ACCORDS IN PERFUMERY

Submitted by - Kareena Thapar

Fragrance and Flavor Development Center (FFDC),

Kannauj, UP-209726

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 INTRODUCTION
It is no coincidence that two distinct art forms, namely perfumery and
music, use the same terms to describe their compositions. perfume
accord is like the signature section of a melody, or the chorus or refrain
of the music.

A perfume accord is a signature combination of several ingredients that

is recognizable, distinctive and becomes more than its parts.

The word, accord, represents two elements that combine to make a third;
in one case, it’s a musical composition, and in the other, a unique
blended fragrance. The word also indicates that mixtures comprise of 2
or more materials that are blended to create a single, greater synergistic
effect, with the individual identity being lost in the process.

In perfumery, an accord is formed by pooling of different natural and

synthetic raw materials in a measured and harmonious way to create a
unique scent. The term ‘accord’ comes traditionally from the
terminology of music where the term ‘chord’ is used and describes the
use of seven musical notations in different ways to create harmonious
music composition. Similarly, in perfumery, combination of several
ingredients combined together forms an accord. An accord is known to
provide scent with a unique, distinctive character. The ingredients in an
accord are known to lose their individualistic identity and form a new,
exceptional fragrance. A perfume can be traditionally based on one or
many accords depending upon the taste of the perfumer.

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 Difference between Notes and Accords in Perfumery:
NOTE
A note can be defined as an individual ingredient that signifies a
particular type of fragrance or scent. These are the descriptors of a
fragrance that are smelled upon applying a perfume.

Classification of Notes in perfumery

As explained by W. A. Poucher, the ingredients in perfumery are

divided into three categories based on their volatility:

1. Top Notes - Ingredients under this category represent the opening

notes because they are recognized on immediate application. Top
notes are the lightest and are the first to fade. The raw materials under
this category are the most volatile ones, least tenacious, which do not
stay on for more than 3 hours. Typical top notes include citrus
elements and fresh herbs.

2. Middle Notes - Ingredients which lie at the heart of a perfume,

thus, named as heart notes too, these are known to make up about 40-
80% of the final fragrance. The heart is always well-rounded and
pleasant. The raw materials that make up the heart notes are mostly
flowers and grasses and can stay on for around 6-8 hours.

3. Base Notes - Ingredients that make up the base notes shine through
once the top notes have completely evaporated. These form 10-25 %
of the final fragrance and create a lasting impression. Base notes are
rich and smooth. The raw materials that represent base notes are the
least volatile, most tenacious and provide the perfume with stability.

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 Woody, animalic notes constitute the base of a scent along with the
resins that are found occurring naturally.

ACCORD
Combination of several notes forms an accord. The basic difference
between a note and an accord is that note comprises an individual
ingredient that does not represent any other component but itself
whereas, an accord represents a wide variety of notes which mingle
together to form a pleasant, harmonious combination of natural and
synthetic raw materials.

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The various notes mentioned in the Fragrance wheel by Michael
Edwards are combined in different ratios to form thousands of accords
for the fragrances, as has been done for the past many years by the
perfumers across the globe.

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 Purpose and Importance of an Accord in a 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 because
accords form the building block of any fragrance formulation.

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 of reactions that occur amongst
the present natural raw ingredients and aroma chemicals, being used to
form an accord and thus, well-rounded fragrance.

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, and finally rounds it up
to form a marketable fragrance that has the ability to earn appreciation
from the target customers.

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 Traditionally known Accords
Citrus Accord. Also known as the Hesperidic accord, the citrus
accord is fresh, energizing, mood-enhancing. It is a blend of citrus
essential oils like lemon, bitter and sweet orange, bergamot, lime,
grapefruit, mandarin and many more. Citrus is the main theme in
classical Colognes and Eau Fraiches, built purposely to lift the mood and
offer a sense of enthusiasm. The absence of a heart and base accord
shortens their persistence, as these form the top notes of any fragrance
formulation. Citrus accord may be complemented with spices, green
herbs or florals, to offer a longer impression and interesting side aspects.
Dior Eau Sauvage and Eau de Guerlain are among the best examples.

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Floral Accord. Floral accords are the most widely used in perfumery
and their variety is virtually endless. They are subdivided into:

1. “Fresh florals” - combinations of lily-of-the-valley, violet,

hyacinth, freesia, lotus, honeysuckle, heliotrope.
2. “Rich floral” - combinations of jasmine, rose, tuberose, lily, neroli,
gardenia, orris, etc.

The Floral main accord may be introduced by citrus or green notes,

complemented with spices and prolonged with woody notes for a longer
impression. The star floral accord is considered to be rose-jasmine, a
highlighted aspect for many masterpieces like Chanel N.5 and Patou Joy.

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Oriental Accord. The oriental accord has deep, mystical, intense
nuances and forms the very roots of perfumery. It is a combination of
woody notes (vetiver, sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli) and vanilla,
often complemented with tonka bean and benzoin. This sumptuous
accord may stand alone, but is introduced by spicy or citrus notes and a
floral heart in most cases. Examples include Guerlain Shalimar and
Yves Saint Laurent Opium.

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Woody Accord. It is a combination of woods like sandalwood,
patchouli, guaiac wood, vetiver, oud, cistus labdanum, cedarwood,
oakmoss or tree moss. A well-balanced and rich woody accord, like an
oriental one, might well stand alone, but green, spicy and citrus notes are
widely used to extend its majestic dryness up to the top, while florals
make a tender heart. Good examples are Hermès Eau des Merveilles and
Chanel Égoïste.

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Amber Accord. This accord features a mix of cistus labdanum and
vanilla, complemented with spices which are mostly cinnamon and
nutmeg and balsamic notes like benzoin, myrrh, Tolu and Peru balsams.
Also, the amber accord is situated in the base of the scent; to make its
presence known, perfumers mainly use fruity and floral notes as is noted
in Habit Rouge by Guerlain and Habanita by Molinard.

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Chypre Accord. Chypre is a combination of fresh/warm and
bright/dark sensations, conveyed by an accord beginning with bergamot,
rose, jasmine, patchouli, oakmoss and sometimes, cedarwood and ciste
labdanum, complemented with green notes on the top, florals in the heart
and leather or tobacco in the base. Examples include Aromatics Elixir by
Clinique and Cabochard by Gres.

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Fougère Accord. Also known as the Fern accord, Fougère accord is a
combination of green, outdoorsy sensations of lavender, hay, thyme,
sage, and thicker, darker notes of oakmoss, vanilla and musk. The
accord may then be complemented with leather or floral notes. Shulton
Old Spices and Drakkar Noir by Guy Laroche are good examples.

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 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

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 MELLIS ACCORD
Forms a part of the Oriental accord, this has been a part of some famous
perfumes including Yves Saint Lauren Opium.

Also known as the ‘honey accord’, Mellis is constructed using Benzyl

salicylate, Patchouli, spicy clove and Lili of the valley.

Benzyl Salicylate is a compound with a faint sweet-floral scent with

musky undertones.

Eugenol is used to give the hints of clove in the Mellis accord.

Lily of the Valley which is incorporated using hydroxycitronellal.

Patchouli from the fresh leaves of Pogostemon.

To boost the above, a combination of spices including Cinnamon and

Coumarin extracted from Tonka beans is added which imparts mellis
with its characteristic fragrance.

Enhancing the warm and exotic character of this composition is done by

adding a ambery, balsamic and animalic nuances with the help of
Labdanum, Benzoin, Tolu balsam and castoreum, respectively.
Sometimes, rosy character is also added in addition.

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 AMBREINE ACCORD
Another classic accord covered under Oriental-Amber is the Ambreine.
This accord is sherbet-like fruity-floral one, that combines some of the
most unrelated ingredients in such a way that they came out to a
harmonious accord.

Bergamot for the freshness to the formulation.

Vanilla from ethyl vanillin, that is synthetic vanilla.

Coumarin from the Tonka beans whose odor profile matches that of
mown hay.

Civet for the animalic character to the accord.

A classic Ambreine also includes woody character and rose notes to

round it off.

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 GROJSMAN ACCORD
Curated by Sophia Grojsman, this accord is also known as the HUG ME
accord as it feels like a warm hug when inhaled and this is one of the
most famous accords of the 20th century, giving structure to the
MONOLITHIC type of Blending technique in the perfumery hierarchy.

This accord is made using only four ingredients:

Iso-E-Super

Hedione

Galaxolide

Methyl Ionone

The first three of the above-mentioned raw materials are taken in equal
percentages whereas the ionone part is taken half in ratio as compared to
the other three ingredients each. This accord is described as airy,
powdery, floral with hints of sweetness and smoothness.

Monolithic type of blending technique involves making 80 % of the

fragrance using less components while taking higher number of
components in lesser quantities to form the other 20% of the fragrance.
Here, in Grojsman accord, the four above mentioned ingredients form
80% of the fragrance formulation whereas other components (according
to a perfumer’s will) are added in the remaining 20 % of the formulation
to round it off and make a unique blend. Perfumer can show his/her
creative in rounding off the overall fragrance formulation in the
remaining 20% of the formulation.

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Unusual accords
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Apart from the commonly known accords, mentioned above, that are
widely used in perfumery, there are some unusual accords that have
found abundant use in the industry. These make the fragrance palatable
to the targeted audience and instills a uniqueness different from that of
the traditional fragrances that people are used to smelling. Some of these
are as follows:

● Tobacco Accord - This is a light, elegant and true tobacco

smelling blend, more refined in organoleptic composition than
natural tobacco absolute. Tobacco accord is deep, rich and
lingering. Their distinctive facets often fall heavy in accords—
providing a raw warmth to the base of fragrances and blending
exceptionally well with ambery notes, dry and intensely woody.

The tobacco accord can include notes of sweet coumarin, heated

honey, energizing maté or indulgent tonka bean.

Aroma Properties of Selected Tobacco Carotenoid Derivatives - The

below mentioned aroma chemicals can be blended together to form the
tobacco accord if natural raw ingredients are not be considered.

Structure Aroma Properties

Name

Woody, violet, fruity; woody-

beta-Ionone
raspberry on dilution

Woody balsamic, violet-

alpha-Ionone
raspberry in dilution

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 Fruity (apple-citrus), tea-like
beta-Damascone
with slight minty note

Fruity, floral with apple,

beta-
plum-raisin, tea, rose, tobacco
Damascenone
note

Oriental Tobacco like

Oxo-Edulan I

Oriental Tobacco like

Oxo-Edulan II

Tea like
Theaspirone

Sweet rich like Virginia

4-Oxo-beta-
tobacco
ionone

Sweet, floral
3-Oxo-alpha-
Ionone

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 Weak, slightly cooling
Dihydroactinidio
lide

Saffron, green, sweet, hay-like

Safanal

Green, grassy hay like odor

beta-Cyclocitral

● Fig Accord - Figs smell sweet, green, lactonic (milky), aromatic,

woody, fruity, marine, citrusy – depending on which parts of the
accord the perfumer highlights.

Fig Accord comprises the following notes:

1. Green Notes: The center stage of this accord is green, leafy

which is mostly represented by Stemone, which smells like
freshly-cut grass. Other, more aquatic, or stronger and rough
green notes – some leaning towards vegetal – often
accompany Stemone. Tomato leaf-like, celery, bell pepper,
and almost ashtray-like qualities of galbanum can benefit fig
accords.
2. Woody notes: To create the representation of the actual tree
and branches in fig accord, there are woody notes,
represented by cedar, and sandalwood, and often a generous

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 dose of Iso E-super (which besides woodiness, adds mineral
salty facet, velvety, almost powdery iris smoothness and
musky undertones). Ambergris-type materials like ambroxan
may facilitate the ambery tones.
3. Aquatic-floral notes: Besides salty minerality that amber
brought, to create the experience of a fig tree, there is an
aquatic-floral addition. A light aquatic, transparent jasmine
floral found in hedione, or a blend of aquatic materials
supported by jasmine accord, sometimes with a trace of
powdery violet gives the fig accord a well-roundedness.
4. Fruity notes: Distinct notes of watermelon and cucumber
are used while establishing a successful fig accord to provide
the much needed fruity tone to it.
5. Creamy-lactonic notes: Coconut note is almost always a
part of the fig accord. In some cases, other creamy, lactonic
materials substitute coconut, symbolizing the milky sap of
unripe fruit.

A trace of spicy, clove-like Eugenol with carnation notes is a

popular material that serves the purpose of pulling the above
mentioned notes together into the perfect fig accord. In top
notes, floral and citrus-forward materials (blenders like
linalool, bergamot, or neroli) add diffusion.

Aroma molecules that make up the fig accord include green

tomato-leaf note such as stemone as mentioned above, a
blackcurrant/fruity note such as labienoxime and/or
damascones, a creamy/milky note such as gamma
octalactone, and something woody like vertofix coeur.

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 Olivia Giacobetti, a French perfumer with Corsican roots,
popularized the fig perfume accord. She used fig leaf as the central
theme in Premier Figuier for L’Artisan Parfumeur, the first fig-
centered perfume, back in 1994. Two years later – also her creation
– the cult Philosykos by Diptyque was released, a hit that has been
growing in popularity since. She completed the fig trilogy with
Premier Figuier Extreme in 2004, with the fruit riper, with creamy
and powdery undertones.

● Cotton-Candy Accord: Also known as Ethyl Maltol accord,

when smelled at 100%, this synthetic aroma chemical with high
odor strength has sweet, caramellic, jammy, strawberry, cotton
candy, berry perfume (fragrance) nuances, and can last up to 360
hours on a scent strip. Therefore, cotton-candy accord revolves
around this particular aroma chemical, which gives off sugary,
sweet and powdery notes.
● Tea Accord: The tea accord is often associated with citrus notes,
hints of mint and jasmine. A traditional tea accord is composed of
Fresh jasmine note, bergamot note and violet leaves.

There are a few variants of the tea accord that can individually be
used in the fragrance formulations to provide an indulgent tea scent
with its characteristic different notes. Some of these variants are:

1. High-Tea Accord - A suggested formulation for this

accord is:-

Aroma Chemical Amount (g)

Ambrettolide 15.00
delta-Damascone (5%) 75.00

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 Dihydromyrcenol 75.00
DIPG 26.00
alpha-Hexyl cinnamaldehyde 500.00
Hedione 50.00
alpha-Ionone 15.00
Linalool 75.00
Neryl Acetate 6.00
Grapefruit oil 100.00
Cis-3-hexenol (10%) 18.00
Verdox 15.00
Limediene (0.1%) 30.00
Total 1000.00

2. Green Tea Accord- A suggested formulation for this

accord is:

Aroma chemical Amount (g)

Bergamot oil bergaptene reduced 20.00
Cardamom seed oil 1.00
Damascenone 2.00
Helional 66.00

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 Cis-3-hexenol (10%) 2.00
beta-Ionone 30.00
cis-Jasmone (10%) 65.00
Linalool 26.00
Lily propanol 120.00
Di propylene glycol 68.00
Total 400.00

Matcha Tea Accord (which is finely pulverized green tea) accord is

infused with a creamy fig note, grounded by soft vetiver and textural
cedarwood and uplifted by enticing bitter orange.

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