Fragrance Terms

Indole

The term indole comes from a combination of the words 'indigo' and 'oleum,' because the chemical substance named indole was first isolated in 1866 by treatment of indigo dye with oleum (oil). Indole (also called benzopyrrole) is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound which contains a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered nitrogen-containing pyrrole ring. Indole is a colorless to yellow solid at room temperature but has a low melting point temperature (126.5 degrees F).

Indole is found naturally in some floral derivatives, such as jasmine, tuberose, honeysuckle, ylang ylang, gardenia, and orange blossom, and it is produced by bacteria as a degradation product of the amino acid tryptophan in animal digestive tracts. The flower substances most closely associated with indole are jasmine and tuberose. It also occurs in coal tar, which is its main industrial source, with the indole fraction steam distilled, although it also can be synthesized via a variety of methods.

Indoles smell floral at low concentrations, but fecal at high concentrations (such as in animal waste). It is thought that this is because when a scent arrives at the nose in high concentration, it binds to a wider range of receptors; too much scent activates the receptors associated with bad smells, while a small amount binds to only a few more acceptable pleasant scent receptors. However, it is mainly the combination of indole with humidity and certain musky compounds that produces the putrid smell. Pure indole does not really smell of feces in isolation. By themselves, the pure white crystals of indole have a musty, stale, mothball smell that is reminiscent of mild decay. In commercial scents, the term 'indolic' usually means that a fragrance has an overripe or animalic characteristic. Indole adds a warm depth to perfumes, opulent, "heady," and rich, and sometimes actually clean/fresh.

Indoles are used widely in perfumery, very rarely naturally, but primarily in synthetic form. Natural jasmine essence, as used in the perfume industry, contains about 2.5% pure indole and is dark and narcotic in character, giving a full, lush, and voluptuous effect in the finished fragrance compound. However, since 1 kg of natural jasmine oil requires the processing of several million jasmine flower blossoms and costs around $10,000, jasmine indole is usually used in the form of synthetic jasmine oil for perfumery, costing around $10 per kg. The genuine flower extract is still used occasionally, but only in tiny amounts and in very expensive perfumes.

Indole is also used in making tryptophan for human dietary use and in making indoleacetic acid, a hormone that promotes root development in plant cuttings for gardening. In addition, it is used to create chocolate, coffee, and fruity accords in flavorings for food products.

Indolic commercial perfume fragrances include:

Eau Sauvage
Carnal Flower
Charogne
Mario Valentino Ocean Rain
Serge Lutens A La Nuit and Sarrasins
Chanel Cristalle
By Killian Love & Tears
L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse Aux Papillons
Montale Jasmine Full
Gucci Eau de Parfum
Annick Goutal Songes and Néroli
Jo Malone Orange Blossom
Diptyque Olene
Jean Patou Joy
Bal à Versailles
Bruno Acampora Jasmin
Carthusia Fiori di Capri
Antonia Flowers
AbdesSalaam Attar Tawaf
Amouage Tribute
Saffron James Nani
Gandhara
Penhaligon's Castile and Amaranthine
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Flora Nerolia
Galimard Rafting
Krigler Juicy Jasmine
Jardin du Nil
Hermes Eau d'Hermes
Calvin Klein Eternity and Escape
Fabergé Brut

Bitter Orange: Neroli, Petitgrain, Orange Blossom, and Bigarade


The tree from which these fragrance materials are derived is Citrus aurantium (or bigaradier) var. amara, commonly called the bitter orange tree (also known as the 'Seville orange tree' due to the fact that the city of Seville has many of them and because the city was the center of Moorish culture when the trees were first brought into Europe from Arabia in the 9th century). Perfumers call it the 'pig of perfumery' because nearly every part of the tree provides a useful material.

Bitter orange trees, native to Italy, belong in a unique order that bears fruit while at the same time blossoming.  It is an evergreen tree which grows up to 10 meters tall and has thick, glossy leaves and thorns.  The orange-colored fruit rind covers a very bitter flesh which is suited in the culinary world solely for marmalade or other 'spoon sweets' and as a more minor flavoring ingredient.  The fruits only turn their characteristic bright color in a temperate Mediterranean climate: Spain, Greece, and California; those growing in hotter tropical climates, such as Florida, Egypt, Ghana, eastern Africa, and western India, retain a yellow-green tinge.  The trees are also grown commercially in France and even in the Himalayas.

Individual processing methods of the tree parts produce different fragrance materials: neroli, orange blossom absolute, biagarade, and petitgrain.  Cold-pressing the fruit peel yields bigarade, the essential oil (or 'zest') of the bitter orange; distilling the twigs produces petitgrain (the same method giving petitgrain from other citrus trees, such as lemon petitgrain and lime petitgrain).  Steam distillation of the white blossoms provides neroli, while the same flowers can yield orange blossom absolute when treated with solvents to extract their essence.  If the leaves, twigs and flowers are distilled together, the result is a combination, "petitgrain sur le fleur."  Petitgrain water absolute or eau de brouts is the equivalent of orange flower water absolute and is obtained as a by-product from petitgrain bigarade oil.  It enhances the 'naturalness' of other fragrances such as jasmine, neroli, ylang-ylang, and gardenia.  It should be remembered that the different bitter orange materials are often used combined together in different proportions in commercial fragrances, the differing balances producing quite different characters.

The individual bitter orange materials:

Neroli
At the end of the 17th century, Anne Marie Orsini (Anna Maria de la Tremoille), duchess of Bracciano and princess of Nerola, Italy, introduced the essence of bitter orange tree as a fashionable fragrance by using it to perfume her wardrobe, her gloves, and her bath.  She is said to have been first person to distill orange flowers to produce the essential oil.  Today neroli is one of the most widely used floral oils in perfumery.  Its nontoxic, nonirritant, non-sensitizing, and non-phototoxic properties make it an extremely useful substance.  It blends well with any citrus oil, with various floral absolutes, and with most of the synthetic components available on the market.  Neroli is sweet, honeyed, and somewhat metallic.  It has a sharp, delicate aroma, with a pleasantly bitter top note; a floral-herbal, green body; and a floral, orange flower dry-out.  Commercial neroli oil is made in North Africa, France, Italy, and North America, the best oil coming from Tunisia.

In the hands of different perfumers, neroli can be heady or subtle, sophisticated or innocent, wanton or sweet.  Pure neroli is described as being "prim and proper," but its more flamboyant expression is encouraged and colored heavily by the other scent materials with which it is mixed.  

Neroli essential oil is also commonly used in aromatherapy and as a massage oil.  It is thought to have antidepressant, sedative, antibacterial, and antispasmodic effects.  In addition, neroli oil is used in food flavorings and is reputed to be one of the ingredients in the top-secret recipe for the Coca-Cola soft drink.

Well-known neroli fragrances:

Annick Goutal Néroli
Chloé Eau de Fleurs Neroli
4711 Eau de Cologne
Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
Guerlain Flora Nerolia
L'Occitane Notre Flore Neroli
Creed Neroli Sauvage
Atelier Cologne Grand Neroli Cologne Absolue
Diptyque L'Eau de Neroli
Czech & Speake Neroli
Castle Forbes Neroli
Atkinsons Scilly Neroli
Bronnley Lemon & Neroli
Carolina Herrera Neroli Boheme
Hermès Eau de Néroli Doré
Jo Malone Basil & Neroli
...and many others


Orange Blossom
Orange blossom is more indolic, deeper, sweeter, and warmer than neroli, but also delicate and fresh.  Intoxicating and heady, it is a long-lasting odor, closely resembling the natural scent of fresh bitter orange blossoms.  Its fragrance is not unlike that of jasmine (with which it shares some chemical components such as methyl anthranilate), somewhat less intensely floral but fresher.  Orange blossom absolute is used in many different types of fragrances and especially in colognes, chypres, ambers, mixed floral bouquets, and heavy orientals.  It beautifully complements all other citrusy notes and acts as a natural fixative for other components, allowing the original composition to last longer while keeping its true fragrance.

Orange blossom fragrances:

L'Artisan Fleur d'Oranger Harvest Edition or Seville À L’Aube
Jo Malone Orange Blossom
Prada Infusion de Fleurs d'Oranger
Le Labo Fleur D'Oranger 27, Neroli 36, and Tubereuse 40
Serge Lutens Fleurs D'Oranger
Yardley Orange Blossom
Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Mâle
Dior Fahrenheit 32


Petitgrain
Petitgrain, more similar to neroli than to orange blossom, is the most woody-herbaceous of the bitter orange tree materials and somewhat more bitter than the others except for bigarade.  It has an overtly masculine edge and is often used in men's fragrances.

Fragrances with dominant petitgrain:

Miller Harris Le Petit Grain
Comme des Garçons Energy C Grapefruit
Dior Addict
Joe Malone Osmanthus Blossom
Mugler Cologne
Antonio Puig Depende del Color de las Roses
Hermès Eau d'Orange Douce
Azzaro Aqua Cèdre Blanc and Pour Homme Summer Edition 2013
Penhaligon Castile
Armani Prive Oranger Alhambra
Vera Wang for Men
G.F. Trumper Astor
Acqua di Parma Acqua Nobile Gelsomino and Blu Mediterraneo
Creed Silver Mountain Water
Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Bergamot


Bigarade
Bigarade, a blending of sweetness and the most pronounced bitterness, produces the characteristic and striking scent and flavor of marmalade.

Fragrances with a prominent bigarade note:

Frédéric Malle Cologne Bigarade or Bigarade Concentree
Creed Citrus Bigarrade
Nina Ricci Bigarade
Durance en Provence Bigarade Cashmere
Fragonard Bigarade Jasmin
L'Occitane en Provence Thé Vert & Bigarade
Parfums 137 Bigarade

Smelling Your Own Fragrance


"Watch it now, don't be smellin' yourself now while you out there, your smell mite be irreconcilable, take over ya."


It is not really understood completely why we become used to smells. We notice how someone else's house smells, and we can easily detect unexpected or strange scents in our home. But we don't notice the way our own homes or our own clothes or bodies usually smell. Says Pamela Dalton, a cognitive psychologist who has researched scent memory and this phenomenon of 'nose blindness' for over 20 years, "It's actually a very robust phenomenon. It's why people go on vacation and come back and say, 'Oh, it's so musty in here - I'd better open some windows.'" It's probable that the house always smells like that, and they're just desensitized to it until being away for a period of time.

This phenomenon is known as sensory adaptation, and it’s something we experience most intensely with smells. “That’s not as true for any other sensory experience,” says Dalton. The closest comparison is hearing. If you’re working near a construction site, for example, you can tune out the noise after a while. “But," she says, "If I ask you, ‘Do you hear that?’ you can refocus that part of your brain. That’s not so true with odor.”

In a similar way, we lose the perception of our cologne or aftershave. When an odor is first smelled, the scent receptors send a signal to the olfactory bulb in the brain's limbic system, an area associated with emotion, which determines how it will be processed and how one will feel and behave about that particular scent. But the nasal receptors essentially turn off after around two breaths, and perception of the scent - no matter how strong it is initially - starts to fade. Within ten minutes, perception of most smells has begun to decrease significantly. In one of Dalton's studies, subjects were given a pleasantly pine-scented air freshener for three weeks, and every week they became less sensitive to the odor. Although the freshener remained potent, the subjects would ask, "Are you sure it's still working?"

Scientific studies suggest that our inability to smell factors to which we are habitually exposed is actually an evolutionary advantage: becoming desensitized to them allows the individual to detect even the slightest change in their environment. The nose is 'hard-wired' to pick up signals that notify us of environmental changes that might jeopardize our comfort or safety. When your brain has perceived an odor to be nonthreatening (i.e. not representing rotten or poisonous food, smoke from a brush fire, or the approach of a predator - or, in more modern times, burning of food or a gas leak), the receptors for it switch off, because there is no recognized need to pay close attention to it. Conversely, such selectivity allows us to experience pleasure with less usual scents, such as those of bakeries or coffee shops

This raises a question about the longevity of a fragrance one is wearing. If you spray or rub it on in the morning, and it seems by evening as if it has disappeared, has it really, or have you just become used to it? The odds are that others would still be able to smell your scent, because it is less familiar to them. This phenomenon can also impact your reaction to a new bottle of your usual perfume. Dalton notes that the small changes that we detect in habitual scents are magnified by our noses – causing us to lose the actual scent, and instead to zero in on a seemingly huge change. And whatever the fragrance compound, each batch of perfume is unique. Environmental and other factors ensure that no two perfume batches will ever smell perfectly identical, despite an unchanged formula. To those not smelling the perfume every moment of every day, each batch does smell the same. But if you pair those small variances with a hypersensitive nose, you may begin to wonder: has the perfume changed? Has my skin changed? Likely, the answer is “no” to both questions. It is just the natural phenomenon of getting used to smells that allowed you to detect a slight difference.

Compounding this complexity, especially for perfumers, is the fact that various scents have differing - and sometimes mixed - trigger strengths and temporal effects on the receptors. For example one widely used, naturally occurring factor which smells of violets, beta-ionone, is added to fragrances to boost the overall fragrance strength and to bond floral note to woody ones. But it also has a ability to temporarily desensitize the nose receptors of individuals with a certain mutation in the DNA sequence of an odorant receptor gene.

There are, of course, different strengths of fragrance formulations and compounds, and they last for differing lengths of time. Each individual scent molecule has its own unique density, which affects its perceptual lifespan. In addition, different skin types affect how long a given fragrance lasts. If you want to get a clear impression about how long your fragrance actually lasts, spray or drip it on a tissue or a piece of fabric and leave it in another room. Visit it after a few hours, and you will be able to experience the same scent strength that other people experience when they encounter you wearing that fragrance after the same amount of time.


Solutions to Rejuvenate the Sense of Smell

According to Dalton, taking a break from a fragrance and then returning to it will sometimes restore its perception, much like the previous description of going away from home on vacation. If you have one favorite fragrance, it is recommended that you take a 2-3 week break from it every now and then, perhaps wearing no fragrance at all. Or if you like several fragrances, you can try alternating them every other week or two. This can prevent your nose from becoming too accustomed to each scent. Another approach that sometimes works is to change to an ancillary body product (such as body lotion, shower oil or gel, etc.) in your usual fragrance's range. Since these are formulated slightly differently from the one you regularly use, they may allow you to pick up the scent perception again. In addition, there are helpful charts/guides online and in department stores that can guide you to a similar but slightly different fragrance, possibly in the same family, that you might enjoy until you can subsequently reacquaint yourself with your usual product.

Another approach is to use a traditional, old-fashioned cologne rather than a more modern one. While the older ones tended to be more complex and evolved while on the skin, the newer 'linear' ones do not change; they smell the same as time passes, so they more quickly become part of the 'constant environment.'

And to make the odor receptors more sensitive temporarily, exercise enough to increase your heart rate; perfumers have been known to run up and down stairs before testing a fragrance with their nose.

It also helps to consciously and simply pay close attention to smells. According to Dalton, worrying or being overly concerned about smells actually seems to make the nose more sensitive. In a study, she expose three groups of people to the same scent. She told one group the smell was a 'rainforest exact,' a second group that it was just a standard scent used frequently in her lab, and the third group that it was a potent industrial solvent. The 'rainforest extract' group adapted to the smell fastest, while the group that was told that it was a solvent - that is, something negative - were slowest to adapt to it. So it seems that the more you focus on smelling - and perhaps paying close attention to your cologne and aftershave qualities - the more perceptive your nose will become.

Songs About (or Mentioning) Smell

There have been many songs whose lyrics contain words about fragrance or smells. Here is just a quick list of some of them, edited a little to avoid offending.

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
I Think I Smell a Rat - The White Stripes
That Smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Stop and Smell the Roses - Mac Davis
Creepy Smell - Melvins
Mine Smell Like Honey - R.E.M.
Smell the Funk - Buddy Guy
Perfume - Sparks
I Smell a Rat - Howlin' Wolf (or Buddy Guy)
Smell Your Way Through the Day - The Wiggles
I Smell Trouble - Buddy Guy
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee - The Cranberries
Smells Like... - Alien Sex Fiend
The Smell of Money - Todd Rundgren (or UFO)
Smell of Desire - Enigma
Smells Like Happiness - The Hidden Cameras
Rain Smell - Baths
Can U Smell - Young Jeezy
Smell It on Me - 2 Chainz, Yukmouth, Gudda Gudda
I Smell Trouble - Johnny Winter
Hippy Smell - Ween
I Smell Smoke - Johnny Winter
Stop and Take the Time to Smell the Roses - Ringo Starr
Smell the Roses - Natasha Bedingfield
You Smell So Good - Rammstein
The Smell of Victory - Nobodys
Smell the Magic - L7
The Smell of Rain - Mortiis
Hey Man, Smell My Finger - George Clinton
Wake Up and Smell the Carcass - Carcass
What's That Smell? - Bitch & Animal
Smell of Female - The Cramps
Smell of Our Own - The Hidden Cameras
Sweet Smell of Success - Jim Capaldi
The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd - Herbie Mann
Smell the Flowers - Jerry Reed
Stop and Smell the Roses - Sally Harmon
Sweet Smell of Success and Easy Living - Chico Hamilton
Smell the Color 9 - Chris Rice
What Do You Smell Like? - Jeff Johnson
Smell No Evil - Ookla the Mok
I Smell Smoke - Michael Burks
Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright III
Summer Breeze – Isley Brothers
Mirizi O Kosmos Giasemi (The World Is Fragrant With Jasmine) – Maria Dimitriadi
Miss Perfumado – Cesária Évora
Profumo – Gianna Nannini
Perfume – Sparks (or Britney Spears)
Smells Like Happiness – Hidden Cameras
I Love Your Smell – Billy Jenkins with the Blues Collective
What's That Smells Like Fish? – Blind Boy Fuller
Lemon Disinfectant – Lorraine Bowen
Make Me Stinked – Flamenco a Go-Go
A Little Bit Of Soap - Yvonne Carroll
Dis Flower - Laverne Hutcherson
Roses - Outlast
Germ Free Adolescence - X-Ray Spex
Wearing Your Smell - Motor psycho
Senses Working Overtime - XTC
Dos Gardenias - Ibrahim Ferrer

Musk


Strictly defined, natural musk is a secretion from the abdominal apocrine glands (musk sacs) of the Asian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), a very small, unhorned but fanged deer living primarily in Pakistan, India, Tibet, China, Mongolia, and Siberia.  



The secretion is produced only by the mature male deer during the December-January rutting season.  In the past, the granular pods of musk obtained from the sacs were dried in the sun or on hot stones, or were dissolved in hot oil.  The resulting black 'musk grain' was used in an alcoholic dilution (tincture).  In its pure form, the dried secretion has a sharp and repulsive  animalic smell, but it becomes richer, deeper, warm, and sweet in the diluted tincture.



The word musk originates from the Sanskrit term for 'testicle.'  Used since antiquity in the perfume industry, musk has in fragrance mixes a pungent animalic smell that provides a warm, sensual note.  The primary molecule producing the scent is muscone (3-methylcyclopentadecanone).  



Musk also has strong fixative properties, balancing and extending the life of compounds without adding heaviness.  It makes a fragrance formula have a cleaner, more pure tone and gives it liveliness.  The cost of natural musk has always been very high, due to the fact that the sacrifice of up to 50 deer was required to produce a kilogram of musk.  The deer were almost killed to extinction, and in 1979 they became protected by an international trade convention.  Today, the limited harvest of legally obtained natural musk is used almost exclusively as a component in traditional east Asian medicines.  However, natural musk is extremely stable in storage over time, and very small amounts of it are still available for commercial use, although much of what is offered for sale to the public is counterfeit - actually synthetic.

Natural musk has been largely replaced now by more ethical and much less expensive synthetic musks, which usually are called "white musk."  Musk Bauer, the first synthetic musk, was discovered in 1888, when Albert Bauer, while searching for new explosive materials, noticed that the reaction of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and tert-butyl halides produced a very pleasant odor.  In 1894, Bauer developed musk ketone, which was reputed to resemble natural musk fairly closely and was used for decades in many perfumes.  



Other 'nitro musks,' all with a warm, powdery scent with an ambery/animalic overly, include musk xylol, musk Tibetene, musk ambrette, and moskene.  These became especially popular, including as single-note musk fragrances, during the Woodstock 'back-to-nature' hippie days of the 1960s and 1970s.  Nitro musks began to fall out of favor in the 1980s due to the hazards associated with their production and their lack of stability.  New families of synthetic musks, the macrocyclics (habanolide, thibetolide, globalide, velvione) and polycyclics (phantolide, celestolide, traesolide, tonalide, galaxolide), subsequently were developed.  And more recently, more diverse musk variants, with an extremely wide range of scent profiles, have been produced, including helvetolide, nirvanolide, and muscenone.  The first true combination accord, developed for Emporio Armani White for Her by Alberto Morillas, was created in 2001.  The neurologic and dermatologic toxicity and demonstrated carcinogenic properties of the aromatic nitro musks and polycyclic musk compounds resulted finally in banning or significant reduction of their use in most countries.  Macrocyclic or linear musk compounds still are generally considered to be safer and are most commonly used now.  

The overall character of synthetic musks ranges from erotic and dark (termed 'dirty' or even 'skanky') to fresh and light (called 'clean').  It can be balmy, sweet, spicy, resinous, and powdery or animalic, fig-like, leathery, dry, nutty, and woody, but always with a common tone of warmth, sweetness, and sensuality.  Popular with perfumers and versatile, musks are used very widely, anchoring other notes in around 99% of fine fragrances, especially the 'clean' musks that are present in the majority of the products.  The 'clean' ones have even used for decades in laundry detergents and fabric softeners, in which they are extremely hydrophobic (and thus don't wash off clothes).  In a few perfume cases, such as in Chanel No. 5, Narciso for Her, and Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely, musks manage to smell both 'dirty' and 'clean.'  The versatility of musk is demonstrated by its use also in insect repellants, toothpastes, fruit flavorings, chocolates, hard and soft candy, and chewing gum.

In more recent times, the term 'musk' in perfumery refers not only to the specific ingredient, but also to the simulation of the natural musk scent.  This is true especially with the drydown phase of a perfume, when the musk tone becomes most prominent.  Fine fragrance compositions usually include a cocktail of different musk scents, due to the fact that anosmia to musks (inability to smell them) is very widespread among perfumers, nearly as common as anosmia to the violet notes of beta-ionones.  This is partially because the very large size of the musk molecules prevents their binding to nasal receptors, and partly it is due to genetic factors.  Perfumers get around this problem by using a range of various musk components of differing molecular weights.

In contrast, one reason for the interesting and prevalent 'love or hate' human response to musk is that some odor perception genetic phenotypes actually produce specific hyperosmias (heightened odor perception), including one to musk, sometimes making the scent almost intolerable.  This seems to be an autosomal recessive trait in families.  And generally, women seem to have lower thresholds for perceiving musk, smelling it when men are unable to do so.


Musk Families

In perfumery, musk scents can be divided into fairly well definied families, of which White Musk is by far the most common.  It was first created to provide a sensory image of 'fresh cotton and linen.'  White Musk is often used alone, giving its name to the product, such as the famous Jovan White Musk and The Body Shop's White Musk.  The latter's components include galaxolide, the most ubiquitous of the synthetic musks in both fine fragrances and functional products (especially fabric softeners), which gives a clean but flowery-woody, sweet, and powdery tone.  Globalide, also called habanolide, a metallic smelling, fresh, radiant musk, is also used in White Musk compositions, sometimes coupled with helvetolide.  It is prominent in Jennifer Lopez Glow, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Serge Lutens Clair de Musc, and Trish McEvoy #9 Blackberry Musk.

Another prominent family is Egyptian Musk.  This actually does not originate in Egypt, but is named because of its predominant tone.  It is a musk blend in which the clean, sensual, scrubbed-skin character is dominant.  The 'laundry day' feel of white musk is still present, but in general the effect is subtler, much less shrill.  Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess is an example of a plain, unadulterated Egyptian Musk with no other tonalities.  Other examples in which Egyptian Musk is present include Narciso Rodriguez Musk for Her, Ava Luxe Pearl Musk, and fragrance lines from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and Sonoma Scent Studio.

Other defined musk families include African Musk (essentially just variations of Egyptian musk despite the name, soft, clean, and inoffensive, with an added inclusion of sweet vanilla); Red Musk (similar to white musk but with an incense note); Black Musk (much like the Red Musk concept, but with a slightly dirty, woody undertone); Blue Musk (close to African Musk, with a sweeter tone); China Musk (bright and refreshing, combining the metallic feel of white musks with the smoothness of Egyptian Musk); Oriental Musk (the same as China Musk but with more of a powdery underlay and a jasmine inclusion); Tunisian Musk (a sweeter variation of the Egyptian type); Turkish Musk (somewhat more sophisticated and drier than white or African Musks, with dark tarry topnotes suggesting black tea and with leather notes); Tibetan or Himalayan Musk (warm and sweet, sometimes layered with other fragrances to make them softer); and Nude Musk (intended to smell erotic, "like skin but better," examples being Creative Scentualisation Perfect Veil, Sonoma Scent Studio Opal, and Bonne Belle Skin Musk).  There are also individual 'outrider' musk variants that have unusual qualities and do not fit easily into a family.


Musky odorants as a group also include glandular secretions from other animals, such as civets, musk shrews, musk ducks, musk oxen, musk beetles, musk turtles, and even alligators.  Confusing the picture is a reference by some people to castoreum from muskrats and beavers as a musk.  In addition, some plant substances, such as ambrette seed, galbanum, angelica root, musk flower, and muskwood, produce compounds that have very similar characters, and these have been used quite successfully in commercial musky fragrances such as Malle Angeliques Sous la Pluie, Chanel Les Exclusifs No. 18, and Annick Goutal Musc Nomade.

It has been reported that techniques have been developed for extracting the natural musk from deer without harming them, which theoretically could bring back its use in perfumes.  However, meanwhile, new synthetic musks are being created each year, producing fourth or even fifth generation families that are being incorporated into commercial products.  They are targeted to be nontoxic and biodegradable, chemically stable, and low in production costs.  A few of these also display subtle new variations in the musk scent profile.


As noted, there are a great many commercial fragrances with a significant musk component, including the following:

360 for Men Arabian Oud, Acca Kappa Muschio Bianco, Airness Musk Instinct, Al Haramain Musk Al Ghazal, Al Musbah Prince of Musk, Alyssa Ashley Musk for Men, Annick Goutal Musc Nomade, Antonio Visconti Musk de Roy, Aqua Velva Musk, Armani White for Him, Ava Luxe Nude Musk, Avon Musk series, Axe Musk, Azzaro Pour Homme, Barbasol Musk, Bigelow Musk, Bond No. 9 New York Musk, Bruno Acampora Musc, Brut Musk, Bulgari Pour Homme, Calvin Klein be, Carrington Musk Men, CBMusk, Coty Musk for Men, Crabtree & Evelyn Leather Musk, Creed Cypres Musc and Acier Aluminium, Dana Musk, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Musk Eau Natural, De Nicolai Musc Intense, Denim Musk, Dior Eau Sauvage, English Leather Musk, Ermenegildo Zegna Musk Gold, Etat Libre d'Orange Sécrétions Magnifiques, Fabergé Musk, Ferrari Essence Musk, Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur and Dans tes Bras, Helmut Lang, Houbigant Monsieur Musk, Hugo Boss Wool & Musk, Jade East Musk, Jar Ferme tes Yeux, Jeris Musk, Jovan Musk series, Kiehl Original Musk, Kouros, King Solomon Ruthvah, l'Artisan Parfumer Mûre et Musc, Le Labo Musc 25, Madini Musk Pierre and Musk Gazelle, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour Le Soir, Max Factor Citrus Musk, Mazzolari Lui, Miller Harris l'Air Rien, Milton Lloyd Musk series, Mona di Orio Les Nombres d'Or Musc, Montale Musk series, Muelhen 4711, Mure et Musk Extreme, Musk Collection Sledge Hammer, Narciso Rodriguez for Him Musk, Nasomatto Silver Musk, Neville Tobacco Musk, Nike Urban Musk, Old Spice Musk, Oriflame Power Musk, Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, Parfum d'Empire Musc Tonkin, Parfum Satori Musk Blue, Parfumerie Generale Musc Maori, Paul Sebastian, Penhaligon's Racquets and Sartorial, Pierre Cardin Man's Musk, Pinaud Clubman Musk series, Pino Silvestre Black Musk, Prince Matchabelli Musk for Him, Ralph Lauren Chaps Musk, Ramon Monegal Cherry Musk, Rasasi Faqat Lil Rijal, Renee Musk, Roja Dove Musk Oud, Romane Musk, Royal Copenhagen Musk, Royall Muske, Santa Maria Novella Muschio, Serge Lutens Musc Koublai Khan and Clair de Musc and Bois et Musc, Smell Bent Musk series, Sonoma Scent Studio Sienna Musk, The Body Shop White Musk, Tom Ford Musk series, Trumper GFT, Versace Pour Homme Musk, and Williams Mon Triomphe.

Violet

Violet (Viola odorata), also called Sweet Violet, grows in the Mediterranean regions and Asia Minor. It is well known for its sweet floral scent. Violet flowers were used for many purposes in ancient times, including scenting wine in Athens. Their fragrance was the favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte, who preferred it over his wife's favored musk. In the 19th and early 20th centuries especially, violet-based perfumes became very popular, and this trend has persisted to some degree to the present.

The violet flower has a sweet, powdery, slightly spicy, woody-floral scent produced primarily by ionones (ketones derived from degradation of carotenoids), and to a lesser degree by terpenes (aromatic hydrocarbons present in a variety of plants). Ionones were first separated from Parma violets by Tiemann and Krüger in 1893, leading eventually to production of synthetic violet notes identical in scent to and much less expensive than the natural oil. The ionones were first used in perfumery in 1936 in Violettes de Toulouse. Methyl ionones, also used in perfumery, were discovered by Tiemann that same year. Violet flower absolute is still used in a few products, but its cost limits its use.

Ionones and methyl ionones (along with their analogues and derivatives such as irones, damascones, Iso E Super, Koavone, Timberol, and Georgywood) are ubiquitous and are used now in almost every perfume. The scent palette of ionones ranges from aromas of fresh violet flower in blossom to mild woody and sweet floral nuances. Methyl ionones possess a stronger woody character, similar to iris rhizomes. Irone alpha (6-methyl alpha ionone), somewhat woody and with a hint of raspberry, is the most popular of the ionones in pure form. Iraldeine, a base, is also used along with the ionones to recreate the violet flower scent. There are many different ionone and methyl ionone isomers that provide varying odor profiles. In addition to providing fragrance, these chemicals act as "blenders" in perfumes, adding harmony to other components, often functioning as a bridge between the middle and base notes in a composition.

The scent of violet leaves is different from and stronger than the scent of the flowers. The leaves display an intensively green aroma resembling that of freshly mown grass, combined with a hint of cucumber adn/or melon. In the South of France, two kinds of violets, Parma and Victoria, are cultivated now mainly for their leaves. The fresh scent of violet leaves is an integral component in many fragrance mixes, ranging from fresh floral and metallic to oriental spicy, earthy, and fougère green. Octin esters and methyl heptin carbonate are also used to provide the floral-green violet leaf note, especially in the fougère family and many modern masculine fragrances.

Unfortunately, the distinction between the violet flower scent and the leaf scent is not always clear in fragrance descriptions, and one sometimes must try a product to determine its violet character.

An interesting note about ionones is that the molecules quickly desensitize nasal odor receptors, so the violet smell of a perfume product appears to fade, an effect identical to that encountered with the smell of fresh violet flowers.

Examples of fragrance products with violet notes for men or for both sexes include:

Ultraviolet (Paco Rabanne)
April Violets (Yardley)
Violetta, Iris (Santa Maria Novella)
Change Man, Unique Man (Otto Kern)
Bois de Violette (Serge Lutens)
Violetta (Penhaligon's)
The Man Cobalt (Milton Lloyd)
Violette (Norma Kamali)
Vers la Violette (DSH Perfumes)
Red Man (Bi-es)
Uomo (Roberto Cavalli)
Violette (Jardin de France)
Hit Violet (Dzintars)
Violette du Czar (Oriza L. Legrand)
Ajaccio Violets (G.F. Trumper)
Celestial Violet Man (Nadia Z)
Violet Leaf (Nomaterra Brooklyn)
Violette (Molinard)
No. 7 Violette (Prada)
Violette a Sidney (Tonatto Profumi)
Royal Violets (Agustin Reyes)
Green Tea and Violet (Alvarez Gomez)
Violette Fumee (Mona de Orio)
Wisteria & Violet (Jo Malone)
Oud Violet Intense (Fragrance du Bois)
Violett Tabak (Ava Luxe)
Violet Musc (Ajmal)

Myrrh


Myrrh is an aromatic gum resin produced by a small, thorny tree, Commiphora myrrha, that grows in shallow, rocky soil in Arabia and East Africa.



It is an oleoresin, a natural blend of essential oil and resin. Tapping to harvest the resin is done twice a year. For its harvest, incisions (taps) are made through the tree bark and into the sapwood, all the way up from the root to the highest branches strong enough to tolerate it. The tree bleeds the milky resin, which is yellowish and waxy, and it drips down the exterior bark. With exposure to air, it coagulates quickly into droplets or "tears."



After it dries in storage over a period of about 12 weeks, the gum becomes hard, reddish-brown, and glossy. It darkens as it ages, and white streaks appear. The globules, averaging about the size of a walnut, are then sorted and graded by the purchasing merchant.



Myrrh has been used for centuries as a perfume, incense, and medicine (for its antiseptic and sedative properties). In antiquity it was so highly prized that its value by weight was equal to that of gold. The oelo gum resins of a number of other Commiphora species, such as opoponax, balsam, bdellium, guggul, and bisabol, have been used in the same ways. Myrrh is mentioned in ancient Egyptian medical texts, and it was used with frankincense for embalming mixtures. The word mör or mur, from which myrrh is derived, means "bitter." The word probably comes from old Hebrew and Arabic. Myrrh has had great significance in various religions, and it has been used often in burned incense in cathedrals, thus creating for many people a lasting memory association.

Almost unscented in resin form, myrrh essential oil is extracted by steam distillation, and the absolute is made by alcohol extraction. Thus processed, myrrh has a warm, earthy, pungent, woody fragrance with an unusual, spicy 'latex' undertone, but it also is astringent, sharp, and slightly medicinal. It has been described as luminous and golden, like blend of sweet amber and pine sap. Some have said it has hints of mushrooms and licorice. Among perfumers, it has a reputation of being difficult or challenging, because it can smother other scents in a fragrance mix. But in a proper balance with other ingredients, it results in a sensual, deep, haunting character. The perfumer Calice Becker has noted that myrrh is for a perfumer like butter is for a chef, enriching other flavors. Perfumer Mandy Aftel described myrrh as smelling "warm and spicy, evolving into a sweet balsamic drydown, the last note you smell before the scent evaporates entirely."

The chemical constituents of myrrh are volatile oil, resin (myrrhin), gum, ash, salts, sulfates, benzoates, malates, and acetates of potassium. The two main aromatic factors in myrrh resin are isomers of C15H180, furanoeudesma-1,3-diene, a morphine analogue making up more than 40% of the total volume and giving it a bitter taste, and lindestrene at round 10% of the volume.

In perfumery, myrrh frequently is combined with frankincense, another resin, in compositions that often are termed 'incense fragrances.' It primarily is a base note, and it seems to work best in fragrances with coniferous, wood scents (cypress, pine, fir, etc.) in the top and middle notes because it sustains them nicely into the drydown. It complements well the brightness of oriental mixes, and it has been used very successfully in combination with licorice, vanilla, and black tea absolute.

Opoponax has a similar scent but smells somewhat sweeter, warmer, smokier, and more powdery. It often is called sweet myrrh.

Men's or unisex myrrh fragrances:

Czech & Speake Frankincense and Myrrh
Christian Dior Eau Sauvage, Bois d'Argent, Fahrenheit Absolute
Giorgio Armani Prive Myrrhe Impériale
Profumum Roma Ambra Aurea, Santalum, Olibanum, Oxiana
Fahrenheit Absolute
Ava Luxe Red Tara
Amber Precieux Ultime
Memoirs of a Trespasser
Lorenzo Villoresi Incensi
Bissoumine Souffle Sauvage
Halston Man Amber
Chanel Antaeus, Allure Pour Homme
Papillon Artisan Perfumes Anubis
Natur Milano Adorami
April Aromatics Calling All Angels
Gucci Envy for Men, Gucci Pour Homme II
Yves St. Laurent Vinyle
Amouage Memoir?, Interlude Man, Jubilation for Men
Guerlain Songe d'un Bois d'Ete, Vetiver
Robert Piguet Oud
James Heeley Eau Sacree
Messe de Minuit
Avon Mesmerize
L'Erbolario Myrrhae
Pecksniff Mistraal
Fragrance du Bois Oud Bleu Intense
Salvatore Ferragamo Terra Rossa
Acqua di Parma Note di Colonia III
Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin Eau de Parfum Intense
Keiko Mecheri Myrrh & Mervilles
Diptyque l'Eau Trois
Norma Kamali Incense
Aramis Perfume Calligraphy Rose
L`Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu
Sonoma Scent Studio Fireside
Annick Goutal Myrrhe Ardente
Prada No. 10 Myrrhe, Amber Pour Homme
Eau d'Italie Paestum Rose, Baume au Doge
Comme des Garcons Palisander, Incense Avignon
Paco Rabanne
Serge Lutens La Myrrhe, Ambre Sultan
L'Occitane en Provence Eau d'Iparie
Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui
von Eusersdorff Classic Myrrh
Calvin Klein Obsession for Men
Crabtree & Evelyn Moroccan Myrrh
Jil Sander Sander for Men
Molinard Homme I
Carven Le Vetiver
Huitieme Art Parfums Myrrhiad
Atkinsons Amber Empire

Perfumer or 'Nose'



Perfumer

"To me, it is very important to have perfume in which it is hard to recognize a particular flower or scent. That gives a touch of mystery." - Isabella Rossellini

In perfumery, a person who mixes fragrance components to make a perfume is called a perfumer ('parfumeur createur' in French), or if notably creative, a 'nose' (although this term is now being used less often within the industry itself). The perfumer, both an artist and a technician, invents perfumes seated at his or her perfume organ, a miniature laboratory with raw materials, precision scales, small paper dipsticks, and other equipment.


Perfume Organs, Old and New

The aim of the perfumer is to use trial and error with experimental scent dosages to create an accord, a harmony of fragrances, much as one would create color harmony or a melody in music. In many ways the job is like that of flavorists who compose smells and added flavorants for commercial food products. In addition to being able to identify and blend scents, a perfumer must be able to consider issues like the stability of a scent after bottling, its interaction with other substances, and production costs, as well as for whom a product will be marketed and where geographically it will be sold. People of different economic and social classes, genders, ethnic backgrounds, and nationalities have widely differing scent preferences.

The composition of a perfume typically begins with a brief by the perfumer's employer or an outside customer, usually fashion houses or large corporations of various industries, providing the specifications for the desired perfume, sometimes based upon analysis of market strategies. The briefs often describe in poetic or abstract terms what the perfume should smell like or what feelings it should evoke in those who smell it, along with a maximum price of the perfume oil concentrate. The perfumer then blends multiple perfume mixtures for demonstration, sometimes with direction provided by a company supervisory panel or artistic director. This process typically takes several months to several years and may involve public surveys to help tailor the candidate formulations. If successful in "winning" the brief, the creator or employer then sells the selected perfume to the customer. The composition then either is used as a functional fragrance to enhance another product (shampoo, soap, makeup, detergent, automobile interior materials, etc.) or is marketed and sold directly to the public as a fine fragrance. Less often, a 'nose' simply is inspired artistically to create a new perfume and produces one for marketing; this is more common in smaller, independent perfume houses.

There are approximately 1000 perfumers in the world, but fewer than 50 of them are called 'noses,' those whose creativity and originality are such that they are able to launch completely new trends. A typical 'nose' can remember and recognize up to 3000 different smells. Development as a perfumer or a 'nose' requires both a natural aptitude for scent and extensive, specialized training, taking around 3 years for a general perfumer and for up to 7 or more years for a 'nose.' Schools of perfumery are a relatively recent development, with the first one (Givaudan) established in 1946 in Paris, and the next major ones in 1970s. The main school for this now is in Grasse, France, a region renowned for centuries for its perfume production, and nearly every 'nose' either is a native of Grasse or has worked in perfume making there.


Grasse Institute of Perfumery, GIP Student

Traditionally in the past, a perfumer would have trained as an apprentice, working with an experienced perfumer, often a family member, rather than undergoing formalized academic training. In addition to their training in the scent industry, modern 'noses' often pursue advanced degrees in chemistry, and many also study psychology, since it plays such an important role in perfume perceptions. Some universities have started to offer combined bachelor degree programs in perfumery and business, and students obtaining academic training sometimes are supported financially by major research funding agencies. A few perfume companies, such as Givaudan, now offer perfumer training to limited numbers of their employees who already have foundations in chemistry or pharmacy, usually with a contractual requirement that the employee remain with the company for a specified period of time after completing their training. Occasionally, individuals still start with a company as an entry level lab technician, blending materials according to the perfumer's formula, gradually becoming familiar with the raw materials and techniques, and proving to the senior perfumer that they have the requisite talent, interest, and drive, before embarking upon more advanced training.

Each of the major perfume companies, which develop over 99% of all new perfume products, including Mane, Firmenich, IFF, Fragrance Resources, Drom, Ungerer, Givaudan, Takasago, and Symrise, employs up to 3 or 4 'noses' and a larger number of perfumers. However, other 'noses' prefer to work independently, forming their own companies for the production and sale of fragrances to the companies, although this is not common. A very few 'noses' are capable of designing custom scents for specific individuals, a service only available to extremely wealthy people. Most elite 'noses' are assisted by large support staffs and apprentices.

There is some concern that the creative aspect of the perfumer art is in danger of disappearing, since computers are being used increasingly for formulation of new perfume compositions. Each perfume company has hundreds of thousands to millions of fragrance formulas in their data bases, and a single fragrance can create hundreds of new permutations. Thus it can be easier and cheaper to simply put into a computer program the relevant target information, have a composition created, and send it to a customer for evaluation.

Metallic

Metallic notes are used in perfume products to suggest metals, especially iron, a cool, clean effect, fresh, sharp, and a bit sterile.  They most often are used as subtle nuances, very rarely dominantly.

The source of a smell from an actual metal is found in skin lipids, which are oxidized through the action of oxidoreductases (a group of enzymes which catalyze the transfer of electrons from one molecule to another).  In contact with skin, iron cations (Fe2+), along with the enzymes, decompose lipid peroxides, producing intensively smelling substances.  For the same reason, blood has a characteristic metallic smell; iron contained in blood hemoglobin causes a similar reaction.  (During evolution we developed a sensitivity to this smell; some predators can sense it miles away.)  Scientists of Linkoping University in Sweden have identified the key component of the smell of blood, trans-4,5-Epoxy-(E)-2-decenal.  Our sensitivity to this compound is extraordinary – it could even be sensed at a dilution of 0.07-0.3 parts per trillion.  Similar compounds, trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-octenal, trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-nonenal, and trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-undecenal, have a similar effect on our nasal receptors.

The substances which cause a metallic smell usually are 'bloody aldehydes,' unsaturated and often conjugated, and ketones. One of these, oct-1-en-3-one or amyl vinyl ketone, is most frequently used in the perfume lab.  In its pure form, it has an earthy metallic smell with mushroom and vegetable nuances, with a sort of fishy note, similar to the smell sensed during preparation of freshly caught fish.  The smell of unsaturated aldehydes is very common in nature.  The smell of cilantro, for example, is produced by them.  Some insects use similar substances as their protective chemical weapons.  For example, the aldehydes (E)-2-Decenal and (E)-2-Octenal have been isolated in stink bug secretions.

In the perfumer's palette, there are a number of materials with a metallic character, depending upon the substnaces with which they are combined.  Earthy, animalic, green, marine, and white flower groups especially have a metallic character at times.  A metallic nuance is very prominent in rose oxide, a minor component of the well known rose smell.  Geranium contains an even larger quantity of rose oxide, and geranium oil smells quite metallic during phases of its evolution on the skin.  Some Comme des Garçons preparations, for example, have a high concentration of rose oxide.  As a side note, rose oxide also adds a characteristic green-metallic note to the aroma of the white wine Gewürztraminer.  And rose oxide has been isolated as a chemical defense in Aromia Moschata, a musk beetle.    

Nitriles are another group of substances which smell somewhat metallic.  Nitriles are quite stable and inert, and often used as odorants for bleaches and other household cleaning products.  Nitriles are sometimes used for adding a specific metallic context to a perfume, such as in several creations by Antoine Lie, a perfumer at Tagkasago.

Some people sense a metallic nuance in lavender.  In a classic fougère, a cool lavender often is paired with the metallic nuance of geranium, balanced with the warmth of coumarin and balsamic materials.  In more modern fougères, such as Davidoff Cool Water, the metallic context is enhanced by additional dihydromyrcenol and allyl amyl glycolate.  Synthetic iris notes are also used frequently to provide metallic tones to perfumes.

Fragrance notes that can produce a metallic tone include: Aldehydes, Amber, Ambergris, Berries, Birch Tar, Carnation, Cedar, Cinnamon, Clary Sage, Coriander, Cumin. Fig, Freesia, Galbanum, Gardenia, Ginger, Hay, Hazlenut, Heliotropin, Honey, Honeysuckle, Hyacinth, Incense, Iris, Jasmine, Lavender, Leather, Lily, Linden Blossom, Mimosa, Mint, Muguet, Musk, Oakmoss, Orange Blossom, Orris, Osmanthus, Oud, Patchouli, Pepper,Pine, Rose, Saffron, Sandalwood, Smoke, Spices, Tea, Tobacco, Tuberose, Vanilla, Vetiver, and Violet Leaf.

Examples of metallic perfume products for men:

Axe Cool Metal
Dina Cosmetics Dagger Metal
Givenchy Pi Metallic Collector
Guerlain Habit de Metal
Comme des Garçons series
Narciso Rodriguez for Him
Hermes Terre d'Hermes Metal Flacon
Varvatos Rock Volume One
Davidoff Cool Water
Karen Low Pure Metal for Men
Monika Klink Metal Mod
Myrurgia Yacht Man Metal
Neotantric Citric Metal Kamasutra
Hugo Boss Red for Men
Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet Liquid Metal for Men
Creed Acier Aluminium, Silver Mountain Water
Remy Marquis RM Metal
Torand Beverly Hills 90210 Metal Jeans Man
Versace Metal Jeans Men
Azzaro Chrome
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Lagerfeld Classic
Yardley Gentleman
Penhaligon's Sartorial
Givenchy Pi Metallic Collector
Jacques Bogart Silver Scent
Chanel Egoiste Platinum
Amouage Honour Man
Azzaro Silver Black

Powdery

In perfumery, powdery refers to a sweet, dry, somewhat musky scent that produces a baby powder effect. It usually is created by the blending of a heavier sweet, mossy, or woody note with a lighter citrus, fruity, or green note. The powdery scent tone of Johnson's Baby Powder has relied on the combination of citrus, vanilla, and lavender, while that associated with other commercial baby products has mainly been produced by mixing vanilla and balsamic notes with geranium and ylang-ylang, similar to the taste effect of mixing vanilla with lemon in a sorbet. A very large variety of natural and synthetic sources give the feel of retro face powder or talcum powder. The soft, hazy, opaque sensation in pefumes usually has been imparted by the combination of iris/orris, vanilla, rose, heliotrope, violet, almond, and musk with amber, oakmoss, and other herbal and citrus notes, leaving an overall powdery impression after evaporation of the fresh and floral ingredients. However, more recent products have based their powdery effects on the use of ionones, synthetic white musks, and/or orange blossom.

Powdery can be a subcategory of "dry," but it can take on either drier nuances or sweeter ones depending upon the manipulations of the perfumer. Typically it hints somewhat at a traditional feminine smell rather than a masculine one, evoking images of fluffy, pastel fashion accoutrements. Usually the categorization of powdery is between "face powder" and "talcum (or baby) powder." Face powder notes are more refined and sophisticated and less sweet, with a vintage perfumey trail, while talcum powder overall is simpler, usually involving a comforting vanillic base that recalls Johnson's Baby Powder. The face powder type suggests a woman's boudoir and her private and sensual grooming rituals, while the baby powder variety produces a nostalgic, fresh, calm, safe feel.

Fragrances falling into the face powder group include Hermès 24 Faubourg, Jean-Charles Brosseau Ombre Rose, Chanel No.19, Patou Normandie, Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie, Balmain Jolie Madame, Jean Couturier Coriandre, and Carven Ma Griffe. Talcum or baby powder examples are Bvlgari Petits et Mamans, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist, Kenzo Flower, Lorenzo Villoressi Teint de Neige, and of course Demeter Baby Powder.

Fragrance components that most commonly lend a powdery effect are amber mixtures, opoponax gum (such as in Guerlain Shalimar), heliotropin, vanilla, and musks, especially the white varieties (Molinard Habanita, Cartier Must, Kenzo Amour, Calvin Klein Obsession, Serge Lutens Clair de Musc), orris/iris (Iris Poudre), certain aldehydes, Iso-E Super, and especially mosses (in Clinique Aromatics Elixir, Carven Ma Griffe, Chanel No.19, Estee Lauder Knowing, Jean Couturier Coriandre, and Piguet Bandit). Interestingly, ingredients lists of facial powders in compacts have included Evernia prunastri (oakmoss) for many years.

Powdery scents have comprised a major perfume trend for the past few years. Prominent examples of powdery fragrances for men or for both genders include:

Floïd Amber
English Leather
Dana Canoe for Men
Dior Homme
Lorenzo Villoresi Musk, Yerbamate, Teint de Neige
Bvlgari Blu pour Homme, Eau Parfumee au The Bleu
Fragonard Zizanie
Keiko Mecheri Loukoum
Comme des Garcons 2
Lagerfeld Classic
Royal Copenhagen
SMN Melograno, Muschio
Guerlain Mouchoir de Monsieur
Amouage Gold, Silver, Dia
Molinard Habanita
L'Artisan Parfumeur Passage d'Enfer, Bois Farine, Safran Troublant
Serge Lutens Arabie
Cartier Pasha
Agatha Brown Conquest
Five Star Fragrance Royal Secret
Geoffrey Beene Bowling Greene
Floris No. 89
Salvador Dali Laguna
Claude Montana Parfum d'Homme
YSL Kouros
Kenzo Summer
Helmut Lang
Cerruti Fair Play
Rive Gauche
Burberry Brit
Knize Ten
Escada Magnetism
Demeter Fragrance Baby Powder
Al-Rehab Balkis, Musk Al sheikh
The Crown Perfumery Co. Eau de Quinine
Prada Infusion d'Homme
Joubert Blue Waltz
Holland Park Royal Apothic
Mazzolari Alessandro
Nivea Eau de Toilette Nivea
Welton London Secret Amber
Mercurio Perfumes Droit à la Passion
Louis Cardin Sacred
L'Erbolario Ambraliquida
Narciso Rodriguez For Him
Gucci Guilty Intense pour Homme