THE WEIRD & WONDERFUL WORLD OF PERFUME
AS PURVEYORS OF THE FINEST PERFUMES, ALLOW US TO IMPART OUR KNOWLEDGE ON ALL THINGS SCENT
Published 446 days ago
min read
From ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics to Renaissance texts, the legends of perfumery hark back more than 4,000 years. Like Cleopatra’s cloud of fragrance announcing her arrival to Mark Anthony. Or Napoleon's predilection for double extract of jasmine. (He went through 60 bottles a month, or so it's said.)
But it’s in the modern creation of fragrance that the truly weird and wonderful emerges. Peculiar materials. Scent constructions. Questions of nomenclature. Let us embark on an olfactory adventure. Noses at the ready.
BELOVED AND BIZARRE INGREDIENTS
While we are all no doubt familiar with the whiff of exotic scents like oud, suede and amber, there are highly unusual ingredients in the pantheon of perfume that might raise a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
Take aldehyde. Found in many floral fragrances, including Elisabethan Rose, one would be forgiven for thinking it a flower. Alas, aldehyde is a synthetic note, lovingly produced through the refraction of oil. It adds a sparkling effect to a fragrance, and gained fame when Ernest Beaux composed the infamous Chanel No 5.
Or indeed ambergris, which you’ll find in Lothair. A highly prized ingredient, ambergris is a secretion formed in the intestine of the sperm whale, found floating in the sea or washed up onto beaches. While that might not sound particularly appealing, ambergris imparts the most beautifully soft, earthy scent.
UNFURLING SCENT UPON THE SKIN
A curious experience, trying new perfumes. You may have noticed that the first spritz on your skin smells quite different a few hours later.
Fragrances are intricate concoctions, flourishing over time. There are two types of construction: the classic horizontal and lesser known vertical. A horizontal evolves as it warms and develops on the skin. The ‘notes’ – head, heart and base – are separate, but meld deliciously together to reveal a holistic scent.
For the hopeless romantics, however, is the vertical construction. Here, there is no transition to speak of, just constancy. The heart’s chosen fragrance stays true from the first note to the last.
/The-Weird-Wonderful-World-Of-Perfume-Desktop-1760x950px-01-copy-1-.jpg)
PENHALIGON'S TOP PICKS
FOLLOW YOUR NOSE
As for the notes themselves, each plays a part in the perception of a perfume.
Head notes are the first impression and made of the most capricious ingredients – often a light, fresh burst of citrus or fruit. They quickly blend into the heart notes, fleeting yet oh-so-memorable.
The heart of a perfume is what dictates its fragrance family – floral, green, woody, chypre or spicy. As you waft through life, heart notes bring harmony and balance to the perfume’s composition.
Finally, the underlying tones of base notes are responsible for a perfume’s lasting qualities. They tend to be warmer, less volatile, likely woods and musks. A little note on fragrance notes, if you will. Fine perfumes should not break up into three stages. If cunningly well-balanced, the transitions should be nothing short of seamless.
Alas, we could go on… There are simply endless rabbit holes to disappear down. But perhaps it’s best to sniff for oneself. Enter the wonderful world of perfume, in all its glory, online or in person.
