Bois de Jasmin

Fragrance Notes and Perfume Lexicon Series

As I organize my archives, I would like to bring to your attention another series of articles, this time on fragrance notes and perfume terms. This group of posts is available under the general topic of Perfume Notes as well as on the left side bar.

Amber : Classical Sweet Note

Ambergris : Animalic Amber

Benzoin, Styrax, Tolu and Other Oriental Balsams

Carnation: Classical Spicy Floral

Cedarwood: Classical Woods

Chocolate: Delicious Darkness

Citrus: From Bergamot to Yuzu

Damascone: Rose-Fruity Ingredient

Hedione: Luminous Jasmine

Hyacinth: Green Floral Note

Indole: Misunderstood Floral Note

Ionones: Sweet and Powdery

Lily of the Valley: Fresh Floral

Musk: Salt and Butter of Perfumery

Orange Blossom vs Neroli

Oud: Notes and Reviews

Patchouli: Exotic and Familiar

Rose: All Facets of Flower

Tonka Bean and Coumarin

 

More Fragrance Notes and Perfume Terms Articles

 

Photograph © Bois de Jasmin

Musk in Fragrance : Salt and Butter of Perfumery

This article was originally published on November 23, 2005. The original hyperlink got damaged during a recent platform upgrade, therefore I am republishing it.

It would not be an understatement to say that there is hardly a fragrance that does not contain at least one musk component. The power of musk to refine, balance, fix and accentuate compositions without adding a heavy note is exceptional, and no other ingredient can rivals musks in terms of their popularity and versatility. Musk forms the pedestal upon which the entire composition rests. It fuses sensuality and warmth even into the simplest of compositions, and there exist numerous fragrances based solely around musk.

The term musk/musky in perfumery refers not only to the specific ingredients, but also to the abstraction of the complex odours of natural musk, which range from balmy, sweet, and powdery to fig-like, animalic, leathery, spicy, and woody. As Philip Kraft notes in his great overview of musks, “the more one studies its character [that of natural musk tincture], the more contrasting, vibrant and oscillating it becomes: repulsive–attractive, chemical–warm, sweaty–balmy, acrid–waxy, earthy–powdery, fatty–chocolate-like, pungent–leathery, resinous–spicy, fig-like, dry, nutty and woody, to give just some impressions” (144). The abstraction of these complex impressions into “warm, sweet, powdery and sensual” is what can be understood whenever “musky” tonality is mentioned. ...

Amber : Sweet Labdanum ~ Perfume Notes and Fragrance Materials

The classical amber in perfumery is a sweet, rich accord of labdanum and vanilla. It is a pure fantasy accord like fougère or chypre, and despite the fact that its name evokes the fabled material, ambergris, it does not attempt to reproduce this animalic marine scent. Perfumery amber is so called, because the golden color of the blend resembles the semi-precious amber jewel. Sweet and voluptuous, perfumery amber is quite versatile, and whenever one encounters a fragrance named Amber or Ambre, it is likely to be a warm, vanilla and labdanum based blend.

Ambergris : Mysterious and Controversial Amber Note

Amber, ambergris, ambreine, Ambroxan, Ambrox…. These terms found in fragrance descriptions are often among the most confusing, since the only amber most of us know is the fossilized resin with no scent whatsoever. In perfumery, the amber fragrance family is among the most important. As a perfumery student, like many of my colleagues, the first fragrance accord I learned to make was amber, a dark, voluptuous abstract composition. Since the topic of amber in fragrances is a large one, I decided to break it up into several posts. In the first of the “Amber Perfume Notes” articles, I will talk of ambergris.

Precious perfume materials like oud, sandalwood, musk, and rose are surrounded by much mystery and lore, but none is more so than ambergris. Even in ancient times, it was a highly valued material, very much sought after for its medicinal, aphrodisiac and fragrant properties. Meaning “grey amber” in French, ambergris looks like dark grey or black lumps. The touch of a warm hand releases its unique fragrance—sweet, musky, warm, with a salty facet of seaweed and cured tobacco leaf. The most unusual aspect of ambergris is its unique radiance and tenacity. While the scent itself is not heavy or overwhelming, the sillage of ambergris is one of the most extraordinary.

Perfume Lexicon & Fragrance Notes : All About Citrus

According to the Greek mythology, the garden of Hesperides was a garden belonging to Zeus’s consort, Hera, where immortality-giving apples grew, tended by the daughters of Hesperus or the God of Evening, the Hesperides. Alluding to the magical golden apples, the name Hesperide came to be applied first to oranges and then to the entire citrus family.

Although citruses seem ubiquitous now, the fragrant fruit was among the precious cargo from the Spice Route. The earliest mention of citruses occurs in the Nan-Fang Ts’ao Mu (Trees and Plants of the South) written around 300 A.D. by Chi Han, while in 1178, there appears a whole chronicle dedicated to citruses, the Citrus Chronicle (Chű Lu), written by Han Yen-chih (Morris 48). Native to China and Southeast Asia, where about 500 species can be found, citruses were brought to the west by the Arabs. The parts of Europe under Arab control, such as Spain and Sicily have a long tradition of citrus cultivation. Indeed, Sicilian citrus oils have always been among the most prized. In the 14th century, spice trade was the source of revenue for Italy, specifically Venice, which after the battle at Chioggia in 1380, defeated Genoa and monopolized the trade (Morris 141). The Venetian galleys intercepted the caravans at Aleppo or Alexandria, and then would transport their wares to various guilds in Europe (141).