In perfumery, as in winemaking, there are many technical terms. And if the meaning of some can be guessed, others remain a mystery to most ordinary people.
We decided to talk about the most common and useful terms from the world of perfumery that you should know in order to understand all the nuances when communicating with a consultant in a boutique.
Chord
In perfumery, the concept of "chord" is used in the same way as in music. A musical chord consists of different tones, but all together they sound as a whole, because they are in harmony. So it is in perfumery: different notes are mixed with each other to form a completely new fragrance.
Depth
Depth is a measure of the quality of a scent. A really good perfume walks us through three types of notes at once - from top to base. And the more interesting the transitions from one stage to another, the higher the rate of the perfumer's skill.
"Sillage"
This beautiful French word literally means the trail of the scent. When a woman walks past you on the street and leaves behind a pleasant scent of perfume, this is the very sillage.
Drydown
This term in perfumery denotes the moment of the opening of the aroma - the transition from top and middle to stable base notes. In other words, drydown is the final sound of the fragrance, when a lot of time has passed since its application (“dry”) and it has managed to “calm down” on the skin (“down”).
Tone
Tonality is the accents, flavors and shades that appear in a perfume due to the addition of various components. If the note describes the perfume as a whole, then the tone only conveys its implicit sounds.
Concentration
We think everything is clear with this term, but just in case it should be clarified. Concentration determines the persistence and strength of the scent. It is by this criterion that all perfumes are divided into four categories: parfum with the highest oil content (15-30%), eau de parfum (15-20%), eau de toilette (5-15%) and eau de cologne (24%). The higher this indicator, the longer the fragrance can last on the skin.
Note
Notes are different scents that make up the finished fragrance. Typically, all perfumes contain three types of notes: top, middle and base. The upper ones are felt the most, their duration varies from 5 to 10 minutes, the middle ones are softer and more delicate, they sound from 20 minutes to an hour, and the base ones form the basis of the entire fragrance. The duration of their aroma can exceed a day.
The absolute
The beautiful word "absolute" is a rich extract extracted from flowers and plants. It is distinguished by a high concentration of perfume oils, therefore it is used in almost all perfumes.
See also: What they used to scent in the USSR, Orgasm-scented candles and cannabis-flavored drink: Gwyneth Paltrow is developing a business
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