The above is a comprehensive list of fragrance notes, we have 800 notes listed sorted alphabetically. If you are just after a quick read then (Top 50 Fragrance Notes) lists of the top 50 most common perfume notes and a brief description of the top 10.
Fragrance Notes
The making of a fragrance is often a blend of art and science, notes are combined to create scents that evoke emotions, memories and images. Perfume notes can be broadly categorized into natural components, synthetic substitutes, pure synthetic creations and imaginative concepts. Each category plays a role in the creation of a perfume.
Natural Ingredients and Extraction Methods
Natural ingredients in perfumes include flowers, leaves, woods, resins and animal products, although the latter is more from a by-gone area where ethical concerns were not taken into account. The essence of these materials is captured through two main methods - distillation and solvent extraction.
- Distillation: This is one of the oldest methods of extracting essential oils. It involves passing steam through plant materials where the heat causes the cells of the plant to burst open and release their aromatic compounds. The steam together with their aromatic compounds then pass into a cooling system, where they condense back into liquid. The essential oil separates from the water and is collected. This method is commonly used for extracting oils from flowers like lavender and herbs like rosemary.
- Solvent Extraction: This is primarily used for more delicate plant materials such as jasmine or rose petals, as distillation can damage the delicate flowers. In solvant extraction tthe plant material is placed in large rotating tanks and washed repeatedly with a solvent like hexane, which absorbs the fragrant compounds. The solvent is then evaporated, leaving behind a waxy substance known as the concrete. The concrete is further processed with alcohol to separate the aromatic compounds, resulting in an absolute which is a highly concentrated form of the fragrance.
Synthetic Substitutes for Natural Notes
Synthetic substitutes aim to mimic natural scents and are often used due to cost, sustainability or for maintaining consistency. These substitutes are chemically created in labs and can closely replicate the natural aroma, they are also often the exact same compound that is found in the natural world, in essential oils.
- Galaxolide: a synthetic musk, offering a clean, sweet musky scent, used as an alternative to natural musk which is rarely used due to ethical reasons.
- Ethylvanillin: An artificial compound with a strong vanilla scent used instead of natural vanilla extract, this was also one of the first lab producted compounds used in fragrances .
- Linalool: Found naturally in lavender but often synthesized for its floral and slightly spicy scent, very commonly used in fragrances, if a note lists lavander there is a good change it will be Linalool unless stated by the fragrance house.
Pure Synthetics
Purely synthetic notes are chemicals not found in nature but made to add a unique dimension to perfumes.
- Calone: Known for its watermelon and marine-like scent, it adds a fresh, aquatic note to fragrances. One of the chemicals that was responsible for the explosion of the aquatic family line of fragrances
- Ambroxan (Ambroxide): Derived from ambergris it offers a warm, woody and ambery scent. Ambroxan is the trade name for Ambroxide.
Creative License
Perfumers often use abstract concepts to design fragrances that evoke particular moods or imagery. This creative freedom allows for the creation of unique and imaginative scents.
- "Ocean Breeze": This concept combines aquatic, fresh, and salty notes to evoke the scent of the sea even though there's no single ingredient that captures this scent naturally.
- "Forest Dew": A creation that aims to encapsulate the essence of a damp and green forest by using a mixture of green, earthy and fresh notes to create an image of stroll through a dewy forrest.
- "Black Rose": While there is no natural black rose in the natural world, perfumers create this scent by blending deep, rich rose notes with darker elements like patchouli or spices which evoke a sense of mystery.