Perfume Glossary

absolute - an alcohol extract of a concentrate to remove waxes and most odorless materials, producing an alcohol - soluble liquid or semi-liquid oil. It is the most concentrated form of perfumery material.

accord - The basic character or theme of a fragrance. An perfume accord comes about when three or four notes blend together and lose their individual identities to create a new odor.

alcohol - Specially denatured ethy alcohol is added to a fragrance to serve as the carrier.

amber - Obtained from fir trees. Gives a fragrance a very rich, warm fragrance tone. It is commonly used in fragrances that fall into the "oriental" category.

attar (otto) - From the ancient persian word "to smell sweet". An extracted substance derived from the distillation of flowers. That of the Bulgarian rose is one of the most precious materials used in perfumery.

balsam - a water insoluble, semi-solid or viscous, resinous exudate of trees and bushes similar to gum resins.

blend - Harmonious mixture of perfumery ingredients.

body - The main fragrance theme. The heart of the perfume.

chypre - A fragrance family - a complex of moss mixed with woods, flowers or fruit odors. Chypre fragrances often contain "oakmoss absolute".

citrus - Odors from orange, mandarin, lemon, lime etc... Used as top notes and popular men's colognes.

compound (composition) - A completed formulation.

dry down - The final phase of a fragrance, this is what you will smell hours after application.

concrete - Extraction of fresh natural plant materials, usually with non-polar organic solvents (e.g. hexane) which yield, after removal of the solvent by vacuum distillation, a semi-solid wax. They represent the closest odor duplication of the flower, bark, leaves etc...

essential oil - an oil collected in the water distillate during the production and concentration of fruit juices. Upon seperation from the water, the remaining oil contains the highly volatile top notes of natural juices. Essential oils are normally liquid, but in some cases may be solid, depending on temperature. They are the essence of plants.

evaporation - The process of changing from a liquid to a vapor.

FCC - Food Chemicals Codex, the industry-standard listing of food-grade ingredients; indicates materials safe for use in food and cosmetics.

fixative - a material which slows down the rate of evaporation of the more volatile components in a perfume composition.

fixed oils - non-volatile oils derived from plant materials, commonly referred to as vegetable oils.

floral - The most common fragrance family. Either characteristic of a specific flower or a blend of several flower notes.

green - A fragrance family whose odor is reminiscent of grass and leaves.

harmonious - VERY IMPORTANT! Odor, accord and unity in fragrance. This is where you will have to work on your skills.

harsh - A crude, unbalanced odor. No harmony! This is what you will discover on your first tries.

heady - Exhilirating, sparkling, stimulating.

heart - The core of a perfume composition which gives it its character.

heavy - An odor which can be forceful, intense.

middle notes - The "heart" notes make up a main blend of a fragrance that classifies the fragrance family or accord.

note - Indicates an olfactory impression of a single smell, or to indicate the three parts of a perfume - top note, middle note, base note.

organ (perfume) - A unit of semi-circular stepped shelving containing hundreds of bottles of raw materials.

oriental - A fragrance family devoting heavy, full bodied perfumes. Often contain "amber".

perfume (parfum) - most highly concentrated form of fragrance.

perfume dip sticks - strips of odorless white blotting paper which the perfumer uses to evaluate a scent as it develops.

terpeneless - Complete or partial removal of monoterpenic or hydrocarbons by distillation of an essential oil to: a) improve solubility in diluted alcohol or food grade solvents. b) increase stability of the oil and prevent the appearance of rancid notes.

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