Now you need to know how to succinctly describe your business. Plus, it leaves my skin very soft. February 9, 2014 at 11:24am Reply, dpw: Thank you for simple, descriptive definitions. I’ve read Luca Turin’s book and Chandler Burr’s books and am fascinated with perfumes and their science. Just dropping by to let you know that your blog would be one important resource for me when I find myself stumped on what new scent to buy and I’m learning a great deal from your site. Use your list from Step 4 to generate a second list of phrases using the adjectives. A French term for it is “gras,” fat, and it is a trait that you often find in classical fragrances. Describing aromas is so hard, but it is also fun, because it forces us to think differently about familiar things. July 12, 2016 at 7:56am Reply, Steffany: I have been so desperately trying to explain the fragrance that I used to wear and stumbled upon this site. Among the new launches, Chanel No 19 Poudré and Love, Chloé explore these notes in a modern manner. It’s funny , I’ve always found the term ‘aromatic’ to be rather redundant; it’s a perfume of course it’s going to be ‘aromatic’! Cumin oil obtained from the dried seeds of the cumin plant is warm and sweaty. February 3, 2012 at 11:28am Reply. Thierry Mugler Angel is the gourmand trendsetter, but many feminine launches today have some sort of gourmand effect. I’ve added leathery to the list above with a couple of examples. Butyric—do you know the smell of butter that has been sitting in the fridge too long? A great example of a perfume rich with resinous notes is Armani Privé Bois d’Encens. The best product descriptions address your … If you find yourself using any of these, seek an alternative, as they can make a brand appear less than intelligent. Dior Addict and Parfums de Nicolai Vanille Tonka rely on a blend of different vanillic materials. I bet it will bring back some nice memories. Stunning—Stunning is overused s… Question: Citrus, floral and fruity are self-explanatory, but what do all the other fragrance descriptions mean? They still are. Top Notes. One time I bought some organic brand from Whole Foods that smelled great and was bio-degradable, etc. Since more and more perfumes start smelling this way today, it would be a widely used term. Also, have you heard of the term ‘agrestic’ in reference to scent? 3. https://boisdejasmin.com/_/2011/02/perfume-vocabulary-fragrance-terms-sillage.html, Thank you! Got, get, gotten—Don’t tell the customer to "get a jacket," suggest they buy it. Perfume and other cosmetics and beauty products manufacturers basically prepare, blend, compound and package perfume and other beauty products and cosmetics for their clients. Other great fougère fragrances include Yves Saint Laurent Kouros (1981), Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir (1982) and Davidoff Cool Water (1988). Thanks! Among linear fragrances you can find such classics as Lancôme Tresor and Bulgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert. I enjoy so much our exchanges that it doesn’t really feel like work. It’s a very good question, and I’ve just added the definition for “linear.” Of course, if you want more information, please don’t hesitate to ask. Some degree of maturation happens at the plant when the perfume concentrate is made, but it is definitely not to the same degree as was the standard in the past. The top notes of Dior Eau Sauvage, Caron Pour Un Homme and Guerlain Habit Rouge illustrate this idea. Hope that you enjoyed the performance. Master perfume Ben Krigler breaks down some of the industry's more esoteric terms. Woody: Though the distinction seems subtle, wood and oud are not interchangeable: "Woody is a description; oud is a note," says Krigler. Why? Poison is floral oriental, since it combines both really well. It does not pop up often in marketing copy, but it can be used to describe the scents of certain raw materials. February 6, 2013 at 7:28am Reply, Brian Shea: Great collection of definitions, very descriptive and helpful. February 3, 2012 at 4:39pm Reply, OperaFan: Thanks for the refresher course and clarifications, Dear V. I’m off to attend Anna Bolena at the Met tomorrow and will be sure to choose a fragrance with both CHARACTER and good SILLAGE – perhals an ORIENTAL or something POWDERY…. March 14, 2013 at 12:45pm Reply, Christina Findell: Thank you so much for this wonderful, interesting and useful A-Z list. I have been looking for it for ages, so a big thank you for mentioning it. For this reason, the combination of peaches and cream or figs and ham is so successful. Too bad that they discontinued it. This can be a radiant, bright effect as in Christian Dior J’Adore, or a blur as in Katy Perry Purr. If you're describing the smell aloud, your tone of voice and body language may lend an additional level of meaning. December 1, 2017 at 4:45am Reply, Guess Seductive: Thanks for your wonderful article. I live in a community blighted for 20 years by a rancid smelling sewage works and a fish bone meal factory chipping into the smell aswell. I’ll definately be using this resource on a regular basis! And if you can’t find the word you would like to learn, just leave a comment under the top post with your request. Vanilla, caramel, toasted almonds, cotton candy, chocolate, and marshmallows are the most recognizable gourmand notes. Writing a good meta description for a blog helps in increasing your blog visibility and most importantly traffic. I just recently found out the chypre sounds more like an animal (sheep) and less like “ci-pher”. February 14, 2021 at 5:20am, Victoria in Gallivant Bukhara : Perfume Review: Bukhara and Samarkand both have been restored (some say too much), but you can tell which parts are new and which are old. Hope that it is helpful. Sometimes it means an abstract floral sensation that does not refer to any one flower in particular. Even the names that most people familiar with fragrance through reading, but never say aloud, are challenging! Frédéric Malle Le Parfum de Thérèse can be described as rich for its lavish use of floral absolutes. Have you tried No 19 in Eau de Parfum? You can say “mute flowers,” although it’s far from a general term. Cosmetic and beauty products included in this industry are perfumes, makeup items, hair preparations, face creams, lotions and other toiletries. I wore it in my very early years of college (I saved Chanel for special occasions). Light fragrances can also have a tremendous sillage. My least favorite soapy note is the green, sharp scent in original Palmolive (the green dishwashing liquid), which I detect in Tocade and some other florals, as well as Cool Water. How To Write a Good Perfume Review. It has been copied so much, but the original is still the best. IUNX has a wonderful orange blossom cologne called L’Eau Baptiste. Elisa: For a while it was flooding the discounters (I found a bottle for under $10), but now it seems to be pretty much gone. but i would like to know where Poison Dior is categorized, definitelly my thing. For example, a list for a perfume for men might include words like "woodsy" or "spicy" to describe the odor. February 4, 2012 at 3:52am Reply, Victoria: Enjoy the performance! I like that you give examples too. On these pages I explore the world of senses through art, literature, and history. and Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum are some of the distinctly animalic fragrances. It is a vague term because soap smells very differently depending on where you grew up. Have a great springtime. "Wood can … Elisa: I enjoy orange blossom, inside or outside of soap! Its top notes show little variation from the bottom notes, so you experience right away its character. It is simply a different type of fragrance experience. Some of my favorite examples of mild terpenic notes include, Building Perfume Wardrobe: White Florals/Jasmine, https://boisdejasmin.com/_/2011/02/perfume-vocabulary-fragrance-terms-sillage.html, https://boisdejasmin.com/perfume-fragrance-reviews/perfume-reviews-by-note, Amanda Ménage, translator specialized in cosmetics, ← Bond No. Learn more about the difference between active and passive voice here. Of course, you need to choose the right one based on the scent of your perfume. The drydowns of Guerlain Shalimar, Ormonde Jayne Tolu and Clinique Aromatics Elixir have a strong balsamic note. One of the most distinctive musky fragrances is Narciso Rodriguez for Her. A great example of a perfume rich with resinous notes is, —sharp, piney and biting. Aromatic—green camphorous notes present in herbs like lavender, rosemary and sage. Once you’ve identified a floral note, for example, try to pinpoint which family it belongs in: Floral-Fruity, Floral-Marine, Floral-Aldehyde, Floral-Oriental, Floral-Gourmand, etc. February 4, 2012 at 10:30am Reply, Victoria: That’s a good question, but the answer to it is not all that straightforward. Include each of these words in a scene or story. November 18, 2020 at 4:14am Reply, James: Really very informative and in-depth article. Animalic—a general term describing scents of animalic origin such as some types of musk (musk deer), civet (civet weasel) and castoreum (beaver). Forgive me, but I am still having trouble deciding which it would fall under because it could be several. And I am sure you must have used it there, it must be even better with those memories attached to it. And please tell me what perfume you ended up selecting for the evening? It was perfect! February 14, 2021 at 5:21am, Victoria in Perfume as a Fantasy : Let’s Dream: There was a Fresh fragrance with notes of cannabis. Fougère—a fragrance family inspired by Houbigant Fougère Royale (1882,) the first fragrance to combine natural materials with synthetics. Robert Piguet Fracas is a stellar example of the narcotic, heady effect of these notes. in 2000 the Purig a Company in Mexico bought this timeless classic perfume from Myrurgia and in trying to improve it they reduced it to a cheap aftershave. My favorite OB soliflore so far (there are many I’ve never tried) is the sadly discontinued/limited edition Frederic Fekkai Sensuelle. We asked perfume master Ben Krigler, fifth generation heir to the historic house of Krigler perfumes (the brand's creations were beloved by Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn and John F. Kennedy, to name a few), to take us through the differences between some common, but obscure, descriptions. March 11, 2014 at 10:08am Reply, Victoria: There is indeed a great blog with nothing but perfume pronunciations: Amber: Rich, spicy, warm and sweet. Donna Karan Black Cashmere, L’Artisan Parfumeur Passage d’Enfer, and Yves Saint Laurent Nu also use resinous materials in their compositions. Vanillin is probably the most commonly used aldehyde material in perfumery, and it smells sweet and creamy. More about white florals with specific note descriptions can be found at Building Perfume Wardrobe: White Florals/Jasmine. People love to skim. Thank you so much for your hard work. Kissel: Hi Victoria! Musky—There are many different types of musk, and every fragrance contains at least one of them. It has been one of my favorite No 19 versions lately. Focus on your ideal buyer. What comes as a surprise is that in perfumery terpenic facets show up in the most delicate of floral accords such as lilac and freesia. A vintage bottle goes for 500.00 now. Your description may be different depending on whether you are writing a technical manual or writing a poem. perfume the story of a murderer by patrick suskind is a story of grenouille who was born in the early eighteenth century behind fish stalls to a fishwife who abandoned him at birth. This will help you build the best description for your fragrance. I love reading your blog and have been a fan since I found out about you at WPC Deauville. February 3, 2012 at 10:15am Reply, Victoria: Oh, you are most welcome! Thank You. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Accord: In the same way you hold down several notes in music to create a chord that has a unique sound, in perfume, an accord is a scent made up of several perfume notes, or ingredients, that blend together to form a distinct fragrance. If you like fresh, crisp scents (but still with some warmth and lingering finish), then Light Blue is a good choice. Tamara Morgan: Victoria, I stumbled upon your site when I was trying to remember how deep to plant my tuberose bulbs. Thank you for being so generous in sharing your knowledge. February 5, 2012 at 2:25pm Reply, Victoria: Liz, thank you–welcome to blogging! Some of my favorite examples of mild terpenic notes include Gendarme and Acqua di Parma  Mirto di Panarea. Resinous—a term describing dry, sharp odor of resinous materials like frankincense and elemi. Jean-Charles Brosseau Ombre Rose and Love’s Baby Soft are the traditional examples of powdery perfumes. I don’t say often enough how much I enjoy your writing style, and appreciate your knowledge. February 14, 2021 at 5:19am, —a term describing dry, sharp odor of resinous materials like frankincense and elemi. thank u :). July 29, 2013 at 12:16pm Reply, Victoria: Glad that you liked it! I keep hearing such good things about the Perfumer’s Apprentice kit from other commenters and bloggers. Either way, definitely worth visiting. I am aiming for an easy to read, simple format, a bit airier than the previous one. November 17, 2020 at 3:32pm Reply, Victoria: Thank you, Amanda! - Victoria, Victoria in Gallivant Bukhara : Perfume Review: Not a must, but if you want to capture the atmosphere of the place, it would be a good idea. Chypre—a fragrance family based on the interplay of citrus, floral, mossy and ambery notes. For instance, the accord between patchouli and a cotton candy note gives Thierry Mugler Angel, Prada Eau de Parfum and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle their distinctive character. If you have just launched a new business and are looking to make a great first impression on prospective customers, then it is essential to create an powerful company profile. There is no specific term in English. Indole is sometimes described as fecal, but while it is present in products of decay, it does not have the sweet, rotten scent. The original Diorissimo smelled like blooming lily of the valley, although the current version is less so. My own most vivid soap memory is the kind that my grandmother would buy by weight to use as a floor cleaner. I’ve also been meaning to mention that I like the new page style you settled on. January 12, 2017 at 3:56pm Reply, Davina Hutchisob: Help please I haven't smelled it recently, but it used to be excellent. Lactonic—milky, creamy, sweet. Vague knowledge of a product will lead to an equally vague description, one that is unhelpful for your online buyers as well as the search engines. This is probably the reason why many people call Jo Malone Orange Blossom cologne or Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford soapy. Thank you! How does one pronounce Figuier? Sandalwood, on the other hand, does not smell classically woody. February 3, 2012 at 9:38am Reply. February 4, 2012 at 10:42am Reply, Victoria: Thank you very much for your feedback! Thanks for taking the time to describe these words. Gourmand—an edible, dessert reminiscent fragrance. I know it’s a little of track from the other posts here but would be grateful for any assistance anyone can offer. Don't subscribe Calvin Klein Obsession has a lot of character, Burberry Body hardly any. Thank you! I also learnt that in Japan Cherry Blossom is a symbol of ephemeral beauty! So, I hope that I was able to achieve it, at least in part. Use adjectives. Or how would one define balsamic, aldehydic and floralcy? Woody: Though the distinction seems subtle, wood and oud are not interchangeable: "Woody is a description; oud is a note," says Krigler. February 5, 2021 at 2:16am Reply, I agree to the terms outlined in the Privacy Policy. So I have always secretly wished that all perfume reviews had pronunciation assists. When I was a radio announcer, the news feed always spelled things phonetically if there was any question. a:) February 11, 2012 at 1:54pm Reply. October 29, 2012 at 10:49am Reply. Derived from a Greek word for “butter,” butyric acid is used in flavorings as well as fragrances. February 3, 2012 at 3:01pm Reply, Victoria: I tried Marseille soap for the first time a couple of years ago, and now I don’t want anything else. February 3, 2012 at 11:44am Reply, Vanessa: This is excellent, thanks! With experience, it is possible to figure out what facets will be more subtle or more pronounced, but unfortunately, the time slots devoted to developing a new fragrance are constantly shrinking. It was a good read even after 9 years. It was the inspiration behind Guerlain Bois d’Arménie. *. February 3, 2012 at 6:38pm Reply, Andy: So helpful. In minute quantities, it can give a very surprising savory effect, but generally, if a perfume smells like rancid butter, something has gone wrong. Musky: Musk, Krigler explains, used to come from animal content, but synthetic musk is used today and the scent "is a very light tone that falls between a light floral and a bit of sugar." To my nose, gourmand fragrances can be the colour of honey or a rich brown, whilst roses are cast in a variety of shades of pink, red and yellow, just like the real thing. Accord—a perfume is more than the sum total of its parts. We associate scents with something – a place, a memory, a flavor – but most people struggle to describe smell on its own terms. However, I will heed what you have taught about noting the color. In low concentrations, it smells pleasantly floral. At least, that’s the idea. I’ll go with the ORIENTAL. Lindaloo: Thanks for this post — great information as usual, especially with the references to specific perfumes. We associate scents with something – a place, a memory, a flavor – but most people struggle to describe smell on its own terms. In … Notify me of replies to my comments via e-mail. Great blog! Meta descriptions are not a place for storytelling. brief snippet you see underneath a site’s title in Google’s organic search results Serge Lutens Muscs Koublaï Khan, L’Artisan Dzing! Jean Patou Joy is a quintessentially rich perfume, since it contains large proportions of rose and jasmine. Do you ever come across the term “silent flower” or “mute flower”? If only there were a way to chemically analyze the ingredients of the old Maja and then reproduce it! Smooth, rich and intoxicating, amber is one of the hardest fragrances to describe. February 3, 2012 at 4:37pm Reply, Victoria: I heard that the original formula for Maja soap was created by none other than a genius perfumer Jean Carles (Miss Dior, Ma Griffe). Indolic—a moth-ball like scent present in large doses in jasmine, orange blossom and tuberose. I just love this quality in perfume. Please feel free to suggest other terms to add. I am going to add rich, terpenic and fresh vs crisp later. February 3, 2012 at 3:46pm Reply, Victoria: I need to check it out. A small degree of sharpness can cut the richness and create an interesting interplay of sensations, but an overly terpenic scent in a fine fragrance is not pleasant. Today, it's mostly associated with oud and amber," says Krigler, who adds that the term isn't used to describe ingredients or scents from the Oriental region. Leathery—a note recalling the tangy and animalic quality of fine leather. In this showcase you will see 30 examples of perfume websites with short descriptions discussing how they stand out from the crowd and what techniques they use.