Cologne Accord: Fragrance Notes

Cologne Accord

• The Cologne accord has notes of amber, wood, leather, chypre, and fougere.

Modern Accords

• Bright floral: fragrance from one or several flowers.
• Green: fragrance from cut grass or leaf, a light or more modern interpretation of the chypre type.
• Aquatic: a very clean, modern smell leading to many modern androgynous perfumes (e.g., Christian Dior's Dune).
• Citrus: has a freshening effect.
• Fruity: aromas of fruits other than citrus.
• Oriental: usually composed of specific notes (e.g., Ginestet Bortrytis).
• Gourmand: scent with edible or desert-like qualities (e.g., Mugler's Angel).

Odour Families

Aldehydic

• Refers to the odour of aliphatic aldehydes of chain length C8 to C12.
• First used in Chanel 5 in 1921.
• Many brands, including Dove, use aldehydic fragrances to this day.

Balsamic

• Sweet-smelling and warm odour family.
• Includes notes like:
  • Benzoin (Styrax Tonkinensis)
  • Myrrh
  • Frankincense/Olibanum (Boswellia Carterii)
  • Opoponax
  • Peru Balsam
  • Tolu Balsam
  • Cistus
  • Labdanum
  • Vanilla (Vanilla Planifolia)

Chypre

• Uses base notes like:
  • Bergamot
  • Oakmoss
  • Patchouli
  • Vetivert
  • Sandalwood

Fougere

• A type of fragrance characterized by lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin.

Fragrance Creation

• Sources of creative inspiration:
  • Stimulation of the senses (sight, touch, sound, smell)
  • Fragrance ingredients, odours, and accords
  • Archive formulae
  • Fragrance brief (including product's functional and emotional benefits)
  • Market fragrances
• Process:
  • Evaluator sets up an in-house expert panel to ensure performance and hedonics beat a selected benchmark.
  • Final fragrance ideas are put on test for stability, both in general and in specific for SPF.

Headspace Analysis

• Collects odour-laden air above the botanical (headspace) in the field.
• Sample is then returned to the laboratory for GCMS analysis and the scent is recreated.

Fragrance Regulation

• International Fragrance Association (IFRA) founded in 1973.
• Designed to protect the consumer and the environment.
• Standards are divided into three groups:
  • Prohibited: material should not be used as they are harmful.
  • Restricted: material can be used but with certain restrictions.
  • Allowed: material can be used freely.

Naturals and Odour Control

• Various ingredients are used, including:
  • Oils (e.g., Benzoin, Frankincense, Lemon, Rosemary, Clove, Star Anise)
  • CO2 Extracts (e.g., Vanilla)
  • Absolutes (e.g., Geranium, Tonka Bean, Mimosa, Jasmine, Labdanum, Orris)

Fragrance Allergens

• All cosmetics that contain fragrances have the word "parfum" in the ingredients list.

Odour and Memory

• Odour can be a trigger for a complete memory, including the emotional context.
• Early experiences often affect our later likes and dislikes in fragrance.

The Perfume Industry

• Key players:
  • Ingredient suppliers
  • Creative perfumery houses
  • Fine fragrance companies
  • Consumer products companies
  • Contract manufacturers

The Sense of Smell

• Functions:
  • Basic survival:
    • Warning (burning, spoiled foods, predators)
    • Feeding (appetite, food flavour, effect of anosmia)
    • Communication (babies, recognition, pheromones)
    • Mate selection (MHC – major histocompatibility complex)
  • Place and time (the smell of seasons, the smell of the sea)

Variation in Odour Perception

• The same odour may be perceived differently by different individuals due to:
  • Individual's emotional, social, cultural, and visual contexts
  • Physiological properties (e.g., specific anosmia, MHC, illness/deficiency)
• Specific anosmia: when a specific olfactory gene is not functioning.
• MHC (major histocompatibility complex): a group of genes that codes for proteins found on the surfaces of cells that help the immune system recognize foreign substances.