I've been working for some time on a kind of primer on "getting to know fragrance notes" (or at least, what little I know on the subject). I kept stumbling over the need to debunk some of the common fallacies about the "lists of notes" that are associated with any given fragrance, and I finally gave up and decided to tackle that topic first.
Everything below can be neatly summed up as follows: not everything in a fragrance is necessarily in the list of notes, and not everything in the list of notes is necessarily in the fragrance. There, now I've saved you the trouble of further reading.
What are lists of fragrance notes, and where do they come from
The lists of fragrance notes you see here and there on the internet are usually provided by the public relations department of the perfume house in question. They are meant to give some general idea of what the fragrance "contains", or at least, what the PR department thinks it smells like (or perhaps more accurately, what they think describes it most alluringly to potential customers), but that is all. They aren't recipes, and they aren't complete. Sometimes they are very short and sweet. For example, the recently released Ungaro by Ungaro lists only 3 notes: jasmine, saffron and amber. In contrast, Shiseido's recently re-launched Zen fragrance lists 20: grapefruit, bergamot, peach, pineapple, blue rose, freesia, gardenia, red apple, violet, lily of the valley, hyacinth, rose, lotus flower, patchouli, cedar, musk, white musk, amber, incense and marine plant. There is no reason whatsoever to think that Zen actually contains more separate ingredients than Ungaro. It might, but then again, it might not. Perhaps both fragrances contain exactly 101 "ingredients". As consumers, we will never know (and speaking for myself, I couldn't care less).
Moreover, the "list" might get tweaked between the time it is first announced and the time you read it on a department store website even if the juice itself hasn't changed in the interim. Or, the PR department might give one list to the sales associates in the stores, another list to the press. This leads to many misunderstandings. From time to time, you'll see a post on a fragrance forum saying "Site X lists these notes for Perfume Y, Site Z lists these other notes, which is correct?" The best answer is neither, either, both. That is, neither is a complete list, either might be a better representation of what the scent "has in it". Take your pick, or combine them, it doesn't much matter.
Correspondingly, when you know a fragrance has been reformulated and you see a "new" list of notes, the difference between the old list and the new list may not have anything to do with how the fragrance has actually changed. It may simply reflect changes in how the PR department wants the fragrance to be represented to the public. It is not likely, after all, that you will be told that the expensive Grasse jasmine in the original has been replaced with a cheaper jasmine from elsewhere or that part or all of it has been replaced by an even cheaper synthetic jasmine. Nor will they alarm you by informing you that the synthetic musk in the original, which is now banned, has been replaced with something safer.
Why the list of notes doesn't matter
First of all, as we've already alluded to above, they don't tell you everything that is in the juice. Another common forum post goes "I hate aldehydes, what fragrances don't have any aldehydes?" Then people list all the scents that don't have "aldehydes" listed in the notes. This is not how it works. There are all kinds of fragrances with aldehydes that don't list aldehydes as a note (and, there is more than one kind of aldehyde — you might like one and not the other, and they might only bother you in high doses). There are also many fragrances where the aldehyde is "listed" as the note it is meant to mimic, for instance, if you see "peach" in the list of notes, what you might be smelling as "peach" could be an aldehyde.
Even if a note is listed, you don't know what specific aroma chemical was used for that note. So, for instance, I also see posts that say "Musk always turns sour on me, what fragrances don't have musk?" (and then, as you can guess, people list fragrances that don't have "musk" in the notes). Two important points: fragrances without any synthetic musk are rare, and there are many different aroma chemicals meant to mimic "musk". There are woody musks, fruity musks, powdery musks, clean musks, "metallic" musks...the list goes on and on. One fragrance might have one of them, another might have another, many perfumers use more than one in the same fragrance. The word "musk" in a list of notes therefore doesn't tell you anything about what it will smell like, and there is no reason to assume that because one fragrance with musk smelled sour to you that another one necessarily will.
The same holds true for many other notes. Take almost any floral note — tuberose, jasmine, rose, whatever. The fact that the flower is in the list of notes doesn't mean any actual flowers were used in the making of the perfume. There might be "real" jasmine, there might be a combination of synthetic and real jasmine, there might be synthetic jasmine only, there might be a combination of several different synthetic jasmines. There might be a synthetic aroma chemical that smells like "flowers", and they've decided to list it as "jasmine". So, as with musk, you might like "jasmine" in one fragrance but not in another, or you might see jasmine in a list of notes but not smell anything like jasmine in the juice, or you might smell jasmine in the juice, but it isn't in the list of notes at all.
In some cases, perfumers use what we might call "re-engineered" aroma materials. For Hermès Brin de Reglisse, perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena "...turned to his colleagues at an independent perfume lab in Grasse. He asked them to slice natural lavender into 50 distinct groups of molecules, sniffed them all, discarded five and reassembled it" to get the exact "lavender" he wanted. Likewise, the patchouli used in perfumes these days is often processed to remove the heavy earthy undertones that render it too "hippie-ish" for modern consumers. Many people who don't like "patchouli" (including me) may find they barely notice patchouli in newer fragrances, others (again, including me) find the use of all these smoothed-over natural materials has rendered many modern perfumes too clean for comfort.
You should also be aware that there are aroma chemicals that smell like more than one "note", and these may be listed in the notes as separate entities. The notes "precious woods, amber and musk" could all come from one single synthetic aroma chemical. Another company might use that very same aroma chemical and just list it as "musk", or "sensual musk", yet another might list it as "exotic woods". The notes "tuberose, orange blossom" could come from one aroma chemical, so could the notes "mimosa, jasmine" or "leather, cedar, vetiver".
One final note that seems to cause confusion is amber. After the release of Prada Amber Pour Homme, I saw people express surprise that the list of notes (bergamot, mandarin, neroli, cardamom, geranium, vetiver, orange blossom, myrrh, nirvanolide musk, labdanum, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla, saffron, patchouli and leather) did not include "amber". There is no single natural material called amber; it is a cocktail of notes (or an "accord") that might include labdanum, benzoin, vanilla, tonka bean or patchouli, just to name a few possibilities. A fragrance might contain one or more of those materials, or it might just contain a synthetic note that smells "amber-y", and the perfume house might choose to list the individual notes, or just say "amber", "molten amber", "hot liquid amber", or whatever they think sounds good.
Why the list of notes does matter
You might wonder why you should bother reading the list of notes at all, then? Well, my answer is simple: as a consumer, it is about all I have to go on*. There are 2-3 new fragrances being released every day, and I'm not planning to smell them all. And while to some extent the list of notes is fantastical, it can offer clues to consumers who are trying to figure out what is worth the effort of smelling.
The "sparkling green freshness" listed in the notes for Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B. L made me suspect that the top notes would remind me of air freshener, and lo and behold, they do. I can smell the pear and the sweet pea in L, as advertised, even if there aren't any "real" pears or sweet peas in the juice. Likewise, the "strawberry sorbet" and "caramel popcorn" in Christian Dior's Miss Dior Chérie were pretty good clues that the final result would be sweet and fruity, and it was, same goes for the "red lychee, golden quince, kiwi and cupcake accord" in Britney Spears Fantasy.
I can think of plenty of examples where the list of notes has led me astray, and certainly it never tells you everything you need to know. This list sounds lovely to me: green ivy, tangerine, water lily, orange flower petals, Moroccan rose, jasmine sambac, mimosa, apricot skin, amber, precious woods and musk, but it's for the upcoming Vera Wang Flower Princess, and having already smelled the original Vera Wang Princess, I'm fairly sure Flower Princess won't be joining my collection.
So, make what you will of lists of notes, but don't forget to trust your nose. If you smell vanilla but it isn't in the list, don't assume that means you're dreaming, and if the list includes vanilla and you can't smell it, don't worry that your sense of smell is to blame.
* And mind you, I'm not complaining. I'd much rather read (and wear) "lily of the valley" and "musk" than hydroxycitronellal and galaxolide.
Note: images, top left to right, are ~
Lavender [cropped] by Thowra_uk at flickr; some rights reserved.
Blue Atlas Cedar [cropped] by J And R Photography at flickr; some rights reserved.
Yuzu citrus [cropped] by alde at flickr; some rights reserved.
Wow! You are brilliant, my friend. Well written, well thought out, well researched, well presented.
I love it!
Thank you for this very informative post.
Hugs!
Ah Robin, what an excellent, clear, fuzz-busting description of perfume notes. If only all writers could so accurately identify the places where confusion is darkest, and enlighten their readers so tactfully.
Perfume is a bit like abstract painitngs, I think. If you look at it closely…lots of green squiggles. Squint a bit and defocus, and it's …a banana!
Ah, this explains a lot! Thank you for a most informative article. I have often wondered why I will love one “amber” perfume and find another too cloying. I guess we must trust our noses and the effect the perfume has on our (and only our) skin. Thank you for this well-written and very clear article.
Thanks Robin, for this roasting article (is that how you say in English?)! The most interesting for me: there is no such single ingredient as AMBER!! It doesn't exist! Is that true? Now I understand why I find perfumes ambery that don't name amber in the list. And it helps me describe things better, as I like “amber”.
One thing you didn't mention which I always found really intriguing is, that there is a group of flowers from which the scent can't be extracted, The most interesting fact about this is, that this applies to such “famous” notes as I think violet, freesia, lilac and lilly of the valley. Their fragrance does NOT EXIST in perfumes, it always has to be a reconstruction / interpretation using other materials.
About the musks, I often notice on the men's market there are groups of new trendy releases, which seem to be be based on the same accord. I assume it must be a new “prefab” musk-accord delivered by one company. I can't give an example but on the women's market it was quite obvious with the flood of foody scents in purple bottles some years ago – or one of the Bulgari Omnia accords I seem to recognise in completely different fragraces. Dunno, maybe just my perception…
Thank you to both of you, glad you liked it 🙂
Thanks C 🙂
Glad it helped 🙂
I don't think “roasting” is how you say it — you'll have to tell me what you mean!
If you'll to to the Glossary (link at bottom of page) you can find an explanation of amber vs. ambergris which might also help.
Quite so about all those floral notes, although today, you also don't know if what is being used is a traditional accord or something like headspace technology — and even for flowers that CAN be extracted, you still don't know.
Agree on the musk. I was sort of sorry I ever smelled that Iso E Super fragrance from Escentric Molecules — it annoys me now to recognize how widely it is used. I'd just as soon not know 😉
Oops, meant “go to” not “to to”…
🙂
Sure… thanks for the answer 🙂
Hah! I meant something like “to give sb. a dressing-down/roasting”… in a good way of course.
L
Sorry, I guess I rather meant brainwash… oh, forget it, I only embarras myself 😉
THIS is why we love you and visit your site with near-religious regularity, Robin. Incredibly clear, informative and interesting article. As usual.
I am captivated by the general idea that fragrances are made from all sorts of wild and woolly molecules, “natural” or synthetic, which can be named all sorts of marketable things. I, too, don't need to know the details. It's fun to conjecture a bit about the new notes we're smelling/being “sold” on (remember when litchi was suddenly everywhere? and we know that pink pepper is anything BUT) , and it adds to the whole fascination we have about perfume. It also helps us feel we're not completely insane when some things just hit our nostrils in funny ways; for instance, there's some phoney “pear” note in Gwen Stefani's L that my own receptors magnify to dizzying proportions. Ain't chemistry cool?
More, please, Robin!!
Really fun, informative post. Thanks, Robin!
Robin, I don't know what we are supposed to smell in Le Parfum de Therese, but I am so glad that I did not know it when I first tried it.
I smelled Le Parfum de Therese and and just let my own imagination flow with with it, together with my associations. Smelled it and 'saw it' instead of being focused on things (supposed) to come..
Not knowing what is in the perfume turned out to be the nicest thing.. 🙂
I'm sticking to my guns — there *is* tuberose (tuberosalaxalide or whatever other nonsense I just made up) in Fleur du Male 😉
Great article, R and funny to boot! I too would much sooner wear a 'musk' than something (out of the lab) that I can't pronounce.
Robin, GREAT post. As someone who's always trying to make sense of those lists of notes, at least I'd figured out they seem to be meant to give me a suggestion of what the average consumer is *supposed* to be smelling, rather than a faithful listing of the chemical components. And even then the lists can vary wildly for a given scent.
Trying on Miss Boucheron recently I commented to the SA (they must have been getting a commission that week) that I found it “a little fruity.” She said, well, that's very strange, because there's NO fruit in it! And technically, of course, she's right 🙂 anyway thanks again for the fun read.
*bows before R, in respect and gratitude*
Excellent analysis. What I needed to know, and why I, too, read notes just as a general weeding-out of things I won't bother to sniff.
Lars — now I get it! It makes sense, but perhaps not exactly the way I'd say it.
Yes, sometimes it is better to preserve the “magic” part.
Thank you Denise!
Brilliant post! Thanks so much for writing this, R!
You nailed it! Posting this blog on this day is karmic for me as
anything I have tried to make I have needed to “step away from the lists!” repeating that and trust my nose..
Only in this way do I think I could have made a Daphne perfume blend for a friend that I feel isn't confined. All my other creations seemed list based and not original. But today I really think I nailed the vaguely medicinal aspects even the ones I find a bit unpleasant in the scent that make the flower. It is poisonous after all! It feels liberating.
Nice analogy to wine, thanks!
I like trying natural fragrances, but am not really disturbed by synthetics. I don't get “solar notes” either, but “sea breeze” is usually some synthetic like Calone, which can mimic both ozonic and aquatic notes. And again, I'd rather read “sea breeze accord” than Calone 😉
LOL — please think of something better, Tuberosalaxalide sounds like a deadly disease!
And adding — FdM smells “fuller” than you'd expect if “orange blossom” was the only “flower” in there — don't know if it has tuberose, real or otherwise, but if it did, I rather doubt they'd list it in a men's scent.
You know, poor SAs — they either don't know the notes when you ask, or they don't understand them if they do.
Great article, Robin! Thanks for shedding light on such a vague and generally confusing subject:) It's good to know that relying on one's nose first and foremost is the way to go:)
Thanks for taking the time to research this information, R! Excellent and informative reading. As much as we poke fun at PR releases and the purple prose used in scent descriptions, I would, yes, rather read them than lists of chemicals. 🙂
“General weeding out” is necessary these days!
Your daphne scent sounds intriguing, hope your friend will love it!
It is all confusing! I'm still confused 🙂
There aren't enough people like you, R, with common sense, in the world of perfume writing.
I take very little notice of lists of notes: I know they don't mean very much and a list that *seemingly* contains all my favourite notes is no guarantee whatsoever that I will like the fragrance. That way I'm not so disappointed when a perfume doesn't come up to my expectations.
Great article specially to alert newcomers into the fragrance world.
Thanks!
p.s.: I feel a tourette-like irrepresible need to say: MOLTEN RIVER OF AMBER! 😀 There, I said it…. It was all over the new EL lunch and you said it here again on your article.. molten IS the new buzzword… move away, pink pepper! 😀
You're very kind J! I can't say I take little notice — I'm always getting my hopes up & then being disappointed, LOL…
Great article! Loved it! Very informative and an excellent read, thank you Robin!
Iso E Super is everywhere, isn't it? There's a huge wad of it in Polo Explorer, and it's very unsettling, because it's so naked and obvious: they didn't even do anything with it, just plunked it right in the middle of a (predictable and ordinary) fresh-aquatic men's scent. It made the scent more interesting, because of that unexpected contrast between the creamy-wood scent of Iso E Super and the “waterfall accord” scent, but still.
I would like to note alongside your discussion of “amber” in fragrances that, even when there's no ambergris present (which there usually isn't), amber was originally meant to denote an ambergris-like scent. Ambergris is said (by one of my references, anyway, Nigel Groom's “Perfume Handbook”) to resemble labdanum, so that's an almost inevitable component of an amber scent. Nowadays, the word “amber” is so tangled up with the stone and with various amber scents (which can contain quite a few sweet/warm/sensual components) that the original meaning is muddied, but in perfumery, whatever “amber” might mean nowadays, it was merely a shorthand form of “ambergris”, and that's how I still think of it.
Perhaps this article of mine might help you and answer every possible question on AMBER:
http://perfumeshrine.fortunecity.com/blog/entry76.html
The matter of how different sets of notes hint at different results is something I have debunked in my “Twin Peaks” articles on Perfume Shrine as well: basically two scents that have different sets of notes might smell remarkably the same 😉
I'm not being kind: it's the truth. And you know I value common sense above all else, really.
Glad to see you're not jaded yet. I definitely couldn't do what you're doing.
It is astonishing how frequently it's used, really! I am hoping I'll forget the smell eventually, for now, it's making me crazy.
Yes, you can find a brief discussion of ambergris vs. amber in the glossary (link at bottom), and some companies will still list “ambergris” in the notes (or, gray amber, white amber, black amber) when what they mean is “amber”.
Thanks!
Thanks 🙂
Great article Robin. Could the SA's all read it while they are training? I told an Annick Goutal SA that Eau de Charlotte had a hay note to me (which I like about it!) and she as much as told me “no it doesn't”. NOTE to SA's: don't argue with customers about what they smell in a fragrance.
Of course, perhaps it's another post to address the “alll natural” assertions about the perfume formulations. In a NYC recent trip, was told by earnest SA's that the Chanel Exclusifs and Isabelle Capeto fragrances were “all natural”. <> –GGS
Helg, I always thought that Amber was fossilized resin only and associated it with warm and glowing. Thank you for the website!!
Robin,
This is a brilliant article. Well done. Seriously well done! I've sorta known this or thought this was the case but never knew if I was right.
I'm about to launch an online perfume shop (decants and small indie perfumes) and will definitely have a link on my site to this article!
Thanks a million!
Abby PS: shop name: The Posh Peasant http://www.theposhpeasant.com should be launched in about 4-5 wks – I'm so excited!
Now I'll be thinking of “molten river of (fill in the blank)” all weekend.
And thanks for a fine article that clarified an important issue. I have a tendency to read list of notes and say to myself, “sounds good” or “sounds bad”, but as you wrote, it's unlikely that reading a list of notes is going to tell me anything. I am almost better off relying on the look and feel of the marketing campaign or the packaging, at least until I can sniff. For example, the new EL you mentioned yesterday (?) seems more “mature”, so I am more likely to like it, as opposed to, say, Vera Wang's Princess, which is marketed quite differently. But obviously that's not an exact science either. The things we have to worry about!
Thanks for this, Robin! I go out of town for a few days and come back to find both this article and your other on perfume snobbery (which you know I have my own take on)—we NST readers are lucky that you are both talented and prolific.
In my response to Angela's article on learning to identify notes in perfumes, I noted that part of the difficulty is not only that we are rarely identifying the actual ingredients (or even, as you say, the actual accords) but that in all cases, both natural and synthetic, we are dealing with a gloss on some platonic ideal of the note. Which is to say, that even if we were actually given a true recipe of natural ingredients, we'd still be guessing. What is “lavender,” after all? A blooming plant in dry Provence is different from that in a cool English garden, or again in Jean Claude Ellena's molecular reformulation: we can smell each and tell that they are more linked than not, but that's about it.
That said, I do find it helpful to have a more, rather than less, accurate description of the way a perfume unfolds, in the same way that I appreciate good program notes at an opera in foreign language. My ultimate reaction might have nothing to do with the description, but it gives me somewhere to start.
And of course, all this confusion over notes means that good descriptive writing about perfume is very much needed. Ahem.
Great article. I do read the notes to give myself some kind of footing when I start sniffing a scent, knowing full well, as you say, that “jasmine”, “musk” or “amber” can be any one (or ten) of a hundred different things.
But as many have mentioned here, what really kills me is the discussions with some SAs.
– There's iris, says I [re: Prada Cuir Ambré] definitely.
– No there isn't, it's not in the list!
At least, at the Serge Lutens boutique, the SAs know to smile mysteriously and say that M. Lutens doesn't give out many notes even to them, that they have to pry them out of him. Hence this dialogue:
– There's a tea note in here. And tobacco. [re: 5 O'Clock]
– It's not listed, so I don't know. If you smell it, it's there. (said with Mona Lisa smile).
LOL at “no it doesn't” — and the “all natural”! I can't even remember now all the things SAs have told me are “all natural” over the years. I can only assume they make it up — can't believe brands are training them to say it when it's so obviously not true.
Oh, huge congrats on your upcoming store! Shoot me an email when you open — I can't remember anything for 5 weeks 😉
I love that Serge Lutens takes thing to another dimension than just releasing perfume ingredients, to him listed olfactory notes are definitely secondary to his litterary descriptions.
Gris Clair…
“This wandering pollen, like ashes dropped on a dead city, deploys its humble crowning with despair in the name of light from an adolescent sky.
This magic dust brought by wind, has come to this austere and arid landscape made of rocks, luminous and sublime.
Inaccessible, surrounded by stones, this flower – is it really a flower? – has made dew its watering hole. Insensitive to the burning of the sun, miracle in abandon, it survives.
A magician, soft, hanging from its fingers of lace… slender roots.
Eternal nectar; in its poor king’s cloak, stripped of its honours, “Lavender” I call it… grey the colour I give it.
Poetic, marvel, diamond silk in eternal exile, she deploys her dry fragrance in a heart of flames which carries inside, in the name of beauty, the point of a star.”
Chypre Rouge
Childhood… an intense world in which we can feel so small.
It was late fall in the woods of Vendée. With its carpet of leaves, its trees and shrubs, the forest gave me the feeling that I was a minute cell floating in a giant organism: aortas, veins, vessels, ramified trees that gave life to a fantastic world to which I belonged.
As the tournament ends, blood spills on shields and helmets and fair ladies dressed in brocade, gold, silk and damask, have shut their eyes and sit in silence before the spectacle.
Winter is on its way with its dagger of cold. The woods are in mourning.
The tall trees rocked by the wind look like knights in rusty armours, exhausted after battle.
I remember looking at the forest ground, covered with dead leaves, and finding it both macabre and beautiful. Something caught my attention: a strange patch of moss at the base of a tree, it looked as if it were bleeding, purple and red.
Ceremonial dress, splendid and dying, lit by the rays of a nearby clearing. “Don’t deny, you will confess!” In this doorless dungeon we look for an exit. Thin light comes from a murdering hole.
Eagle nest, precious stones, coat of arms, standards, what are we made of? Eternity, limpidity, freshness, beauty, velvet softness. A secret continent of which we would be the body, in golden darkness, moss of spices and vermeil. The kiss of a choirboy on the ring of an archbishop.
Softness and depth, secret in scents where, laying our cheeks we can only dream.
Cèdre
“The wildcat glides along, cautious and rhythmic with supple, velvety steps of steel. The forest watches… A heavy, restless silence, a tense moment, similar to those preceding the jury’s verdict to condemn the accused, guilty or even innocent… The embrace of life, the grip of death…once decided, it will bring peace. Time holds its breath. Cedar, the great wood whose vocabulary I have so often used… boasting the unique qualities of this romantic essence in a class of its own.
A rich, woody, animalistic, soft fragrance… harmonises in full splendour with arrogant tuberose. A strong musk blended with amber, cloves and cinnamon adds the final touch to the regalia. An irrevocable verdict for this essential,profoundly original fragrance…
To me, it is the whole thing: I want to know the brand, the notes, who it's aimed at, the bottle — yes, then you get some “feel” for what it *might* be like, even if it isn't an exact science.
A, agree with all of that, except the “Ahem” LOL!!
Carmencanada, even when it's on the list, it doesn't always help — my favorite SA argument was w/ a Gucci rep over “tiare”, which she told me was a rare exotic flower that had never before been used in perfumery. I told her it was a variety of Gardenia & used in many perfumes, and she didn't believe me — finally told her to walk over to the Chantecaille counter, where she'd find “Chantecaille Tiare” for sale.
You know, to each their own — I adore the Serge Lutens line, but all that stuff does nothing for me.
but this is a major part of his creation process and vision wether it 's to “tell the Arabian history through perfume creations…that can be linked to civilisations” or various aspects of the connections between literary influence of his favorite subversive authors such as Jean genet and Pasolini…
Chant d'Amour, it is a bit much altogether.
…to process I mean.
I don't know a darned thing about SL's “creation process”, and certainly wouldn't assume that these writings have anything to do with it just because their PR says it does.
As I said, I adore the SL line, and I'd be the first to argue that perfume is (or at least, can be) an art form, but it seems to me that the line has become so surrounded by mystique that people are almost unable to approach the fragrances for what they are: fragrances.
I agree with you on that. I was an early SL adopter and have over half of his non-exports, but the literature has never struck me as being that relevant to my enjoyment (either olfactory or literary). Let's say the PR prose strikes me as being the same colour as his latest non-export juice. That said, I'm pretty sure he must be, if not the writer, at least the prime inspirator for the texts – they just don't sound like anything out there, do they?
I understand it 's not for everyone to connect with Serge Lutens 'insights on easthetics, philosophy and more generally the act of wearing perfume. His olfactory concepts and creations, his words, his artistic world force us to be challenged and think outside the box…
To him perfume is not something that one must wear everyday right after the shower to smell good and fresh, instead perfume is an intellectual statement, a point of view on beauty and luxury…He always reminds us that in arab culture perfume is an elevation of the spirit and not part of the grooming process like in western culture.
Quite so, not all of us are intellectually up to the task.
We are quite agreed on the color 😉
Chant d'Amour, I don't know anything about Serge Lutens. Have not even tried one of his fragrances yet.
Why is he referring to arab culture? Is he from arab origine or his family or has he lived in the arab world and found a lot of inspiration there?
For example Montale has arab inspired perfumes, some of which I like but well… a good perfume can lift my mood, definitely but I am a western woman…so maybe I prefer to have my own thoughts and live perfume my own way.
PBI: Serge Lutens was born in Lille, a town that couldn't be less Arab if it tried. It's very close to the Belgian border and I believe the name 'Lutens' is of Flemish origin.
However, he has lived in Morocco for over 20 years and some of the fragrances are meant to conjure up the smells of that country.
BUT, there is not necessary or essential, let alone compulsory to appreciate Arab culture to be able to enjoy his scents. From what I hear, he is not in the least 'prescriptive'. He is apparently very gentle and funny. Not po-faced at all. He says, 'A day without laughter is a day wasted.' Does that sound like someone who takes himself so seriously?
Meant to write, 'It is not necessary….' Sorry.
Well as long as you're laughing! 😉
Polo Explorer smells like LouLou on my (female) skin. Would be fun to know which chemical is guilty of doing that.
Sure thing. I'd be happy to shoot you an email. I will need to get the word out! Thanks. Abby
Thank You. After just 5 months of perfume-enthusiasm I was stuck, trying too much to match the lists of notes and what I smelled (“This is impossible, how can L'Occitane Honey & Lemon smell so much like Shalimar though the notes are so different? CAN'T be just skin chemistry, can it?”) This helps me to move on, trusting my nose. Thank You for this helpful post!
Thank you Bela for the information. Will phone the Serge Lutens store in Paris tomorrow for their free sample booklet.
Will ask Montale for a few other samples as well.
I collect samples from Europe first and later maybe some from overseas.
And not to forget a sample from Tommi Sooni, Tarantella is also on its way :-).
Hope that I will like Serge Lutens perfumes. Sofar most reviews are so good.
Glad you liked it. Honey & Lemon is very vanillic, no? I can see the comparison to Shalimar.
actually Serge Lutens has been living in Morrocco for more than 30 years now.
Serge Lutens keeps exploring the full and widest spectrum of beauty, humor and aesthetics… the humor on deconstructing the morals of the ''Little Red Riding Hood” with Chypre Rouge or opposing conventional beauty and wisdom to darkness and violence in Sarrasins…”C'est une fleur de velours sur un chemin de fer, une arme blanche aux dents d'un guerrier noir, une petite araignée qui se rit aux éclats sur son collier de soie et, en cagoule rouge, le bourreau de Venise condamnant son amour en un baiser mortel.”
again as a visionaire Serge Lutens believes perfume is going to disappear in our western culture to ultra-unobtrusive deodorizing and refreshing scents. and it 's not just “perfume” in the arab tradition arab but it 's also what he calls true perfumes such Caron Narcisse Noir or Guerlain Mitsouko…and what are we seeing today? despite huge marketing campaigns of celebrities, the perfume industry 's market is shrinking, less 3.7% in 2007 in the US. fragrance is on the verge to become politically incorrect specially in anglo-american culture.
Chant d'Amour somehow I have the feeling that you know Serge Lutens quite well. Maybe you know him personally.
Which of Serge Lutens perfumes do you appreciate a lot?
I was a fragrance tester for a few cosmetic companies, and noticed in filling out the questionaire, that many of the multiple-choice answers were related to sensory or emotional perceptions, not too much emphasis on how the scent smelled.
Great article Robin, thanks!
?? As an non-Anglo-American in England I must say my perception is that the English apply fragrance quite generously and without inhibition, compared to what I'm used to in continental Europe.
I absolutely agree that to know about the idea behind a work of art (if you consider perfume to be such) can be of importance. I can make you notice aspects you wouldn't notice, as with paintings or whatever. If one considers perfume a part of our culture, then it can be revealing to see it in the context of it's creator's idea.
I agree with you that it's refreshing as a change to read abstract descriptions rather than a list of notes. Although I like to guess/try to recognize ingredients listed.
thanks for this!
In america women spritz fragrance in the air and walk through it. I was raised in France, I remember morning rush hours in the metro, women and men wearing heady scents on their way to work. I 've never experienced such a thing in New York or anywhere else in the world, although I was told it 's the same scenes in Milan.
I also love Victoire Gobin Daude 's fragrance poetic descriptions, and she would also provide olfactory notes information.
Biche dans l'Absinthe (Doe in Absinthe)
Description : A doe fuses in absinthe, princess of nature, quivering, wild and sensual, happily surrendered to the magic of foliage…
Family : Leather, aromatic.
Contains : artemesia (absinthe), immortelle flower, green hay, tobacco leaf…
I must say, again, if I already have : I love this site. Great job informing us, Robin. I applaud the “amber” clarification, especially; I've actually had an oportunity to smell the remnants of what was once called “amber” during the whaling era in the U.S.–crystallized fat that would be found in the melon of Sperm whales. The solidified fat would be scraped from the rest of the fat and rendered into ingredients for perfume formation. The amber interpretations of today smell nothing like that (albeit, aged) fleshy-smelling, sweet stuff.
Wow! Now you've done it, I think I am now in danger of becoming a perfume addict! With all the great info above, I finally think I have a chance in finding several fragrances that I will love.
I have always thought I wasn't much of a fragrance person because all I knew was BBW and never found one I liked enough to buy more than once. I also avoided the fragrance counters in the stores because most of what I smelled was overly floral, definitely not me! So, I was surprised when I fell in love with a BBW fragrance Romance Breathe, which was described as an “amber myrrh” fragrance. I found myself actually wearing this fragrance everyday and getting compliments that I smelled great several times a week! However, BBW discontinued it for a while and when they came back with it in the stores it had changed. It has almost no fragrance now, just a hint of what it was before. Out of desperation, after not having a fragrance to wear now for several months, I found this site today while trying to figure out what it was about the BBW “Breathe” that I loved. I have always liked vanilla and musk as long as they weren't too sweet and until recently didn't realize myrrh was great on me. I don't like many things that are powdery, so any suggestions would be great.
I just went to Luckyscent and ordered 10 different samples with the hints on how to read (or not read!) the list of notes. I am looking forward to trying them all and seeing what notes/fragrances I like and what works for me. After reading several of the blog articles and great comments, I even ordered one listed as more of a masculine scent “Jubilation XXV” because the description and review made it sound like it might be right up my alley. I never knew you could order samples, and the $35 I spent will be well worth it if I come up with just a few that I love. ( I dreaded the idea of buying a fragrance and hating it and feeling guilty about not wearing something I shelled out good money for!)
Thanks for the great site! I look forward to coming back and finding some great fragrances.
Hi and welcome! I will be so curious to hear how you like your new things from Luckyscent — from BBW to Amouage is quite a jump, so don't be surprised if you don't love everything right away. I turned my nose up at quite a few of the niche scents I tried early on, and then later many of them grew on me. But do comment again, I'd love to hear what you think of Jubilation.
Looking forward to it myself… and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) I think I have perfume snob tendencies after reading several of the articles especially the great one on Cranky Perfumistas Anonymous. I am hoping that out of 10 samples I find one or two I like and am able to refine the list of what “notes” I like or don't like. I never knew there were this many different kinds of fragrances! This is the first blog I have ever posted to; I have read several, but none have “grabbed” me like this one!
Love the articles and the posts!
Thanks for the kind words 🙂
I just got my samples and out of curiosity the first one I tried was the Jubilation XXV by Amouage! At first smell I thought it was rather manly… very spicy, so I put some on my hubby… not bad! But then I thought about all the great tips I had read here about how fragrances smell different on men & women, so I applied some to my wrist and voila! That changed everything, it warmed up rather nicely, and the spiciness toned down, and it is a very pleasant scent! I keep smelling my wrist…. I think I am going to have to start saving up…$265 for 50ml on Luckyscents! Any tips on where to find it on a smaller budget? If not, I think I get a bonus in June!
So glad you like it! The men's is $245 — a bit cheaper than the women's, but still not a huge bargain. I don't think you're likely to find a deal anywhere as it's pretty tightly distributed, unfortunately. But if you've got until June, that will give you time to be absolutely sure it is full-bottle-worthy for you.
Thank you for this amazing article, Robin. I'm learning a lot from your blog! I found this one doing a search for “aldehydes” . I was just about to start asking everyone about fragrances that contain aldehydes so that I would know to avoid them (big sheepish grin).
Today I sampled Iris Poudre, and was SO disappointed because it immediately turned me off in the same way that Chanel No. 5 does. Because I recently tried several fragrances that seemed to list iris as a predominant note (including Terre d'Iris and Pot aux Roses, both of which I truly loved!), I thought that something called Iris Poudre would be a sure hit. But I didn't like it at all, not at the beginning, middle OR end (though a bit of the middle was mildly enjoyable).
Anyway, the world of perfume is more complex – and even more interesting – than I imagined. I will end with a question: How do I find out what fragrances have the PARTICULAR aldehyde(s) found in No. 5 and Iris Poudre, so that I can avoid them?
🙂 🙂 🙂
Haunani, there really isn't any way to find out. You're lucky if they list aldehydes in the notes at all, but none of the brands list the particular aldehyde. So all you can do is smell, sorry to say.
But some recs for iris: Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist, Hermes Hiris, The Different Company Bois d'Iris, Prada Infusion d'Iris.
Thank you! I will add them to my “want to sample” list!
synthetic musk is banned too?!
Some particular synthetic musk chemicals have been banned — but no, not all, not by any means.
Hey Gabigabi,
I briefly wore the BBW Breathe Romance a couple of years ago, and have a nearly full bottle of the fragrance mist, as well as a partial 'wash' and self- tanning lotion that i'd be more than happy to send you if you want them. (too linked in my mind to an 'ex' to wear again, for me!) let me know if you'd like them.
Robin, I just ran across this fascinating post of yours from March, what a great compendium of ideas and information! The only exception to the notes-listing is the new group of By Kilian scents, which have the exact formulas listed on their site. I did a perfume experiment of my own with the formula of my favorite scent from the line, you might be amused by the results!
http://qwendy.typepad.com/shoescakeperfume/2008/10/noxious-natural.html
Thanks for a fascinating post!
HI Wendy —
So sorry for the late reply, I accidentally “mis-filed” a whole group of comment notifications.
I know I've become perhaps TOO cynical, but I do wonder if those are really the complete formulas. Either way, how cool that you tried to make one! Thanks for the link.
Posting my gratitude months and months after you ever wrote this. Thank you for a terrific and utterly useful post–for your hard work!
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for your suggestion to read this. It was worth it and it definitely answers a few questions.
Good!
Amber. I pick up pieces of beach amber. It’s covered by a salt layer that belies the jewel like interior. The Vikings called it amber and revered it, sending pieces of Baltic amber in the clasp of their deceased chieftains to Valhalla on the funeral pyre. In the Southern hemisphere I collect the pieces of resin from Agathis Australis that we called Kauri gum. A Kauri museum in Matakohe displays beautiful pieces of carved Kauri amber, just as there are beautiful pieces of Baltic amber jewellery and carvings. Ambergris from whales is another subject. This was the fixative for modern perfumery. Amber. What is amber? To me, in perfumery, it has come to mean Alahine but you will find your own amber and I wish you well on your spiritual journey.