The grouping of perfumes can never be completely objective or definitive. Even a perfume designated as “single flower” will have subtle undertones of other aromatics. There are hardly any true unitary-scent perfumes consisting of a single aromatic material.
They are also sometimes referred to affectionately as a “Nez” due to their fine sense of smell and skill in smell composition. Products from different extraction methods are known under different names even though their starting materials are the same. For instance, orange blossoms from Citrus aurantium that have undergone solvent extraction produces “orange blossom absolute” but that which have been steam distilled is known as “neroli oil”.
The fruity fig and plum notes offer a tropical aroma, while the spicy black pepper and warm cinnamon add sensuality. The citrus accord of bergamot is balanced with aquatic notes and intense woods for an easy-to-wear men’s genifique. The end result is SC Johnson’s Fragrance Palette, which meets both the IFRA standards and our own – and as a result is smaller and more exclusive than the IFRA list. We’ve excluded approximately 2,000 potential ingredients from our fragrance ingredients palette. At SC Johnson, we take the review of fragrance ingredients a step further.
It’s an industry organization, and it uses an independent expert panel. Industry safety standards are maintained by IFRA, using data from RIFM. We convinced our suppliers to allow us to share the vast majority of a product’s fragrance ingredients, with just a bit held back for confidentiality.
These ingredients were not listed on labels, leading us to suspect they may have been used in . These chemicals are not on the IFRA list of fragrance ingredients, but our 2016 report shows that these possible carcinogens could be lurking in personal care products and kids cosmetics. For instance, Calone, a compound of synthetic origin, imparts a fresh ozonous metallic marine scent that is widely used in contemporary perfumes. Synthetic aromatics are often used as an alternate source of compounds that are not easily obtained from natural sources. For example, linalool and coumarin are both naturally occurring compounds that can be inexpensively synthesized from terpenes.
Chypre perfumes are more ambiguous, having affinities with both the Oriental and Woody families. For instance, Guerlain Mitsouko is under Mossy Woods, but Hermès Rouge, a more floral chypre, is under Floral Oriental. Nonetheless, connoisseurs of perfume can become extremely skillful at identifying components and origins of scents in the same manner as wine experts. Created by Paul Parquet in 1884, it is one of the most important modern perfumes and inspired the eponymous Fougère class of fragrances.