It’s a daunting prospect when you first get into fragrances, as there are a lot of terms and descriptions that you may feel you need a degree in Chemistry to understand. I’ve put together a list that can help you demystify some of the gibberish. It’s by no means a definitive list but it will at least give you some grounding when you’re interacting with a department store sales assistant or the local perfume snob.
A
Accord – An accord is made up of multiple perfume notes, which combine to create a distinct fragrance. Like combining notes in music to create a chord.
Aldehydes – An aromatic compound present in natural material. Synthetic versions can be produced in a lab and when added to a fragrance they give it a sparkle. Examples of perfumes with Aldehydic notes are Chanel No. 5 and Chanel No. 22.
Anosmia – The loss of the sense of smell.
B
Base Note – The foundation and last notes detected on perfumes evaporation on skin. They are responsible for a fragrance’s longevity. Typical base notes include cedarwood, vanilla and musk.
Bergamot – Essential oil extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange citrus fruit. A very common ingredient in top notes of fragrances.
C
Cashmeran – A chemical compound used in fragrances to give it a musky, spicy, powdery feel. Seen in Comme des Garcons Wonderwood.
Chypre – The French word for Cyprus. Pronounced Sheepra. A family of fragrances built on the notes of labdanum, oakmoss and citrus. Chanel Antaeus is an example.
Cologne – The oldest genre of fragrances, dating from the 1700’s. A combination of citrus oils such as lemon and bergamot, herbs such as rosemary and thyme, oakmoss and musk. Eau de Cologne refers to a concentration of fragrance with 2-5 percent oil in a solution of alcohol/water. 4711 by Maurer and Wirtz is a good example of a cologne.
D
Dry Down – The final phase of a fragrance’s development, when the base notes appear. It occurs several hours after a fragrance is applied.
E-
Eau De Parfum – 15-20 percent fragrance oil concentration in solution of alcohol/water.
Eau De Toilette – 5-15 percent fragrance oil concentration in solution of alcohol/water.
Extrait – 20-50 percent fragrance oil concentration in solution of alcohol/water.
F
Fougere –French for fern. Type of perfume based on an accord of herbs. Also typically contains lavender and citrus notes. Penhaligons Sartorial is considered a fougere.
G
Gourmand – A fragrance with an edible or food like aroma. Mugler’s Angel is a gourmand that smells like chocolate.
H
Heart Note – The main part of the fragrance. Often made up of floral and spicy notes such as cinnamon, cardamom, jasmine, lavender and nutmeg.
I
Incense – An aromatic gum or spice that releases fragrant smoke when burned. James Heeley’s Cardinal is an incense dominant perfume.
J
Jasmine – A common white floral material used in perfumery. A famous jasmine based perfume is Mugler’s Alien for Women.
L
Leather – A fragrance type that mirrors the smoky characteristics associated with the tanning process of leathers. It is achieved by mixing castoreum, labdanum and other synthetic materials. Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford is an example.
M
Marine – A fragrance that reminds one of the ocean or being by the seaside. Interchangeable with the term Aquatic.
Musk – Originally obtained from the musk pods of the Asian Musk Deer. It has now been replaced using synthetic white musk’s.
N
Niche Fragrance – A perfume from a house whose presence in mainstream stores is virtually non-existent and their production is on a much smaller scale. They are generally exclusive to perfume specialist stores, but they are increasingly available in high end department stores. Niche houses do not have associated clothing, jewellery or footwear lines like designer brands such as Armani, Chanel or Saint Laurent. Due to their exclusivity and supposed use of more natural materials they are more expensive than mainstream designer fragrances.
Note – A term borrowed from music that refers to an isolated ingredient such as violet or neroli in a fragrance.
O
Olfactory – Pertaining to the sense of smell.
Oriental – A type of perfume using balsamic, amber, vanilla and resinous undertones. A renowned oriental is Shalimar by Guerlain.
Oud – Also known as Agarwood. It is an oil obtained from the South East Asian agar tree. Very expensive due to its rarity.
P
Projection – Term used to describe how far away from the wearer a bystander can smell the fragrance.
R
Rounding Out – Ingredients, often natural added to a perfume composition to smooth out any harsh qualities.
S
Sandalwood – An oil extracted from the Sandal tree, first found in India. Sandalwood oil has a distinct smooth, creamy, milky scent and is used extensively as a base or base note in many fragrances.
Sillage – A term used to describe how long a scent lingers in the air behind a wearer after they have left a room.
Skin Scent – A term used to describe a scent that remains close to the skin and does not project.
Soliflore – A fragrance based on one single flower.
T
Top Notes – The first notes detected in a fragrance. They are usually light and citrusy and do not last long.
V
Vetiver – An oil obtained from the roots of a bunchgrass native to India. Guerlain Vetiver and Chanel Sycomore are two examples of vetiver scents.