| Term |
Description |
| Absolute
| An absolute is the most potent aromatic product made from a base product. It differs from an essential oil in that it’s produced through an extraction process that uses volatile solvents. The extracted solid material is then combined with alcohol to produce the absolute. Absolutes are also darker in color than essential oils. |
| Accord
| An accord is a blend of two fragrances to produce a third unique fragrance, with neither of the original two fragrances being detectable. You can compare it to the combining of basic colors, like yellow and blue to make green. When you look at green, you don’t see the yellow or blue – just green. And when you smell an accord, you only smell one distinct fragrance, not either of the original fragrances that were combined.
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| Aftershave
| Aftershave is a men’s toiletry product that could be classified as a cosmetic or a fragrance. It comes in the form of a lotion, a gel, or a balm. After shaving, men apply it for one or more of a few reasons: It makes the skin look smoother; it soothes sensitive skin; it closes the pores after shaving; and it serves as a light cologne. The cologne usually isn’t strong enough to interfere with the man’s primary cologne. In fact, there are some designer fragrances who’ve introduced aftershave that complements their fragrances.
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| Alcohol
| Alcohol is used in the process of making perfume. It’s job is to carry the perfume extracts, and release them when the perfume is dispensed. |
| Aldehydes | Organic chemicals derived from natural or synthetic materials. Aldehydes add a vivid, quick quality to top notes. Variations can be powdery, fruity, green, citrusy, floral or woody. |
| Aldehydic | Aldehydic comes from the Greek phrase “anointing oil”. In perfumery, it refers to a certain fatty fragrance, and can be found in perfumes such as Chanel No 5. |
| Amber | A fossil resin from the fir tree. Prized for its tenacity, it also adds warm, leathery, powdery elements to a composition. The color amber refers to the color of the resin. |
| Ambergris | Secretion from the male sperm whale, often found floating in the ocean. The Chinese once used it as an aphrodisiac. Ambergris imparts a woody, balsamic odor. Substitutes are used more often today, because the natural substance is difficult to obtain. |
| Ambrette Seed | These plant seeds yield a musky floral, brandy-type aroma. |
| Animalic | Animalic is a term used to describe what would be a bad odor on its own, like a faecal smell. But perfumers have found that, in very small dilutions, and in clever combinations with other ingredients, animalic scents can be quite pleasant. A perfume that uses animalic notes is Civet Absolute. |
| Anjelica | Oil from the root of the angelica tree, which is cultivated in France, Belgium and Germany. It is musky and peppery, with a spicy green quality. |
| Anosmia | Anosmia is the inability to smell. You can have either full or partial Anosmia. If you have full Anosmia, you can’t smell anything. If you have partial Anosmia, there are only certain things you can’t smell. |
| Apocrine sweat glands
| Apocrine sweat glands are those that give you your unique sexual and body scent. It can interfere with or influence the fragrance in perfumes you wear. |
| Aromachology
| Aromachology is a fairly new science – one of the new alternative therapies. It’s associated with fragrances and their psychological benefits and/or effects. It was developed by Annette Green, a member of the Fragrance Foundation, in the late 70s. An example of an aromachology-inspired perfume is Shiseido’s Relaxing, introduced in 1997. |
| Aromatherapy
| Aromatherapy is a term created by R.M. Gattefosse, a French chemist. It’s the art and science, although not a medically-approved one, of using aromatic substances, usually essential oils, to cure common ailments. It’s also popular as a stress reliever. |
| Aromatic
| Aromatic, in perfumery, refers to the rich scents of Balsamic notes.
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| Attar
| Attar, or Otto, as it is sometimes referred, comes from an old Persian word meaning “to smell sweet”. It’s an extremely expensive essential oil made from the Bulgarian rose. |
| Balsam | Balsam is a sticky resin that leaks out of trees when they’re cut. It’s used in perfume to create a woody scent.
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| Balsamic | Balsamic notes are found in some perfumes. They have a warm scent, and are popular in the Oriental group of fragrances, like Shalimar, Opium and Obsession.
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| Basil | A spicy herb with a green impression. |
| Bay Leaf | A tree leaf valued for its spicy, warm, almost bitter scent. |
| Bayberry | A shrub with berries, from which a waxy substance is taken. Bayberry adds a spicy, woody flair to fragrance. |
| Benzoin | Balsamic resin from the tropical styrax tree, used as a fixative, imparting a sweet, cocoa-like quality. Benzoin is found in Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. |
| Bergamot | Oil produced from the peel of the bergamot fruit. The inedible fruit is of the citrus family and is about the size of an orange. The largest bergamot production comes from Calabria, Italy. The fresh, citrus essence is ideal in top notes and eau de cologne. |
| Body
| Body is a term used to refer to the main theme or heart of a perfume. It can also be used to refer to a perfume that’s well-rounded or full.
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| Boronia | Essence taken from the flower of the boronia bush, which is mainly found in Australia. Often used in chypre blends, it leaves a spicy-rosy impression. |
| Bouquet
| Not surprisingly, bouquet is a term used to describe a mixture of floral notes.
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| Broom | This produces a sweet, grassy odor. It is derived from the blossoms of the Mediterranean-area Spanish broom shrub. |
| Buchu | Substance from the leaves of the buchu herb. It yields a strong minty, camphor odor. |
| Bulgarian Rose | A highly valued flower in perfumery, grown Bulgaria's Valley of the Roses at the base of the Balkan mountain range, where a Turkish merchant began cultivation centuries ago. |
| Camphoraceous | Camphoraceous refers to a Eucalyptus-like fragrance that’s found in the scent of certain herbs, like rosemary and lavandin.
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| Cardamom | Oil distilled from the cardamom plant, a member of the ginger family. It leaves a spicy floral impression. It is second only to saffron as the world's most expensive spice. In India, cardamom grains are chewed to freshen the breath. |
| Carnation | This flower gives off a spicy, sensual aroma. |
| Carrier oil | Carrier oil is just what it sounds like – an oil base that carries essential oils. Basically, they’re mixed together to make massage oils and skin care products. Some examples are apricot kernel, grape seed, jojoba and sweet almond. |
| Cassia Oil | Obtained from the leaves of an evergreen tree, valued for its spicy cinnamon-like quality. The oil is also used in cola drinks. |
| Cassis | Oil taken from the bud of the black currant fruit, which is also used in liqueur. |
| Castoreum | A secretion from the beaver that exudes a leathery quality and is used as a fixative. |
| Cedarwood | Oil obtained from the juniper cedar tree, which is native to Texas. An excellent fixative, it has a distinct wood tone. |
| Chamomile | A sweet, herbal odor with fruity notes, often used to balance floral compositions. |
| Chypre | Chypre is an ancient perfume, originally combining fresh citrus notes with Oakmoss and some animalic notes. About 100 years ago, Coty made a Chypre perfume, which has been currently followed up with similar fragrances, like Miss Dior and Aramis. Today, the most common use of Chypres, because of their leather character, is in men’s fragrances. |
| Cinnamon | Oil obtained from the bark and leaves of the cinnamomum tree, which is native to Southeast Asia and the East Indies. It imparts a familiar warm, sweet, spicy odor. |
| Citrus | Citrus notes are fresh scents, similar to the smell of fresh oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bergamot and pomello.
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| Civet | A glandular secretion from the civet cat, used as a fixative. Repugnant by itself, civet blends well and adds a warm, leathery, erotic tone to a composition. |
| Clary Sage | An herb valued for its sweet, subtle quality. |
| Classic | Classic fragrances are – well, they’re classic. They survive the years, remaining popular. They have depth, with a 3-10% floral absolute, much stronger than most modern fragrances. |
| Clove | Obtained from the clove tree, clove buds are prized for their spicy sweetness. The tree is cultivated in Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Indonesia. |
| Cloying | Cloying is a term used to describe a fragrance that’s sickly sweet and unpleasantly clinging. |
| Cologne | Cologne is a city in Germany where the very first modern perfume, as we now know it, was produced. That was about 300 years ago, and it was called Eau de Cologne – a perfume made basically from citrus oils. If you want a classic brand of Eau de Cologne that’s about 200 years old, try Farina Gegenuber or 4711. Today, cologne is a word usually used to describe men’s fragrances. |
| Compound | Compound is the term used in perfumery to describe the concentrated fragrance mixture before it’s diluted to make the finished perfume.
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| Concrete | Concrete is the term used in perfumery to refer to the hard, waxy substance that’s left after the solvent has been applied to the raw material, and has evaporated.
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| Coriander | Oil from the coriander herb of the parsley family, valued for its spicy aromatic impression. |
| Costus | Essence from the root of the costus plant of the daisy family, lends warmth to Oriental blends. It has green, violet-like accents. |
| Coumarin | Obtained from the tonka bean and often created synthetically, produces a sweet, herbal, spicy, hay-like odor, similar to vanilla. |
| Cyclamen | Essence taken from the heart-shaped flowers of the primrose family. |
| Depth | Depth refers to whether a scent is complex, sophisticated, rich or full-bodied.
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| Diffuser | A diffuser is an aromatherapy device that gently dispenses essential oils into the air.
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| Dry down | Dry down is what perfumers refer to as the final phase of a fragrance. It’s sometimes referred to as the bottom line or bottom note – the character of the fragrance that remains a few hours after applying the perfume.
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| Earthy
| Earthy is a term used by perfumers to describe notes that resemble earth, dirt, moss, and other such scents.
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| Eau de Cologne (EDC) | Eau de Cologne is the term used today to refer to a perfume solution with around a 3% compound in an oil and water base. It’s the lightest of perfumes and, therefore the least expensive.
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| Eau de Parfum (EDP) | Eau de Parfum is a perfume solution with a 10-15% compound. |
| Eau de Toilette (EDT)
| Eau de Toilette is a perfume solution with a 3-8% compound in an oil and water base.
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| Essential oil
| Essential oils are the concentrated essences that are the product of the distillation or expression of plants, including flowers, leaves, wood and grass.
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| Eucalyptus | Oil from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, leaves a strong herbal, camphor impression. Discovered in Tasmania, it is widely cultivated in Spain, Portugal and Australia and is well priced. |
| Evanescent
| Evanescent is a word used to describe a fragrance that disappears quickly.
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| Expression
| Expression, or cold press extraction, is the process of removing essential oils from plant material, like citrus peel, consisting of forcing the oil from the plant material.
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| Extract
| An extract is a perfume that has 15-45% compound in an alcohol base.
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| Extraction
| Extraction is the process of removing essential oils from plant material using solvents, which are then evaporated, leaving just the oil.
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| Fixative | A fixative is an ingredient added to perfume to make it last longer, similar to a preservative.
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| Flat
| A flat fragrance is like a flat beer – no body, no lift, uninteresting.
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| Floral
| Floral is a fragrance scent that resembles flowers, and is usually described as smooth or natural.
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| Flowery
| Flowery is a fragrance with flower or flower petal notes.
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| Forest blends
| Forest blend perfumes have earthy, woodsy, natural notes.
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| Fragrance
| Fragrance is often used interchangeably with perfume, but they’re not quite the same thing – fragrance is the scent of the perfume; perfume is the product itself.
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| Frangipani | Oil from the sweet, jasmine-like flowers of the frangipani tree. |
| Fresh
| Fresh is a term often used to describe citrus or green notes, found in light perfumes.
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| Fruity
| Fruity is a term used to describe a fragrance that has fruit scents, but not citrus fruits. It’s usually a kind of sweet-sour scent, like apples, strawberries, pineapples or bananas.
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| Full-bodied
| Full-bodied refers to a fragrance that’s rich and has depth.
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| Fungal
| Fungal is used to describe a fragrance that has notes of mushrooms, fungus, or mould, like oakmoss.
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| Galbanum | A gum resin valued for its leafy green, soft balsamic odor. Galbanum is used in many fragrances to provide a pleasing freshness, or green lift. |
| Gardenia | A heady white flower with a strong sweet scent. |
| Geranium | Oil made from the leaves and stems of the plant. Depending on the variety, it gives off a rosy, minty or fruity essence often used in rosy or spicy compositions. |
| Ginger | A woody, warm, spicy odor derived from the ginger plant. |
| Green | Green is a fragrance note that resembles freshly cut grass, or leaves, and it gives the perfume a vibrant scent.
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| Gums | Resins or balsams secreted from plants. Exhibiting a sweet tenacious odor, they are often used as fixatives. |
| Harmonious | Harmonious is a word used by perfumers to describe a fragrance that’s well mixed and well balanced.
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| Heady | Heady fragrances make you feel light-headed, exhilarated or stimulated.
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| Heart | Heart refers to the main theme, or the middle of the perfume. |
| Heavy | Heavy refers to a fragrance that’s potent and not vibrant, and is often described as sweet or balsamic.
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| Heliotropin | An aldehyde with a floral almond tone, found in pepper oil. |
| Herbaceous | Herbaceous refers to a fragrance that’s natural and hay-like, maybe even a little therapeutic. Some examples are chamomile, lavender, rosemary and sage.
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| Honey
| Honey is a term used to describe a fragrance that has a very sweet, almost medicinal scent – very heavy and syrupy.
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| Honeysuckle | A highly fragrant vine flower but difficult to capture correctly. The essence of honeysuckle is usually re-created by blending a variety of florals. |
| Hyacinth | A sweet floral that imparts a green impression. |
| Incense | Made from gums and resins, produces a spicy aroma when burned. |
| Jasmine | Called the king of flowers, a sweet tiny white flower with a vibrant, smooth aroma. Jasmine is one of the most prized essences in the perfumer's palette. It is grown in France, Morocco, India, Egypt and Spain and must be harvested before sunrise to retain the full amount of its delicate fragrance. |
| Jonquil | Highly fragrant essence derived from a flower of the narcissus family, rare because it is difficult to distill. |
| Labdanum | A dark resin obtained from the rockrose herb, valued for its leathery odor. |
| Lavender | From the flowering tops of lavender plants in France, Spain, Morocco and old Yugoslavia, a sweet, light essence with woody floral accents. The oil is used in lavender waters, chypres, fougeres and florals. Lavender water is said to have been a favorite of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. |
| Leather | A smoky, sweet, animal odor crafted from the perfumer's palette. It is warm and persistent. |
| Lemon | Oil from the lemon rind. It is a zesty, sharp, refreshing essence, and is added to brighten many compositions, particularly eau de cologne. |
| Lift | Lift is a term used to describe a fragrance that has life and brilliance. |
| Light | Light refers to a fragrance that’s not heavy – go figure! |
| Lilac | Since the essence released by the lilac plant and flower does not accurately portray its aroma, the perfumer re-creates the essence by using jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli and vanilla. |
| Lily of the Valley | Also known as muguet, lily of the valley is invented by the perfumer, using jasmine, orange blossom, rose, ylang-ylang and chemical additives. The sweet essence is difficult to obtain from the natural flower. |
| Magnolia | A sweet, highly fragrant flower, also stubborn in releasing its essence. The perfumer re-creates the essence by blending rose, jasmine, neroli and ylang-ylang with aroma chemicals. |
| Mandarin | Oil from the peel of the mandarin orange fruit, a brisk, sweet essence often used in eau de cologne. |
| May Rose | Also called rose de mai. The May rose from Morocco produces a rich, long-lasting oil prized for its full-bodied, diffusive qualities. |
| Middle notes | The middle notes are the fragrances that make up the main theme or the heart of a perfume. They usually appear about 10-20 minutes after the perfume is applied.
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| Mimosa | A green floral essence obtained from mimosa tree flowers and stems. It imparts a smooth, sweet aroma. |
| Modern | A modern perfume would be the opposite of a classic perfume – usually using new aroma chemicals, rather than natural materials. It usually has a light fragrance.
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| Moss | Earthy essences are derived from a variety of mosses: oakmoss, treemoss, lichen, seaweed and algae. |
| Mossy | Mossy refers to fragrances that have earthy notes, like the forest floor. |
| Muguet | Muguet is the French word for Lily of the Valley, one of the most popular florals used in perfumery. |
| Musk | A glandular secretion from the male musk deer of Tibet, China and Nepal, used as a fixative in fine perfumes. It is valued for its woody, animal, erotic impressions, though nowadays it is often created chemically by the perfumer. Soft, sensuous, pervasive. |
| Narcissus | A highly fragrant yellow and white flower that produces an intense spicy, earthy and sweet straw-like odor. Small amounts are often used to round off floral compositions. Native to Persia, the narcissus flower was carried to China over the silk route in the eighth century. |
| Narcotic | Narcotic is the term used to describe the fragrance of some floral notes, said to be intoxicating. |
| Neroli | Made from the orange blossoms of the bitter orange tree grown in France, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. It is light, sweet and spicy and is used in top notes and eau de cologne. It was named for the Duchess of Nerola and was often used to scent gloves. |
| Note | Note can refer to a single scent in a perfume, or it may be used to refer to one of the three stages of evaporation of a perfume, which are the top note, the middle note and the bottom note, the top being the first to evaporate. |
| Nutmeg | Spicy oil derived from the seeds of the South Asian nutmeg tree. |
| Oakmoss | A lichen grown on oak trees. Its odor is earthy, woody and slightly leathery. It is used as a fixative in many blends, especially chypre. |
| Olibanum | Also called frankincense. Olibanum is a gum resin from a tree found in Africa and Saudia Arabia. An outstanding fixative, its odor is spicy and balsamic, similar to that of incense. |
| Opopanax | Derived from a gum resin and similar to myrrh. A woody, sweet fixative. |
| Orange Blossom | From the white blossoms of the bitter orange tree. It adds a warm, spicy flavor that is often used in floral compositions. |
| Orange Oil | Produced from the peel of the orange, and often used in eau de cologne and floral fragrances. Refreshing, sweet, fruity and crisp. |
| Oriental | Oriental is a term that, in the past, was used to describe fragrances with balsamic, vanilla, oakmoss and animalic notes, but more recently has been used to describe fragrances that are heavy and full-bodied. Some examples of oriental perfumes are Opium, Obsession, Shalimar, and Samsara. |
| Orris | One of the most expensive ingredients used in perfumery. It is obtained from the iris plant, which is commonly cultivated in Italy. Its odor is violet-like and can be warm, sweet, woody, fruity or floral, depending on the quality. |
| Osmanthus | Produced from the flowers of the osmanthus tree, which is found in Japan, China and Southeast Asia. It has a floral odor, with a hint of plum and raisin. |
| Patchouli | Oil obtained from the leaves of the patchouli plant, a superb fixative. Discovered in India, it is also cultivated in Malaysia and Indonesia. Its odor is earthy, dry, woody and spicy. Patchouli is often used in Oriental and chypre blends. |
| Perfume | Perfume, or parfum, as it is sometimes called, is the highest concentration of oils, with 20-50% compound, which makes it last longer than others.
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| Perfumer | Perfumer is a multi-use word, used to describe a person who either creates, mixes, or sells perfume.
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| Petitgrain | Essence derived from the leaves and stems of the bitter orange tree. It has a subtle woody tone similar to neroli. Sweet and floral, petitgrain adds freshness to a fragrance, especially eau de cologne. |
| Powdery
| Powdery is a word used to describe a fragrance produced by a combination of a heavy, sweet or woody note with a citrus, fruit or light green note.
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| Resin | Gum secretions from trees and plants, often used as fixatives. |
| Resinoids | Resinoids are extracts from gums or resins that are used as fixatives in perfumes.
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| Rose | Rose is used to describe one of the most common notes in perfumery which, of course, comes from rose petals.
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| Rosemary | Flowers and leaves of the evergreen rosemary herb of the mint family, distilled for use in perfumery. The oil produces an herbal note that is woody and slightly lavender-like. |
| Rosewood Oil | Oil obtained from the wood of the rosewood tree, the aniba rosaeodora of the laurel family. It gives off a rosy odor, sweet and subtly spicy. Rosewood is often added to eau de cologne. |
| Sage | A fresh, spicy odor from the sage herb. |
| Sandalwood | Oil from the sandalwood tree, the evergreen santalum album grown in India, Australia and Southeast Asia, though the Indian province of Mysore supplies 85% of all sandalwood. The wood is valued for its aroma and its imperviousness to termites. The trees must mature at least thirty years for the oil to fully develop. An expensive ingredient, sandalwood oil is prized for its fixative quality. Its odor is powdery, balsamic, woody and rich. Sandalwood gives a smooth finish to Oriental, chypre and floral perfumes |
| Spicy | Spicy describes fragrance notes that have a warm or hot character, as opposed to the neutral or cool Herbal notes. Their scent is pungent, similar to those of cinnamon, or clove and thyme oil. |
| Stability | Stability refers to how long a fragrance lasts, either in the bottle with the other ingredients, or exposed to heat, light or air.
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| Strength | The strength of a fragrance refers to how intense its scent is. |
| Styrax | A sweet balsam found on the styrax tree, an excellent fixative. |
| Substantivity | Substantivity refers to how long a fragrance lasts on a particular surface, and how it’s affected by temperature, humidity, and other such conditions. |
| Sweet | The sweetness of a fragrance can be described in several ways – it can be used to refer to a vanilla sweetness, a floral sweetness, or a fruity sweetness. Whichever one is used, it refers to a rich, sweet taste. |
| Sweet Pea | A flower oil produced from the fragrant flowering vine, valued for it light, delicate nature. |
| Synthetic | Synthetic is a term that’s used to refer to a substance that’s man-made, with the specific purpose of duplicating a particular scent. Synthetics are sometimes better than natural materials because their properties can be controlled. |
| Tagetes | Essence produced from the tagetes flower, which is grown in Spain, Italy and South Africa. The strong essence has an herbal, aromatic personality with fruity undertones. |
| Tenacious | A tenacious fragrance will last a long time, keeping it’s main theme or scent. |
| Thin | A thin fragrance lacks body or depth. |
| Thyme | Derived from the flowering herb. Thyme smells sweet and herbaceous--ideal for eau de cologne. |
| Tonka Bean | Fragrant seeds from native South American trees of the Dipteryx family. |
| Top note | The top note of a perfume is the fragrance that you initially smell. Top notes are usually light, citrus notes. |
| Tuberose | One of the most expensive oils, from a flower known for its rich, sensual aroma. Its cost is due in part to a painstaking processing called enfleurage, an oil extraction method whereby the flowers are pressed into fat, then the oil is separated with alcohol. Tuberose is a perennial plant native to Mexico. The sweet, honey-like aroma adds fullness to many floral fragrances and blends well with gardenia, jonquil and hyacinth. |
| Vanilla | Made from the fruit and seeds of a climbing orchid vine. It has pods, or capsules encasing the beans. Vanilla is an impressive sweet fixative, used in many Oriental, amber and floral perfumes. |
| Vanillin | Can be produced naturally from the vanilla pod, as well as certain balsams and benzoins. It can also be made synthetically. Its sweet, strong odor is similar to vanilla, but lacks the depth of vanilla. Vanillin blends well with vanilla to produce a round, full-bodied vanilla aroma. |
| Velvety | A velvety fragrance is smooth and mellow, without any harsh notes. |
| Vetiver | A grass grown in Haiti, Reunion Island, Brazil, China and Southeast Asia. It has a woody, earthy quality, enhanced by a moist balsamic accent. A superb fixative, vetiver is an important component in chypre blends. |
| Violet | The violet flower yields such a minute amount of oil that it is cost prohibitive to extract. Instead, the violet aroma is created chemically for use in perfumery. |
| Violet Leaf | Oil from the leaves of the violet plant, valued for its cucumbery green and peppery herbal aroma, with touches of violet and iris. Parma, Italy, is known for its violet production. |
| Woody | Woody fragrances are those that have forest notes, like freshly cut dry wood such as cedarwood and sandalwood.
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| Ylang-Ylang | From Tagalog for "flower of flowers." This oil comes from the flower of ylang-ylang trees grown in Madagascar, Indonesia, Comoros and the Philippines. The rich oil has a jasmine-like aroma and sweet balsamic accents. Used in many floral and Oriental compositions, ylang-ylang smooths and rounds bitter notes, adding warmth and grace. |
