Scent is a powerful sense that can conjure memories and make an impression. It’s also a complex, subjective thing that can be as tricky to capture as any other art form. But perfumers have the tools to do it. They use their knowledge of scent to create the fragrances we wear, and it’s this artful combination that makes perfume something special.
Perfume is one of the few senses that lingers on the skin, so we’re constantly exposed to it throughout our lives. It’s no wonder that we have so many scented products: deodorants, body sprays, perfumes, colognes and even shampoos. But while we’re familiar with the names of many perfumes, we’re not always aware of how they are made or what makes them work on us.
A Whiff of Chemistry
Perfumery is a complicated, precise skill that relies on a wide range of specialized knowledge. It requires chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics and engineering to get the ingredients right. But it also demands a keen sense of smell and an ability to translate the way that chemicals react with our bodies.
The first step is to find a base that’s stable enough to hold the other ingredients and last on the skin for a few hours. This is usually some kind of natural oil. The most common is jojoba, which has similar properties to the oils that are found in our bodies. Other natural bases include almond, apricot, shea butter, amber and patchouli.
Next comes the “top note,” which is what we smell when we apply a perfume and lasts for about 10 minutes. From there, it mellows and becomes the heart note. It takes another 20 to 30 minutes for a perfume to fully dry on the skin and reveal its true essence. Then the perfume can be worn for the day.
Finally, there are the “middle notes,” which add texture and depth to the fragrance. From there, the perfumer starts to layer in accords, or accords that combine different types of scents together, like citrus and green tea, jasmine and amber or lily and wood. It’s this kaleidoscope of ideas, skills and observations that allows perfumers to transform raw ingredients into something that can affect the way we think, feel and act.
When you smell a beautiful perfume on someone, you’re not just smelling an accord of rose and amber—you’re experiencing the whole complexity of a scent that was made using a process called blending. And you’re also experiencing how that particular perfume blends with the wearer’s unique skin chemistry, which can change how it smells from one person to the next. It’s this complexity that gives perfume its aura and helps it remain a part of people’s lives for decades and centuries.