Scent Notes: What's in a name? Also, introducing our Chatillon Lux Parfums line

This year, we decided to launch regular blog installments called Scent Notes. This is designed to give people insights into the fragrance world and a look inside the intimate workings of the Chatillon Lux creative process.

For starters, I discuss different scent concentrations (Parfum Extrait, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette and Eau de Cologne) and why the nomenclature is based on more than just a number.

That leads to the announcement of two lines: Chatillon Lux Provisions, the line focused on shaving products and more budget-friendly and wearable fragrances, and then Chatillon Lux Parfums, the line of fragrances that allows us to really pursue our grandest visions in fragrance with less of a concern to budgetary constraints in order to see what we can really achieve.

Read on here:

https://chatillonlux.com/blogs/news/parf...-explained

Yes! This is what we've all been waiting for...or at least me Thanks hawns for giving this kind of information to those of us who always want to know more about the process.

Yes! This is what we've all been waiting for...or at least me Thanks hawns for giving this kind of information to those of us who always want to know more about the process.

And thank you, Mark, for helping give me the motivation to finally make use of my blog. After our chat I lined up a few more topics in a flash of inspiration. Next up is a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Santal Auster and adapting it into the Parfum Extrait version.

hawns, what a fantastic blog post.  It was easily understood and explains a lot.  I do find, though, that not all eau de toilettes have decent longevity for me.  Ironically, sometimes, it is a scent I do not particularly care for that seems to last the longest.  

As you know, I am a big fan of your products so when you offered travel/sample sizes, I ordered four.  One, Rose Santal, I already knew I loved as you let me smell what was then a work in progress when we met in St. Louis.  I purchased a full bottle the day it became available and use it often.  It’s longevity, for me, is perfect.  I can still smell it on my wrist some time after applying it.  However, two of the other samples I got that I really liked, Lavande Poivre and Sylva, have little sillage and almost no longevity.  In fact, within what seems like seconds, I cannot smell the Lavande Poivre at all.

Now for that last sample, Omnostre.  I tried to like it, I really did, so don’t hate me too much.  However, it reminded me of modern scents I don’t much care for, like Dior’s Sauvage (not Eau Sauvage) and just like Sauvage, it lingers and lingers, though not as badly as the Dior product.  

With so many notes that go into a particular scent it is sometimes difficult for me to determine what something will smell like.  Are there any particular terms in the scent descriptions that might help me make a more informed decision?  For example, Lavande Poivre caught my eye right away because I thought ‘lavender’ and it is a scent I quite like.  The lack of sillage or longevity for me is unfortunate but the scent is wonderful.  Sylva and Omnostre were sort of crapshoots and the former is one I would really like to have but the latter is just not my cup of tea.  If only their longevity properties were reversed.

Again, thank you for a superb blog post.

Glad you enjoyed it, Freddy. Longevity is definitely just as much attributable to the scent notes as it is to concentration. So something that has more top notes and fewer basenotes, like wood, musk or resinous notes, will probably not offer much by the way of longevity.

It also comes down to skin chemistry quite a bit. To be perfectly honest, longevity or sillage complaints aren't something I've really heard about Lavande Poivre, and some find the black pepper and earthy notes to project quite a bit. Some people can become anosmic to a note when they are exposed to it (I occasionally have this problem with some types of lighter cedarwood and have had to take a break from some scents while developing them because of this). Additionally, something like Sylva, which has lighter and brighter scents, may burn off more quickly on someone whose skin is hotter.

Really, it's hard to say anything with certainty with fragrance because so much of it is perception. It would be difficult to say with any certainty about a code to crack as far as if you would like a scent, but if you see a lot of heavy basenotes, especially musks and richer woods, that's a good bet for longevity. The hard part of that is that there are countless musks, so some you might enjoy and some (like in Omnostre) you may not. Some smell fresh, some smell animalic, and some just smell like something different altogether.

Glad you enjoyed it, Freddy. Longevity is definitely just as much attributable to the scent notes as it is to concentration. So something that has more top notes and fewer basenotes, like wood, musk or resinous notes, will probably not offer much by the way of longevity.

It also comes down to skin chemistry quite a bit. To be perfectly honest, longevity or sillage complaints aren't something I've really heard about Lavande Poivre, and some find the black pepper and earthy notes to project quite a bit. Some people can become anosmic to a note when they are exposed to it (I occasionally have this problem with some types of lighter cedarwood and have had to take a break from some scents while developing them because of this). Additionally, something like Sylva, which has lighter and brighter scents, may burn off more quickly on someone whose skin is hotter.

Really, it's hard to say anything with certainty with fragrance because so much of it is perception. It would be difficult to say with any certainty about a code to crack as far as if you would like a scent, but if you see a lot of heavy basenotes, especially musks and richer woods, that's a good bet for longevity. The hard part of that is that there are countless musks, so some you might enjoy and some (like in Omnostre) you may not. Some smell fresh, some smell animalic, and some just smell like something different altogether.

Thanks for the response, Shawn.  Does that mean I'm out of luck with some of those scents, such as Lavande Poivre and Sylva, that I really like?  Also, just because I cannot seem to smell a particular scent on me, does that mean that someone else might, if sitting in close proximity, say across a small table?  In other words, is it just me or is it because it's on me?

Glad you enjoyed it, Freddy. Longevity is definitely just as much attributable to the scent notes as it is to concentration. So something that has more top notes and fewer basenotes, like wood, musk or resinous notes, will probably not offer much by the way of longevity.

It also comes down to skin chemistry quite a bit. To be perfectly honest, longevity or sillage complaints aren't something I've really heard about Lavande Poivre, and some find the black pepper and earthy notes to project quite a bit. Some people can become anosmic to a note when they are exposed to it (I occasionally have this problem with some types of lighter cedarwood and have had to take a break from some scents while developing them because of this). Additionally, something like Sylva, which has lighter and brighter scents, may burn off more quickly on someone whose skin is hotter.

Really, it's hard to say anything with certainty with fragrance because so much of it is perception. It would be difficult to say with any certainty about a code to crack as far as if you would like a scent, but if you see a lot of heavy basenotes, especially musks and richer woods, that's a good bet for longevity. The hard part of that is that there are countless musks, so some you might enjoy and some (like in Omnostre) you may not. Some smell fresh, some smell animalic, and some just smell like something different altogether.

Thanks for the response, Shawn.  Does that mean I'm out of luck with some of those scents, such as Lavande Poivre and Sylva, that I really like?  Also, just because I cannot seem to smell a particular scent on me, does that mean that someone else might, if sitting in close proximity, say across a small table?  In other words, is it just me or is it because it's on me?

Well, you may have noticed I talked in circles a bit because it's hard to say for certain. One thing to try is to apply unscented lotion to the spot where you spray the fragrance, as dry skin can tend to kill a fragrance. Also, perhaps try applying more in a layering fashion: instead of, say, spraying once each on a wrist and neck, do 2-3 sprays directly in the same spot. Those could help if it's something with your skin chemistry. Hard to say for certain if you're experiencing anosmia without getting a second opinion, i.e. asking the person sitting across from you . I would imagine skin chemistry would be a more likely answer, but it's hard to say with any certainty. I know for me, when the winter hits and my skin dries up, I don't seem to get the same performance from fragrances as I normally would, although I would venture to guess that our winters in St. Louis are a bit harsher than yours down in paradise.

Glad you enjoyed it, Freddy. Longevity is definitely just as much attributable to the scent notes as it is to concentration. So something that has more top notes and fewer basenotes, like wood, musk or resinous notes, will probably not offer much by the way of longevity.

It also comes down to skin chemistry quite a bit. To be perfectly honest, longevity or sillage complaints aren't something I've really heard about Lavande Poivre, and some find the black pepper and earthy notes to project quite a bit. Some people can become anosmic to a note when they are exposed to it (I occasionally have this problem with some types of lighter cedarwood and have had to take a break from some scents while developing them because of this). Additionally, something like Sylva, which has lighter and brighter scents, may burn off more quickly on someone whose skin is hotter.

Really, it's hard to say anything with certainty with fragrance because so much of it is perception. It would be difficult to say with any certainty about a code to crack as far as if you would like a scent, but if you see a lot of heavy basenotes, especially musks and richer woods, that's a good bet for longevity. The hard part of that is that there are countless musks, so some you might enjoy and some (like in Omnostre) you may not. Some smell fresh, some smell animalic, and some just smell like something different altogether.

Thanks for the response, Shawn.  Does that mean I'm out of luck with some of those scents, such as Lavande Poivre and Sylva, that I really like?  Also, just because I cannot seem to smell a particular scent on me, does that mean that someone else might, if sitting in close proximity, say across a small table?  In other words, is it just me or is it because it's on me?

Well, you may have noticed I talked in circles a bit because it's hard to say for certain. One thing to try is to apply unscented lotion to the spot where you spray the fragrance, as dry skin can tend to kill a fragrance. Also, perhaps try applying more in a layering fashion: instead of, say, spraying once each on a wrist and neck, do 2-3 sprays directly in the same spot. Those could help if it's something with your skin chemistry. Hard to say for certain if you're experiencing anosmia without getting a second opinion, i.e. asking the person sitting across from you . I would imagine skin chemistry would be a more likely answer, but it's hard to say with any certainty. I know for me, when the winter hits and my skin dries up, I don't seem to get the same performance from fragrances as I normally would, although I would venture to guess that our winters in St. Louis are a bit harsher than yours down in paradise.

Thanks for some excellent suggestions.  However, as far as your last assessment goes, from Christmas Day until this past Thursday I was in the same East/Midwest deep freeze as you.  Weather wise, Buffalo was definitely not fun.

Great blog Shawn, I love it when I can read something both interesting and educational/informative. I'm looking forward to learning more in future blogs.

I'm really only dipping my toe in to the whole scent thing lately - prior to taking up wet shaving the extent of my use of scent was to splash on unscented toner after shaving. These last few years have been both eye opening and mind blowing (nose blowing?) with the incredible array of scents in soaps and aftershaves and now EDT and EDP that are available. I have been missing out all these years I guess. I'm seeing scent as another dimension of enjoyment not just in my shaving but in my life generally. And its really so subjective too, like what Freddy said - he's not a fan of Omnostre but I on the other hand like it. Yes indeed, I am looking forward to whats coming.

Thanks,
Marko

Great blog Shawn, I love it when I can read something both interesting and educational/informative.  I'm looking forward to learning more in future blogs.

I'm really only dipping my toe in to the whole scent thing lately - prior to taking up wet shaving the extent of my use of scent was to splash on unscented toner after shaving.  These last few years have been both eye opening and mind blowing (nose blowing?) with the incredible array of scents in soaps and aftershaves and now EDT and EDP that are available.  I have been missing out all these years I guess.  I'm seeing scent as another dimension of enjoyment not just in my shaving but in my life generally.  And its really so subjective too, like what Freddy said - he's not a fan of Omnostre but I on the other hand like it.  Yes indeed, I am looking forward to whats coming.

Thanks,
Marko

And that is exactly why we have folks like Shawn to take care of us, Mark.