Fragrance, pronounced “far-gance,” refers to a sweet or pleasant smell that emits from a perfume, cologne or scented lotion. Perfumes and colognes contain fragrance ingredients, which are chemical mixtures that give each scent its distinct smell. These chemicals may be derived from natural or petroleum sources. Many fragrance chemicals are linked to reproductive and developmental toxicity, allergies, and other harms.
Companies that manufacture perfume and cologne purchase fragrance mixtures from fragrance houses, which specialize in developing them. The mixtures may contain both synthetic and natural chemicals, as well as preservatives and other additives. These additives are necessary to stabilize the scent, keep it from spoiling and protect it from sun damage. Fragrance chemicals are linked to a variety of health issues including cancer, endocrine disruption, respiratory problems, and skin sensitivities.
The single word “fragrance” covers dozens, sometimes hundreds of chemicals found in beauty and household products including hair care products, lotions, perfumes, colognes, air fresheners, baby shampoos, soaps, and cleaning agents. Even “unscented” products may contain fragrances to mask natural odors from the product’s ingredients. Many of these chemicals are hormone-disrupting and allergenic. Despite this, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) does not regulate fragrance chemicals.
Fragrance is a complex mixture of chemicals, so different concentrations of the same fragrance may differ significantly in their scent and quality. For example, an extrait, EdP, and EdC (Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, and Edible) version of the same fragrance will have different oil concentrations from one perfumer to another.
In addition, the same fragrance will smell different depending on how it is made. For example, a rose will smell different from Moroccan rose to French rose due to differences in soil, climate, and harvesting methods. A jasmine will smell different from Indian jasmine to French jasmine depending on the growing technique, and a vanilla will smell differently from Madagascar to Indonesia because of variation in plant species and soil composition.
Because of this, the term fragnance is also used to refer to the entire combination of aromachemicals in a perfume, rather than just the raw materials. This is because it takes months or years for a perfume to achieve its full scent development. During this time, the perfume is modified and tweaked with new chemical combinations to create the desired effect. This is why perfumes with the same name but different concentrations (such as Chanel No. 5 in extrait, EdP, and EdC) have slightly different aromachemical compositions. For instance, a perfume will be tweaked with additional top notes or a lighter base note as the perfume is developed over time. This is a very common practice in the perfume industry and can result in very significant differences in the same fragrance. This is also why many modern perfumes are sold as modular perfumes that can be mixed with other perfume bases to build the final product. Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria line of perfumes with simple fragrance concepts are good examples.