Fragrance Lexicon

Absolutes are highly concentrated oily fragrances obtained from concretes of plant parts or resinoids. They are gently extracted from the concretes using solvents at low temperatures. Since the extraction of absolutes does not involve high temperatures – as is the case with traditional steam distillation – this extraction process is particularly suitable for delicate raw materials such as beeswax, mimosa, or jasmine. Absolutes reflect the scent of the source plant more intensely and authentically than traditionally extracted essential oils.

Essential oils are fragrant and volatile oils that can be extracted from various plant raw materials, such as flowers, leaves, buds, roots, or bark, as well as resins and balsams, using steam distillation. Essential oils can also be obtained from citrus fruits by squeezing the fruit peel (cold pressing). One and the same plant can produce very different essential oils, which we will illustrate using the example of the bitter orange tree: The flowers of this tree are the raw material for neroli oil, while the leaves produce petitgrain oil, and the fruit peel produces bitter orange oil.

"Agrumen" is a collective term for citrus fruits of the genus Citrus. This genus includes numerous species such as oranges, lemons, mandarins, limes, bitter oranges, bergamots, and grapefruits. The word is derived from "agrumi," the Italian word for "sour fruits."

An accord is a harmonious interplay of several individual fragrances, resulting in a new fragrance note with a distinctive olfactory sound. An accord can be composed of two, three, or four, or even over one hundred individual fragrances. It can therefore be relatively simple or highly complex. Accords can reflect a wide variety of fragrances and are therefore popular components of perfume creations.

Everyday fragrance creations are characterized by a harmonious scent progression and—as the name suggests—are wearable at any time, both in everyday life and at work. They have a light to medium presence and generally do not have overly sharp edges. Daring creations are rare among everyday fragrances. But even though the emphasis of these creations is on everyday wear, these pleasant fragrance compositions can of course be worn for any occasion—even the most unusual ones.

Ambergris (often called amber) is a gray, waxy metabolite produced in the digestive tract of the sperm whale. For conservation reasons, synthetic amber is generally used in perfumery today. Ambergris has an intense and warm scent with woody, dry, and balsamic nuances.

The fragrance family of amber perfumes possesses a very special olfactory character: They are warm, sensual, oriental, almost gourmand-spicy, and underscored by leathery nuances. In amber creations, this fragrance orientation can be conveyed by a single ingredient—such as amber—or by a fragrance accord—for example, balsamic resins and vanilla. Amber fragrances are generally heavy, sweet, and intense, radiating a pleasant warmth.

Fragrance creations with an animal focus have a direct connection to the animal kingdom. Animalic scents such as civet and musk, castoreum (castoreum), and ambergris are extracts of animal secretions, which are now often used synthetically or recreated using a fragrance accord. In high concentrations or in their pure form, animalic notes have an unpleasant and pungent odor, which is why they are only used in diluted form in perfumery. Animalic fragrance compositions are warm, sensual, and often have erotic and aphrodisiac nuances.

Aphrodisiac fragrance creations are perfumes that are intended to be sexually arousing and stimulating through their ingredients.

The aquatic perfume family reflects the clear, pure, and light notes of water, usually accompanied by a salty and fresh sea breeze. The fragrance is often created by an accord, but there are also fruits and flowers that exhibit an aquatic character. Aquatic fragrances became popular in the 1990s and are characterized by refreshing, maritime and oceanic nuances.

The base note is also called the final note or base note. The base note follows the top note and the heart note and, as the third part of a fragrance's progression, forms the olfactory conclusion of a fragrance composition. The base note usually contains long-lasting fragrance notes, such as woods, resins, or animal notes. In some fragrance compositions, the base note's fragrance notes appear much earlier, rather than at the end. This is often the case in chypre fragrances or oriental perfumes, for example.

Flowery or floral fragrance compositions are characterized by one or more floral notes that determine the fragrance character of a perfume. Feminine creations in particular often have a floral scent, but flowers are also frequently used in masculine perfumes. There are floral fragrance compositions in which a single floral note takes center stage, and others in which a bouquet of different floral notes characterizes the fragrance. Most perfumes contain a certain amount of floral notes in their fragrance notes, which can be large or small depending on the fragrance composition. Floral fragrance notes are often used in combination with citrus and fruity components. Popular representatives in floral fragrances are jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, tuberose, and violet.

A bouquet is a blend of different floral notes. A floral bouquet is usually a significant component of the heart note of a perfume.

Office-appropriate perfumes can be worn easily at work. Like everyday fragrances, they are characterized by a harmonious and pleasant fragrance flow and a light to medium presence, which should never bother colleagues who aren't into fragrances. Office-appropriate perfumes generally don't contain bold or intense notes and have a more balanced fragrance flow without any overly pronounced rough edges. Nevertheless, office-appropriate perfumes can be quite original and full of sophistication.

Chypre fragrances are perfumes with a very specific fragrance structure: a citrusy, fresh top note followed by a floral heart note and a base of woody, resinous, and earthy components. The ingredients patchouli, labdanum (rockrose), and oakmoss are particularly common in the base note. The chypre fragrance family takes its name from the perfume "Chypre," created by François Coty at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the first perfume to feature this specific fragrance structure and has since become a classic of modern perfumery.

A concrete, or essence concrete, is an extract obtained from various plant parts or resinoids using solvents. This process is therefore also called solvent extraction. In addition to essential oils, a concrete also contains a significant proportion of insoluble components such as waxes, resins, and dyes. Therefore, concretes are primarily used in soap perfume oils. Concrètes are also important for perfumery, as they are a precursor to the fine and intensely fragrant absolutes, which can be obtained by washing out the insoluble waxes from the concrete.

Perfumes or fragrance notes are described as creamy when they have a soft, smooth, and creamy scent. Floral notes such as iris, but also sandalwood or lily of the valley can lend creamy nuances to a perfume creation.

Destraction – or extraction with supercritical gases – is a gentle process for extracting fragrances from particularly sensitive plant raw materials, usually flowers. Carbon dioxide and butane are commonly used as supercritical gases for the extraction of highly sensitive flower oils.

A diffuser is a classic way to scent a room. This usually consists of an often highly decorative bottle filled with an intensely fragrant liquid. The opening of the bottle contains several wooden sticks, about half submerged in the liquid. The other half extends beyond the opening of the bottle into the room. Through capillary action, the liquid is drawn into the sticks, where it is distributed evenly and evenly throughout the room. The sticks can be turned over at any time to intensify the fragrance. Those who prefer a weaker room fragrance can remove some of the sticks to regulate the intensity of the diffuser.

Fragrance development refers to the progression of a scent, which is divided into top notes, heart notes, and base notes. These three phases of a fragrance progression are traditionally structured pyramidally in perfumes. In the so-called fragrance pyramid, the intensity and longevity of the fragrance increases from the top to the bottom, with the top note forming the top and the base note the bottom. The unfolding of a perfume happens gradually in most creations. The individual phases of the fragrance composition flow seamlessly into one another, forming a harmonious and coherent overall structure - from the rather fleeting top note to the heart note that defines the fragrance character, to the long-lasting base note.

A fragrance family refers to the olfactory orientation of a perfume creation. The fragrance family into which a perfume is classified depends largely on the fragrance notes used. This classification is not subject to prescribed standards, which is why some sources list more fragrance families, others fewer. As a rule, a distinction is made between nine and twelve different fragrance families. The most common of these are: animalic, aquatic, flowery/floral, chypre, fougère, fruity, gourmand, green, resinous/smoky, woody, leathery, oriental, powdery, spicy, and citrus. Fragrance compositions are not necessarily tied to a single fragrance family. There are also perfumes that are oriental-powdery, fruity-floral, or woody-resinous and thus belong to several fragrance families.

A scented candle is an aromatized candle that releases a pleasant fragrance when burned, thus evenly fragrant a room. The candle wax is contained in a glass or similarly fireproof container in which the candle can burn safely. The fragrance can be easily regulated by lighting and extinguishing the candle. A scented candle not only creates a pleasant ambiance through its smell, but these decorative candles are also a real eye-catcher.

Fragrance notes are the olfactory ingredients of a fragrance composition, used in the top, middle, and base notes. These fragrance components, or building blocks, come either from plant and animal raw materials or are synthetically produced. They determine which fragrance family a perfume belongs to and play a key role in the fragrance development of a creation.

The fragrance pyramid symbolizes the three-phase fragrance structure of a perfume, consisting of top notes, heart notes, and base notes. The top note, as the first impression of a perfume, forms the apex of the pyramid, the heart note, defining the fragrance direction, forms the center, and the base note, with its longevity, forms the broad base. This graphic representation clearly illustrates the fragrance development of the individual phases and the fluid transitions between them.

A perfume does not develop equally well on all parts of the body. The parts of the body where the development of a fragrance composition works particularly well are called scent carriers. And where are these scent carriers located on the body? Wherever the blood vessels run close to the surface of the skin, the skin is warmer than on other parts of the body. This is the case, for example, on the inside of the wrists, the crook of the elbows, on the neck and behind the ears. But perfume can also work well in the hair. As a rule of thumb: the more intense a perfume, the more sparingly it can be applied to the body. While with an eau de parfum a few drops on the scent carriers are often enough, an eau de toilette can be sprayed on more generously.

An eau de parfum is a perfume oil solution based on alcohol and water. The essential oil content in an eau de parfum is 8 to 15%. Therefore, eau de parfums have an intense fragrance that lasts for a long time.

Eau de Toilette is a fragrance based on alcohol and water with a perfume oil content of 6 to 9%. Eaux de Toilette are typically fresh and light and can therefore be applied more generously to the body.

Enfleurage is a process by which fragrances can be extracted from flowers. For this purpose, the flowers are spread on glass plates coated with cold beef or pork fat. A few days later, the old flowers are picked off and new ones scattered. This process is repeated until the fat is saturated with the essential flower oil – this usually takes about three months. The resulting mixture of flower oil and fat is called pomade. The essential oils are then extracted from the fat using alcohol. The advantage of this process is the low temperature, which allows even heat-sensitive essential oils to be dissolved and particularly sensitive raw materials to be processed. However, the enfleurage technique is very complex and is therefore rarely used. Heat-sensitive fragrance oils are now mainly obtained using solvent extraction.

Earthy perfumes have a more or less pronounced scent of forest floor, moss, or damp earth. Root-like nuances can also be found in earthy fragrance compositions. Popular examples of earthy scents include patchouli, vetiver, guaiac wood, agarwood (oud), and oakmoss.

In perfumery, essence refers to concentrated fragrances used as building blocks in perfume compositions. In addition to essential oils of plant or animal origin, synthetically produced fragrances are increasingly finding their way into perfume creations as essences.

The essential oils of citrus fruits are extracted by pressing the fruit peels. This gentle process is also called expression. Essential oils obtained from citrus fruit peels through expression have a very authentic and natural scent.

Extraction refers to various processes for obtaining fragrances from plant and animal raw materials. These processes include solvent extraction and extraction with supercritical gases, also known as distillation. Unlike steam distillation, extraction processes are gentler and therefore suitable for particularly sensitive raw materials.

An extrait is a fragrance based on alcohol and water with a perfume oil content of 15 to 30%. Extraits are very intense and linger long. Therefore, they should be applied sparingly and carefully to avoid over-perfuming.

Floral or flowery fragrance compositions have a fragrance character defined by one or more floral notes. A floral fragrance orientation is particularly common in feminine perfumes. However, masculine fragrance compositions often also contain a certain, not insignificant, floral component. Floral perfumes can be based on just a single floral note or on an entire bouquet of different blossoms. However, most fragrance compositions contain a certain proportion of floral notes, which can be larger or smaller. Particularly popular floral notes in perfume creations include rose, jasmine, tuberose, lily of the valley, iris, and violet.

Floral-oriental perfumes are fragrance compositions with a fragrance orientation that is both floral and oriental. Floral-oriental perfume creations are generally quite intense and characterized by a warm, spicy, and rather heavy scent with distinct floral nuances.

The base note of a perfume is called the base note. In pyramid-shaped fragrance compositions, the base forms the final note of the fragrance progression—behind the top and heart notes. The base often contains particularly binding odorants such as woods, resins, and animal notes.

Fougère fragrances are characterized by a herbaceous, fresh, and mossy scent reminiscent of ferns. Typical notes of fougère perfumes include lavender, oakmoss, and the hay-like nuances of coumarin. Most fougère fragrances are men's perfumes. The first representative of this fragrance family, and also the namesake, is Fougère Royale by Houbigant, launched at the end of the 19th century and considered a milestone in men's perfumery.

Fresh perfumes are fragrance compositions with a light, refreshing, and summery, cheerful character. They often contain citrus and fruity notes, accentuated with mint or other herbs and delicate blossoms. Typical fresh perfumes are eaux de colognes, but many eaux de toilettes also fall into this category.

Fruity fragrance compositions are an olfactory feast for the palate. In addition to numerous berries such as raspberries, strawberries, and black currants, peaches, melons, apples, and plums also frequently appear in fruity perfumes. Tropical accents are added by fruits such as pineapple, papaya, and mango. Fruity perfume creations are generally summery and fresh and smell simply delicious.

Fresh grass, lush green leaves, or aromatic herbs. Green notes encompass all those odorants in nature that we associate with the color green. Perfumes with this fragrance orientation can contain an accord of green notes or a specific fragrance such as fig leaves, tomato leaves, grass, basil, mint, or coriander. Green notes exude lightness, vitality, and dynamism and often accentuate the top notes of perfume creations.

Spices are particularly popular in oriental fragrance compositions, but also add accents to other perfume creations. From classic spices like vanilla, cinnamon, saffron, and cloves to cardamom, ginger, pepper, and allspice, the range of spicy fragrances is almost endless. Spicy scents are often warm, comforting, and intense, exuding a sense of comfort and sensuality.

Haute parfumerie refers to "upscale perfumery," where renowned perfumers create high-quality fragrance compositions from luxurious raw materials and ingredients. These fragrances are generally priced in the upper price segment. Haute parfumerie perfume creations contrast with mass-produced perfumes and colognes, which are sold in drugstores, for example.

The heart note is the middle phase of a fragrance composition, positioned after the more volatile top note and before the long-lasting base note. The heart note typically determines the character of a perfume and is often composed of intense floral, woody, or spicy notes.

Hesperides is a collective term for citrus fragrances. These odorants are extracted from the peels of citrus fruits.

Woody fragrances are used in most fragrance compositions. In some cases, they determine the fragrance character; in others, they merely serve as accents. Woody notes often act as fixatives, prolonging and delaying the fragrance's development. Important examples of woody fragrances include sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli, and guaiac wood.

Coniferous notes have a characteristic scent reminiscent of conifers. Particularly popular representatives of this fragrance type are fir, cypress, cedar, pine, and juniper. Coniferous fragrance notes are primarily used in masculine perfume creations.

The top note of a perfume is the first phase of a fragrance composition. It is also referred to as the first impression one has of a perfume. Its purpose is to draw attention to a perfume creation and open it. The top note usually evaporates quite quickly. It is often characterized by citrus fruits and green notes, which are rather volatile. Depending on the perfume composition, fragrance notes from the heart note and base note may also be incorporated into the top note.

Herbaceous notes have the scent of herbs and plant parts. The olfactory orientation of herbal notes can be considered a variation of green notes, but differs from them in terms of smell. Examples of herbal notes include lavender, rosemary, clary sage, mugwort, wormwood, and bay leaf. Herbaceous fragrances are an important component of fougère perfumes.

Solvent extraction is a gentle process for extracting fragrances from plant and animal materials. Low-boiling solvents such as petroleum ether or hexane are typically used. Subsequent distillation removes the solvents, yielding the concretions, from which absolutes can then be extracted.

Metallic notes are created by a fragrance accord that exudes a certain coolness, sharpness, and metallic sheen. Whether iron, chrome, gold, or steel, this imaginative fragrance accord with an industrial flair can evoke almost any metal.

Musk is among the who's who of base fragrance notes. Originally an animal raw material, it was extracted from the glandular secretion of the male musk deer. For reasons of animal and species protection, synthetically produced crystal musk or (white) musk is generally used today. However, musky nuances can also be found in plant-based fragrances such as ambrette seeds, the seeds of the musk marshmallow. Musk has a structure similar to pheromones, which is why it is said to have an aphrodisiac and erotically stimulating effect. The animal scent of musky notes is soft, powdery, bright, and delicate with woody nuances.

A natural spray is a pump atomizer that pumps the perfume out of the bottle by pressing the spray head and does not require propellant gases. Another term for natural spray is vaporisateur.

Perfumery is defined as the creative profession of perfume maker. Perfumers not only need an exceptionally keen sense of smell and an excellent olfactory memory; the composition of a perfume also requires a high degree of artistic talent and the ability to capture sensory impressions and experiences and translate them into olfactory expression. In Germany, the profession of perfumer cannot be learned through traditional training; instead, it is usually acquired through a career change or through family or professional contacts with fragrance companies. The demanding perfumer training then takes place within the company itself and usually lasts between three and five years.

Highly concentrated, pure fragrance essences are called perfume oil. Perfume oil is diluted with alcohol before use and can then be used in numerous products. Perfume oil dissolved in alcohol is used to scent eaux de parfum, eaux de cologne, and eaux de toilette, as well as soaps, body lotions, shower gels, and bath additives.

Powdery notes exude the pleasant scent of powder. Anyone who has ever smelled a powder puff or compact coated with powder knows exactly what scent we're talking about. Powdery notes can be dry and finely crumbly like loose powder, but there are also creamy powder notes that are soft and smooth. Powdery notes are created either by fragrance accords or by specific odorants such as musk or iris.

A room spray is a spray used to quickly and flexibly scent a room. High-quality room sprays are usually available in pump-action atomizers. Room sprays are particularly suitable for moments when a pleasant fragrance is needed in the short term. For long-term scenting of a room, however, diffusers or scented candles are more appropriate.

Resinoids are extracts from plant and animal components obtained through solvent extraction. Resinoids are extracted from all parts of a plant—except the flowers—such as resins, seeds, roots, twigs, bark, and bulbs, as well as mosses and lichens. Resinoid absolutes possess a very natural and authentic fragrance due to the gentle solvent extraction process. They are rather dark in color and low in volatility, which is why they are often used as a fixative.

Synthetic fragrances originate from the laboratory, where they are artificially produced. These can be nature-identical fragrances, which have the same structure as natural fragrances and are reproduced identically in the laboratory, or purely synthetic fragrances with no natural model.