Fragrance, also known as parfum, is a liquid mixture of aromatic oils and chemicals that emits a pleasant smell. It is applied to the skin as perfume, cologne, and aftershave. Perfumes are composed of either natural aromatic extracts or synthetic fragrance ingredients. The term fragnance is often used interchangeably with perfume. However, fragrance is a broad term that refers to any scent or odor. Fragrance ingredients are found in a wide range of personal care products from soaps to shampoos and cosmetics to lotions. They are also added to household and cleaning products such as detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets. Often, the terms perfume and scent are confused because they share similar characteristics. The difference is that perfume has a higher concentration of essential oils and contains more complex compounds.
Fragrances are a mixture of scent chemicals skillfully assembled by perfumers. Historically, they were composed entirely from natural products such as flower, plant and food oils, herbs, and spices. With the advent of modern chemistry, it became possible to synthesize aroma chemicals that could mimic natural scents such as vanilla and coumarin. This allowed for the composition of perfumes with more complexity and intensity than were possible with only natural materials.
Perfumes are generally classified into five groups based on their level of concentration: Eau Fraiche (1% to 3% scent), Eau de Toilette (2% to 4% scent), Eau de Parfum (5% to 15% scent) and Parfum (20% to 40% fragrance). The perfume concentrations differ because the scent molecules are mixed with different levels of alcohol. Perfumers usually test perfumes on paper blotters or “mouillettes” to determine their final concentration.
Middle notes are the scents that emerge just before the top note begins to fade away. They provide the heart of a perfume and give it a long lasting effect. The compounds in middle notes include floral and woody scents, such as lily, rose, jasmine, oakmoss, and musk.
Base notes are the rich and solid scents that emerge after the middle notes have dissipated. They are usually warm and smoky and add depth and solidity to the perfume. The compounds in base notes include tobacco, amber and musk.
A perfumer will mix and match a series of fragrance chemicals to create a prototype, or “sniff test,” on paper blotters. Depending on the reaction to the prototype, a perfumer may tweak the formula for a new product by adding or subtracting certain components until it is just right.
The fragrance industry relies on many small suppliers of raw materials for their products. It is easy for unscrupulous suppliers to adulterate raw materials by sourcing different types of ingredients from other countries or even changing the contents of a particular material to increase profit margins. In order to reduce these risks, the fragrance industry uses a series of safety regulations known as IFRA and The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials guidelines. This allows manufacturers to control the quality and safety of their products.