How Is Perfume Made?

Scent Formulation: How Fragrances are Developed

Every perfume starts with an idea. Each fragrance tells a story that the perfumier wants to tell through scent. (This is why the people who create perfumes are often called "the nose" behind a fragrance– the smell is how perfumes tell their stories!) To begin formulating a scent, the perfumier gathers different ingredients that fall into various scent categories: floral, fruity, woodsy, green, herbal, spicy, and many, many others.

From there, the perfumier experiments with different scent oil combinations at different strengths. They choose scents that layer into the head, heart, and base notes. 

Head notes are the top notes that are smelled first. Heart notes, or mid notes, are what carry the perfume most. Base notes are the most durable scents that give the fragrance longevity and keep it from fading entirely. While perfumes can have different scents in each of the three layers, they will all have at least one scent in each category.

Types of Perfume

Once the scented oil is made, it is added to alcohol to create various concentrations of perfumes. Some perfumes are made into solid perfumes by adding the perfume oils to solid carriers like beeswax mixtures. Others are added to lotions or balms. But the modern perfume industry's cornerstone is liquid perfumes, generally mixed to one of the following five concentrations: Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne, and Eau fraiche.

Parfum/Extrait de Parfum

Sometimes called "pure perfume," parfum is the most highly concentrated perfume type. This means that it is typically the most expensive kind of perfume. Even though it is sometimes called pure perfume, it is still diluted and contains anywhere from 15% to 40% fragrance. However, a concentration of 20% to 30% is most common within this range.

It does contain alcohol, but not as much as other perfume strengths. This means it doesn't dry out the skin as much, so people with sensitive skin may prefer this perfume. The scent typically lasts 6-8 hours.

Eau de Parfum

Eau de Parfum, often called EDP, is the next-strongest perfume type. It has a concentration between 15% and 20%. The scent usually lasts 5-6 hours and is suitable for everyday wear.

Eau de Toilette

Eau de Toilette, or EDT, is a prevalent type of perfume. Together with EDP, the two make up the vast majority of perfumes that people buy. EDT is concentrated between 5% and 15% and usually lasts for 2-3 hours before needing reapplication.

Eau de Cologne

Eau de Cologne needs to be clarified. There is a tendency to refer to all masculine perfume scents as "cologne," but this isn't the case! Many men's perfumes are sold at EDP or EDT strengths. What "Eau de Cologne" really means is a perfume that is concentrated at 2% to 4%. It usually comes in larger bottles because it is so dilute, and more of the scent must be used. Eau de Cologne's scent only lasts for about 1-2 hours.

And, in case you were wondering, "Eau de Cologne" refers to Cologne in Germany and once referred explicitly to a traditional recipe that used herbal and citrus top and mid-notes without strong base notes to anchor them. As we said, it's a little confusing!

Eau Fraiche

Eau Fraiche is relatively uncommon today. This type of perfume is the least concentrated, usually at most 1% -3 %. Like eau de cologne, the scent will last about 1-2 hours. However, eau fraiche is unique amongst other perfumes because it contains very little alcohol. For eau fraiche, the carrier liquid is mostly water, hence the name "Eau Fraiche," which is French for "Fresh Water."

Synthetic vs Natural Fragrance: Which is Better?

While the earliest perfumes were all made with natural fragrances, today's perfumes can be made with natural and synthetic scents. Both fragrances have advantages and bring incredible benefits to the perfumes they use. For natural fragrances to be used, the perfume manufacturer must find a way to express the essential oils within the natural material, typically plant materials. There are different methods of extracting these aromatic chemicals, such as using oils and solvents or steam distillation. Each process has advantages and disadvantages, but they all have one thing in common: they extract the essential oils from the natural ingredients. If the material doesn't have essential oils, it cannot be used this way.

In modern perfumes, synthetic chemicals can replicate any scent and may be used to create scents that cannot be found in nature. One famous example is aldehydes, used in perfumes like Chanel No. 5 for crisp, light notes. Other advantages to using synthetic materials are based on scarcity or difficulty in finding the source scent. For example, Lily of the Valley is challenging to find and express in the desired quantities, so most of the Valley scents used in perfume are synthetic. Synthetic animal musk is increasingly popular for ethical reasons, and modern ambergris is synthetic. In many countries, marine mammal protection means that natural ambergris is illegal, so it's good to have the synthetic alternative!

What Does The Average Perfume Formula Have In It?

The majority of the liquid in that beautiful little bottle of perfume is alcohol– pure ethyl alcohol. But over 3,000 other chemicals may be in the mix, each adding something different to the perfume's distinct aroma.
While the exact chemistry and molecular structure of the perfume's scents don't tell the average person much of anything, these scents are grouped not by chemical composition but by name. That is much easier! Some of these are pretty self-explanatory– most people know what "rose" or "lilac" are, but what about "aldehyde" or "vetiver"? Here are some common ingredients with names you might have seen and not know what they were.

Common Fragrance Ingredients

Believe it or not, where you apply Cologne can affect its potency. For example, wearing Cologne on your clothes will not give the fragrance its full strength and longevity. This is because fragrances are most noticeable when exposed to body heat, and the extra layers between your skin and clothing will prevent this exposure. Cologne is most effective when applied to areas with high body heat, known as pulse points. Your armpits, wrists, and neck tend to be the best pulse points, helping to bring out the essence of your Cologne and keeping you smelling fresh for as long as possible.

• Aldehydes: Organic compounds are present in many natural materials. Typically, these are synthesized artificially, as seen with the aliphatic aldehydes used in Chanel No 5.
• Benzoin: A resin the Styrax tree produces with a balsamic or evergreen scent.
• Calone: An aromatic chemical that adds marine notes to fragrances.

Common Fragrance Ingredients

• Hedione: A synthetic compound that has a fresh, green, jasmine-like scent.
• Muguet: This is the French word for lily of the valley. Typically synthetic today.
• Musk: Found in nearly every man's fragrance, musk is a secretion from the glands of the musk deer. The vast majority of musk produced today is synthetic.
• Neroli: A citrus fragrance distilled from the blossoms of the orange tree.
• Oud: A fragrant resin found in the wood of the Agar tree from southeast Asia.
• Ozone: A modern synthetic note meant to mimic the smell of petrichor or fresh air right after a thunderstorm.
• Vetiver: A type of grass with heavy, fibrous roots with an earthy, smoky, woody aroma.