private Collection Estée Lauder (1973)
 Eau de Campagne Sisley (1974)
 Silence Jacomo (1978)
 Miss Dior Dior (1947 et 1996)
 Premier Figuier L’Artisan Parfumeur (1994)
 Virgilio Diptyque (1990)
 French Lover Frédéric Malle (2007)
 En Passant Frédéric Malle (2007)
 Bel Respiro Chanel (2007)
 A scent Issey Miyaké (2009)
 Bas de soie Serge Lutens (2010)
 Untitled Maison Margiela (2010)
 Corsica furiosa Parfum d’Empire (2014)
 Eau de Rhubarbe écarlate Hermès (2016)
 Les Parisiennes Guerlain (2019)
Green fragrances with an oriental note:
 Must Cartier (1981)
 Obsession Calvin Klein (1985)
 Dune Dior 1991)
 Dior Addict Dior (2002)
 Joy Dior (2018)
 Allure Chanel (1996)
 Angélique Noire Guerlain (2005)
Perfumes with more floral notes:
 Anaïs Anaïs Cacharel (1979)

 Pleasures Estée Lauder (1996)
 Les Belles de Ricci Nina Ricci (1996)
 Champs Elysées Guerlain (1996)
 Donna Karan DKNY (1999)
 Envy Gucci (2004)
 Daisy Marc Jacobs (2007)
More “eaux fraîches” perfumes:
 Herba Fresca Guerlain (1999)

 L’ombre dans l’eau Diptyque (1983)
 Jardin en Méditerranée Hermès (2003)
 Eau de Narcisse bleue Hermès (2014)
 Splash grass Marc Jacobs (2006)
 Eau de Lierre Diptyque (2006)
 Infusion d’Iris Prada (2007)
 Jardin Après la Mousson Hermès (2008)
 La Cologne du Parfumeur Guerlain (2010)
 Un dimanche à la campagne Guerlain (2016)
 Smeraldo Sylvaine Delacourte (2016)
Perfumes for men:
 Polo Ralph Lauren (1978)

 Grey Flannel Geoffrey Been (1975)
 Fahrenheit Christian Dior (1988)
 Chrome Legend Azzaro (2007)
 Guerlain homme Guerlain (2008)
The Aromatic facet

In music, you can create a chord with a combination of several notes to make a unique sound. In perfumery, you can do this too by
blending together several notes and ingredients together to create a distinct fragrance. This is called an accord.
You can dress the accord with several facets. The more facets there are, the more complex the architecture of the perfume is. In order
to find its way around, the Comité Français du Parfum classifies perfumes according to their olfactory family.
The 6 olfactive families

The perfumer-creator can then dress each main accord of the perfume with one or more facets in order to make it more complex. The
aromatic facet can be associated with all the olfactory families, it goes particularly well with the fern, woody, oriental and citrus
families.
What does the term "aromatic" mean?

The term "aromatic" refers to fresh herbs. As soon as the notes are dried, they are called "spices".
The notes of the aromatic facet are subdivided into 3 distinct categories:
 Lavender notes
 Mint notes
 Aniseed notes
Lavender notes in the aromatic facet

In perfumery, certain aromatic raw materials have lavender notes. This is notably the case of the following aromatic herbs:
 lavender
 lavandin
 rosemary
 thyme
 sage
 mugwort
 Lavender: the reference of the aromatic facet
Originally from the Mediterranean basin, lavender is nowadays cultivated in Bulgaria, Russia and in southern European countries such
as Spain and Italy. The south of France remains the main producer. Lavender is cultivated above 1000m of altitude. The cultivation of
lavender in the South of France in Grasse became big due to the beginnings of perfumery.
There are many different varieties of lavender (lavandula stoechas, lavandula officinalis, lavandula spica). This plant has always been
used by the Romans to perfume their baths, and in the Middle Ages for medicinal purposes. It symbolizes purity and tranquility.
There is an organic lavender, the Carla lavender from France, it is cultivated in the Drôme Provençale. It is a lavender used by great
chefs in cooking because it is very airy and floral.
Generally associated with the fern family, lavender is also characteristic of eau de Colognes and perfumes for men. However, it is
also present in the composition of chypre or oriental perfumes and today in some fragrances for women.
Lavender in the aromatic facet in perfumery
In perfumery, lavender can be used as lavender essence by steam distillation or as lavender absolute by extraction with volatile
solvents. They are very different from each other.
This very aromatic and powerful note evokes the gardens of the South of France and summertime. Sometimes it has a slightly vintage
side reminiscent of classic eaux de Cologne. It is also herbaceous, camphorated, and medicinal. Its fresh scent includes a note of
bergamot, slightly floral with woody tones. The percentage of linalyl will give lavender all its olfactory quality.
Since the second half of the 20th century, lavender production has become less prolific.
To replace it in the industrial perfumery, lavandin was increasingly used, it is a variety of hybrid lavender but of lower quality.
Lavandin, a cousin of lavender
Cousin of lavender, lavandin is a hybrid lavender variety obtained by crossing Lavandula Vera and Lavandula spica. Mainly harvested
in the south of France, and cultivated since the 1930s, lavandin is widely used nowadays and is often used to replace lavender.
Indeed, the cultivation of lavender has encountered some difficulties. However, lavandin is more productive in terms of quantity of
essential oil, even if it gives an essential oil with a poorer olfactory quality than lavender. There are 3 varieties of lavandin: lavandin
grosso, lavandin abrial, and lavandin Super. Lavandin grosso is the one that is cultivated the most.
Lavandin in the aromatic facet in perfumery
Like lavender, lavandin essence is obtained through steam distillation. This aromatic herb is more camphorous than lavender, fresh,
slightly woody, spicy, it offers a less "chic" and less refined side than real lavender. This slightly soapy note is mainly used in
detergents and soaps and, generally, in functional perfumery.
 Rosemary, an aromatic note with character
This aromatic herb is nowadays cultivated in Spain, Morocco and Italy (it needs arid and rocky soils to develop). Many
phytotherapeutic virtues are attributed to it and it is also widely used in cooking.
In the Middle Ages, rosemary was used to ward off evil spirits. It was also the flower of marriage in the time of Charlemagne.
Rosemary in the aromatic facet in perfumery
The use of rosemary in perfumery is very old (it can be found in the 17th century with L'Eau de la Reine de Hongrie which contained a
lot of rosemary). Rosemary essence is obtained by distilling its leaves and flowers with steam.
As an aromatic note, rosemary is fresh, herbaceous and camphorated. It is also woody in its evolution, powerful, lavender and bitter. It
has accents of incense and animal notes. Eaux de Cologne, fragrances for men, perfumes from the citrus family, as well as
fragrances with fresh notes, tend to contain rosemary (this can also be the case for oriental fragrances in top notes).
 Thyme, a singular aromatic note
Used by the Egyptians and the Greeks in the form of incense, thyme comes from Europe and today comes from France, Spain and
Algeria. Lemon thyme, wild thyme, and german thyme are among the many varieties of this herb.
Thyme in the aromatic facet in perfumery
In spring and summer, the thyme branches are dried and then steam distilled. This process produces the essence of thyme. This
aromatic herb offers a very intense camphorated, herbaceous, spicy and medicinal note. It is very present in eaux de Cologne,
aromatic perfumes, and certain spicy oriental perfumes.
 Sage, a curative aromatic note
Herbaceous plant of the Lamiaceae family, sage is very fragrant and bushy. Native to the south of Europe, it is cultivated today in
many countries such as France, countries in central Europe, Russia, the United States and China. There are two main varieties, the
first one is the clary sage which is the most used in perfumery. Its scent is animalistic, woody, earthy, floral, lavender, mentholated
and camphorated. The second is the sage used for infusions, also called "salvia officinalis". Its scent is herbaceous, aromatic,
camphorated, terpenic and close to bergamot.
Sage in the aromatic facet in perfumery
The most common extraction technique to obtain sage is by steam distillation.

This process produces the essence of sage. Sage absolute can be obtained by extraction with volatile solvents. In perfumery, sage
offers a lot of tonicity to perfumes (it is often used in perfumes for men). For a long time associated with the fern families, sage can
also be found in the form of absolute in chypre and oriental perfumes.
Often used as base notes, it brings tenacity to the perfumes.
The sage allows to obtain ambrox, a material used instead of ambergris in fragrances.
 Mugwort, a poisonous aromatic note
A rare and atypical plant, mugwort from the Latin artemisia, is a perennial herbaceous plant from North Africa and the Mediterranean
basin. There are nearly 300 different varieties of mugwort. The scent of this herb is herbaceous, fresh, camphorated, bitter, with a
slightly poisonous note. Mugwort is mainly present in perfumes for men.
Aniseed notes in the aromatic facet

The aniseed notes are also part of the aromatic herbs used in the aromatic facet in perfumery. These are:
 basil
 tarragon
 star anise
Basil
The name "basil" comes from the Latin basilicum which means "royal". In Greco-Roman times, basil was consumed neither as an
herb nor as a medicinal plant. It was solely used for ritual practices and only kings could cut their stems.
Imported to Europe in the 16th century from India and Lebanon, basil is now cultivated in some Maghrebian countries. There are 6
varieties, each with a very different scent. Basil with large leaves has a jasmine, liquorice and lemon scent, while purple basil has
peppery accents.
Basil in the aromatic facet in perfumery
In perfumery, basil essential oil is especially used in fresh or fern fragrances and in some chypre compositions. It is often combined
with lemon or spicy notes. The herbaceous, fresh, green and slightly minty scent of basil makes it a very lively and dynamic note,
which brings an aniseed effect to perfumes.
 Tarragon, a tonic aromatic note
Its name comes from the Latin dracunculus which means "little dragon". Tarragon was used to treat snake bites. This herb was
appreciated by the maharajahs who drank it as an herbal tea.
This herb native to Russia was imported in Spain by the Moors.

Most of the tarragon production is nowadays gathered in France.
Tarragon in the aromatic facet in perfumery
In perfumery, tarragon essential oil is obtained by the distillation of the leaves with steam. Its green, herbaceous, spicy and aniseed
scent is often appreciated in fresh top notes and associated with citrus, rose or cinnamon. It brings an aniseed facet to fragrances.
 Star anise, a sunny aniseed note
Star anise is currently mainly grown in Spain, Russia and Poland. The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of its seeds and is
used in particular in the top notes in perfumery. It is very appreciated for the freshness and modernity it brings to fragrances.
This aromatic herb has green accents and a spicy, powerful, liquorice scent. It is notably integrated in fragrances for men and in
aromatic, chypre, woody perfumes.
The menthol notes in the aromatic facet

In the aromatic facet you can also find minty notes:
 peppermint
 spearmint
 absinth
 Peppermint, a refreshing note
Born from the cross between Aquatica mint and spicata mint, this variety of mint is mainly produced in Europe, Russia, Bulgaria and
China. Its cold, aromatic, minty, fresh, slightly camphorated scent is also very powerful and has some balsamic notes.
Often used in fragrances for men and eaux fraîches, peppermint is also used to accompany peppery notes in spicy fragrances. In
particular, it is used to reproduce green and lavender notes as top notes in fragrances.
 Spearmint, a chlorophyll note
Spearmint spicata is obtained by the steam distillation of its leaves, a process that produces spearmint essence.
Its herbaceous, slightly spicy, fresh and green scent, as well as its tart chlorophyll scent are very much appreciated in aromatic
perfumes, or ferns in top notes. This aromatic herb also brings a great freshness to the fruity notes and to the citrus fruits in
fragrances.
 Absinthe, a legendary aromatic note
Originally from Europe and Russia, absinthe was discovered by the Egyptians in 1600 B.C. Absinthe is mostly associated with the
famous drink. Used in perfumery in the aromatic facet, the essence of absinthe is obtained by steam distillation.
Its fresh, minty, bitter, aniseed and slightly woody scent brings a lot of power and tonicity to perfumes. It is especially used in fern or
aromatic compositions and in fragrances with green notes.
Fragrances with aromatic facet

There are many fragrances with aromatic facets. Here are a few of them, classified by aroma:
Perfumes containing lavender
 Jicky Guerlain
 Shalimar Guerlain
 Habit Rouge Guerlain
 Mon Guerlain Guerlain
 Mouchoir de Monsieur Guerlain
 Pour Un Homme Caron
 Kouros Yves Saint Laurent
 Eternity for Men Calvin Klein
 Brin de Réglisse Hermès
 Bleu Chanel
 Boy Chanel
 Libre Yves Saint Laurent
 Dovana Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Perfumes containing rosemary
 Jicky Guerlain
 Eau de Guerlain Guerlain
 Eau du coq Guerlain
 Tonka Impériale Guerlain
 Virgile Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
 Helicriss Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Perfumes containing thyme
 L’Eau Noire Dior
 Eau de parfum Gucci
 For Him Narcisso Rodriguez
 Pour Homme Van Cleef & Arpels
 Eau Guerlain
 Infusion de Vétiver Prada
 1881 Cerruti
Perfumes containing sage
 Polo Ralph Lauren
 Pour Homme Van Cleef & Arpels
 Homme Dior
 Virgile Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Perfumes containing artemisa
 Déclaration Cartier
 L’Eau d’Armoise Serge Lutens
Perfumes containing basil
 Aqua Allegoria Guerlain
 L'Eau d'Hadrien Annick Goutal
 L'Eau Sauvage Dior
 Pour Homme Azzaro
 Euphoria Men Calvin Klein
 L’Eau L’Artisan Parfumeur
 At the Barber’s Margiela
 Tacit Aesop
Perfumes containing tarragon
 Eau Sauvage Dior
 Oranzo Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Perfumes containing anis
 L'Instant Pour Homme Guerlain

 Lolita Lempicka
 Hypnôse pour Homme Lancôme
 Mandragore Annick Goutal
 Méchant Loup L'Artisan Parfumeur
 Le Mâle J.P. Gaultier
 Ozkan Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Perfumes containing mint
 Homme Guerlain
 Géranium pour Monsieur Frédéric Malle
 Green Tea Elizabeth Arden
 Green Water Jacques Fath
 Booster Lacoste
 Roadster Cartier
 Lempicka green lover Lempicka
 Eau de Cologne Orange Verte Hermès
 Eau Minthé Diptyque
 Eau Froide Serge Lutens
 Aqua Celestia Forte MFK
 Virgin Mint Carolina Herrera
 Aqua Allegoria : Herba Fresca Guerlain
 Valkyrie Sylvaine Delacourte Paris
Other perfumes with the aromatic facet
 A taste of Heaven By Killian

 Fou d'absinthe L'Artisan Parfumeur
 Douce-Amère Serge Lutens
The Fruity facet

The fruity facet is one of the many facets that can dress a perfume.
Fragrances with a fruity facet are numerous and appreciated, in particular because they appeal to the olfactory heritage linked to
childhood.
The facets in the architecture of a perfume
To understand what a facet is, it is important to know how a perfume is composed.
Perfumes are classified by olfactory families, according to the classification imposed by the Comité Français du Parfum (CFP). Here
are the 6 olfactory families that exist :

Each fragrance has an architecture of 5 to 10 olfactory components that create the accord, just like a chord in music. The main accord
will define the main theme of the perfume, which in a way is its soul. Each main theme, such as the woody, floral or hesperidic, can be
dressed with one or several facets by the perfumer-creator in order to complexify the architecture of the fragrance.
Definition of the fruity facet

The fruity facet can be associated with all the olfactory families named above.
Fruity notes are very popular and highly prized in today's perfumery. Indeed, they connote childhood and can be "regressive". They
can be reminiscent of our childhood sweets and pastries, for example, and create attachment to the scent almost immediately.
The fruity notes can be orchestrated in a fresh and subtle way. In this case, they will be worked in an unsweetened way to
accompany, for example, citrus fruits or fresh flowers in the fragrance. On the other hand, fruity notes highlight a gourmand signature.
The fruity facet can be mischievous, refined and strongly present in the heart notes. However, the juicy, watery fruit will act more
as top notes.
Moreover, you should not confuse fruity notes with citrus notes (cf. The citrus facet).
The fruity facet on the perfumer's organ

It is important to know that there are very few natural fruity notes, but fortunately, synthetic products allow the perfumer to increase the
possibilities of creation.
In general, nearly 1000 raw materials (both natural and synthetic) are placed on the perfumer's organ (a piece of furniture that allows
the professional to store and classify his bottles of essential oils). There are a total of nearly 1000 natural and 3000 synthetic raw
materials available.
Recently, it has become possible to find natural, often expensive, fruity notes, such as pear, apple or even natural frambinone in the
form of isolates (substances obtained after the extraction of molecules by fractional distillation and do not come from the material in
question). Fresh and fruity notes like pineapple, watermelon or melon, are frequently used in perfumes for men..
Let us recall that without the discovery of these fruity notes, there would not have been the superb Guerlain’s perfume Mitsouko that
has the aldehyde molecule C14, a peach note.
The subfamilies of fruity notes

Here are the different subfamilies of existing fruity notes:
 Red fruits
Among the red fruits there are raspberry (reproduced with frambinone in synthesis and as a natural isolate), strawberry (C16), cherry
(created with the association of strawberry and almond), wild strawberry (made from C16 and orange blossom), blackcurrant and
blackcurrant bud (used naturally) as well as blueberry and blackberry.
 Yellow fruits
In the subfamily of yellow fruits, there are peach (C14), plum (created with the base of prunol or prunella), apricot (used in composition
with osmanthus, a flower giving an apricot and leathery note).
 Exotic fruits
The exotic fruits used in perfumery are coconut (C16) that can be used naturally, mango, pineapple (natural allyl isolates exist to
illustrate pineapple), banana (natural amyl isolates exist to illustrate banana), and passion fruit ( can be used naturally).
 Watery fruits
The two possible watery fruits in fruity notes are melon and watermelon.
 Juicy fruits
Among the juicy fruits, there are pear and apple (both naturally occurring), lychee (built with notes around the rose and the dimethyl
sulfide molecule), and kiwi.
 Other fruits
Fig is another fruit used as a fruity note. It is created from a chord composed of green notes, stemone, coconut, cedar and
sandalwood.
Some other raw materials, that are not fruits, can still give fruity facets. This is, for example, the case of tagetes, davana, osmanthus
with its apricot note, resin and fir balsam.
Tips from perfumers for your desserts

To embellish your desserts, take some strawberries and pour drops of orange blossom. The taste will immediately change to a wild
strawberry scent.
Here are some other molecules that can bring a fruity note:
 Allyl Amyl Glycolate, Allyl Caproate: pineapple

 Ethyl acetate: banana note
 Verdox, ethyl acetylacetate: apple
 Damascone Alpha: apple
 Base De berry red fruits, mango (present in Angel by Mugler)
 Citroasis and blackcurrant base: blackcurrant
 Veloutone : fruity musk
The perfumes with fruity facet

The list of the perfumes with fruity facets is very long. Here are some references:
 J'Adore Dior: pear
 Chance Chanel: quince
 Petite Chérie Goutal : pear
 Angel Mugler: exotic fruits
 Trésor Lancôme: fishing
 Guerlain Little Black Dress: cherry
 Coco Fizz Guerlain: coconut
 Passiflora Guerlain: passion fruit
 Jeanne Lanvin : raspberry
 Insolence Guerlain: wild strawberry
 Nahéma Guerlain: fishing
 Promenade des Anglais Guerlain: figs
 Kiss of Russia Guerlain: cranberry
 Mitsouko Guerlain : fishing
 Daisy Marc Jacobs: apple
 Lolita Lempicka : raspberry
 Black XS Paco Rabanne: redcurrant
 Because it's you Armani : raspberry
 Euphoria Calvin Klein: peach and passion fruit
 Woman Rochas : plum
 Yvresse Saint Laurent : plum
 Live irresistible Givenchy: pineapple and passion fruit
 Lost Cherry Tom Ford
 Philosykos Diptyque: fig
 Ombre dans l'Eau Diptyque: blackcurrant
 First fig tree L'Artisan Parfumeur : fig
 Mûre et Musc L'Artisan Parfumeur : blackberry and Musk
 Yes I Am Pink First Candy Cacharel: raspberry
 Bana Banana L'Artisan Parfumeur: banana
 Osmanthus The Different Company: osmanthus
 Osmanthus Yunnan Hermes
 Osmanthus Forbidden Perfume of Empire: osmanthus
 Nina Nina Ricci : fishing
 Mandarino Di Amalfi Tom Ford: fig
 Un jardin Après La Mousson Hermès: Watermelon
 Un jardin en Méditerranée Hermès: fig
The Woody facet

A perfume has an architecture and is built around a main accord. It is an assembly of components that constitutes its main theme and
will be its message. According to the CFP (Comité Français du Parfum), there are 6 main themes, also called olfactory families:
 Citrus or hesperide family

 Floral family
 Amber or oriental family
 Chypre family
 Woody family
 Ferns family
Woody facet in a perfume

The woody accord can be the main theme of the fragrance. This means that you can clearly feel the woody message, from the
fragrance's take-off to its conclusion.
When we talk about a woody facet, it means that it dresses the main theme other than a woody.
The more facetted the perfume is, the more complex it is.
A chypre perfume is by definition woody.
Woody notes tend to be associated with perfumes for men . However, women look more and more for woody perfumes, without
floral, fruity or vanilla scents.
Woody facets can be found in all olfactory families: floral, gourmand, chypre, oriental, ferns, eaux fraîches and even in eaux de
Cologne. Even when they cannot be guessed or perceived, they give structure and vibration to a fragrance. Woody notes are real
"tutors" in an olfactory orchestration. They are part of the architecture, the keystone of a fragrance.
Natural woody notes

The main natural woody notes are: sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, pine and cypress. They are all base notes.
 Sandalwood
Sandalwood is a rare and expensive material that has a religious dimension and also medicinal and cosmetic properties. It has been
traded between the West, Asia and the Pacific islands.
It is the only soft, milky and creamy wood. Sandalwood Album, which used to come from India, is now protected by the Indian
government. It now comes from Southeast Asia.
There are other varieties of sandalwood. Sandalwood Spicatum grows in Australia and looks more like a cedar, then there is the
Austro-caledonica sandalwood, found in New Caledonia. The latter has an olfactory profile very close to the Album, it embodies the
renewal of the sandalwood note.
Natural sandalwood gives the perfume a base, it is a creamy, milky, comfortable, warm, enveloping and sensual note. It is difficult to
work with because it is very dull and therefore not very powerful, it acts a little like a musky note. On the other hand, sandalwood is
an extremely tenacious note.
It is a challenge for the perfumer-creator because alone, it is not efficient in a composition. The natural note of sandalwood needs to
be accompanied by sandalwood molecules in order to be sublimated. It can also be dressed with other woods, such as cedar, vetiver,
patchouli or synthetic wood molecules.
It takes about thirty years for the sandalwood tree to reach its final size, a circumference of 50 cm. Only the heart of the tree is
fragrant. In order to be used in perfumery, this wood must be cut into chips and then treated by distillation.
Sandalwood-based perfumes, much sought-after by lovers of sandalwood notes:
 Bois des Îles Chanel

 Samsara Guerlain
 Santal de Mysore Serge Lutens
 Tam Dao Diptyque
 Santal 33 Labo
 Concrète Comme des Garçons
 Wonderwood Comme des Garçons
 Santal Massoïa Hermès
 Cedarwood
Cedar is a rather cold and stiff note, it evokes school pencil, sawmill and wood shavings.
It is reminiscent of the souks of Marrakech where you can find very nice boxes made of cedar. It marries marvelously with vetiver and
citrus fruits, especially grapefruit. It accompanies all other woods, such as sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli.
There are different types of cedar: Virginia cedar, Texas cedar and Atlas cedar. The Atlas cedar can reach 40m, it is used in carpentry
and wood chips (by-products of carpentry). Its fragrance has an animal, smoky note.
The Virginia cedar can reach 25 meters in height,and is more reminiscent of pencil lead. Olfactively, the Virginia and Texas cedars are
quite close because they have the same origin. The essential oil of the Atlas cedar is more powerful, more animal than the Virginia
and Texas cedars.
This cedar wood can be found in Shiseido's Femininity of Wood as well as in many of Serge Lutens' compositions. It is also very
present in Dolce Vita by Dior, Bois Farine by the Perfumer Craftsman.
 Patchouli
We often either love or hate patchouli. For some, it is reminiscent of the hippie years of the 60s. It is an interesting woody note
because it is dark, earthy, raw and vegetal. It can remind you of the cellar, almost of mold. Patchouli gives a lot of character and
sensuality to the fragrances, in the chypre accords it replaces the oakmoss that is now regulated.
Patchouli comes from the leaves of a shrub. When these leaves are fresh, they do not deliver any perfume. They must be dried or
even slightly fermented to obtain their wonderful fragrance.
For a few years now, a pure "patchouli heart" has existed. It is the natural patchouli note rid of its slightly dusty notes. It becomes even
more majestic, purer and slender.
Patchouli grows in a tropical climate. Originally from Malaysia, it is cultivated today mainly in the Indonesian islands (Sumatra, Java),
India, Madagascar, Guatemala and Rwanda in smaller proportions. The leaves of the plant are harvested early in the morning then
dried for 1 week before being distilled to obtain the essential oil of patchouli. It takes about 500 kg of dried leaves to obtain 9 kg of
essential oil.
Patchouli by Réminiscence, Aromatics Elixir by Clinique, Coco Mademoiselle and Monsieur by Chanel and all chypre in general have
large quantities of patchouli.
 Vetiver
The vetiver is mainly cultivated in India, Reunion Island and Haiti. During the 20th century, it was the subject of a large-scale use in
perfumery. It had been used since antiquity for its healing properties. Vetiver is said to be magical, as it is used for voodoo rituals,
ayurvedic remedies, purification of places or water. Moreover, the root of vetiver is very useful against soil erosion.
It is one of the most beautiful woody notes of the perfumers' palette, with timeless elegance. One of the steps in the harvesting of
vetiver is the digging, which consists of turning over the soil to extract the roots. The deeper the roots are found, the richer they are in
essential oil. The roots will be removed from the soil, separated from the aerial stems, then washed and distilled. It takes 100 kg of
roots to obtain 1 kg of essential oil.
Vetiver has a warm and deep woody scent, evoking myrrh and iris roots. Its earthy and damp note is reminiscent of fresh hazelnut
with a more or less smoky accent.
The vetiver from India or Reunion Island, called bourbon vetiver, is the most appreciated in perfumery. Java vetiver is drier and much
rougher, which makes it less interesting. The scent of vetiver is very interesting because it really gives vibration to the perfume, from
the top notes to the base notes. It acts as a tutor in the orchestration of a fragrance.
Guerlain was one of the first to pay tribute to vetiver. Indeed, Guerlain's Vétiver (1959) combines this fresh woody note with citrus,
tonka bean, nutmeg, and a tobacco accord. It is this unique accord that sets it apart from other vetivers on the market.
Fragrances with vetiver:
 Vétiver Givenchy (1959)
 Vétiver Carven (1957)
 Vétiver Extraordinaire Frédéric Malle (2002)
 Vétiver Salt The different Company
 Terre Hermès (2006)
 Sycomore Chanel
Habanita by Molinard is a feminine and sexy perfume that has used the root note of vetiver in large quantities.
A perfumer once said that if vetiver was a character, it would be Indiana Jones!
 Pine or cypress notes
You will rarely find pine or cypress in perfumery even though they are very interesting notes. In perfumery you can find:
1. Pine essence with fresh, rising, bitter, and balsamic notes that provide a great "breath of fresh air" effect in a creation.
2. The fir balsam, which is a natural note of pine needles, very salivating and slightly sweet.
3. Borneol and iso bornyl acetate have the scent of sun-heated pines, reminiscent of Mediterranean pine forests.
The perfumes around the pine or cypress are Pino Sylvestre and Acqua di Selva (two great classics), Filles en Aiguilles by Serge
Lutens.
 Fig tree accord
The fig and fig tree accord are very sought-after as wearable and home fragrances. It is, in fact, a composition based on different
woods including sandalwood and sometimes cedarwood. The coconut and the green note called the stemone are important in this
accord.
The two perfumes based on fig or fig tree notes are Premier Figuier by l'Artisan Parfumeur and Philosykos by Diptyque.
 Oud wood
Many perfumes are now based on oud wood or agarwood. Whether it is oud wood, oudh wood, agar wood, aloe wood, jinko or
gaharu, all these names designate the same material.
These woods have been used a lot by the rituals of khodo in Japan. They are also widely used in the Middle East during the
fumigation called the bakhur. This fumigation is intended to perfume their clothing.
For about ten years these oud woods have invaded the more western perfumery. The oud notes are today very appreciated by those
who want very dark, pronounced, extremely tenacious and powerful notes.
It is a dark and very fragrant resin that develops in a variety of trees called aquilaria when they are infected by a fungus, the
phialophra. The resin that then develops in the heart of the tree is a defense reaction against the fungus. The raw material obtained is
very expensive and valuable, which is why it is rarely used naturally. In fact, only few brands use it naturally. The oud woods used are
often reconstitutions. A reconstitution is a mixture of several notes, both natural and synthetic.
It is the trendy note of the moment and it would be tedious to make a list of the perfumes that contain oud wood, there are so many of
them.
 Guaiac wood
Guaiac wood is a wood with smoky, leathery notes. Be careful with the dosage, because in excess it can give a note of smoked ham.
 Birchwood
Birchwood, as its name might suggest, is not a woody note, but a dark leather note. This is now prohibited by legislation, good
reconstitutions successfully replace this natural note. The birch wood note is therefore an accord consisting of natural dark woody
notes such as gaiac wood, cade wood, but also synthetic notes such as saffronal, sudéral, pyrogenic styrax, isobutyl, etc.
Synthetic woody notes

Fortunately, perfumery can also use very beautiful synthetic woody notes.
 A molecule from vetiver
Vetiveryl acetate has been discovered thanks to chemistry. It is a molecule, but paradoxically, is more expensive than the natural
product. It is a vibrant, rising, extremely fresh and pure note that smells like vetiver but gives a modern tone to a fragrance.
We also use vetiverol, it is similar to vetiver but without its dusty note.
 The sandalwood molecules
Many synthetic sandalwood molecules exist, but they cannot replace natural sandalwood. They serve to boost natural sandalwood
because it doesn’t have a scent and needs to be supported. You will find:
1. Ebanol
2. Polysantol
3. Sandal
4. Sandella
 Evernyl
Evernyl is a tree moss note that is very present in chypre perfumes. They don’t perfectly replace oak moss, but associated with
natural woods, such as vetiver and patchouli, they can be very useful.
 Cashmeran
Cashmeran has a soft, almost oriental, musky, woody note that is found in many current fragrances.
 Ceded molecules
Cedrol, vertofix and cedramber molecules have been isolated through chemistry, and are also very interesting.
 Sudéral
It is a very beautiful synthetic molecule, not woody, but considered as a soft and clear leather reminiscent of the suede note. The
sudéral also helps to replace the birchwood note that is prohibited by legislation.
 Iso-e super
This molecule with a velvety, almost musky woody note works well in all olfactory families. It is present in overdose in Trésor by
Lancôme.
 Karanal and trendy woody notes
Another widely used synthetic molecule is karana that made Dolce Gabbana's Light Blue a success in 2001. It is a fresh perfume from
the woody family, built around a citrus structure and a juicy fruity note. The karanal or equivalent gives a real power and wake to this
perfume.
Sometimes for certain brands the karanal is limited or prohibited. Other vibrant notes are then used, such as Limbanol, ambrocénide
or Z11. They are very powerful and virile, used especially in perfumes for men. You will find them more and more in perfumes for
women.
It is sometimes an easy solution to give power to a fragrance, you can find them in many recent perfumes on the market.
Conclusion
Confidential perfumery is more audacious and remarkable for its great creative freedom and does not make a distinction between
fragrances for men and women. We speak about emotions. The register of woody notes is the richest family of perfumery.
Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes

You can find
 Sandalwood in Valkyrie
 Patchouli in Helicriss and Vangelis
 Root of vetiver in Smeraldo and Florentina
 Cedar and guaiac wood in Osiris
 Pine needle and cypress note in Oscarine
 Suderal one in Ozkan
 Patchouli in the Winter Solstice scented candle
 Moss and fig tree notes in the Equinoxe d'Automne scented candle.
The Amber facet
The oriental facet is undoubtedly a major accord of perfumery. It can be dressed with several other facets and its complexity is equal
to its richness.
What is the amber or oriental facet?

Let's start with a few definitions of the amber facet.
In perfumery, the word amber does not come from the stone which is a fossilized resin and has no smell.
What is then the origin of the name?
It is called amber because perfumers used to add ambergris in the composition.

Ambergris is a natural animal note coming from a pathological concretion of whale sperm. It’s still authorized to use because the
animal is not killed or hurt in the process.
This sensual note is so expensive, so it is rare to find it in a perfume today.
This accord was identified in the Ambre Antique by Coty and in Jicky by Guerlaine which then became Shalimar. It is also the base of
the amber accord of De Laire, Amber 83.
The amber and oriental accord have similarities in terms of sensuality and warmth, the difference is subtle.
The classic oriental accord is generally composed of:
 tonka bean
 vanilla
 vanillin
 coumarin
 labdanum
 patchouli
 resins such as benzoin or incense, opopanax, etc.
 iris
The main components of the amber facet

Vanilla
Let's start with noble vanilla, an essential element of the oriental facet.
This vanilla is not sweet. The molecules of vanillin and ethylvanillin, on the other hand, are really sweet.
The origin of the vanilla pod
You can find vanilla in tropical forests in the shade of the undergrowth. It grows in an orchid that looks like a mysterious liana and it’s
the only orchid that gives a fruit, the vanilla bean. Vanilla appeared in Mexico and was pollinated thanks to a small bee called the
Melipone.
Edmond Albius found the secret of fertilizing vanilla in 1848. Using a piece of bamboo, the plant spur that closes the orchid is lifted up,
then the pollen is collected to put it in contact with the pistil. This operation can be done only in the morning when the flower has just
bloomed. The women doing this operation are called "matchmakers". It takes about 18 months to obtain its fruit, the famous black
pod.
To process the vanilla, it has to be boiled for 3 minutes, then put undercover for 24 hours until it becomes black. Then, the vanilla tan
on both sides for a few hours every day for 15 days under the sun that kills the bacteria and dries the vanilla pods. They are then
sorted by hand, one by one, to make sure they are dry.
The vanilla of Madagascar
Vanilla can be found in 18 other countries. Vanilla has become a rare and luxurious material because the price has increased tenfold
in 4 years. It’s a unique material because of its botanical nature, the olfactory treasures it contains and its price. Vanilla’s enveloping
and sensual warmth is declined in milky, honeyed, amber, woody, spicy, animal and rum notes. There is also a botanical variety of
vanilla called Tahitensis which is more floral.
Vanilla absolute
Vanilla absolute is obtained after extraction of the pods with a volatile solvent. You can also obtain vanilla absolute thanks to the
synthetic products: Vanillin and ethylvanillin.
Anecdotes about vanilla
The Aztecs used vanilla to flavor a chocolate drink. It is also said that vanilla is a remedy for anxiety. It brings strength and health.
You will find the vanilla of Madagascar in the Vanilla Collection of Sylvaine Delacourte.
Tonka bean
The tonka bean is found in South America, particularly in Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil.
It comes from the fruit of a tropical tree called "dipteryx odorata". It is also called coumarouna, or sarrapia.
Its fruits are in the shape of a large almond and each one contains a single black, oval, oblong, shiny seed that wrinkles as it dries out,
that's when it starts to smell, then its fragrance becomes more and more pronounced.
Its treatment process is very close to the vanilla one.
The usage of tonka bean
 Initially, these seeds were reduced to a powder sold in sachets to be placed in cupboards between piles of linen.
 To get tonka bean absolute in perfumery, the bean is treated by extraction with volatile solvent.
 In cooking, the bean itself can also be grated like a nutmeg to be used in pastry associated with chocolate, coffee and
desserts (Panacotta).
 To flavor snuff and also pipe tobacco "l'Amsterdamer" (practice now prohibited in France and the USA).
The scent of tonka bean
Tonka bean has a unique fragrance. It’s a perfumed composition by itself and is very rich in facets: woody, balmy, vanilla, almond,
pistachio, tobacco, hay, woody, honey.
The main molecule of this raw material is called coumarin which is olfactory very almondy, the smell reminds you of the little jars of
Cleopatra glue of our childhood.
The synthesis of coumarin was developed in 1868 and first used in Jicky by Guerlain with linalool and Ethyl vanillin.
You will find the tonka bean note in Vahina from the Vanilla Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte.
Myrrh
Greek mythology tells the myth of the transformation of the incestuous Myrrha into a myrrh tree, before giving birth to Adonis.
Several species of Commophora from Arabia and Abyssinia, all of reduced size, are at the origin of the Myrrh with its prodigious past.
There are more than 100 species of Commophora.
They produce an oleo-gum-resin in the form of natural exudation, real tears, whose color fluctuates from light yellow to fairly dark red.
These fragile, almost friable, shiny tears give off a powerful aromatic odor.
Myrrh used to be the most exquisite, most precious perfume and was used throughout antiquity as it represented The Cult of the
Gods.
The scent of myrrh
Beyond these sacred purposes, Myrrh is also known as an important note in perfumery. Indeed, perfumers use the essence of Myrrh
obtained by steam distillation of the gum harvested from the tree. It has an intense balsamic odor, with licorice, woody notes, almost
fruity and an incense facet.
Incense
Incense comes from the Latin "incendere" which means to burn and to shine.
It is also called olibanum, which comes from "laban", which means white or purity. The olibanum symbolizes the protective power of
God, which purifies all sins. The Queen of Sheba often offered it to Solomon.
Incense is like Myrrh: an eraser. It is collected on incense trees. The notion of incense tree has a collective meaning, it includes a
number of species of Boswellia from various countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia and India. Each with specific
olfactory characteristics.
The most frequently used tree is the Boswellia carteri Roxb. They are 4 to 5 meter tall shrubs from the mountains of the Middle East
and Africa. Incense trees have a trunk and branches with grey bark that can be easily removed.
In perfume, the gum is collected after cutting a tree trunk, then, a week later, the incense beads are removed to be distilled by steam
to produce an essence.
Olfactive description of incense
 The Boswellia Sacra of Oman has a mint and eucalyptus note.

 Boswellia Serrata from India and Boswellia papyrifera have a bitter lemon facet.
 Boswellia frerana or Maydi has accents of floral and fruity caramel, it is used by the Coptic Church of Ethiopia.
 Boswellia Rivae has gourmet accents.
 The best known of these essences is a very powerful dark, aromatic base note with a camphor, resinous, smoky effect.
Usage of incense
 The uses of incense throughout centuries have always had a ritual aspect with, for example, the worship of Gods,
remedies or perfumes.
 The ancient Egyptians used it to heal themselves, incense is a powerful antiseptic. They also used it to embalm their dead
(preservative of the flesh) and especially for fumigations in places of worship, for its spiritual power, but also to protect
from miasmas.
 Religions have never stopped using it.
 Asian cultures devote almost sacred attention to it in their private lives.
 Incense is also used in cosmetics.
Styrax
Styrax balm comes from the bark of two species of trees called liquidambar and found in Syria and South America.
The scent of styrax
The essence of styrax is obtained by distillation of the balm. It has a strong vanilla, balsamic, floral, animal, leathery, and tar note.
Benzoin
Benzoin is a balm that comes naturally or by incision from the trunk of a tree from the Styraceae family called the styrax benzoin. It
comes from Siam and Sumatra. This exudation is actually a pathological reaction of the tree.
It is also called gum or benzoin tear. It is white when it is liquid and turns yellow when it dries. When harvested, it is already semi-
solid.
Siam Benzoin is the most popular variety for perfumers. It is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. It presents a very strong
vanilla facet.
Benzoin tears develop a very sweet perfume. It’s appreciated in Buddhist temples.
Benzoin has been considered as a variety of incense or myrrh and as a precious substance. It also played a role in the care of lung
and skin diseases.
In perfumery, the gum is treated by extraction with volatile solvents to obtain benzoin absolute.
It has a scent of sweet vanilla, almond, roasted coffee, honey, it is floral (carnation), rich, syrupy and medicinal.
Opoponax
Opoponax or opopanax is a gum that comes from a shrub growing mainly in Somalia and Ethiopia.
The scent of opoponax
It offers a balsamic, soft, velvety, earthy, leathery scent close to myrrh.
Doctors in the past were convinced that it could cure tumors, and used it in the form of plasters.
Some Perfumes with oriental or amber facet
To finish, here is a list of perfumes from the oriental and amber facet:
 Heure Bleue Guerlain
 Nahéma Guerlain
 Cuir Béluga Guerlain
 Tonka Impérial Guerlain
 Jicky Guerlain
 L’instant Guerlain
 Pure Poison Dior
 Dune Dior
 Allure Chanel
 Ozkan Sylvaine Delacourte
 Noir Épices Frédéric Malle
 Fleur de Cassie Frédéric Malle
 Misia Chanel

Fragrances for men:
 Héritage Guerlain
 L’Instant pour Homme Guerlain
 Ange ou Démon Givenchy (floral)
The Aldehyde facet

In music, you can create a chord with a combination of several notes to make a unique sound. In perfumery, you can do this too by
blending together several notes and ingredients together to create a distinct fragrance. This is called an accord.
You can dress the accord with several facets. The more facets there are, the more complex the architecture of the perfume is. In order
to find its way around, the Comité Français du Parfum classifies perfumes according to their olfactory family.
The 6 olfactory families

 The hesperidae or citrus family (cf. Hesperidae family)
 The floral family (cf. Floral family)
 The amber or oriental family (cf. The amber or oriental family)
 The chypre family (cf. The chypre family)
 The woody family (cf. Woody family)
 The fern or fougère family (cf. Fern family)
Definition of aldehydes facet

 The origin of aldehydes
Aldehydes synthetic molecules were first discovered by the German chemist Baron Von Liebig in 1835. It became indispensable in
perfume laboratories.
 Aldehydes in chemistry: a chain of carbons
In chemistry, an aldehyde is a particular group of atoms. Aldehydes are designated by a linear chain of carbons more or less long, for
example C1, C2, C3 ... C12. Traces of these aldehydes are also found in nature, especially in citrus fruit notes or some other fruity
notes.
In 1903 Mr. Darzens discovered the way to stabilize certain aldehydes, in particular the aldehyde C12MNA, with its cold, very
characteristic metallic, clean and slightly hesperidic smell.
 Aldehydes in perfumery: a category
In the language of perfumery, aldehydes refer to a specific category. Aldehyde notes are particularly well suited to the floral notes, the
chypre or woody facet of a perfume by allowing to reinforce the trail of a perfume (cf. Where to apply your perfume?).
However, there are aldehydes that are named so but do not belong to this category. It is the case of these fruity notes:
 C 14: peach
 C 18: coconut
 C 16: raspberry
The first uses of aldehydes in perfumes
The first perfumes with this molecule were Quelques Fleurs d'Houbigant, a multi-floral bouquet, and L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain in
1912.
In 1921 Ernest Beaux, then the perfumer for Chanel, was the first one to use the aldehydes C10, C11, C12 MNA associated with the
noble jasmine, the rose and the ylang-ylang to make an abstract bouquet. It was the incredible success of Chanel's №5 that launched
this new olfactory family.
It is notably said that Coco Chanel herself confided to Ernest Beaux, perfumer at the court of the Tsars in Russia, the desire to have a
"modern and vibrant" perfume and gave her fetish number, the 5. Originally, the fragrance was composed of jasmine, rose and ylang-
ylang. What makes the modernity of this perfume is the dosage of aldehydes. The story goes that by intentionally reinforcing these
aldehydes by 1%, Ernest Beaux would have wanted the floral notes not to take over.
Another version tells that this dosage, which made the success of Chanel №5, was the result of an error. As for the name of the
perfume itself, the famous number "5" suggests the number of tries it took before reaching the legendary formula! The mystery
remains. Since 1921, many brands have in turn launched their "aldehyde floral" in the tradition of Chanel's №5.
In 1960, Elnett from L'Oréal also used these aldehydes in the formula of its lacquer, which gives it this very recognizable perfume.
Aldehydes make flowers sing

Finally, we can say that aldehydes, these "laboratory flowers" give power and bring a great clean and metallic freshness, a shine, a
vibration to a perfume. They make the flowers "sing" revealing modernity to the classic notes of a perfume.
Aldehyde fragrances
 Arpège Lanvin (1927)
 Liu Guerlain (1929)
 Je Reviens Worth (1932)
 Fleurs de Rocaille Caron (1933)
 Madame Rochas Rochas (1960)
 Calèche Hermès (1961)
 Diva Ungaro (1965)
 Chamade Guerlain (1969)
 Calandre Paco Rabanne (1969)
 Rive Gauche Yves Saint Laurent (1971)
 First Van Cleef (1976)
 White Linen Estée Lauder (1978)
 Courrèges in Blue Courrèges (1983)
 La Pausa Les Exclusifs Chanel (2007)
 Beige Les Exclusifs Chanel (2009)
 Izia Sisley (2017)
The Leather facet

The leather facet is particularly appreciated by perfume connoisseurs. This article will familiarize you with this emblematic facet.
Discover its history, definition, notes, molecules and iconic fragrances.
What is the leather facet? History and definition

In the 1920s to 1970s, leather was an olfactive family and was very present in both men's and women's fragrances.
They were often accompanied by animal notes. During the women’s rights movement between 1940 and 1960, women particularly
liked leathery perfumes with strong character. The leather family ended up disappearing and became an olfactive facet instead.
In perfumery, the leather facet is apart from the other ones. It is appreciated by connoisseurs and lovers of perfume with character.
This leather note often refers to the legendary perfumed gloves.
Leather and perfume

In Asia 2000 BC, leather was treated and scented with kumquat tree bark to mask the powerful odors of the skins.
In Spain, leather was perfumed with various scents such as rose water, amber, camphor, cedar essence and musk. Italian leather in
the 17th century was scented with almond.
Tanners, Grasse and leather
Tanners are those who process animal skin and transform it into leather. Grasse, during the 12th century, started trading leather and
skin.
They made commercial agreements with Genoa and Pisa in Italy where they exported their leather.
The master tanners of Grasse are renowned for the exceptional quality of their leather, recognizable by its greenish color obtained
from myrtle maceration.
Perfumed gloves from Florence
Gloves were an indispensable accessory in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Leather gloves were perfumed with various scents such as ambrette, musk, civet, ambergris and rosemary. Under the reign of
Henry III, people even wore gloves to sleep.
The idea of perfuming gloves came from a perfumer from Florence who offered a pair of gloves perfumed with orange blossom to
Catherine de Medici.
The product then spread to the Court and throughout high society. King Louis XIII in 1614 created the Master glovers-perfumers
corporation and the city of Grasse acquired a worldwide reputation.
This was the golden age of the Master glovers called "Gantiers Parfumeurs" in french.
Master glovers-perfumers
The profession of glovers perfumers is a craft and requires a great deal of know-how. Indeed, it takes 4 years of apprenticeship and 3
years work to become a master.
But around 1759, taxes on leather and competition from Nice caused the leather industry to decline in Grasse.
The community of glovemakers perfumers dissolved in 1791. In the 19th century, Grasse became the "Capital of Perfume"and the
surrounding countryside became covered with flowers.
Leather notes: birch

The first leathery notes are the result of leather waste infusion made by glover perfumers in Grasse.
They took leather waste from Russian army boots, then tanned it with burnt birch bark.
The perfumers replaced their infusions of leather with birch bark essence.
Birch thus became one of the main raw materials to give a leather note to the perfume.
A few years ago, birch wood was banned to be replaced by a birch accord, each perfumer has his own recipe.
Some use cistus labdanum with its warm and balsamic scent, or cade oil with its leathery and smoky notes, others use saffronal.
Raw materials and leather notes

Other raw materials can be used to give leather facets, such as :
 Styrax (resin) and pyrogenic styrax

 Cistus labdanum (resin) and all its derivatives
 Agarwood or agar species which is the main constituent of oud wood, a very rare tree found in India or South East Asia. Its
essence is used to give leather notes and is obtained by distilling the resin produced by agarwood. This resin appears on
very old trees in reaction to parasites. The essence of oud is not used in perfumery because it is very rare and very
expensive.
 Pyrogenic incense
 Everlasting flower
 Cassia
Molecules and leather note

This leather facet can also be obtained by molecules such as :
 The Sudéral of IFF, a soft suede scent

 Symrise's Tabanon and Aldron
 The Givaudan Madrox
 The beta ionone, with notes of violet
 The saffronal (saffron note)
 IBQ (IsoButylQuinoline), which makes a dry leather with a rubber facet, green
Some leather or leather facet perfumes

All the perfume houses had a perfume with the name: Cuir de Russie.
 Cuir de Russie by Guerlain in 1890
 Cuir de Russie by Chanel in 1927
 Cuir de Russie by LT Piver in 1939
 Cuir de Russie by Creed in 1953
In 1918, the house of Caron created Tabac Blond, a leathery perfume with tobacco notes. Knize Ten by Knize, a chypre leather
makes a nod to L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain, in 1924.
Then, leathery perfumes became less and less popular and declined from the 80's onwards along with animal notes. Notes such as
marine, clean or floral notes became popular during this period.
There were a few exceptions:
 Bel Ami by Hermès in 1986

 Cuir d’Ange by Hermès
 Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens
 The "Vuitton parfums" collection offers many leather facets in its fragrances (with leather infusion).
You can find a large offer of leather facet perfumes in niche brands :
Cuir Beluga by Guerlain is a soft, powdery, vanilla leather co-created by Olivier Polge and Sylvaine Delacourte.
Ozkan from the Orange Blossom Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte is in the same register, a soft leather associated with orange
blossom.
Other examples of perfumes with a leathery facet

Feminine fragrances with a leathery facet
 1931 : Scandal by Lanvin

 1944 : Bandit by Piguet
 1959 : Cabochard by Grès
 1963 : Diorling by Dior
 1985 : La nuit by Paco Rabanne
 1986 : Parfum de peau by Montana
 1999 : Dzing by L’Artisan Parfumeur
 2004 : Daim Blond by Serge Lutens
 2007 : Kelly Calèche by Hermès
 Cuir by Lancôme
Men's and unisex fragrances with a leathery facet
 1781 : Royal English Leather by Creed

 1955 : Doblis by Hermès
 1959 : Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirtz
 1964 : Aramis by Estée Lauder
 1976 : Yatagan by Caron
 1978 : Polo by Ralph Lauren
 1980 : Macassar by Rochas
 1981 : Quorum by Puig
 1985 : Derby by Guerlain
 1989 : Parfum d'Homme Montana by Montana
 1998 : Rocabar by Hermès
 1999 : Tabarome, Millésime by Creed
 2002 : Cuiron by Helmut Lang
 2003 : Duel by Annick Goutal
 2004 : Daim Blond by Serge Lutens
 2005 : Cuir Améthyste by Armani privé
 2006 : Rien État by Libre d'Orange
 2007 : Ambre Fétiche by Annick Goutal
 2008 : Serge Noire by Serge Lutens
 L’eau du navigateur by L’Artisan parfumeur
 Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme by Van Cleef & Arpels
 Jules by Dior
 One Man Show by Bogart
 Antaeus by Chanel
 Kouros by YSL
 Bulgari Black by Bulgari
 Cuir Ambre by Prada
 Feuilles de Tabac by Miller Harris
 Black For Men by Aigner
 Cuir D’Oranger by Miller Harris
 Fumerie Turque by Serge Lutens
 Cuir Pleine Fleur by James Heeley
 Cuir Ottoman by Parfum d'Empire
 Dzongka by L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford
 Japon Noir by Tom Ford
 Luxe Patchouli by Comme Des Garçons
 Ombre Leather by Tom Ford
 Leather by Acqua Di Parma
 Crème de Cuir by BDK
 Cuir Cannage by Dior
 2 Man by Comme Des Garçons
Amongst the classic Guerlain perfumes, the leather facet is present in Djedi (1925) and Champs Elysées (1904), Vol de Nuit,
Shalimar and Habit Rouge.
The Gourmand facet

Before defining the gourmand facet, it is important to understand the complex architecture of a perfume. A fragrance is built around 5
to 10 different components that together becomes an accord.
The main accord of the fragrance can be dressed with several facets. The more facets a perfume has, the more complex it will be.
Fragrances are also divided into 6 olfactory families (citrus, floral, amber or oriental, chypre, woody and fern) and into many
olfactory facets, including the gourmand facet.
The Gourmand facet

Before defining the gourmand facet, it is important to understand the complex architecture of a perfume. A fragrance is built around 5
to 10 different components that together becomes an accord. The main accord of the fragrance can be dressed with several facets.
The more facets a perfume has, the more complex it will be. Fragrances are also divided into 6 olfactory
families (citrus, floral, amber or oriental, chypre, woody and fern) and into many olfactory facets, including the gourmand facet.
What is the gourmand facet?

In perfumery, the gourmand facet is a new expression of femininity. Contrary to salty, acidic or bitter flavors, the sweet taste of the
gourmand facet has a regressive effect and tends to evoke a certain nostalgia related to the sweets, cakes and toys of our childhood.
Adolescence is often marked by gourmand and sweet perfumes but they are also appreciated by adults because they are refined and
leave a powerful wake.
History of gourmand perfumes

The first vanilla perfumes were not officially declared as "gourmand".
Guerlain made a significant contribution to the development of this facet with fragrances such as La Guerlinade with its vanilla,
vanillin, tonka bean, resins and patchouli accord found in Shalimar 1925 and Habit Rouge 1965. There was also a gourmand facet in
Heure Bleue 1912 with its marshmallow accord based on orange blossom and vanilla as well as in many other perfumes from the
House of Guerlain.
Without Shalimar, there would not have been the perfume Angel (1992) which was the first to have officially been declared as
gourmand with its patchouli, red fruits and caramel accord. Angel became the leader of this new wave of gourmand perfumes,
followed by Lolita Lempicka and many others.
You will find the marshmallow accord in Florentina from Sylvaine Delacourte's Musk Collection (the marshmallow accord is the
association of orange blossom and vanilla).
The natural notes of the gourmand facet

The palette of the gourmet facet is very wide. There are notes of vanilla, benzoin, tonka bean, as well as many synthetic products.
Vanilla
The sweet notes used in perfumery to reproduce the scent of vanilla are, in fact, synthetic molecules: vanillin and ethylvanillin.
There are different species of vanilla :
 Planifolia vanilla: it comes from an orchid in Mexico and it used to be pollinated by a bee. Today, the pollen is collected
by hand by women who are known as "matchmakers". It takes a year and a half to obtain the fruit, the black vanilla bean,
which is then boiled, covered for a whole day, then dried in the sun which eliminates all the bacteria.
 The vanilla of Madagascar: it is a rare and luxurious material, therefore very expensive because it has real olfactory
wonders with milky, honeyed, amber, woody, spicy, animal, and rum notes.
 Another species of vanilla from the botanical variety Tahitensis is more floral.
Vanilla can be processed in two ways: by macerating the chopped beans in alcohol for one month (a technique that is no longer
practiced today, it was used to obtain the vanilla tincture) or by extracting the beans with a volatile solvent, which makes it possible to
create the vanilla absolute. The scent of vanilla can also be obtained from synthetic products (vanillin and ethylvanillin).
It is said that vanilla is a remedy against anxiety, and that it brings strength and health.
You will find the vanilla of Madagascar in Sylvaine Delacourte's Vanilla Collection.
Benzoin
Benzoin is a balm secreted by the trunk of the styrax benzoin, a tree of the styracaceae family, native to Siam and Sumatra. This
substance (also called "gum" or "benzoin tear") is white in its liquid state and yellow when dry.
The benzoin exhales a very suave perfume, particularly appreciated in the form of incense. In perfumery, the gum is treated
by extraction with volatile solvents to obtain the benzoin absolute. This raw material has a vanilla, sweet, almond, close to roasted
coffee scent, but also a slightly honeyed, floral (with a note of carnation), liquorice, even somewhat medicinal scent.
The Benzoin of Siam is the variety most appreciated by perfumers (it is very rare and expensive, and has a strong vanilla facet).
Tonka bean
The tonka bean comes from a South American tree, the dipteryx odorata. Also called "coumarouna" or "sarrapia" the tonka bean is a
black seed that wrinkles as it dries out (this is when it begins to exhale its true scent). The tonka bean can be used in many ways:
placed in cupboards between stacks of laundry, treated by volatile solvent extraction in perfumes to obtain tonka bean absolute,
grated in pastries, or to flavor snuff and pipe tobacco, such as "Amsterdamer" (this use is now prohibited in France and the United
States).
This raw material is a true fragrance in itself, thanks to its many facets of wood, balm, vanilla, almond, pistachio, tobacco, hay, etc.
The main molecule of this raw material is called coumarin, which was synthesized in 1868 (it was first used in Guerlain's Jicky with
linalool and ethyl vanillin).
You will find the tonka bean note in Vahina from Sylvaine Delacourte's Vanilla Collection.
The other notes of the gourmet facet
There are many other notes used in the gourmet facet, such as :
 Bitter cocoa absolute: a slightly sweet chocolate note.

 Bitter almond: there is a natural note coming from an apricot kernel that gives this almond note, as well as benzoic
aldehyde, a molecule. This natural almond is present in Florentina from the Musk Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte.
 Natural honey notes. You will find them in Vanori from the Vanilla Collection and Osiris from the Orange Blossom
Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte.
Synthetic gourmand notes

The gourmand facet also includes synthetic notes such as the caramel note and the warm milk note.
 The caramel note in the gourmand facet
The caramel note consists of synthetic molecules such as ethyl-maltol, maltol, sacrasol, coumarin or furaneol. These last ones allow
to obtain many notes, from caramel to cotton candy.
 The warm milk note in the gourmand facet
Lactone notes, offering a pleasant scent of warm milk, were used for the first time in Feu d'Issey Miyake.
Other synthetic gourmand notes
The chocolate note is also a synthetic note of the gourmand facet and is the base note of Givaudan's Chocovan fragrance. Fruity
notes such as raspberry, strawberry, cherry and mango notes get along very well with vanilla notes. Most of these fruit notes exist
thanks to the synthesis. Some of these fruity notes are now available naturally.
Fragrances with a gourmand facet
Here are a few gourmet facetted perfumes, for women and for men:
Gourmand perfumes for women
 Angel Mugler
 Lolita Lempicka
 La vie est belle Lancôme
 La Petite Robe Noire Guerlain
 L’Eau de Parfum Intense Guerlain
 Mademoiselle Rochas
 Black Opium Yves Saint-Laurent
 La Nuit Trésor Lancôme
 Hypnôse Lancôme
 Gucci Guilty Black Gucci
 Décadence Marc Jacobs
 Hugo Woman Hugo Boss
 Luna Nina Ricci
 Nina Nina Ricci
 Ricci Ricci Nina Ricci
 Bonbon Viktor and Rolf
 Flowerbomb Viktor and Rolf
 Wish Chopard
Gourmand perfumes for men:
 A men Mugler
 Fuel for life men Diesel
The Musky facet

In perfumery, the main accord is the scent created from various components (generally between 5 to 10). This accord will be the soul
of a perfume and can be dressed in different facets. If there are numerous facets, the fragrance composition will be more complex.
In addition, according to the regulations of the CFP (Comité Français du Parfum) fragrances are classified into 6 distinct olfactory
families (hesperide family, floral family, amber or oriental family, chypre family, woody family and fern family).
The musky facet, also called musky notes or white musk, can be associated with every olfactive family.
History of musks
Musk has been used in Europe since the IVth century and in China for over 1300 years.
This animal raw material was also used in medicine for its stimulating, aphrodisiac and antispasmodic virtues. Louis XIV perfumed
himself with musk, and Elizabeth of England used it to spice up her sauces.
Originally, musk was an animal material secreted by the Tibetan deer, called Tonkin musk. Today, musk of animal origin is no longer
used in perfumery as it is forbidden to protect the animals.
The animal musks have a very pronounced animal note.
Since the discovery of the first artificial musks at the end of the 19th century, these synthetic products have not stopped evolving.
They are now adapting to the market, to the new legislation and to the environmental constraints controlled by IFRA*.
Today, perfumers use an infinite variety of white musks. They are originally found in the animal musks but are reproduced
synthetically. These materials are now indispensable in perfumed compositions and highly appreciated for their sensual fixing power.
*IFRA: The International Fragrance Association is an organization created in 1973 by the perfume industry to establish codes of good
practice for scented products.
What is the musky facet?

The musky facet, composed of the white musks or musky notes, brings together soft, cottony, very tenacious and comfortable notes.
They offer a sensation of cashmere, and some materials smell like baby's skin, clean, others are woody, powdery, fruity (see below).
White musks are addictive, comforting, enveloping and have the particularity of having a great tenacity. However, it is difficult to give
them projection and diffusion.
In addition, some people can be anosmic, which means they are insensitive to these notes of white musks and can’t smell them.
However, these new musks have opened the way to a new style of composition in perfumery.
Synthetic musks in perfumery

There are 4 categories of synthetic musks :
1. Nitrated musks
2. Polycyclic musks
3. Macrocyclic musks
4. Linear or Alicyclic
Certain musks appear in the top notes, they are very volatile notes and are felt just after the vaporization of the perfume. Others
appear in the heart notes, they develop after several hours and bring the characteristic scent of the perfume. Others appear as base
notes, they have a slow evaporation and make it possible to fix the perfume in time. Some musks are present in the top, heart and
base notes.
 Nitrated musks
Nitrated musks are the oldest synthetic musks. They were developed in 1888 by A. Baur.
We distinguish:
1. The Ambrette musk, the industry banned it in 1981 because of its phototoxic and neurotoxic character.
2. The Xylene musk was created in 1893, Ketone musk was developed in 1894. These two musks have been identified in
small amounts in human breast milk.
3. The Moskene musk was created in 1932 and the Tibetan musk, both banned in Europe today by IFRA.
Olfactively, these musks are the most powdery.
 Polycyclic musks
Created between 1955 and 1970, these synthetic musks are now banned in some major perfume groups.
1. The Tonalide or Fixolide (IFF 1967), which is quite woody and earthy.
2. The Galaxolide (1954) is round, soapy and fruity. It was first widely used in functional products, then in fine perfumery.
The polycyclic musks are generous, round and act as base notes. These musks are not very biodegradable and they have been
identified in small quantities in human breast milk. However, they are not in the process of being banned. Some limit them for
environmental protection reasons.
 Macrocyclic musks
These musks are the newest and most prized, they are used in large perfume groups. Some musks in the list below are particularly
expensive.
1. Muscone (Firmenich): a slightly animal note

2. Muscenone (Firmenich): a powdery note
3. The Exaltolide (Firmenich): discovered in ambrette seed, it has a floral and angelic note
4. Habanolide (Firmenich): a woody and powdery note
5. The Ambrettolide (Givaudan): from the juice of angelica with amber and fruity scent
6. Globalide (Symrise): a clean, vaporous fragrance
7. Musk T (Takasago) or ethylene brassylate: can be used to give a galaxolide effect (Musk T is easy to use, it is round and
soft)
8. The Dihydro ambrettolide: fruity, reminiscent of the ambrette
9. La Cosmone: a powdery musk (captive Givaudan) that gives a nitrated musk effect to the compositions.
10. Nirvanolide (Givaudan)
11. The Astrotone (Firmenich)
 Linear or Alicyclic musks
Finally, we find in 4th category, a new generation of musks called linear or alicyclic:
1. The Helvetolide (Firmenich), it is clean, white, milky, fruity

2. Le Romandolide (Firmenich) is linen with cotton effect
3. Sylkolide (Givaudan) is fruity and sweet
4. The Applelide (IFF)
5. Serenolide (Givaudan)
These musks are very soft and often powdery.
The last two categories, Macrocyclic and Alicyclic musks, are not subject to any accusations or media attacks.
All the perfumes on the market contain white musks, especially in the perfumes for babies or children, but in this list, there is really an
"overdose" of the white musks.
The musky perfumes

Here are some examples of white musk perfumes:
 L'Instant Magic Guerlain
 For Men Bulgari
 Mûre et Musc L'Artisan Parfumeur
 Flower Kenzo: Muscenone overdose
 La Cologne Mugler
 White Musk The Body Shop
 Original Jovan Musk Kiehl's: a rather animalistic fragrance
 Musk Koubaï Khan Serge Lutens: note of skin, fur
 Musc Tonkin Perfume of Empire
 Musc Ravageur Frédéric Malle: the most animalistic
smelled them before.
Vegetable Musk
There are also natural vegetal musky notes, created by the ambrette seed, that come from a variety of hibiscus. This vegetal musky
note has fruity accents of pear.
The Hesperidia or Citrus facet

Each fragrance is made up of various components that form an accord. The main accord will define the essence of the perfume, its
soul, and will classify the fragrances by olfactory families (according to the Comité Français du Parfum - CFP):

The accord, or main theme, can be dressed in several facets (the more facets there are, the greater the complexity of the perfume is),
including the citrus facet.
The olfactory pyramid and the citrus facet

Although perfumes tend to evoke dreams and emotions, it is important to know that they are nevertheless based on advanced
scientific and physical notions. Indeed, a perfume is complex, refined and delicate. Above all, it represents a set of notes chosen for
their ephemeral or, on the contrary, tenacious side.
A fragrance is very often represented in the form of an olfactory pyramid, where top notes are on the top, the heart notes are in the
middle and the base notes are on the bottom of the pyramid. This scheme seems simple and educational, but in reality it is much
more complex than it appears. Indeed, the notes interlock with each other, respond and sublimate each other.
The citrus family

The citrus family also known as the hesperide family, is the oldest family in perfumery. The citrus facet is present in almost all
perfumes. It dresses the perfume in top notes. It is volatile, therefore not very tenacious and gives a smile to the perfume.
The citrus facet dresses fragrances for both men and women and is found in greater quantities in eaux de Cologne or eaux fraîches.
The citrus facet becomes the main theme and thus determines the family to which the perfume belongs.
Citrus, such as lemon, bergamot, orange or grapefruit, give the first impression of the perfume, also called the smile or the flight, it
provides fresh and invigorating scents. The citrus notes are composed of citrus fruits and should not be confused with the fruity
notes (peach, apple, pear, and red fruits, among others). The fruity notes give a different olfactory effect to the fragrance.
Origin of the name hesperide

The hesperides take their name from the three nymphs, daughters of atlases and Hesperis, who were charged with watching over the
garden of the gods. This fabulous orchard hid in its bosom golden apples (oranges) representing immortality and fecundity, fiercely
guarded by the dragon with a hundred heads, the hesperides that Heracles then stole.
This Greek legend gave the name to the citrus facet. The latter brings together all the citrus notes that are so characteristic of their
freshness and dynamism. This facet can also be called citrus facet in other classifications. The citrus notes are all produced from the
essential oils contained in the zest of the fruit.
The citrus facet and its citrus fruits

Here are the main citrus fruits belonging to the citrus facet used in perfumes:
 Bergamot
The name bergamot comes from the Turkish "beg-armûdi" meaning "lord's pear". It is also said that the bergamot takes its name from
the city of Bergamo where it was originally grown.
This citrus fruit comes from the bergamot tree, a tree that has been cultivated for 600 years in Calabria (in the region of Reggio di
Calabria), in the south of Italy. It produces bergamots, a fruit with a greenish almost yellow skin. The pulp is not eaten because it is too
bitter, only the bergamot peel is used in perfumery. This fruit is the result of a natural cross between the lemon tree and the bitter
orange tree.
The zest of fresh, almost ripe bergamot is extracted cold, using huge presses. The juice of the bergamots, called essence or essential
oil, is then rejected from these presses (called machina). The final product is dark green, with a delicious and very facetted smell
(cf. The expression).
This essence is then processed and its colour changes from dark green to pale yellow. Phototoxic components, such as bergaptens,
tended to cause numerous spots on the skin (especially when the essence had been incorporated into sunscreen products such as
Bergasol). These bergaptens are now removed from bergamot essence and all other citrus fruits. To produce one kilo of essence or
essential oil, 1,500 kg of fruit are needed.
The bergamot is called the fine flower of the citrus family. It has an extremely elegant, faceted and fruity note. Its note is also green,
slightly floral and acidic, even bitter, but also sweet and round.
It is the Mediterranean citrus fruit par excellence, a symbol of freshness, with a fruity, floral, acidic, sweet and explosive scent.
Bergamot is the perfumer's favourite note and its scent is a perfume itself. However, as in any natural product, its quality depends on
how it has been cultivated, processed and assembled.
It is also possible to isolate the main constituents of bergamot (synthetic molecules) in its fragrance (lynalyl acetate and linalool),
which give it a very fresh note, common to lavender.
Bergamot is also used in other products: bergamot sweets are the speciality of Nancy and some Earl Grey tea scents benefit from its
delicious aromas. The peel of this citrus fruit was also widely used in the 18th century to make sumptuous decorated boxes that can
be admired in the International Perfumery Museum in Grasse.
 Communelle
Communelle is a judicious blend of different batches of a natural essence, creating a "standard" with a very precise smell. First of all,
this makes it possible to obtain a strong identity, to give an olfactory seal to the fragrances and also to ensure, from one year to the
next, a constant and homogeneous quality.
The buyer of raw materials and the perfumer can select green or ripe citrus fruits from these commonalities. The scent of the blend
will therefore be very different depending on the selection made. In addition, many communelles come from fruit purchased from
various growers who own plots of land in Reggio di Calabria.
Guerlain's Shalimar, the "grand oriental", contains in its formula 30% of bergamot, contrasted with oriental scents and sensual notes
of vanilla, resins, incensea and opoponax (cf. Balms).
 Sweet orange
Sweet orange, originally from China, now comes from Florida and Brazil. Its scent is exactly similar to that of orange juice. It is the
most widely grown citrus fruit in the world and 60% of the production of orange juice and orange essence is carried out in Brazil in the
province of San Paolo. It is a booster that awakens the nostrils. Sweet oranges can be used on different supports.
 Bitter orange
Bitter orange is more faceted than the sweet orange, it comes from a tree, the bitter orange tree, found in Tunisia or Italy. Its scent has
more to do with its skin than with its pulp. Three other products are born from this magical tree: petit grain (often from Paraguay) and
in the floral notes, neroli and orange blossom absolute.
 Mandarin
Mandarin is a very sunny citrus note. This citrus fruit has more character than bergamot. It is also bitter and green. This note is more
striking because its scent is impregnated by the skin of the citrus fruit. Finally, the mandarin brings a big smile to the fragrance. It
possesses a characteristic medicinal nuance, and thus is a true sign of a composition.
There are different varieties of mandarins: the first essence is green, then yellow and finally red. This citrus fruit native to China, its
name comes from the colour of the robes worn by mandarins. Another story tells that the name "mandarin" comes from the time when
the fruit was offered as a gift to the Mandarins during the holidays. It was introduced in Europe much later than the orange tree. The
mandarin is mainly found in Italy and Brazil. The name Tangerine given to the USA comes from the city of Tangier, in Morocco, where
cultivation is intensive.
Mandarin essence is obtained in the same way as bergamot, by expression: the skin is crushed by machines that harvest the precious
nectar it contains.
The mandarin is a note very present in the perfume L'Instant by Guerlain, developed with the perfumer Maurice Roucel and created in
collaboration with Sylvaine Delacourte. This feminine fragrance with exotic white flowers is composed of jasmine, tuberose,
magnolia, with a sensual and oriental base of vanilla notes (created with benzoin resin) and sandalwood.
Mandarin blends particularly well with white flowers, especially orange blossom (cf. Sylvaine Delacourte's Orange Blossom
Collection).
 Clementine
This citrus fruit used in citrus fragrances has a scent very close to that of mandarin. Brother Clément, a white father from Algeria, had
succeeded in creating a seedless type of mandarin, hence the name clementine. The scent of the clementine is also juicier than that
of the mandarin. It is a cross between mandarin and orange. Juicy and sparkling, it goes well with certain fruity notes.
 Yuzu
Yuzu is a small Japanese yellow lemon that is very expensive, even when bought locally. There is little production of yuzu and only a
few confidential brands can use natural yuzu in their fragrances. Indeed, Japanese yuzu production could not support a major
international launch. Consequently, some brands can only use a "reproduction" of the citrus fruit.
Yuzu is an exquisite and complex citrus fruit. They have a multi-faceted scent, like a mixture of several citrus fruits, with a dominant
mandarin note. This is a racy scent.
In Japan, yuzu is also used in teas, fingerrinses and sorbets, to enhance sashimi, or to relax in a hot bath.
 Lime
Lime is a small lemon with a smooth green skin, yet its fragrance evokes a yellow-orange colour. It has the particularity of reminiscent
of the taste of Coca-Cola. You have probably already tasted it in some dishes or in the famous caipirinha drink.
This citrus fruit has relief and character. Once its detergent facet has been tamed, it subtly dresses the freshness of citrus
compositions.
The Mexican lime, known as key lime, is the most cultivated fruit in Mexico. There are several kinds of lime trees, and the main lime
producing countries outside Mexico are Brazil, Peru and Haiti.
The lime is the only citrus fruit whose essence is created by distillation, but it is also possible to obtain it by expression. Finally, it is a
citrus fruit that is particularly suitable for fragrances for men. In the Guerlain Homme fragrance with its Mojito accord, lime goes very
well with vetiver (cf. The woody facet).
Lime also goes particularly well with mint, blackcurrant, a vibrant wood like patchouli. It acts "like a ray of sunshine" on the
composition.
 Lemon
The origin of the lemon lies somewhere between the south of China and India, it was introduced into the Mediterranean basin during
the Arab invasions in the 10th century. It gives a very acidic and fusing citric note. The lemon note is also rising, tonic and lively. The
lemon is celebrated every year during the Carnival of Menton in February. It comes mainly from Argentina but also from Spain, USA
and Italy. Lemon is present in the perfume Helicriss from Sylvaine Delacourte's Musk Collection.
 Cedrat
The cedrat comes from a tree called the cedar tree. Very similar to the lemon, this citrus fruit has a thick skin and a marked acidity, but
finer than the scent of a lemon. The citron comes from Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, Corsica and China. Moreover, this citrus fruit is more
often used in cosmetics than in perfumery.
 Verbena
Verbena is a plant and not a citrus fruit, yet it gives a charming note, both lemony and airy. A note in the same register: the Litsea
cubeba.
In perfumes, citrus scents can be brought by other natural materials, this is the case of verbena, (see above) ginger (fresh spice), they
can reinforce the tonic and fresh start of a lemon. Lemongrass can reinforce the tonic side of an eau de Cologne, lavender can also
support bergamot in the heart notes.
 Grapefruit
This citrus fruit is the result of a hybridisation between pomelo and sweet orange. Florida is the largest producer of grapefruit. Little
used as a natural product, it is often associated with blackcurrant (there is a base called Citroasis, used in Pamplelune de Guerlain).
Perfumers also like to associate grapefruit with vetiver, whose "mootkatone" has a molecule common to the smell of grapefruit zest.
Grapefruit goes particularly well with the rhubarb and white flowers notes.
Fragrances with citrus facet

There are a large number of fragrances with a citrus facet. These include many classic and modern Eaux de Cologne, mixed eaux
fraîches, and many fragrances for women.
Classic Eaux de Cologne
Citrus notes were very often used along with aromatic notes and neroli in the first perfumed compositions, which were the eaux de
Cologne. There is no official version on the exact origin of the name eau de Cologne, for some, the first eau de Cologne would have
been marketed by Paolo Féminis who would have brought it back from Cologne (recipe of Aqua Mirabilis) and bequeathed it to his
nephew Johann Anton Farina. For others, the real eau de Cologne was created by Giovanni Maria Farina and Feminis, would have
been only a myth. Difficult to draw a conclusion, both these are plausible.
Here are a few references of classic Eaux de Cologne with citrus facet:
 Eau Impériale Guerlain
 Eau du Coq Guerlain
 Eau de cédrat Guerlain
 Eau de Cologne Roger Gallet
 Eau de Cologne 4711
 Eau de Cologne Chanel
 Eau de Cologne Dior
 Blenheim Bouquet Penhaligon’s
 Colonia Acqua Di Parma
 Agua Lavenda Puig
Modern eau de Cologne
Concerning modern eaux de Cologne, more tenacious are Mugler's Eaux de Cologne: Come Together as well as L'Eau de Cologne
du Parfumeur by Guerlain, Cologne Bigarade and Cologne Indélébile by Frédéric Malle.
Unisex eaux fraîches
In their classical style, eaux fraîches are often dressed in the base notes of warmer compositions such as chypre, woody, ferns, or
patchouli, oak moss, tonka bean.
Here are a few references of unisex eaux fraîches with citrus facet:
 Eau sauvage Dior
 Eau pour Homme Armani
 Eau Guerlain
 O Lancôme
 Eau Hermès
 Eau d’Orange Verte Hermès
 Eau Cartier
 Eau Givenchy
 Les Eaux Fraîches Roger Gallet
 Les Eaux de Politesse Serge Lutens
 Ck one Calvin Klein
 Light Blue Dolce Gabbana
 Paris Venise Chanel
 Paris Biarritz Chanel
 Paris Deauville Chanel
 Les Aqua Allegoria Guerlain
 Chance Chanel
 Eau de Soleil blanc Tom Ford
 Neroli Portofino Tom Ford
 Les Escales Dior
 Les Jardins Hermès
 Les Eaux de Cologne Atelier Cologne : Orange sanguine
 Citron Noir Hermès
 Yuzu man Caron
 Dimanche à la Campagne Guerlain
 Bronze Goddess Estée Lauder
Perfumes, eaux de toilette and classic eaux de parfum
Here are a few classic perfumes, eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum, with a very important citrus facet:
 Chance Eau vive Chanel

 Chance Eau fraîche Chanel
 Shalimar Souffle de Lumière Guerlain
 Eau fraîche Addict Dior
Conclusion
The citrus facet can be qualified by its sparkle, smile, cheerfulness, vibration, but also by the energy and dynamism it brings to
fragrances. Citrus fruits sublimate floral, oriental and aromatic notes at the same time. In perfumery, citrus fruits are present in all
olfactory themes.
The citrus facet in Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

In Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances, the citrus facet is favoured because it brings sunshine and a big smile to the scents. The only
fragrance in the citrus family is Oranzo from Orange Blossom Collection. You can find
 clementine in Vahina
 yuzu in Smeraldo
 lime in Lilylang and Valkyrie
The New Freshness facet

In perfumery, facets come to dress the main theme of the fragrance (which is defined thanks to the different accords created from
the raw materials). The more facets there are, the more complex the fragrance will be. In perfumery, the new freshness facet is
obtained by synthetic notes, notably dihydromyrcenol.
What is freshness in perfumery?

The feeling of freshness in a fragrance is very subjective and depends above all on how one feels.
For example, a person might describe Guerlain's Shalimar as a fresh perfume, whereas technically speaking, this fragrance, even if it
contains 30% of bergamot, is mostly made up of very warm and enveloping amber notes. In general, the sensation of perceived
freshness will mostly be a sign that the fragrance is appreciated.
There are, however, perfumes that are technically very fresh, and considered as such by perfumers. There are different types of
freshness in perfumery:
 Hesperidia freshness with citrus fruits: bergamot, lemon, mandarin, orange.

 Aromatic freshness with mint, aniseed or lavender notes.
 Green freshness with the scents of sap and cut grass.
 Marine freshness with iodine notes and molecules such as calonne and helional.
 Aldehydic freshness.
 Spicy freshness with fresh spices: ginger, cardamom, and pink pepper.
 Fruity freshness with only certain fruits such as apple and pear.
 The new freshness facet.
In the Sylvaine Delacourte range, the following eaux de parfum have a very fresh opening, that is contrasted by warm base notes :
 Valkyrie
 Virgile
 Oranzo
Dihydromyrcenol: the birth of a new wave of

freshness
This facet was born from the combination of citrus fruits and an extremely fresh synthetic odorous molecule called Dihydromyrcenol
(or DHMOL), which was created by the company IFF. This molecule was used for the first time in a perfume with a fern accord: Cool
water by Davidoff (1988).
Dihydromyrcenol has a very invigorating scent, with a clean linen or laundry scent, that differentiates it from aldehydes. This molecule
has the particularity of being a booster of citrus notes in a fragrance. Much appreciated by men, this facet has been widely used in
fragrances for men, but is now more unisex.
New freshness and perfumes for men

Perfumers thus use the new freshness note to create perfumes for men often dressed in aromatic, green or marine citrus notes, which
they combine with the fern accord.
All these very fresh fragrances must have base notes that structure the whole, such as woody notes, like cedar, or the fern accord.
The latter is made up of aromatic minty, aniseed or lavender notes, with an important element in the structure: pink pelargonium with
the scent of "masculine rose" and finally tonka bean (thanks to the isolated coumarin of this tonka bean). The classic fougère
accord creates an olfactory atmosphere reminiscent of the scents in a barber's shop using old-fashioned bearded soap bowls. Guy
Laroche's Drakkar Noir fragrance is a true classic fern.
Cool Water by Davidoff was the leader of new freshness. This perfume truly offers a clean, air-dried linen scent, with notes of
lavender, fresh spices, and certainly aromatic notes. The base is woody and musky, extremely clean, and above all very tenacious.
Other perfumes for men with new freshness facet

Here are some perfumes for men with new freshness facet:
 Acqua di gio Armani : between marine et new freshness notes

 Issey Miyake : marine notes
 Body Kouros Yves Saint Laurent
 Emporio Lui Armani
 Only The Brave Diesel
 Starwalker Mont Blanc
 Ck one summer Calvin klein
 Gucci pour Homme Gucci
 Hugo Man Hugo Boss
 L’Homme Yves Saint Laurent
 Gentlemen Only Givenchy
 Drakkar Noir Guy Laroche
All these fragrances are essentially masculine and have a great freshness. They are also very virile, and DHMOL is more or less
present.
The best known of these fragrances, which is also more feminine, even unisex, and in which we can clearly feel this new freshness
note is Ck One by Calvin Klein.
This new freshness facet is representative of the archetypal man coming out of the shower, clean-shaved, whose shirt gives off a
pleasant smell of washing powder.
New freshness facet and perfumes for women

In 1994, Calvin Klein's perfume CK One opened up the notes of freshness to a whole new feminine public, looking for lightness and
modernity. It was the first unisex fragrance, or claimed as such. It was an international success.
In this perfume, the note Dihydromyrcenol (DH MOL), is now used in a more subtle way and can give a sparkling, airy, invigorating
and long-lasting freshness. Used very often as the top note of all the fragrances on the market (without being precisely perceived),
this clean note is very marked.
New freshness tended to be associated with the vitality and dynamism of the sporty, modern man. Now it is also associated with the
contemporary woman. This facet provides a clean, powerful, sparkling and very airy top note, that better brings out the base
and heart notes in the fragrance.
The Solar facet

The solar accord, also known as the sunny note, is an accord that dresses an olfactory family, it particularly dresses the floral, vanilla
and oriental family (cf. Lilylang from the Musk Collection and Vanori Collection of Sylvaine Delacourte's Vanilla Collection ).
An olfactory reference story

In Europe, the olfactory reference associated with sunny notes is L'Oréal's L'Ambre solaire, built around benzyl salicylates, while in
the United States, the reference is Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen, whose very opulent scent is built around coconut notes (cf. The fruity,
coconut note).
The secret of the sunny note: benzyl salicylates

L'Oréal in its Sun Amber, used benzyl salicylate for its sun filter properties. In the course of its research, the company eventually
developed much more effective sun filters and removed the old filter. The consequence was a significant drop in sales of Sun Amber.
The formula was then reworked to reintegrate the famous benzyl salicylate, no longer as a sun filter but for its olfactory effect, which
had become a sun reference for the consumer. In a word, it had to smell like sand or sun-warmed skin... a holiday, if possible!
The solar facet and solar notes

There are both natural and synthetic materials that can create this "solar" effect in a perfume.
 Salicylates
These are synthetic molecules: benzyl amyl and cis 3 hexenyl.
 Bergamot, mandarin
Bergamot, mandarin and citrus fruits in general are reminiscent of sunshine and the freshness of Mediterranean countries, especially
Calabria, they are almost indispensable notes to underline the solar accord.
 Marine notes
These are synthetic notes, also called aquatic notes, are obtained from the calone, or helional.
 Jasmine
The Grandiflora jasmine usually comes from Grasse, Egypt, India or Italy. Sambac jasmine comes from India and has a more "orange
and solar" smell. To harvest jasmine, the pickers have to get up very early. The most skilful can pick up 500 to 700 kg of flowers per
hour. To obtain 1kg of flowers you need 10,000 flowers.
 Tuberose
Tuberose is exotic and narcotic, it is found in southern India and Egypt. It gives an intense side to the solar facet. In India, it is
harvested every morning from May to December. The name of this flower, in Hindi, means "night fragrance". Indeed, it decorates the
windows, and the bridal room during the wedding ceremony. For the first three days, the bride and groom don't see each other. They
have to wait until the fourth day to get close. Then the tuberose enters the scene to calm the anxiety of the newlyweds and stimulate
pleasure. Officially erotic, the tuberose is with jasmine, the flower of love.
 Ylang ylang
The ylang ylang flower comes from a tree, and is shaped like a large dishevelled star. For Indonesians, it is the "flower of flowers",
which is also the meaning of its name. Very exotic, the flower displays an exuberant and extroverted nature. From the volcanoes in
Madagascar or Mayotte, it has inherited an explosive floral side that gives a lot of color to the fragrances. It is harvested when the soft
green flower has turned yellow, a sign that it has reached its olfactory maturity.
Its scent is halfway between jasmine and tuberose. The ylang ylang with its creamy, carnal notes is reminiscent of solar monoi. It has
a sensual, lustful and intoxicating dimension, as well as being wild and narcotic (cf. Sylvaine Delacourte's Lilylang from Musk
Collection, a solar musk with notes of tuberose, jasmine and ylang ylang on a base of salicylated vanilla, with a smile (cf. Testing a
perfume, The olfactive pyramid) bright and sparkling brought by lime). It is the flower that best illustrates the solar facet.
 Frangipani flower
The frangipani flower is a sacred flower in India whose abundant bloom is called by fervent prayers. Like sambac jasmine, the
whiteness of the flower symbolizes the purity of the soul. This sacred and delicate flower does not deliver its perfume. Perfumers must
use a "laboratory flower", by proceeding to "reconstitution" (cf. How to preserve a perfume?), that is, a formula integrating ten or so
components. (cf. Vanilla Collection, Vanori by Sylvaine Delacourte, solar vanilla with notes of frangipani, salicyclées of warm sand,
benzoin resin and vanilla, with a grapefruit smile on top).
 Tiare flower
The tiaré is a tropical shrub on which grows the white tiaré flower, the national symbol of Tahiti. It is now available as a natural
product, but it is used sparingly, as its odour is in the end quite disappointing, as it is far from being faithful to the original sweet and
intoxicating smell of the flower.
 Pittosporum
This little-known flower, which comes from a shrub and is also called "Australian laurel", is native to southern China, Korea and Japan.
It is also found in the Mediterranean region, including towards Grasse, and in Croatia. This shrub with dark green and shiny foliage
can reach 4 to 5 meters. Pittosporum flowers in May-June. The flowers are then white to yellow. Its scent lies between orange
blossom and jasmine. Here again, the perfumer must reproduce the scent with the help of a formula.
 Mimosa
Mimosa absolute is a natural product obtained by the technique of extraction with volatile solvents from the yellow balls of mimosa.
But these small golden flowers are often treated with mimosa leaves. This is why, the mimosa absolute, despite its powdery, floral and
rich scent, also has a green tonality due to the presence of the leaves.
 Gardenia
The gardenia is a white flower that does not deliver its soul, similar to the frangipani flower and the pittosporum. Its creamy and
delicious smell has a very slight fresh mushroom facet, and an added "coconut" facet. The perfumer will reconstitute the perfume with
natural and synthetic ingredients (cf. How to preserve a perfume?).
 Fool
The fool is a flower close to the gardenia. It is very appreciated and found in the Middle East. It must also be reconstituted in the
laboratory by the perfumer.
 Magnolia tree
Native to China, magnolia has an interesting and very singular scent. This flower is very little used in perfumery because its extract
does not have the same scent as the plant but can help to create a solar effect and it will not be the determining element.
 Immortal
Immortal flower is sometimes forgotten in the sunny side of raw materials, but it evokes holidays at the seaside, the beach and the
scent of Corsican maquis. Its scent is natural, it is a spicy flower that is rarely used in perfumery, as it is difficult to work with (cf.
Helicriss from Musk Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte, a musk married to immortal, spices, frankincense, tonka bean and patchouli
leaves.
 The fruity note: coconut
It also evokes holidays in the tropics through memories of exotic cocktails, such as pina colada. In perfumery, it is worked from a
molecule, aldehyde C18, and also exists as a natural product. This note is the essential note for the solar facet, but the dosage must
be subtle.
Exotic fruity scents such as mango, pineapple, banana are possible thanks to synthesis.
Some examples of solar perfumes

 Mayotte (Mahora) Guerlain
 Quand vient l’été Guerlain
 Ylang vanille Guerlain
 Mimosa Tiaré Aqua Allegoria Guerlain
 Coco Fizz, Aqua Allegoria Guerlain
 Parfum Terracotta Guerlain
 L’Instant de Guerlain (cf. Amber facet)
 Cruel Gardenia Guerlain
 Dune Dior
 Ombre bleue Jean-Charles Brosseau
 L’eau ensoleillante Clarins
 Beyond Paradise Estée Lauder
 Sable Goutal
 L Lolita Lempicka
 Moheli Dytique
 Songes Annick Goutal
 Replica (beach walk) Martin Margiela
 Ylang Le Labo
 Sabbia Bianca Profumum Roma
 Soleil Blanc Tom Ford
 Lilylang Sylvaine Delacourte
 Vanori Sylvaine Delacourte
The masculine and feminine olfactive

families
Whether they are feminine or masculine, olfactory families participate in the main theme of a perfume, in the construction of its soul. It
is notably thanks to these families that we can classify a perfume.
Here are the main olfactory families:

The chypre family

The characteristic of the perfumes of the chypre family
First of all, you should know that the classic chypre chord is made up of bergamot, jasmine, rose, patchouli, tree moss, labdanum and
possibly animal notes. Then, this accord can be associated with different facets, but a chypre perfume is woody by definition. The
leading chypre was created by either Guerlain or François Coty. The origin of the name chypre is not certain, either the name came
from the island of Cyprus, or from the names of home perfumes from an ancient era: the Cyprus birds.
The facets of a chypre perfume
A chypre perfume can be dressed with:
 green facet
 fruity facet
 musky facet
 leather facet
 floral facet
In contemporary chypre, oak moss and rockrose labdanum have been replaced by patchouli following IFRA's ban on the use of these
materials. However, oak moss can now be replaced by tree moss.
The hesperidee family

The citrus facet is present in almost all perfumes, it dresses the perfume in top notes, it is volatile, therefore not very tenacious, it
gives the perfume a smile. It dresses all perfumes, both fragrances for men and for women.
Of course, it is found in greater quantities in eaux de Cologne and eaux fraîches, it becomes the main theme and thus determines
the family: hesperidée.
Lemon, bergamot, orange or grapefruit, citrus give the first impression of the perfume, called the smile, providing fresh and
invigorating scents.
These are notes composed of citrus fruits. Do not confuse with the fruity notes: peach, apple, pear, pineapple, red fruits that can now
be found in fragrances for men (cf. Fruits).
The aromatic facet, the new freshness facet, the marine facet very often dress all the families of fragrances for men, but more
particularly the citrus family.
The floral family

The floral family is certainly the richest and largest family. It is also a very popular family all over the world. The floral notes are diverse
and very different from each other. You can't say "I love all flowers", as their scents are so varied, but you can realise that you
particularly appreciate this or that category of flowers. The floral notes can be treated as figurative or abstract notes.
The floral notes can be found in "soliflores" or "floral bouquets". The floral notes can be found in all olfactory families and are more
often found in the heart notes of a perfume.
The different categories of flowers
 Green/spring or vegetal flowers

 White or sensual flowers / solar flowers
 Powdery flowers
 Spicy flowers
 Roses
 Atypical flowers
The oriental or amber family

In perfumery, the word "amber" does not come from the amber stone which is a fossilised resin and has absolutely no smell, as you
might spontaneously think. The term "amber" probably comes from the use of ambergris in the perfumers’ compositions. This word
comes from an association of raw materials that have been assembled by a perfumer, the oriental accord was created either by Coty
or Guerlain. Ambergris is a natural animal note, pathological concretion of the whale’s sperm.
The oriental family is the family that was appreciated quite late by men.
Pioneers: Jicky and Habit Rouge, the first pure oriental perfume for men, by Guerlain.
The classic amber or oriental accord
The classic oriental accord is generally composed of tonka bean, vanilla, vanillin, coumarin, labdanum, patchouli. There are also
resins or balms such as benzoin or incense, opopanax, myrrh. The iris note dresses it wonderfully well.
This accord can be accessorised with other facets: citrus, green, floral, spicy, aromatic, fruity, gourmet (cf. The olfactive facets). It will
then be called floral oriental, for example.
They are usually very enveloping and warm perfumes, with a strong trail and generally with excellent hold.
The woody family

The woody note: a facet and a main theme. Each main theme or chord is often dressed in one or more facets. Thus, the more faceted
the perfume, the more complex it is.
We notice that the woody facet can also be the main theme of a perfume. This means that the woody message can be clearly felt from
the beginning to the end of the fragrance. In the woody family one wood may be predominant, but it is often a blend of several woody
notes.
The message is clearly woody. It can be sublimated with subtle facets: citrus, floral, fruity, spicy or vanilla, without these facets taking
over the woody notes. Woody notes are reassuring, structured and nervous. Most of them act as "stakes in the composition" and give
the perfume a backbone.
The woody family is the most popular family in perfumes for men.
The fern family

The fougère or fern family is rather a masculin family, which is always aromatic (lavender, rosemary mint, sage).
The leader of this family was the fragrance Fougère by the perfumer Houbigant. The style has been renewed and modernised over
time.
Composition of the fougère accord
The fougère accord is composed primarily of bergamot, lavender, rose notes: geranium, vetiver, moss, tonka bean or/and coumarin.
Around this fern accord, different notes can intervene in the orchestration:
 Top notes: you will find aromatic notes: lavender, lavandin, rosemary, thyme, clary sage, mugwort, aniseed notes,
chamomile, laurel, mint notes, etc.
 Heart notes: Pelargonium rose, geranium with a rose scent (also called rose geranium), carnation accord or rose, orange
note.
 Base notes: tonka bean or its main molecule coumarin, vetiver, tree moss, sometimes vanilla, amber or leather notes,
musky notes.
The chypre family

The classic Chypre note is a mix of bergamot, jasmine, rose, patchouli, tree moss, labdanum and some animal notes. This olfactive
family can be associated with different facets, but a chypre fragrance is by definition always woody.
The characteristic of perfumes from the chypre

family
The facets of a chypre perfume
You can dress up a chypre perfum e as you please:
 with a green facet, as in Miss Dior the original from Dior.

 with a fruity facet, as in Guerlain's Mitsouko or Femme de Rochas.
 with a musky facet, as in Narcisso Rodriguez's For Her.
 with a leather facet, as in Cabochard de Grès.
 with a floral facet, as in Clinique Aromatics Elixir with its rose note.
In contemporary chypre fragrances, oak moss and labdanum cistus have been replaced by patchouli following IFRA's ban on the use
of these materials.
The special feature of chypre fragrances
Chypre scents are fragrances with character. Their top and heart notes are rather discreet but then their base notes are intense.
These fragrances are ideal for charismatic and original personalities who wants to wear unique scents (cf. Testing a perfume).
A little history about the chypre family of perfumes

The origin of the word "chypre”
The term Chypre is French for the island of Cyprus. The island is associated with perfume and the term appears as early as 1588.
Indeed, the island of Cyprus, famous for its gloves scented with oak moss, was at the centre of the perfume trade in the Orient. But in
reality, the exact origin of the word chypre perfume is rather vague.
Chypre formulations
There are no specific formulations of the original chypre perfume because very few recipes about them have been referenced. We
only know that the raw materials used for chypre perfumes varied little until the 19th century (cf. How to preserve your perfume?).
The forms and uses of chypre
Chypre can either be powders, burning materials or perfumed waters whose formulations vary according to the times.
Hair powders or wig powders for example, were called "chypre". Their formulations were very similar. They contained musks, amber,
civet combined with oak moss, iris and souchet.
Chypre as burning materials, called "chypre birds", were used as early as in the Middle Ages and whose recipes are still known.
Theses types of chypres are called trochisques, they are a kind of solid material in the form of tablets, cones or cubes that were
thrown into the fire to receive a pleasant smell and correct the malignancy of the air. As they burn, the trochisques give the impression
that they gradually fly away like birds. To prepare this chypre, the apothecary Nicolas Lémery in the 17th century used willow
charcoal, tragacanth gum, rose water, labdanum, musk, civet, ambergris, styrax, benzoin, Rhodes wood and essences of cinnamon,
clove and elemi.
Finally, chypre waters contained mostly musk, civet and amber. Moreover, Dejean mentions, in the 18th century, that chypre water is
distinguished from other waters by the musk and amber.
Chypre perfumes over time

Transitional Cyprus
We talk about “Cyprus transition” between the end of the Second Empire and the Great War. This period of scientific, technological
and industrial progress led to the discovery of organic synthesis. Perfumers then gradually had new molecules at their disposal:
vanillin in 1874, coumarin in 1878, ionones with violet notes around 1884, and nitrated musks in 1888 (cf. Sylvaine Delacourte's Musk
Collection), in particular. New extraction techniques were also used during this period of discovery. As a result, many extracts called
"chypre" were created, distinguishing themselves from the old chypre while preserving a vague basic chord.
Some chypre perfumes from this period :

 circa 1850: Eau de Chypre by Guerlain
 1893: Cyprus of Temptation by Roger and Gallet
 1894: Cyprisine by Guerlain
 1898 : Cyprus by Lubin
 1909 : Cyprus of Paris by Guerlain
François Coty: Breaking with the tradition of the chypre
While perfumes remained elitist and limited in distribution until the Great War, François Coty broke the tradition in 1917 with his
Chypre perfume. It became the first blockbuster perfume known to the general public and had an exceptional impact. François Coty
was the first to do marketing without knowing it! Indeed, he succeeded to do remarkable publicity for his chypre perfume.
Chypre and the emancipation of women
Women during this period are ready to wear more "masculine" fragrances. First, they replaced men during the war, performing tasks
usually reserved for them. Then, they cut their hair "boyish" style, drove cars, and wore pants for convenience. Chypre perfumes fit
perfectly with this new style of femininity: it was the beginning of emancipation. These were very different from pre-war perfumes,
often floral and powdery (cf. Testing a perfume, Choose a perfume for a gift, Choose a perfume for a wedding).
Chypre perfumes and the beginning of contemporary perfumery
Several dozen perfumes with the "chypre" name were created until around 1950, at the beginning of contemporary perfumery.
Oak moss was banned by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) because of its allergenic nature in 2012. It can sometimes
be replaced by a natural tree moss, or by a synthetic product, evernyl. When oak moss is substituted for patchouli, the chypre accord
gains in modernity.
How do you describe the sensation of a chypre note?
The term 'chypre family' is quite enigmatic for a customer. It can evoke scents of undergrowth, woods and autumn scents (cf. Sylvaine
Delacourte's scented candle collection, Equinoxe d'automne). These notes are often imbued with mystery. Magnetic, they are also
charismatic, yet can be described as feminine or masculine.
Chypre perfumes
Women's chypre perfumes
To conclude, here are a few examples of perfumes from the chypre family for women:
 Miss Dior Christian Dior

 Mitsouko Guerlain
 Femme Rochas
 Cabochard Grès
 Aromatics Elixir Clinique
 Coco Mademoiselle Chanel
 For Her Narciso Rodriguez
 Diva Ungaro
 Eau du Soir Sisley
 Gucci Rush Gucci
 Coriandre Couturier
 Ysatis Givenchy
 Nomade Chloé
 31 rue Cambon Chanel
 Rose Rouge Van Cleef & Arpels
 Si Fiori Armani
 La Panthère Cartier
And more examples of chypre scents for men:

(cf. The leathery facet: masculin fragrances with a leathery facet)
 Aramis Estée Lauder
 Polo Ralph Lauren
 Anteus Chanel
 Kouros YSL
 Yatagan Caron
 Halston Z14 Halston
The citrus family

The citrus family or citrus perfumes is one of the 6 olfactory families, that are used to classify perfumes, according to the classification
of the Comité Français du Parfum (CFP). Here are the 6 olfactory families that exist :

3. The amber or oriental family
5. The woodland family
6. The fougère family
The architecture of a perfume

Before defining the citrus family, it is important to understand the orchestration of a fragrance. All fragrances consist of an
architecture of 5-10 components, which together form an "accord". The main theme of a perfume will be given by this main accord,
which can be assimilated to the "soul" of the fragrance, and which will allow the perfume to be classified in its olfactory family. Each
theme (such as woody, floral, citrus) can be dressed with one or more facets by the creator of the fragrance, in order to make the
architecture of his fragrance more complex.
The definition of a citrus fragrance is that the main accord is made mainly of citrus fruits, they are found in large quantities in eaux de
Cologne and in eaux fraîches. It is a fairly unisex note.
It is a family that is present in the classification of perfumes for women, for men, for children and teenagers. The difficulty for the
perfumer to work with citrus notes is to give them tenacity in a composition or a perfume. Working with citrus fruits notes for candles is
even more difficult.
What is the citrus family?

A fragrance belongs to the citrus family when the citrus facet is presented in large quantities in the fragrance, thus defining the main
accord, or "theme" of the fragrance.
In addition, the very fresh and dynamic citrus notes give the fragrance a "smile", meaning that they will be felt as soon as the first
notes take flight, they are highly volatile.
The citrus family and its citrus fruits

Here are the main citrus fruits used in perfumery belonging to the citrus family:
 Bergamot
A perfumer's favorite note, bergamot has a unique scent: it is also described as the "fine flower" of citrus.
The citrus fruit offers an extremely refined, highly faceted note. Its scent is also green, slightly floral and acidic, even bitter, but also
sweet and round. However, the quality of the bergamot in a fragrance will depend on the way it is grown, processed and assembled,
like in case of any natural raw material. Only bergamot zest is used in perfumery (the pulp is too bitter to be used). The latter must be
processed by cold extraction, using large presses, which will release the essential oil of bergamot.
 Communelle
In perfumery, a communelle is a harmonious composition of several batches of a natural essence that creates a "standard" with a
specific scent. This blend gives an olfactory signature to the fragrances to guarantee the same quality from one year to the next. In the
citrus family, communelle can be composed of green citrus fruits, or other more or less ripe citrus fruits. Communelle is also made for
jasmine.
 Sweet orange
The scent of sweet orange is exactly the same as that of orange juice. Nowadays this citrus fruit comes from Florida and Brazil, but is
originally from China.
 Orange Bigarade
Very bitter, the scent of this citrus fruit is mostly soaked by its skin rather than the pulp. Bitter orange comes from the bitter orange
tree, native to Tunisia and Italy (which also produces the petit grain, the neroli and the orange blossom absolute) (see The floral
facet).
 Mandarin
This citrus fruit offers a big smile to the citrus fragrances: its scent is very sunny, green, and somehow bitter, as it is impregnated with
the skin of the citrus fruit. The essence of mandarin is used in perfumes. It is obtained by expression method: the skin is crushed by
the machines that harvest the nectar.
 Clementine
Clementine offers to fragrances from the citrus family a scent close to that of mandarin (it is actually a seedless mandarin, whose
scent is juicier).
 Yuzu
This small Japanese lemon has a delicious and very complex scent, as it is very faceted, like if it was composed of several citrus
fruits. However, this product is very expensive, even locally, because its production is very small. Often it has to be reproduced or
reconstituted from other raw materials by the perfumer-creator. Natural yuzy is present in the Sylvaine
Delacourte’s Smeraldo perfume, a particularly unisex scent.
 Lime
A small green lemon that delicately and very abstractly dresses the fragrances of the citrus family. It also gives a lot of character and
relief to the fragrances. Its scent is somehow similar to the taste of Coca-Cola.
To be used in perfumery, lime must be processed by distillation (the only citrus fruit that can be extracted in this way), or by
expression. Very suitable for men's fragrances, it also goes very well with vetiver, as it does in Guerlain Homme.
Lime is present in Lilylang by Sylvaine Delacourte, it helps soothe the scent of solar white flowers (jasmine, ylang-ylang, frangipani).
 Lemon
Lemon offers a very dynamic, acidic and uplifting note. It is presented in Helicriss from Sylvaine Delacourte's Muscs Collection. This
fragrance is based on an aromatic note that is very difficult to work with called the immortal flower.
 Citron
Coming from a tree called "cedar tree", this citrus fruit similar to lemon is very acidic. However, its scent is more delicate. It comes
mainly from Mediterranean countries and China, and is more often used in cosmetics than in perfumes.
 Verbena
With a lemony, light and delicate scent, vervain is used in perfumes of the citrus family. Yet it is not a citrus fruit, but an aromatic plant.
 Grapefruit
A citrus hybrid, crossed between pomelo and sweet orange, grapefruit is rarely used as a natural product in citrus fragrances.
Perfumers often associate grapefruit with vetiver or black currant. Grapefruit is present as a smile in Sylvaine Delacourte’s
fragrance Vanori.
Fragrances from the citrus family

Many fragrances belong to the citrus family, such as classic and modern eaux de Cologne, eaux fraîches, perfumes for
women or for men.
Citrus Eaux de Cologne
Here are a few references of classic Eaux de Cologne from the citrus family that are not very tenacious:
 Eau Impériale, Eau du Coq, Eau de cédrat de Guerlain, Eau de Cologne Roger Gallet.
 Eau de Cologne 4711, Eau de Cologne Chanel, Eau de Cologne Dior.
As for modern, Eaux de Cologne Mugler as well as L'Eau de Cologne du Parfumeur are more tenacious.
Unisex citrus Eaux Fraîches
Here are a few references of eaux fraîches from the citrus family:
 Eau sauvage Dior
 Eau Guerlain
 O Lancôme
 Eau Hermès
 Eau d’Orange Verte Hermès
 Eau Cartier
 Eau Givenchy
 Les Eaux Fraîches Roger Gallet
 Les Eaux de Politesse Serge Lutens
 Ck One Calvin Klein
 Light Blue Dolce Gabbana
 Les Aqua Allegoria Guerlain
 Chance Chanel
 Eau de Soleil Blanc Tom Ford
 Neroli Portofino Tom Ford
 Les Escales Dior
 Les Jardins Hermès
 Les Eaux de Cologne Atelier Cologne
 Orange sanguine Atelier Cologne
 Citron Noir Hermès
 Yuzu man Caron
 Dimanche à la Campagne Guerlain
Citrus fragrances derived from a classic perfume
 Chance Eau Vive Chanel

 Chance Eau Fraîche Chanel
 Shalimar Souffle de Lumière Guerlain
 Eau fraîche Addict Dior
Conclusion
The fragrances of the citrus family are very tonic, sparkling and sunny. In addition, citrus enhances many other olfactory families, such
as floral, oriental and aromatic ones. In perfumery, citrus can be found in all olfactory themes.
The floral family

There are 6 different olfactory families in perfumery, which allow to classify the perfumes (citrus, floral, amber or
oriental, chypre, woody and aromatic). The feminine floral family is certainly the richest and broadest family that exist. Floral
fragrances are also highly appreciated and popular all over the world.
Floral notes, which can be described as "figurative" or "abstract" notes, are numerous and differ a lot from each other. Thus, it is
impossible to love all the floral fragrances, as their scents are varied and specific, it often happens to appreciate a particular category
of flowers.
In perfumery, there are also "soliflores" or "floral bouquets". These floral notes can be found in all olfactory families and are more likely
to be found as heart notes in a perfume.
Here are the different categories of flowers in floral fragrances:
 Green / spring or vegetal flowers

 White or sensual flowers / solar flowers
 Powdery flowers
 Spicy flowers
 Roses
 Atypical flowers
Spring flowers in the floral family

Synonyms of freshness, spontaneity and joy, these flowers bring green and vegetal notes to floral scents. However, not all spring
flowers (even if their smell is very rich), can be treated naturally for use in perfumery: many of them are "mute flowers", whose scent
will then have to be reconstituted using other natural materials and synthetic products. Here are the main spring flowers, also called
“flowers of renewal”, in perfumery:
Narcissus
This flower from Central Europe, Africa and Asia can be used naturally in perfumery. The largest production is now in Auvergne. It is
very popular among perfumers who use it, especially in prestigious perfumes, as in some floral or chypre perfumes (cf. The Chypre
family). It has a green scent (cf. The Green facet) that is very earthy, animal-like, and particularly difficult to work with. Narcissus was
also used in L'Artisan Parfumeur's Mont de Narcisse perfume.
Daffodil
This flower releases its scent through an extraction process using volatile solvents. The daffodil has a unique signature, which is
recognized among all. It is very fresh and instantly reminds one of the spring season.
Daffodil is present in several floral fragrances, such as :
 Vol de Nuit Guerlain
 Velvet Orchid Tom Ford
 Eau de printemps L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Dolce Rosa Dolce Gabbana
White flowers in the floral family

Also known as "narcotic flowers" or "sensual flowers", they share the same indole molecule, which brings a natural animal note to
these white flowers.
Jasmine flower
There are two varieties of jasmine used in perfumery: jasmine Grandiflorum (which exhales a balanced and delicate fragrance, and
has an animal or fruity scent, which varies according to the production); and Sambac jasmine (native to India, it has a warm, orangey
scent, even more animal than Grandiflorum). This emblematic flower can be found in many floral fragrances:
 J’adore Dior
 Jasmin des Anges Dior
 Splendida Jasmin noir Bulgari
 Souffle de Parfum Guerlain
 À la Nuit Serge Lutens
 Le Parfum Elie Saab
 Jasmin rouge Tom Ford
 Eau des Sens Diptyque
 La chasse aux Papillons L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Jasmin Rouge Tom Ford
Tuberose
Formerly called "hyacinth of India", this flower, both exotic and narcotic, is the most fragrant in the plant world. Tuberose treated by
enfleurage is very rare nowadays, and is now extracted by volatile solvent extraction. This flower is very expensive in perfumery and
is often preferred to reconstituted alternatives. Its scent, at first slightly medicinal (like that of an ointment), becomes over time a milky,
solar, coconut-scented fragrance. Situated between honey nectar and candied fruit, this exotic, poisonous and erotic perfume escapes
from the flowers up to two days after picking.
Here are a few floral fragrances composed of tuberose :
 Tubéreuse Criminelle Serge Lutens

 Fracas Piguet
 Le Premier Parfum Chloé
 Poison Dior
 Nuit de Tubéreuse L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Jardins de Bagatelle Guerlain
 Parfum Terracotta Guerlain
 Carnal Flower Frédérique Malle
 Do Son Diptyque
 Gabrielle Chanel
Ylang-ylang
Ylang-ylang is considered in Indonesia to be the "flower of flowers". It displays an exuberant and extroverted nature and exhales very
exotic scents. It’s an explosive floral bouquet, between jasmine and tuberose, which gives color to the perfumes. With its milky, fleshy
notes, ylang-ylang is also recalls the flower of solar monoi (cf. The Solar facet). Its intoxicating, narcotic and wild scent is widely used
in floral fragrances and appreciated by perfumers.
Here are some fragrances with ylang-ylang:
 Lilylang Sylvaine Delacourte (a solar musk with notes of tuberose, jasmine and ylang-ylang, with salicylated vanilla as a
background, with a lively and sparkling smile brought by the lime)
 Terracotta Guerlain
 Songes Annick Goutal
 Eau de Mohéli Diptyque
 Organza Givenchy
 Amarige Givenchy
 N°5 Chanel
Frangipani flower
Frangipani flower is a sacred and delicate flower, which is also found in floral perfumes, but only delivers its scent by a process of
reconstitution in the laboratory (cf. How to keep a perfume?). This "laboratory flower" is made up of a dozen olfactory elements.
If you are a fan of frangipani blossom, you should discover Vanori by Sylvaine Delacourte, a perfume with sunny vanilla and
frangipani notes, hot sand, benzoin resin and vanilla, with a grapefruit smile on top.
Tiare flower
From a tropical shrub, these immaculate white flowers are the national symbol of Tahiti. Perfumers are now able to use it naturally, but
once extracted, its scent is unfortunately not as bewitching and sweet as the flower's original scent. A process close to enfleurage is
also used, but only at the local production level. The exotic elegance of the tiare flower is found in the olfactory palette of a large
number of floral scents, such as:
 Tiaré Chantecaille
Gardenia
Small shrub with very fragrant white flowers, the gardenia is native to different countries (China, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, India,
California ...). In perfumery, only gardenia reconstitutions are used. They mainly consist of a white flower accord and green notes
accompanied by tyglates (molecules bringing a mushroom note).
After extraction of the gardenia flower, the gardenia absolute obtained is not at all faithful to the smell of the original flower. However,
it is used to isolate styrallyl acetate, which gives its green rhubarb note.
Some perfumers have integrated gardenia into their floral fragrances:
 Gardenia Chanel
 Passion Goutal
 Songes Goutal
Lily
This flower has had a religious symbolism for thousands of years, yet its powerful and haunting scent remains elusive to perfumers
and floral fragrances.
 Baiser Volé Cartier
 Lys Méditerranée Frédéric Malle
Magnolia
Belonging to the Magnoliaceae family, the magnolia is a tree native to the Far East, whose production today comes mainly from
China. It is the Michelia alba variety that interests perfumers and their floral fragrances. It is harvested from May to June, and August
to November.
The note is floral and has an important “citrus” facet. Its lemony freshness is tinged with green notes, giving way to hints of vanilla in a
soft and sunny floral facet. Magnolia leaves are also used in the manufacture of perfumes, although the scent of the leaves is more
difficult to use in the compositions.
Orange blossom
Bigaradier (Citrus aurantium) is a tree that is highly appreciated by perfumers for its versatility. In addition to orange blossom absolute,
neroli essence (fresh, airy, lavender and sweet) and petit grain essence (green, lavender (cf. The Aromatic facet)), it also makes it
possible to obtain bitter orange, whose skin is treated by expression and which gives the essence of bitter orange.
Usually, white flowers cannot withstand steam distillation. The only exception is orange blossom, which can be distilled to produce
neroli essence, or treated by extraction with volatile solvents to obtain orange blossom absolute. The essence of petit grain is
produced by the distillation of branches.
Neroli is most often associated with citrus fragrances and eaux de Cologne rather than floral scents. It is not uncommon to find it in
the top notes of fresh floral scents.
For chypre and oriental accords, or for white floral scents, orange blossom absolute is more appropriate. It is used to reconstitute
exotic scents such as gardenia and tiare flower. Most often used as a heart note, orange blossom absolute also accentuates fruity
notes (like apricot, for example).
As for petit grain, it is an ally of eaux de Cologne, eaux fraîches, masculine and unisex fragrances.
Here is a list of some creations consist of orange blossom and neroli:
 Oranzo Sylvaine Delacourte
 Osiris Sylvaine Delacourte
 Ozkan Sylvaine Delacourte
 Olyssia Sylvaine Delacourte
 Oscarine Sylvaine Delacourte
 Fleurs de citronnier Serge Lutens
 Fleur d’oranger Serge Lutens
 Histoire d’Oranger L’Artisan Parfumeur
 La Chasse aux Papillons L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Néroli Goutal
 Cologne Mugler
 Mi Fa Réminiscence
 Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger Prada
 Bouquet de la Mariée Guerlain
 L’Heure de Nuit Guerlain
 Néroli Outrenoir Guerlain
 Grand Néroli Atelier Cologne
 Escale à Portofino Dior
 Néroli originel Givenchy
 Néroli Ispahan Boucheron
 Séville à l’Aube L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Néroli Portofino Tom Ford
 Acqua di Sicilia Tom Ford
 Sole di Positano Tom Ford
 Eau de Néroli Doré Hermès
 Infusion de Fleur D’Oranger Prada
Rosy notes in the floral family

Rose
Among all the varieties of roses that exist, only two are used in perfumery: the May rose, or Centifolia rose (which has a honeyed,
round, warm and slightly candied note) and the Damask rose, or Damascena rose (which exists in essence and absolute with distinct
scents for each).
The rose has always been used in floral fragrances in different ways (it can be fresh, or rather oriental). This flower also goes
wonderfully well with chypre accords, especially neo-chypresses.
The rose was, among other things, honored in these fragrances:
 N°5 Chanel
 Jo Patou
 Paris YSL
 Nahéma Guerlain
 Idylle Guerlain
 Rose barbare Guerlain
 Drôle de Rose L'Artisan Parfumeur
 Voleur de Rose L'Artisan Parfumeur
 Lipstick Rose Frédéric Malle
 Dovana Sylvaine Delacourte
 Chloé Chloé
 Infusion Rose Prada
 Romance Ralph Lauren
 Isia Sisley
Rose is one of the few flowers that is treated by extraction with volatile solvents, as well as by steam distillation. However, rose
essence (harvested by steam distillation) is very expensive. Indeed, this technique requires no less than 4 tons of rose petals to
produce 1 kg of the precious liquid. Extraction with volatile solvents is therefore less expensive, and will result in a fuller and more
dense rose absolute, which will serve as a heart and base note in floral fragrances.
Geranium rosat (The Rose Geranium)
Pelargonium rosat, or geranium rosat, is native to the African continent. The leaves and stem of the plant hold the fragrance that is
used in the composition of floral perfumes. This flower offers a note similar to the rose (geranium rosat indeed contains 30% of the
components that the rose possesses).
However, geranium rosat also has an aromatic green facet. With its hints of mint, this facet evokes lychee, or even lemongrass. It is a
masculine flower, whose note is frequently found in the fern accord.
The scent of geranium is found in a large number of creations, including:
 Virgile Sylvaine Delacourte
 Géranium Pour Monsieur Fréderic Malle
Peony
This dewy flower does not deliver its scent to perfumers. They must therefore use a reconstitution using rose essence and certain
natural compounds of the rose: phenylethyl alcohol and geraniol. More fruity elements (raspberry, for example) (cf. Fruits) as well as
delicately powdery notes (such as ionones or heliotropin) sometimes supplement the reconstitution of the peony.
Spicy flowers in the floral family

The spicy flowers are carnation, wallflower and immortelle.
Carnation
The carnation should not be confused with the marigold, also called "tagète". The scent of this flower is often reconstituted by the
association of rose and spices (cloves, vanillin and heliotropin). Carnation can be used naturally, but the final result is not widely used
(then called absolute Egyptian carnation) because it does not carry the spicy smell that characterizes the flower in the minds of the
public.
Even if it is not used much, you can find carnation in certain floral perfumes, for example:
 L’Air du Temps Nina Ricci

 Opium YSL
 Bellodgia Caron
 Tabu Dana
 L’Oeillet Prada
 Lui Guerlain
 Vangelis Sylvaine Delacourte
Wallflower
Wallflower is distinguished by a musky and very spicy scent with a hint of vanilla. It can be used in perfumery only through a
reconstitution process.
Immortal
From its botanical name Helichrysum, the Immortelle is a yellow flower growing in the maquis of Corsica, Spain and France. In
perfumery, it is used after being treated by distillation. Its fragrance is very spicy, sweet, with a facet of tobacco, honey and a slight
odor of curry. This raw material is particularly complex to work with.
You can find it in Helicriss from the Musk Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte and in Sables by Annick Goutal.
Powdery flowers in the floral family

The powdery flowers are iris, mimosa, cassia, violet and heliotrope.
Iris
Iris Pallida has a powdery, violet and mimosa scent with woody accents (cf. The Woody facet) and a hint of raspberry and carrot.
However, it should be noted that it is not the plant that will be treated for use in perfumes, but its rhizome, which can sometimes reveal
a slightly earthy and austere aspect depending on the orchestration of the fragrance. Iris is one of the most expensive raw materials in
perfumery (it takes three years to dry), and its scent, very refined and elegant, even a little "retro", sublimates on the skin.
Iris is often used in floral fragrances with powdery accords and sometimes also to complement oriental or woody accords.
The quality of the iris depends on its percentage of irone, a particularly expensive odorous chemical, whose scent is very similar to
violet.
Mimosa
This flower cultivated in the south of France is quite a complicated raw material to work with in perfumery. It must be treated by
extraction with volatile solvents to obtain the mimosa absolute. Olfactively, the mimosa has a small accent of violet and a powdery,
almond scent, with a rather pronounced green facet (the leaves are distilled at the same time as the flowers).
Here are a few floral scents based on mimosa :
 Mimosa pour moi L’Artisan parfumeur

 Champs Elysées Guerlain
 Mimosa Pour Moi Atelier Cologne
 Indigo Atelier Cologne
 Les Infusions Mimosa Prada
Cassie
Cassia is, like mimosa (it belongs to the same family: acacias), a difficult flower to work with in perfumery. Its scent is powdery, spicy,
woody and balsamic, and possesses animal notes close to those of ylang-ylang, with sulfur and aldehyde effects. In perfumes of the
floral family, cassia blends very well with iris, mimosa, and violet notes.
Although rare, the cassie flower has been used by some perfumers in their floral perfumes, such as:
 Fleurs de Cassie Frédéric Malle
 Après l’Ondée Guerlain
Violet
The scent of the violet is reproduced in floral perfumes thanks to ionones or methylionones (the first ionone was discovered at the end
of the 19th century). Indeed, the violet does not deliver its fragrance and therefore cannot be used in a natural way.
Here are some perfumes that were sublimated thanks to the fragrances of the violet:
 Insolence Guerlain
 Misia Chanel
Heliotrope or heliotropin
Heliotrope, or heliotropin, is a mute flower that does not deliver its fragrance, but which can fortunately be reproduced synthetically, or
by reconstitution from other raw materials, notably Tahitensis vanilla. Its scent is floral, almond-like, and close to mimosa and lilac.
Rare flowers in the floral family

Some rare or atypical flowers are also used in perfumery in floral fragrances, including :
Reseda
This flower exhales a honeyed scent, close to lily of the valley and narcissus.
Champaca
A highly prized white flower, Michelia Champaca has pleasant amber and hay scent, and also rose, honeyed note, with an ylang-ylang
effect, like a heady, spicy, animal jasmine in the base notes.
The highly appreciated champaca flower is used in the following creations:
 Champaca Comme Des Garçons

 Un Matin d’Orage Annick Goutal
Broom
This shrub has very fragrant golden yellow flowers, which deliver a fruity, bitter scent, between orange blossom, lime blossom, honey
and tobacco.
Pittosporum
The pittosporum is a small tree with magnificent, varnished and evergreen foliage, whose white and greenish flowers offer a pleasant
scent, something between jasmine and orange blossom. However, it is not possible to create an essence or an absolute;
reconstructions of the scent must therefore be carried out.
Mahonia
This shrub with holly-like leaves is native to America and Asia. It offers a honeyed note, close to lily of the valley and narcissus, and
only exists in the form of a reproduction.
Karo karoundé
Karo karoundé is a floral note close to narcissus, very green, it is also spicy with an "animal leather" effect. It is used in natural form in
perfume compositions.
The syringe
This flower with jasmine and orange blossom facets brings a lot of freshness to perfumes. However, it is a mute flower, which does
not deliver its fragrance when it is treated for use in perfumery. Perfumer-creators will therefore have to reconstitute the scent from
other raw materials.
There are a multitude of other scents within the floral family, including hyacinth, present in Guerlain's Chamade perfume and lily of the
valley (present in Porcelaine by Hermès, Diorissimo by Dior, Muguet by Guerlain, Le Muguet by Goutal, Lily of The Valley by Yardley,
among others).
The oriental family

Before defining the oriental family, it is important to understand the orchestration of a fragrance. All fragrances consist of an
architecture of 5 to 10 components, which together form an "accord". The main accord will give the fragrance its full personality.
This precise orchestration has made it possible to distribute fragrances according to a rigorous classification (defined by the Comité
Français du Parfum - CFP), distinguishing them into olfactory families. There are 6 different olfactory families:

3. The amber or oriental family
5. The woody family
6. The fougère (or ferns) family
Each family can then be complexified and dressed with several olfactory facets.
What is the oriental or amber family?

The oriental family, also known as the "amber family", is made up of the oriental accord, which can be dressed in different facets:
 Green
 Citrus
 Floral
 Gourmand
 Woody
 Spicy
 Leather
The oriental family makes it possible to create oriental fragrances for both women and men, highly prized, characterized by rich and
sweet raw materials.
The origin of the word "amber"
The word "amber" in perfumery does not come, as one might think, from amber stone, a fossilized resin that has absolutely no smell.
The word 'amber' probably comes from the way perfumers used ambergris in their compositions. This material is of animal origin and
comes from a pathological concretion of the cachalot. The animal is not killed or hurt when obtaining the ambergris and is therefore
still authorized by the IFRA - International Fragrance Association. However, this sensual note is so expensive that it is now rare to find
it in a perfume formulation.
The origins of the amber or oriental accord
The amber, also known as the oriental accord, was identified in Jicky (1889), which later gave Guerlain's Shalimar (1921), and in
Coty's Antique Amber in 1908. It is also the basis of De Laire's amber chord: Ambre 83.
The classic amber or oriental accord
The oriental family of fragrances is composed of a classic oriental accord which is generally composed of tonka bean, vanilla, vanillin,
coumarin, labdanum, and patchouli. Resins such as benzoin, frankincense or opopanax are also found in this scent. The iris facet
dresses it up wonderfully well.
The amber base
The solid base is found in the pomander, a very well known chiseled wooden ball by L'Artisan Parfumeur and characteristic of the
amber base. In order to obtain this paste formula, the liquid is mixed with a "dry" solvent which changes it into a solid state.
It is also possible to find this base, in less qualitative form, in the souks of Morocco or Tunisia, in the form of a white stone called
"amber". However, it is not the true amber or oriental chord, but a composition.
Constituents of the oriental family
The main constituents of the oriental family (or amber family) are vanilla, tonka bean, myrrh, frankincense, styrax, benzoin, and
oponax.
Vanilla
Noble vanilla is the essential raw material of the oriental facet. This vanilla is not "sweet", it is the vanillin and ethylvanillin molecules
that give this very sweet note. The wonderful vanilla or vanila planifolia is a variety of orchid that grows in tropical forests. It gives a
fruit, the famous vanilla bean.
This vanilla is native to Mexico. Thanks to the work of a small bee (the melipone), the flower is pollinated. In 1848, Edmond Albius
was a slave who discovered the secret of vanilla fertilization, which replaced the work of the melipone by human intervention.
With the help of a piece of bamboo, the plant spur that closes the orchid is lifted and the pollen collected is put in contact with the
pistil. This operation can only take place in the morning, when the flower has just bloomed. The women who take care of this
operation are called "matchmakers". It takes about 18 months to obtain the fruit of this orchid, the precious black pod.
 The preparation of the vanilla bean
Once harvested, the vanilla bean is boiled for 3 minutes and covered for 24 hours. It is only after being exposed to the sun from
morning until early afternoon on each side for a few hours a day, that they take on the appearance as we know them, which takes
about 15 days. They become black, dry and free of bacteria. The vanillas are then sorted by hand, one by one, to make sure they are
dry.
 Madagascar vanilla
Madagascar vanilla is found in 18 countries. The one from Mayotte and India is one of the most appreciated. It has become a rare and
very luxurious material, and is the most expensive spice after saffron. The price of vanilla has thus been multiplied by 10 in 4 years. Its
botanical nature, the olfactory treasures it contains and its price makes it unique.
 The different notes of vanilla
The enveloping and sensual warmth of vanilla comes in different notes. They can be milky, honeyed, amber, woody or spicy. It can
sometimes have animal or even rum notes. There is also botanical vanilla called Tahitensis, which is more floral.
 The multiple forms used of vanilla
Vanilla tincture: To obtain a vanilla tincture, split beans must be macerated in alcohol for at least 1 month. But this technique is almost
no longer used today.
Vanilla absolute: Vanilla absolute is obtained after extraction of the beans with a volatile solvent.
Synthetic products: Vanillin and ethylvanillin are synthetic materials. As we said, this vanilla is much sweeter.
 Little stories about vanilla
Everybody knows that the Aztecs consumed a chocolate drink, but they also used vanilla to flavour their nectar! Moreover, vanilla is a
remedy against anxiety and brings strength and health to those who consume it or smell it.
Sylvaine Delacourte has declined this noble vanilla in 5 perfumes in her Vanilla Collection.
Tonka Bean
The tonka bean comes from South America and more particularly from Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil. If vanilla is produced by an
orchid, the tonka bean comes from the fruit of the "dipteryx odorata", a tropical tree. It is also called coumarouna, or sarrapia.
 Characteristics of the tonka bean
The fruit of this tropical tree is in the shape of large almonds, which contain a seed. The seed is black, oval, oblong and shiny. As it
dries out, it wrinkles and begins to smell. Its subtle fragrance intensifies with time.
 Treatment of the tonka bean
The treatment of the tonka bean is very similar to that of vanilla. After harvesting, it is sun-dried and sorted.
 The multiple uses of the tonka bean
Initially, the seeds were powdered and sold in sachets which were then placed in cupboards between piles of laundry.
In perfumery, the tonka bean is processed by volatile solvent extraction to obtain the tonka bean absolute.
In cooking: the bean itself can also be grated in the same way as nutmeg to use in pastry, combined with chocolate, coffee and
desserts such as panacotta.
To perfume snuff and pipe tobacco: the Amsterdamer (this practice is now banned in France and the United States).
 The tonka bean, a unique fragrance
The tonka bean is truly a fragrant composition in itself. It is very rich in facets. We can find woody, balmy, vanilla, almond, pistachio,
tobacco, hay or honey notes.
The main molecule of this raw material is called coumarin. It has an almond-like scent and faithfully evokes the smell of the little jars of
glue from our childhood! The synthesis of coumarin was developed in 1868 to be used for the first time in the composition of Jicky with
linalool and ethylvanillin (cf. The chypre family).
The tonka bean note is also found in Vahina from Sylvaine Delacourte's Vanilla Collection.
Myrrh
 The mythical origins of myrrh
In Ovid's Metamorphoses, myrrh is linked to the myth of the transformation of Myrrha, the incestuous daughter of the king of Cyprus,
into a myrrh tree, before giving birth to Adonis, who emerged from the bark of this tree.
 The myrrh tree: the commiphora myrrha and her tears
Several species of myrrh or commiphora trees are at the origin of this substance and have a mythical past. These trees such as
commiphora of Arabia or Abyssinia are small in size and there are more than 100 species of commiphora.
The most prized species are those that contribute the most to the production of oleo-gum-resin in the form of natural exudation. The
tree produces real tears, whose colour varies from light yellow to fairly dark red. These fragile tears are almost crumbly, shiny and
have a powerful aromatic odour.
 Myrrh, a sacred scent
Myrrh is considered to be the most exquisite and precious of all perfumes. Myrrh is known to have been used in ancient times for the
cult of the Gods. In turn, the Magi associated it with incense.
Beyond these sacred rituals, myrrh holds an important place in perfumery. Indeed, perfumers use myrrh essence obtained by steam
distillation of the gum harvested from the tree. It has an intense, uplifting balsamic scent with facets of licorice, woody, almost fruity
notes and notes of frankincense.
Incense
 The incense tree: the boswellia
Incense, like myrrh, is a gum that is collected on "incense trees". The term "incense tree" includes a number of species of Boswellia
from various countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia and India.
 Processing of Boswellia gum: the essence
In perfumery, the gum harvested after incision of the tree trunk, is steam distilled to obtain the essence. This essence is a very
powerful, dark and aromatic base note with a camphorated, resinous or smoky effect.
 The various uses of incense
Incense has always corresponded to a certain ceremonial through the centuries, whether in the worship of the Gods, or for the
preparation of remedies or perfumes.
The Egyptians used it in Antiquity to treat themselves, to embalm their dead and especially for fumigations in places of worship.
Religions did not stop using incense. The far east devote almost sacred attention to incense in their private lives.
Styrax
 Styrax balm
Like the balms of Peru, Tolu, benzoin, myrrh or incense, styrax balm is secreted in the bark of two species of trees called liquidambar
and found in Syria, Asia Minor and South America.
 The treatment of styrax balm: the essence
Styrax essence is obtained by distillation of the balm. Its scent is powerful, with balsamic and floral vanilla notes, but also animal,
leathery and tar notes.
Benzoin
 Benzoin gum
Benzoin is a balm that comes naturally or by incision from the trunk of a tree of the styracaceae family, the styrax benzoin. This tree
grows in the regions of Siam and Sumatra. Exudation is actually a pathological reaction of the tree from which the gum or "benzoin
tears" are collected. This gum is white when liquid and turns yellow when it dries. When it is harvested, it is already semi-solid.
 Characteristics of benzoin
Siam benzoin is the variety most sought-after by perfumers because it has a pronounced vanilla facet. But it is also the rarest and
therefore the most expensive!
“Benzoin tears" develop a very sweet fragrance, much appreciated in Buddhist temples where it is used, whereas incense is present
in Catholic churches. Benzoin develops very sweet vanilla notes, almond and roasted coffee notes, but also honeyed, floral carnation
notes. Its fragrance is rich, syrupy, even medicinal.
 Uses of benzoin
Benzoin has long been regarded as a variety of incense or myrrh and as a precious substance. It also played its role in the care of
lung and skin diseases.
 The treatment of benzoin: benzoin absolute
In perfumery, the gum is treated by extraction with volatile solvents to obtain benzoin absolute.
The Opoponax
 The origin of the opoponax
Opoponax or opopanax is a gum that comes from a shrub growing mainly in Somalia and Ethiopia.
 The Scent of Opoponax
Opoponax offers a balsamic, soft, velvety scent. But it is also earthy, leathery, and close to myrrh.
 A short history of opoponax
In the past, doctors believed that opoponax could cure tumours and used it in the form of plasters.
Oriental Perfumes
Feminine oriental perfumes
 Habinita Molinard
 Youth Dew Estée Lauder
 Opium Yves Saint Laurent
 Coco Chanel
 Must Cartier
 Obsession Calvin Klein
 Soir d’Orient Sisley
 Coromandel Chanel
 L’Instant Guerlain
Gourmand, feminine oriental perfumes
 Angel Mugler
 Miss Dior Dior
 Mon Guerlain Guerlain
 Good Girl Carolina Herrera
 La Petite Robe Noire Guerlain
 La Vie Est Belle Lancôme
 Hypnotic Poison Dior
Masculine oriental perfumes
 A Men Mugler
 Opium pour Homme Saint Laurent
 Obsession pour Homme Calvin Klein
Unisex oriental perfumes

The oriental family is a promise of sensuality and warmth for both women's and men's fragrances. Here are some mixed oriental
perfumes:
 Ambre Narguilé Hermès
 L’Ambre L’Artisan Parfumeur
 Ambre Parfum d’Empire
 Cuir Cannage Dior
 Patchouli Impérial Dior
 Fève Délicieuse Dior
 Mitzah Dior
 Eau Noire Dior
 Ambre Sultan Serge Lutens
The woody family

The woody family is one of the six olfactory families used to classify perfumes into categories according to the classification of the
Comité Français du Parfum (CFP).
Here are the six olfactory families that exist :
 Citrus family
 Floral family
 Amber or oriental family
 Chypre family
 Woody family
 Ferns family
Each fragrance is composed of an architecture of 5 to 10 components that fit together.

As in music, this is called an "accord". The main theme of a perfume will be given by this main accord, which in a way represents the
soul of the fragrance.
Each main theme (such as woody, floral, or citrus) can be dressed in one or more facets by the perfumer-creator, in order to make the
architecture of his fragrance more complex (the more faceted a fragrance is, the more complex it will be).
The woody facet in a perfume

 The woody note: a facet and a main theme
The woody facet can be the main theme of the fragrance. In that case, the woody notes will clearly be felt from the moment you spray
the fragrance.
In the woody family, one wood may be predominant, but most often it is a blend of several woody notes.
The woody notes can be sublimated by subtle citrus, floral, fruity, spicy or vanilla facets, without the latter taking over the woody
notes.
Woody notes are reassuring and structured notes giving the fragrance a backbone.
 The woody facet and chypre fragrances
Chypre fragrances will always be included in the woody facet, for example with the patchouli ingredient. A chypre fragrance will be
woody by definition.
Definition of the woody family

 The woody family: a masculine family?
The woody family is most often attributed to men but women tend to wear woody scents more and more.
Natural woody notes

The main natural woody notes are cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, pine and cypress.
Sandalwood
It is the only soft, milky and creamy wood. Sandalwood came from India but now protected by the Indian government. Today we find it
in Southeast Asia. There are different varieties of sandalwood. The sandalwood spicatum, which grows in Australia and looks more
like a cedarwood, and sandalwood austro caledonicum, which grows in New Caledonia.
The natural sandalwood is a very dull note, not very powerful, but very tenacious. Particularly difficult to work with, it is a challenge for
the perfumer-creator, because alone, it doesn't perform well in a composition. It is often accompanied by sandalwood molecules to
sublimate the natural note.
It takes about 30 years for the sandalwood tree to reach its final size, a circumference of 50 cm. In order to be used in perfumery, this
wood must be cut and then treated by distillation.
Sandalwood molecules
There are many synthetic sandalwood molecules but they cannot replace natural sandalwood. They are used to boost natural
sandalwood, but they must be treated with care.
1. Polysantol
2. The sandal
3. The sandella
Sandalwood perfumes
Here are some references of sandalwood perfumes in the woody olfactory family :
 Samsara by Guerlain (1989)
Samsara by Guerlain uses sandalwood in perfumes for women for the first time. An overdose of wood, with up to 20% of the
sandalwood formula, is accompanied mainly by ylang-ylang, jasmine flower and a few sandalwood molecules. Samsara can be
considered the first great woody fragrance for women launched internationally.
 Wood of the Chanel Islands (1926)
The very pretty Bois des îles d'Ernest Beaux offers sandalwood and vetiver coated with warm notes such as tonka bean, cinnamon,
and vanilla. Bois noir, an ephemeral perfume for men created by Jacques Polge in 1987 is a continuation of Bois des îles. It is found
under the name Égoïste in 1989.
 Sandalwood Massoïa by Hermès (2011)
Santal Massoïa created by Jean-Claude Ellena for Hermès in 2011 is a woody perfume where round and mellow notes are
highlighted. Sandalwood first appears as "this horizontal and carnal wood", according to the perfumer, which he associates with the
idea of a Massoïa wood.
 Tam Dao by Diptyque (2003)
Tam Dao by Diptyque, named after a national park in Vietnam, is a very powerful perfume built around sandalwood. It is very
appreciated by women.
 Wonderwood by Comme des Garçons (2010)
The unisex scent of Comme Des Garçons, Wonderwood is a combination of sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, guaiac wood, cedar,
agarwood (also called oud) and cypress.
 Guerlain Sandalwood (2015)
Guerlain Royal Sandalwood combines sandalwood with oud wood.
 Sandalwood by Lutens (unisex fragrance)
Here are three perfumes of Serge Lutens composed of sandalwood :
1. Sandalwood of Mysore by Serge Lutens (1991), a milky and spicy sandalwood.

2. White Sandalwood by Serge Lutens (2001/2019) a white sandalwood accompanied by iris, cinnamon, pink pepper and
musk.
3. Sandalwood by Serge Lutens (2012), a sandalwood mixed with rose with a sweet woody trail and light notes of chocolate.
 Sandalwood is present in Valkyrie and Vanori from the Sylvaine Delacourte Vanilla Collection.
Cedar
Cedar note is reminiscent of pencil lead, sawmill and wood chips. It goes wonderfully with vetiver and citrus fruits, especially
grapefruit. Chemistry made it possible to isolate many molecules from the cedar. These molecules, such as cedrol, vertofix or
cedramber can also be interesting.
There are different cedars depending on their origin: Virginia cedar, Texas cedar and Atlas cedar. The Atlas cedar can reach 40m, it is
used in carpentry and wood chips (by-products of carpentry) to obtain the essential oil by distillation. Its fragrance has an animal,
smoky note. The Virginia cedar is the one that reminds most of the pencil lead and can reach 25m. Olfactively, the Virginia and Texas
cedars are quite close because they have the same origin. The essential oil of the Atlas cedar is more powerful than the one coming
from the Virginia and Texas cedars.
The cedar molecules
Chemistry also made it possible to isolate numerous molecules from the cedar. These molecules, such as cedrol, vertofix or
cedramber are very interesting.
Perfumes with cedar
Here is a list of some woody perfumes with cedar:
 L'Eau des Merveilles d'Hermès (2004)
Evernyl, a synthetic foam, is associated with cedar, notably in the chypre perfume L'Eau des Merveillesd'Hermès.
 Femininity of Shiseido Wood (1992)
Cedar is associated with fruity notes in Femininity of Shiseido Wood. This perfume celebrates the Atlas cedar, evoking Morocco dear
to Serge Lutens. Its composition spiced by cinnamon, clove and iridescent notes of violet makes it a "purist" woody fragrance. This
fragrance inspired Dolce Vita by Dior in 2005.
 Bois Farine de l'Artisan Parfumeur (2003)
Jean-Claude Ellena created Bois farine in 2003 for l'Artisan parfumeur proposing a cedar, vetiver and hazelnut accord.
 Cedar is also present in the fragrance Osiris from Sylvaine Delacourte's Orange Blossom Collection.
Patchouli
Patchouli grows in a tropical climate, originally from Malaysia, it is today mainly cultivated in the Indonesian islands (Sumatra, Java),
in India, Madagascar and then Guatemala and Rwanda in smaller proportions.
In Indonesia, farmers cut the branches of the plant three times a year, whose leaves are then distilled. As soon as they are cut, the
green or mahogany-colored leaves fade very quickly. Once the leaves are dried, a real ritual takes place, during which the women cut
as many stems as possible, in order to keep as many leaves as possible loaded with essential oil.
The patchouli leaf is odorless and must be left to ferment to obtain its scent (400 kg of leaves gives 100 kg of dry matter and 2 kg of
essential oil). Patchouli was discovered by the English who imported Kashmir shawls wrapped with patchouli leaves (the latter were
then used to protect themselves from insects).
In India, the wives of the upper caste of the Brahmins made fine patchouli tracings on their arms to signify that they were ready to
marry. Patchouli is known in this country as the plant of fertility and desire. Patchouli is, indeed, a promise of sensuality on its own!
The dried leaves of the shrub produce a dark, earthy, camphorated, almost medicinal woody note.
For a few years now, there has been a product called "patchouli heart", it helps to rid the essence of its slightly dusty notes. The
product then becomes pure, slender, majestic, and even more beautiful.
Perfumes with patchouli
Patchouli is one of the main components of the oriental accord, which is found in Guerlain's Shalimar and Habit Rouge (worn by many
women), as well as in Yves Saint Laurent's Opium. Patchouli is also one of the main components of the chypre accord, in which it
replaces oakmoss. In Clinique's Aromatics Elixir (1975), patchouli plays a duet with rose.
Patchouli is also found in chypre oriental perfumes such as Coco, Coco Mademoiselle, Coco Noir by Chanel, Miss Dior by Dior, For
Her by Narcisso Rodriguez, La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain, to name a few. Indeed, patchouli is today omnipresent in perfumes,
whether for women or men. The Eau de Toilette Patchouli by Réminiscence, Patchouli Absolu by Tom Ford (unisex) have an
overdose of patchouli. Other examples include Patchouli Impérial by Dior, Coromandel by Chanel, Miss Dior Original by Dior,
Patchouli Patch by L'Artisan Parfumeur, Portrait of the Lady by Frédéric Malle, Tempo by Diptyque.
Finally, patchouli possesses many qualities that allow it to be in many perfumes, both feminine and masculine.
 You can find patchouli in Helicriss by Sylvaine Delacourte (Musk Collection).
Vetiver
Known and used since ancient times, vetiver takes its name from the Tamil word (the language of Tamil Nadu, an Indian state)
"vettiveru".
It is one of the most beautiful woody notes on the perfumers' palette. It conveys elegance and plays with time and fashion.
Moreover, its harvest is called "the excavations", because you have to turn over the land to extract the roots. They separate the aerial
stems from the roots of more than 50 cms long, which will then be washed and distilled (these stems are notably used in the
manufacture of roofs, and prove to be excellent protection against rain). 100 kg of roots is necessary to obtain 1 kg of essential oil.
Today, many confections are made from vetiver, such as fans, woven baskets, or even vetiver screens that locals water to bring out
the natural freshness of the plant, which then functions as a kind of natural air conditioning.
The vetiver root has a nervous woody scent. Its earthy and wet note reminds you of fresh hazelnut with a more or less smoky accent.
It also has grapefruit, almost rhubarb facet. The Indian or Haitian vetiver, or the Reunion Island vetiver, which is commonly called
"bourbon vetiver", are the most appreciated in perfumery, but the Reunion Island vetiver is very rare. The vetiver from Java is drier
and much rougher, and therefore attracts less interest. It is also 15% cheaper than Haiti vetiver.
The scent of vetiver is very interesting because it gives a real vibration to the perfume, from the top notes to the base notes.
Guerlain was one of the first to pay tribute to vetiver. Indeed, Guerlain's Vétiver (1959) combines this fresh woody note with citrus
fruits, tonka bean, nutmeg, and a tobacco accord. This unique accord differentiates it from other vetivers on the market.
Synthetic woody notes

Fortunately, perfumery can also use very beautiful woody notes from synthesis.
A molecule from vetiver
Chemistry isolated vetiveryl acetate, a molecule from vetiver and this one, paradoxically, is more expensive than the natural product. It
is an uplifting, extremely fresh and pure note.
We also use vetiverol, it is a heart of vetiver, this one rid of its dusty note.
Perfumes with synthetic vetiver
Here are some references of woody perfumes composed of vetiver :
 Guerlain Homme de Guerlain (2008)
Guerlain Homme co-created by Sylvaine Delacourte contains vetiver.
 L'eau boisée de Guerlain (2008)
L'Eau Boisée is a fresh and woody interpretation, includes an overdose of vetiver.
 Vétiver pour Elle by Guerlain (2004)
Vétiver pour Elle, created by Jean Paul Guerlain, nowhere to be found, was an answer to women who wanted to have "their own
Vétiver". It can be described as a woody-floral fragrance with tonka bean and vetiver in base notes.
 Oriental Vetiver by Serge Lutens (2002)
Serge Lutens' Vétiver Oriental is built on the bitter chocolate note of Java vetiver.
 Vétiver extraordinaire by Éditions Frédéric Malle (2000)
In Vétiver Extraordinaire, from Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Dominique Ropion, its creator, uses more than 25% vetiver
combined with other woody notes. Vetiver elegantly rubs shoulders with tonka beans, with the smell of cut hay.
 Vétiver Tonka, Les Hermessence by Hermès (2004)
Vetiver Tonka in the Hermessences collection, Jean-Claude Ellena presents for Hermès a perfume in which vetiver surround itself
with cedar, orange, grapefruit, pepper and balsamic notes like benzoin.
 Terre d'Hermès, d'Hermès (2006)
In the same way, Terre d'Hermès stages vetiver with the same actors. In this woody citrus fragrance, we find citrus and spicy notes
with slightly smoky and leathery effects.
Vetiver root is also present in Smeraldo and Florentina from Sylvaine Delacourte's Muscs Collection.
Notes of pine or cypress
The woody notes of pine or cypress are little used in perfumery, but we can evoke some interesting essences such as :
 Pine essence with fresh, rising, bitter and balsamic notes.

 The fir balsam, a natural note of pine needles, a little gourmand, with a raspberry note.
 Borneol and iso bornyl acetate have the smell of sun-warmed pines.
 The fig tree accord has become classic, it is a composition with different woods, including sandalwood associated with
coconut and stemone, a green note.
Perfumes with pine or cypress
 Pino sylvestre (1955) and Acqua di selva (1949): two great classics

 Filles en aiguilles by Serge Lutens (2009)
Pino sylvestre, recognizable by its green bottle with a shape reminiscent of spruce, was created by Lino Vidal in 1955. The note of
pine needles is very present. And Acqua di selva by Visconte Di Modrone, where we find cedar and vetiver in the base notes. These
two classic and popular perfumes have left their mark in perfumery. Moreover, Fille en aiguilles created by Christopher Sheldrake in
2009 for Serge Lutens takes up this theme.
 The pine needle and cypress note is found in Oscarine from Sylvaine Delacourte's Fleur d'Oranger Collection.
The fig tree
The fig or fig tree note is created from a chord composed of green, stemone, coconut and woody notes (cedar and sandalwood).
In 1994, the fig note appears in a perfume Premier Figuier, a composition for L'Artisan Parfumeur. This fig tree note was however
already present in the Fig Tree and Philosykos candle by Diptyque. From now on, it is a note that is found in many eaux de
toilette and fragrances, such as Hermès' Jardin en Méditerranée.
The oud wood
Many woody perfumes are now made from oud wood or agarwood. One also speaks about "oudh wood", "agar wood", "aloe wood",
"jinko" or "gaharu", but all these names indicate the same material.
It is a dark and very fragrant resin that develops in a variety of trees called aquilaria, when they are infected by a fungus, the
phialophora. The resin that then develops in the heart of the tree is a defense reaction against the fungus. The raw material obtained
is very valuable and therefore very expensive, which is why it is rarely used naturally. Moreover, few brands use it in this form, and the
oud wood of perfumes is often a reconstitution (cf. How to preserve its perfume?).
Oud wood is the trendy note of the moment, and the perfumes that contain it are so numerous that it would be tedious to make a list of
them. Generally speaking, it is a note appreciated by men and women.
Guaiac wood
Guaiac wood is a wood with smoky, slightly leathery notes. If there is a lot, it can give a note with a slightly "smoked ham" effect.
 Guaiac wood is present in Osiris from Sylvaine Delacourte's Orange Blossom Collection.
Birch wood
Contrary to what its name might suggest, birch wood is not a woody note, but a dark leather note. On the other hand, it is now
prohibited by law. A good reconstitutions successfully replace this natural note.
Fragrances for women with a woody facet
Here are some other references of perfumes for women with a very woody facet:
 Alien Mugler
 Olympéa Paco Rabanne
 Narciso Rodriguez (red)
 The Fragrance Coach
Synthetic woods
Here are the different synthetic woods used in the woody family :
 Evernyl
Evernyl with the note of moss is generally present in chypre perfumes.
 Cashmeran
The famous cashmeran has a soft, almost oriental woody note.
 Southern
The sudéral is a beautiful synthetic molecule. It is not woody but is in the register of soft and clear leather. The sudéral replaces the
birch wood note, forbidden by legislation.
Sudéral is present in Ozkan from Sylvaine Delacourte's Orange Blossom Collection.
 Super iso-e
This molecule with a velvety, almost musky woody note that works well in all olfactory families. It is present in overdose in Trésor de
Lancôme.
Amber woods: karanal (regulated), ambrocenide, norlimbanol, Z11.
Another molecule of synthesis, the karanal, made all the success of Dolce Gabbana's Light Blue in 2001. It is a very fresh fragrance of
the woody family, built around a citrus structure and fruity and juicy notes. The karanal, or equivalent of this new woody note, gives a
real power and a trail to this perfume. Since this launch, these hyper-powerful molecules are very often found fragrances for men.
Conclusion
The confidential perfumery, more audacious and remarkable for its great creative freedom, does not distinguish between perfumes for
men and women. In the woody family the choice is the richest.
You can find:
 sandalwood in Valkyrie and Vanori
 patchouli in Helicriss
 the root of vetiver in Smeraldo and Florentina
 cedar and guaiac wood in Osiris
 the pine needle and cypress note in Oscarine
 the southern one in Ozkan
The fougère family

A perfume has an architecture, it is built around an assembly of 5 to 10 components.
This is called "a chord", just like in music. The main chord gives the theme of a perfume. In a way it is its soul. The olfactory families
make it possible to classify the perfumes according to the French Committee of the Perfume (CFP). Each main theme, such
as woody, floral or citrus, for example, can be dressed in one or more facets.
The fragrances of the fougère family, also known as the fern family, do not have the scent of the plant called "fern”.
A bit of history
After the trend of heavy and animal fragrances, Napoleon I started the tendency for Eaux de Cologne. A little later, part of the same
direction, the fern family revolutionized masculine perfumery: the name fougère was given to the perfume Fougère royale created in
1882 by the Perfumer Paul Parquet, who gave a new style of perfumes for men.
The fragrance Fougère Royale was very popular with Guy de Maupassant.
The era of clean and ferns was dominant until the Sixties. The fern family started trending again in the beginning of the 2010s.
Composition of the fougère accord

The fern chord is primarily composed of bergamot, lavender, rose, geranium, vetiver, moss, tonka bean and/or coumarin.
This fern chord will be dressed with different notes.

In top notes, you can find aromatic notes such as lavender, lavandin, rosemary, thyme, clary sage, mugwort, aniseed, chamomile,
laurel, mint (cf. The aromatic facet) and citrus notes (cf. The citrus facet).
In heart notes, you can find pellargonium rose, geranium rose, carnation, orange notes that gives a more modern tone (Methyl
anthranylate) and sometimes benzyl salicylate notes (cf. The solar facet).
In base notes, there are tonka bean or its main molecule coumarin, vetiver, tree moss, sometimes vanilla, amber or leather notes,
musku notes (cf. The leather facet, The amber or oriental, The musky facet).
Is the fougère family a masculine accord ?

The fougère accord is very popular among men because it’s reminiscent of beard soap and hygiene.
As the family evolved over time, it became powdery, leathery, citrus and even oriental. It has been modernized over time, either
because of legislation (oak moss) or to target a younger clientele.
In order to make it more modern, the perfumer can dress it with a new freshness facet (cf. New freshness facet). Today, the fougère
accord gives an olfactory impression of a man getting out of his shower.
The amber or oriental facet added to the fern accord in Brut de Fabergé gives a new direction to this family.
This family is seen as very virile, invigorating and dynamic. It can be orchestrated with a fruity facet, amber or woody notes, vibrant
and powerful notes such as Z11 or Karanal, Ambrocénide, Limbanol or notes in similar style.
Some perfumes for women containing the fougère

accord
The perfume Dana de Canoe from 1936 contains a classic fougère accord.
More recent, Dior’s perfume for women Hypnotic Poison takes up the fougère theme and dresses it with gourmand notes of vanilla
and tonka bean (cf. The gourmand facet).
Evolution of the fern family
The perfumes of the fern family are appreciated for their diffusion, their power and their presence. In the past, they were marked by
their clean and hygienic characteristics.
But today, thanks to the presence of woods, rounder and warmer notes such as amber or leather, they are more nuanced and
perhaps less targeted for men.
Fragrances from the fougère family

 Invictus Paco Rabanne
 One million Paco Rabanne
 Fuel for life Diesel
 R Paco Rabanne
 Brut Fabergé
 Sauvage Dior
 Bleu Chanel
 Géranium Frédéric Malle
 L’orpheline Serge Lutens
 Guerlain Homme
 Drakkar Noir Guy Laroche
 Pour un Homme de Caron Caron
 Kouros Yves Saint Laurent
 Gucci by Gucci Gucci
 Fleur de mâle de Gaultier JP Gaultier
 Chrome Légend Azzaro
 Jicky Guerlain
 Mouchoir de Monsieur Guerlain
 Cerruti for men Cerruti
 Eternity for Men Calvin Klein
 Egoiste platinum Chanel
 English Lavender Yardley
 Azzaro pour Homme
 Cool Water Davidoff
 Dolce Gabbana pour Homme
 Eau de Minthé Diptyque
Perfume layering: what is it all about?

In this article, Sylvaine Delacourte will tell you everything you need to know about the principle of perfume layering, which is the
combination of fragrances
The principle of layering in perfumery

The principle of layering consists of superimposing and combining several fragrances in order to have a personalised fragrance. It's
an assembly of scents that creates a unique fragrance. To satisfy the desire to have a custom-made perfume (cf. The creation of a
bespoke perfume) without having to pay the price that goes with this exceptional service.
This demand comes mainly from perfume lovers. In the West, perfumers and purists are rather opposed to this practice, indeed it is
understandable that a perfumer who takes one to two years or even more to perfect a successful artistic composition, does not want
to see his creation mixed with a second one.
The trend of layering was imposed under the influence of a common practice coming from the Middle East where men and women
have been mixing fragrances for a very long time.
Different layering styles

We also know the layering of beauty products, a very precise practice mainly coming from Japan and Korea. Like a thousand leaves,
it consists of a superimposition of several forms of skincare such as gel, emulsion, serum, cream.
The classical layering in perfumery consists in superimposing body milk or body cream, talcum powder, shower gel, deodorant and
then extract at the places of pulsation (scent for yourself) and then eau de toilette or eau de parfum on the clothes for the sillage
(scent for others). This layering technique allows you to intensify the hold and the sillage (cf. Learning to perfume yourself).
Layering in the Middle East

The layering practice is very common in the Middle East. It is a ritual where women first apply a musk-based cream (cf. Musk facet)
on the skin, then scent their clothes and skin with their mixture, which is each time personalised. Called the bakhour, cassolettes with
oud wood and different resins that burn on coals, then an oud-based perfume is applied and finally, over all these fragrances, a
western perfume.
Men in the Middle East are not afraid to use very feminine Western fragrances. For them, it is out of the question to wear a single
fragrance, they really want to wear a unique and mysterious scent. The preferred raw materials in the Middle East are oud
wood, leather notes, saffron and rose.
Some advice on olfactory layering

You have to be careful and try several combinations because if the desire to play with perfumes is strong, we can quickly create a
chaotic scent. It can be like mixing a piece of Brahms with a piece of Mozart.
You have to experiment with several superimpositions, use your intuition knowing that a beautiful perfume must correspond to your
olfactory heritage.
A few layering ideas to avoid the worst

 You can combine a vanilla-scented fragrance with a spicy one (cf. Spicy facet, Gourmand facet).
 Fruity fragrances blend well with floral fragrances. Opposites sometimes attract (cf. Floral facet).
 You can accentuate a trait in the same olfactory family, add almost pure vanilla to an oriental scent that is already often
vanilla.
 Strengthen the character with an oriental fragrance, just add a patchouli note or a fragrance based on oud. This will make
the oud note more subtle.
 You can lighten a dense and compact perfume with a very fresh eau de Cologne.
 Fresh citrus notes go well with gourmand notes (cf. Citrus facet).
 The floral notes generally blend well with each other.
 You can consult the article creating your own perfume, in order to have other proposals (cf. Make your own perfume, Test
a perfume).
Rules to be respected for the layering

A first rule is to apply the strongest or headiest fragrance first and then the lightest. This will prevent the stronger scent from
overpowering the lighter one.
Avoid mixing two fragrances with very strong personalities or too faceted and complex.
Limit yourself to two fragrances to be superimposed.
Good layering surprises

I smelled unexpected yet successful blends like a Mitsouko with Double Vanilla by Guerlain. Ideal man with Néroli Outre Noir, always
with Guerlain.
Conclusion on layering
For Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances, I would advise to lighten a heady perfume with a very fresh and gentle breath of Dovana from
the Musk Collection.
Why not try the fresh, citrusy and green Oranzo with Smeraldo which itself is green and musky?
It up to you to try different combinations, according to your instinct, according to your olfactory heritage. Perhaps you will have some
examples of successful layering to share with us.
Where should you spray your perfume?

Do you ever wonder where to spray your perfume? Here are Sylvaine Delacourte’s
best tips.
1. Spray wherever you can feel your heartbeat
Your skin is what best reveals the perfume. It has its own unique scent, just like your
fingerprints. The more natural ingredients there are in a fragrance, the more it will
change and adapt to your skin. It’s because natural ingredients are alive and therefore
they will constantly evolve, while synthetic products are stable. It’s the unique
chemistry between your skin and the perfume that will sublimate the scent.
Some strategic points to spray your perfume is wherever you can feel your heartbeat,
where your skin is warm. For example at the base of your neck, by each side of your
ears, on your chest, your navel, your wrists, and in the crook of your elbows.
2. Spray on your clothes
After spraying your perfume on the skin, you can apply it on your clothes to intensify
the sillage (the scented trace you leave behind). For the best longevity and result,
spray your perfume on fabrics made of natural materials like cotton, cashmere, silk,
wool or linen.
A tip to avoid staining your light-colored clothes, spray a cloud of perfume in front of
you and enter it immediately after. It avoids stains and it's also a very pleasant feeling.
3. Spray perfume on your hairbrush
If you don’t want to spray perfume directly onto your skin or on your clothes, a good
alternative could be to apply perfume on your hair.
We suggest applying your perfume on your hairbrush or comb. This avoids having to
first spray alcohol on your hair, which could slightly damage it.
4. Spray perfume on cotton yarns
Spray your favorite perfume on a few cotton or cashmere yarn and place them in your
clothes and lingerie drawers. It will make your clothes subtly smell like your favorite
perfume.
5. Layer!
Try the layering technique! It consists of combining different fragrant products (soap,
deodorant, Eau de Parfum and eau de toilette) either of the same fragrance or
combining different ones. The more you layer the stronger the sillage and the tenacity
will be.
How to choose a perfume for a date?

To choose a fragrance is to choose your olfactory identity and it can reveal a lot about yourself.
When you go on a date, it's important to choose a perfume that matches your personality and in which you feel confident.
Here are some recommendations for choosing the perfect perfume for your date.
1. Choose a fragrance that reflects an authentic image of yourself
The perfume, if it's well-chosen, will echo your personality and your date will not only remember you,
but also your olfactory identity. So choose a fragrance that reflects your true and authentic self.
2. Pick a fragrance that gives you a strong emotion
A perfume that reflects your authentic self is a perfume that gives you strong, positive emotions.
A perfume providing pleasant emotions will strengthen self-confidence which is the best power of seduction.
3. Understand your olfactory heritage
What emotions a perfume will bring you depends on your olfactory heritage. Your olfactory heritage is formed from a very young age
and represents all of the scents, smells and flavors perceived in your life, and linked to pleasant memories. It may, for example,
remind you of your affection for a grandfather who cherished you and who took you to his garden to mow the lawn, or to pick
vegetables. In this case, it is likely that green notes are your preferred scents.
4. Test your perfume before going on the date
Now that you have found a perfume that reflects your authentic self, gives you self confidence and brings you strong, positive
emotions, it will be important to test the perfume on your skin for a few hours before you go on a date. Remember that a perfume will
create a unique alchemy on your skin, so it’s impossible to predict in advance how the fragrance will evolve.
Once you've followed these few steps, the perfume you've chosen will become your best ally during your date!
How to choose a perfume for winter?

We choose our perfumes according to our mood, our outfits, and our environment.
But many of us also choose our perfumes according to the season. So what fragrance
should you wear during winter? Here are some recommendations for choosing the
perfect fragrance for the cold and dark winter days!
1. Choose a warm and comforting scent
Just like you would choose comforting clothes this winter with big sweaters, coats,
scarves, hats and cashmere-everything, you’ll want a fragrance that creates that same
warm and fuzzy feeling. Find yourself a cozy fragrance that envelopes you like a
cocoon that protects you against these tougher, colder days.
Try Florentina for example, a powdery musk that feels like cashmere on your skin.
2. Pick an Eau de Parfum

In general, an Eau de Parfum (EDP) is preferred in winter rather than your regular
Eau de Toilette and Eau de Cologne. As it has a higher perfume concentration, it will
be more tenacious, have better longevity and more intensity which is perfect to face
these colder days.
3. Go for a woody, spicy, gourmand or sensual perfume

As these olfactory families have stronger base notes, they will allow the fragrance to
be fixed and last over time. They will therefore have an excellent hold on clothing,
like on scarves or sweaters. Ingredients to look out for are sandalwood, patchouli,
leather notes, benzoin, honey, tonka bean and all kind of spices like cinnamon and
cardamom.
Try Vangelis for example, it’s a spicy vanilla perfume that feels like sipping on a chai
tea and it will comfort you all day long.
Our top picks for you this winter
Osiris
Delicious Orange Blossom
Top notes: Clementine, Pink Pepper

Heart notes: Orange Blossom
Base notes: Cedar, Sesame
Ozkan
Leathery Orange Blossom
Top notes: Mandarin

Heart notes: Orange Blossom, Everlasting flower
Base notes: Leather notes, Patchouli, Tonka Bean
Vangelis
Spicy Vanilla
Top notes: Cardamom, Bitter Almond, Pepper, Clementine

Heart notes: Jasmine, Carnation
Base notes: Sandalwood, Vanilla
Helicriss
Spicy Musk
Top notes: Rosemary, Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit

Heart notes: Everlasting flowers, Cinnamon
Base notes: Frankincense, Tonka Bean, Patchouli, Musk
Florentina
Powdery Musk
Top notes: Almond, Bergamot

Heart notes: Orange Blossom, Violet, Carnation
Base notes: Vetiver, Iris, Benzoin, Musk
What is a generic and an equivalent
fragrance?
Definition of generic fragrance
A generic perfume also called equivalent, is a fragrance whose composition differs from the original. By opting for a generic perfume,
you will have a very attractive price, but rarely a faithfulness to the original note.
Origin of generic fragrance

Generic medicines are subject to serious rules, the active ingredient is either equivalent or identical. Only the presentation, the form of
administration (e.g. only oral) and the excipients are different.
Generic medicines benefit from the expiry of a patent that was put in place at the time of the launch of the medicine and then fell into
the public domain after a certain period of time.
Generic perfumes should not be equated with generic medicines, the latter heals and perfumes give pleasure and comfort.
Perfumes are not subject to patents, even though they are seriously and rigorously regulated by IFRA standards. The perfume dossier
for an original brand is filed with the anti-poison centre, unlike equivalent or generic perfumes. Original perfumes are subject to very
rigorous dermatological tests which are quite expensive.
Differences between original and generic perfumes

Generic perfumes can have other names such as copies, fakes, imitations, counterfeits. They target well-known or fashionable brands
with a wide audience. A confidential or niche perfume is rarely copied.
They are often of poor quality and, above all, do not provide any guarantee of allergy reactions because they are rarely if ever tested
in a dermatology laboratory. You are more likely to experience skin reactions or severe allergies.
A dermatological test is very expensive for the original perfume brand.
What process can be used to create a generic fragrance?

It is important to know that any perfume launched on the market can be analysed by a very sophisticated device called the gas
chromatograph which can reveal 80% to 90% of the perfume formula.
But the 10% to 20% of the formula that is not detectable by this device can really change the aesthetics of the fragrance. Indeed, this
device cannot detect the subtlety and origin of the beautiful natural raw materials of perfumery.
Any copy or imitation is a kind of property theft, in this case it is a formula theft.
The perfume companies or perfumers who developed the formulas invest a lot of money at different levels: perfumers, evaluators, raw
material buyers, laboratory workers, consultants, etc.
These same companies also spend a lot of money on renting or buying premises, on salaries and also on dermatological tests. They
invest in time, as it takes one to two years to develop a perfume.
These perfumes sometimes copy well the top notes, so they can give you the illusion of finding the notes of the original perfume, but
you will certainly be very disappointed by the scent on the skin in its evolution.
Different approaches to generic perfume

The packaging can look very similar to the original one, same colour, box, similar logo, similar brand name (Rada instead of Prada, for
example), but different fragrance name: Fusion d'Aroma instead of Infusion de Mandarine.
The general look can be similar but with a different, smaller format that does not exist in the original brand, such as the perfumes that
can be found at flea markets in Paris or on Amazon.
Equivalent perfumes with correspondences by numbers for example N°1 corresponding to the perfume Shalimar, N° 10
corresponding, for example, to Guerlain's Little Black Dress, Equivalenza in Bilbao.
The Divain brand clearly displays on the packaging X equivalence to, for example, La Vie Est Belle by Lancôme.
And also different names proposed by the Avon company. For example J'adore by Dior, equivalent to Incandescence.
P.S.: the list of copying companies is of course not exhaustive.
Conclusion on generic perfumes

Generic perfumes are about well-known perfumes, legendary perfumes (Chanel N°5) or best-selling perfumes, and less about
author's or confidential fragrances.
Generic perfumes or their equivalents will not bring you the pleasure and quality of an original perfume. This approach is not ethical.

The complex accord in perfumery

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The complex accord in perfumery

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The accord

What is the notion of accord in perfumery?

 The simple accord

 The complex accord

Here are a few examples of complex accord:

 Fresh jasmine note + bergamot note + violet note = tea accord.

What does the accord bring to the perfume?

The olfactory families born from the accords

The Fougère accord created by the perfumer Houbigant is composed of:

 Aromatic notes: lavender, lavandin or sage, rosemary, etc.

Great perfumes born of outstanding accords

The olfactive facets

The 6 olfactory families

The different olfactive facets

 The citrus facet

 The new freshness facet

 The aromatic facet

 The marine facet

 The green or vegetal facet

 The aldehydic facet

 The floral facet

 The solar facet

 The fruity facet

 The spicy facet

 The fern facet

 The woody facet

 The chypre facet

 The oriental or amber facet

 The powdery facet

 The musky facet

 The animal facet

The Spicy facet

1. The citrus family

The history of spices

Juniper berry scents

 Gin by Lord Of Barbès

Chilli pepper berry perfumes

 Safran troublant by L’Artisan Parfumeur

 Poivre Noir by Caron

 Opium by Yves Saint Laurent

 Cacharel pour l’Homme by Cacharel

Perfumes with mixed spices

 Noir épices by Frédéric Malle

Confidential spice perfumes

The Powdery facet

 The chypre family

What is a powdery facet?

The powdery iris notes in perfumery

 The Germanica iris

Powdery perfumes with iris

Mimosa in the powdery facet

Here is a non-exhaustive list of perfumes with a very marked mimosa note:

Some anecdotes about mimosa

Cassie in the powdery facet

Among the cassia fragrances are :

 Cassie in Après L'Ondée

Synthetic products in the powdery facet

This note is floral, powdery, close to raspberry, and even woody.

We can also mention:

 The natural heliotrope

 Musky notes, or white musks

Collection Muscs by Sylvaine Delacourte with 5 different musky fragrances :

 Tender and fresh musk: Dovana