What is Fragrance?

Fragrance is a mix of thousands of chemicals that gives personal care, cleaning and other products their smell. It’s added to perfumes, but also to a wide range of other products including lotions, shampoos, deodorants and even some toothpastes. The FDA regulates these products but doesn’t require they list their ingredients, and many of these fragrance chemicals have been linked to health problems like allergies, dermatitis and reproductive harm. Glance at almost any product label and chances are it will mention “fragrance” — but what exactly does that mean?

Perfume, or parfum in French, is a fluid preparation of natural essences or synthetics mixed with fixatives. It was used by some of the earliest civilizations, and remains as an important part of the modern beauty industry. The blending of various scent chemicals allows perfumers to create aromas that would be impossible using only the smell of a single flower or a single animal.

In modern times, perfumes and colognes are usually composed of a mixture of essential oils and synthetic chemicals, often called fragrance bases. These base chemicals are a combination of tens to hundreds of different scent components such as hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers and esters. Each component has a specific chemical structure that can be adjusted by varying its concentration or amount in the fragrance. Often a base is formulated with a simple concept in mind, such as fresh cut grass or juicy sour apple. Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria line, with its simple fragrance concepts, is a good example of a modern perfume line that uses fragrance bases.

The perfume itself is then added to the fragrance base and diluted further. A typical perfume will contain 1% to 3% fragrance, whereas colognes can contain 5% to 8% fragrance and Eau de Parfum can have up to 15% fragrance. The trail of scent left behind by a person wearing perfume is known as sillage.

Aside from its cosmetic and social importance, there are a few other reasons why people use perfume. Some research suggests that pleasant odors can help reduce stress and anxiety, boost confidence, and even improve mood. However, adverse effects of perfume can include skin irritation and allergic reactions, headaches and nausea.