F RAG RA N C E

O V E RV I E W
It is a mixture of
fragrantessential oilsoraroma
compounds,fixativesandsolve
nts.

Smell
is the sense that allows us,
with the help of organs in our nose
and a process of memory and associations in our
brain,
to recognize our world and to understand and
adapt to our environment.
It tells us what we like and dislike;
It stimulates our appetite and enriches our
eating experience.
It triggers memories and affects our moods.
The lack of it might endanger our lives or leave

PERFUME BASICS
Perfume is a man made product, mostly in
the form of liquid, which is composed of
several,

sometimes

hundreds,

of

components that produce a pleasant smell

by having their odor molecules float in the
air. Plants, animals and synthetic aromatic
compounds make up the source ingredients
for the perfume industry.

CLASSIFICATION
Basic
Basic classification
classification of
of perfume
perfume is
is done
done using
using
33 main
main categories:
categories:
The
The concentration/dilution
concentration/dilution level
level of
of the
the essential
essential
oils
oils
The
The family
family to
to which
which itit belongs
belongs
The
The notes
notes of
of the
the scent
scent

Concentration / Dilution:
Since
Since essential
essential oils
oils are
are by
by nature
nature incredibly
incredibly
concentrated,
concentrated, the
the mixture
mixture of
of essential
essential oils
oils is
is
diluted
diluted with
with alcohol
alcohol and/or
and/or with
with other
other neutral
neutral odor
odor
sources
sources like
like water,
water, coconut
coconut oil,
oil, wax
wax or
or extracts
extracts of
of
jojoba.
jojoba.
This
This is
is also
also done
done to
to cut
cut the
the intensity
intensity of
of the
the scent.
scent.

THE SOURCE

The Origin/Source of Essential Oils

Plants, animals and synthetic aromatic
compounds make up the source
ingredients for the perfume industry.

Plants
Main source of aromatic compounds in perfume
production, primarily because of their relative
ease of accessibility, and the great variety of
odors among them.
The source of aromatic compounds can come
from different parts of the plants.
Flowers like the rose and jasmine,
Resin like frankincense, myrrh and pine,
Bulbs like those of the iris plant,
Bark like cinnamon,
Seeds like Tonka bean, coriander, anise and
others,
Roots like orrisroot.

Fruits

Many fruits that bring out tempting odors,

such as cherries and strawberries, are
surprisingly not used in the production of
perfumes.
On the other hand, the leaves and peel of
the fruit of citrus plants are often used in
the perfume industry.

Animals
Animal pheromones have been used in perfume
production for a number of centuries. Perfumers
have highly valued them for the affect they have
on the perfume compounds, since they tend to
heighten the intensity of the fragrance. Today,
simulated animal pheromone extracts are
synthetically created in order to protect
endangered animals.

Synthetic compounds

The use of synthetic aromatic ingredients for

perfume production goes back as far as the end of
the 19th century. The progress made in the
research of organic chemistry made it possible to
develop new aromatic compounds that replaced,
in many cases, the more expensive and rare
natural aromatic sources, thus, allowing the
manufacture of perfume for more reasonable
prices.

Three Part
Smell:

You smelltop/head noteswithin

the first 15 minutes of applying.
These chemicals first evaporate off
your skin.
Ex: lemon, mint
Heart/middle notesappear upto
3 to 4 hours. The chemicals creating
these smells evaporate more slowly
from your skin.
Ex: rose, jasmine
Base notesstick stubbornly to
your skin. You smell them within 5
to 8 hours of application.
Ex: Musky, watery, mossy and
woody chemicals.

Fine Fragrance Design

Give initial impact of fragrance
Provide freshness
Typically citrus, green notes
Give fragrance its character
and depth
Typically spicy, leather, floral

Fragrance foundation
Substantivity
Typically amber, musk

TOP NOTE

Lasts 15-30 minutes on skin

MIDDLE NOTE

Lasts 3-4 hours on skin

BACK (BASE) NOTE

Lasts >4 hours

Visualizing a Fragrance
Seduction/FreshnessTOP NOTE

BACK (BASE) NOTE

Cost

Long lasting
memory

MIDDLE NOTE

Volatility

Character

THE NOTES
Aldehydic
Aldehyde C-11
Aldehyde C-12 MNA
Animalic
Ambrarome Absolute
Aromatic
Lavender Oil
Balsamic
Fir Needle Oil
Camphoraceous
Eucalyptol
Citrus
Lemon Oil California
Orange Oil
Floral
Orange Flower
Fruit
Strawberry Natural Absolute

Green
Leaf Acetate
Marine
Calone Solution @10% in DPG
Mint
Spearmint Oil
Spice
Eugenol
Sweet
Vanillin
Wood
Sandalwood Oil
Cedarwood Oil

Fragrance Overview

The three most common feelings women want

to
get from their fragrance are:
Confidence
Happiness
Femininity

17

Women can choose a fragrance based on:

Their mood
An occasion (wedding, party, business
meeting)

Types
of
perfumery
ingredients
Types of perfumery ingredients
Odorants
Odorants
Concretes
Concretes
Absolutes
Absolutes
Tinctures
Tinctures
Distilled
Distilled oils
oils
Expressed
Expressed Oils
Oils
Fixatives
Fixatives
Extenders
Extenders

Methods
Methodsof
ofisolation
isolation

Enfleurage:
Enfleurage:
Pomade,
Pomade, soap
soap
Important
Important oils
oils prepared
prepared by
by enfleurage:
enfleurage:
Rose,
jasmine,
violet
Rose,
jasmine, violet
Steam Distillation
Steam Distillation
Fractional Distillation:
Fractional Distillation:
Important
Important oils
oils prepared
prepared by
by
distillation:
distillation: YlangYlang- ylang,
ylang, patchouly,
patchouly,
lavender,
lavender, lemon
lemon grass
grass oil,
oil,
citronella
citronella oil
oil
Expression
Expression
Important
Important oils
oils by
by expression:
expression: lemon,
lemon,
lime
lime
Extraction

Question:
Question: Why
Why is
is one
one method
method
preferred
preferred over
over another?
another?

1.
Cost
1. Cost
2.
2. Quality
Quality of
of product
product
3.
3. Availability
Availability of
of product
product

Blending
Once the perfume oils are collected, they are ready to be blended
together according to a formula determined by a master in the field,
known as a "nose.
After the scent has been created, it is mixed with alcohol. The
amount of alcohol in a scent can vary greatly. Most full perfumes
are made of about 10-20% perfume oils dissolved in alcohol and a
trace of water.

Aging
Fine perfume is often aged for several months or even
years after it is blended. Following this, a "nose" will once
again test the perfume to ensure that the correct scent
has been achieved.

Fragrance Overview
Level of Fragrance Concentration Highest
Perfume
Eau de Parfum
Cologne

Perfume
EDP
Cologne
EDT

Eau de Toilette
Mists/Scented body products
28

Mists/Scented
body products

Typical Consumer Products are difficult to perfume

For Fine Fragrances, the perfumer has available 4000+ ingredients

and a simple solvent base (alcohol).

For Functional Perfumery, the perfumer has only <400 ingredients

depending on the type of base (pH, solvent, colour, etc).

Because;
Many ingredients are not stable in acid or alkaline bases
Many ingredients are broken down by bleach
Many ingredients will react with the base to cause base
instability (colour, rheology, phase separation)
and
Limitations of product production process
Limitations of packaging used
Limitations of way the product is used

Fragrances in Consumer Products

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

The

Impact threshold of each perfume ingredient

mix of ingredients chosen
level used in the product
odour quality of the base
degree of interaction with the base

Need to
understand
and control

effect of processing the product

stability of the perfume during storage
Need new technical
interaction with the packaging
routes and
amount of product used by the consumer
innovative
wash conditions chosen by the consumer
approaches
amount of perfume deposited
....and the ability to
amount of perfume retained after the wash
measure their value
rate of release of the perfume over time