The composition of the perfume

Wondering what a perfume consists of? What is its architecture, its olfactory pyramid or the raw materials that build it? Sylvaine Delacourte tells you all the secrets of a perfume composition.

 

The raw materials

A perfume is consisted of natural and synthetic raw materials.

There are about 1000 natural raw materials, and each year we discover new ones. More and more, natural raw materials are regulated and sometimes removed (recently the oak moss note or birch wood have been removed).

There are are between 3000 and 4000 synthetic raw materials, each year, some disappear and others appear (cf. Synthetic products).

The perfumer, according to his tastes or possibilities, will choose between these 5000 raw materials in order to create his perfume. In general, the perfumer will make a choice between 1000 raw materials in total, between natural and synthetic to compose his perfumes.

Natural raw materials come from flowers, leaves, roots, seeds, fruits, trees or bark.

 

 

Aromatic herbs

Some fresh plants often used in cooking, can give a lot of freshness to a fragrance.

There are 3 subdivisions

1. Aromatic notes of lavender : 

  • Lavender
  • Lavandin
  • Hyssop
  • Laurier
  • Thyme 
  • Rosemary 

2. The anise notes:

  • Aniseed
  • Tarragon
  • Basil

3. The minty notes:

  • Chickpea mint
  • Peppermint
  • Curly Mint

 

Flowers

A very rich register, subdivided into categories of flowers:

  • Spring flowers such as lily of the valley, lilac, honeysuckle, seringa.
  • Powdery flowers: mimosa, violet, iris root, heliotrope
  • White flowers: jasmine, magnolia, gardenia, lily, tuberose.
  • Solar flowers: ylang-ylang, frangipani, tiare flower
  • Spicy flowers: carnation, immortal

Some of these flowers reveal their secrets and scents, others do not, like the violet for example. In these cases, the perfumer will reproduce or reconstitute them using natural and synthetic products, in order to reproduce as closely as possible the odor of this flower.

 

Fruits

Some are natural, others are not, which exist in reproduction or synthesis.

 

There are different categories of fruits:

  • Citrus fruits (cf. Citrus facet)
  • Red fruits: raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry
  • Yellow fruits: peach, apricot, plum
  • Exotic fruits: pineapple, mango, passion fruit
  • Juicy fruits: pear, apple

Notes of some flowers such as osmanthus, for example, can bring a fruity note.


Woods

There are natural woody notes, such as :

  • Sandalwood
  • Cedar 
  • Patchouli
  • Vetiver
  • Cypress
  • Gaïac
  • Pine 

There are also many synthetic wood molecules.


Spices

There are many natural spicy notes, which can be divided into two categories:

1. Fresh spices

  • Cardamom
  • Pepper
  • Ginger

2. Hot spices

  • Cinnamon
  • Safran
  • Nutmeg
  • Clove

Notes of some flowers such as immortal can bring a spicy effect.


Balms and Resins

They are also called balsamic notes, they contribute to the amber or oriental chord. They bring a lot of roundness, mystery and mystical notes to a composition:

  • Incense
  • Myrrh
  • Opoponax
  • Styrax
  • Benzoin 

 

Animal Notes

Natural animal notes:

Only Ambergris, hyracene, beeswax are still allowed.

Notes of some natural raw materials such as: labdanum, costus, osmanthus, jasmine can bring animal notes to a composition. Some synthetic musks also have an animal tone.


Olfactive notes

The language of perfumery borrows a lot of vocabulary from music. These raw materials can be called olfactive notes. Example: lavender note, incense note, vanilla note, vetiver note, etc. The term note is also used in the case of the olfactory pyramid.

From the most volatile to the most persistent notes:

Olfactive facets

The language of perfumery also borrows the vocabulary of gemology. Facet in perfumery means an assembly of notes that are related. Example: citrus facet, a blend of bergamot, orange, mandarin, lime, etc.

From the top note to the base note, here are the different facets: 

 

Accord 

Accord is an assembly of notes that are unrelated to each other. Example: violet note + bergamot note + jasmine note = tea note.

The major accords in perfumery: oriental accord, chypre, fern, etc. These accords gave birth to the great perfume families, known as the olfactive families.

Olfactive families

Feminine or masculine, here are the different olfactive families that we can face:

 

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musks and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.