perfume

Natural vs. Synthetic Perfumery: How to Make a Rose

by Aubrey Allison
yellow roses among leaves

What is the difference between “natural perfumes” and “synthetic perfumes”? Let’s use rose as an example.

For a rose note in their perfume, a natural perfumer will use rose essential oil, distilled directly from roses. In the bottle, that rose essential oil contains all the different aromatic molecules that came from the particular roses distilled in that batch. It’s one essential oil, but it contains a multitude of molecules — around 300-450 different aromatic molecules. Different rose essential oils vary in quality, and can have different characteristics.

For a rose note in their perfume, a perfumer working with synthetics will use the individual molecules as building blocks to craft the precise rose they want. A generally rosy note can be created with just the 3 main aromatic molecules of roses: geraniol, citronellol, and phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA). For more rosiness, adding rose oxide, beta-damascenone, and beta-ionone goes a long way. From there, they can build their rose to be green, or fruity, or a tea rose. They have more control over how their rose molecules will overlap and interact with the other notes in their perfume, because they are in control of each molecule and its ratio.

Natural perfumery, to me, is more about sourcing high-quality materials, then blending them with restraint. A formula for a natural perfume is generally a lot shorter than a perfume formula built with synthetics. With synthetic materials, however, there’s so much more you can build and create (and more consistency you can achieve) than with a naturals-only palette.

Counter to a lot of misinformation out there, synthetic perfume materials have many environmental and health advantages over natural materials. Because the aromatic molecules present in roses are not only present in roses, many synthetic molecules can be produced in “upcycled” ways, like getting linalool from wood pulp, or vanillin from the “waste” of the paper industry. It’s also easier to control potential allergens or irritants when working with the isolated molecules of synthetics. So don’t get taken in by fear-based marketing implying that natural is always safer.

Perfume Materials from the Bitter Orange Tree

by Aubrey Allison

The bitter orange tree gives us several different perfume materials. 

Petitgrain is made from its leaves (and often twigs, too). Its smell is leafy, woody, green, and bitter, with undertones of sweet orange and light florals.

The flowers can be made into neroli or orange blossom depending on how they are processed: neroli is made when the flowers are distilled as an essential oil, and orange blossom absolute is made when the flowers are solvent-extracted. Distillation also produces hydrosol, which is what’s left behind after the oil is skimmed off following steam distillation, and often that hydrosol is then processed into an absolute called orange flower water absolute. 

Neroli smells floral, but more green and woody than orange blossom, which has a higher indole content and a honeyed, heady floral character.

Orange essential oil is pressed from the peel of the fruit, and can come from the fruit of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium) as well as other orange trees, usually Citrus sinensis.

Serge Lutens in Paris

by Aubrey Allison

Serge Lutens is one of the first brands I fell in love with when I went down the niche perfume rabbit hole. Their perfumes made me fall in love with perfume. I love their olfactory style, and some of my absolute favorite perfumes in my collection are Serge Lutens: Borneo 1834, Jeux de Peau, Gris Clair
, Five o’clock au gingembre. I’ve also treasured several decants of Serge Lutens scents that different perfume friends have sent me over the years: BaptĂȘme du Feu, Fourreau Noir, Encens at Lavande, Fille en Aiguilles, and others. Serge Lutens perfumes have slowly disappeared from US perfume retailers, and rumors abound about how so many of their perfumes have been reformulated to the point of losing their magic.

So, one of my favorite parts of visiting Paris was visiting Serge Lutens shop locations and chatting with the shopkeepers. We talked about our favorite perfumes, and both the realities and the exaggerations of reformulations. (On the whole, they felt that reformulations were minor and did not change the vast majority of Lutens perfumes—but there are a handful that are still on the market but noticeably different. One of my perfume collecting regrets is that I once got a “vintage” bottle of Fleurs d’Oranger with the Palais Royal logo and then decided I was not likely to wear it and re-sold it. One of the shopkeepers in Paris confirmed that is one of the Lutens perfumes that has been significantly reformulated and is not really the same anymore. However, he disagreed that Borneo 1834 smells noticeably different now from when it first launched—and Borneo 1834 is his favorite scent, his everyday signature perfume. He also told me Fille en Aiguilles is being discontinued, and a shopkeeper at a different location told me BaptĂȘme du Feu is being discontinued.)

It was such a pleasure to smell old favorite scents and sniff new ones (I really like one of their new releases, Écrin de FumĂ©e, and got a sample of that to keep wearing). And, I took home bell jars of two of my favorite lavender perfumes that I previously only had gifted decants of: Encens et Lavande and Fourreau Noir.

L’Osmotheque

by Aubrey Allison

Visiting Osmotheque, the world’s only perfume archive, was a dream come true. Their focus is not perfume bottles (though they have a gorgeous showroom with a ton of antique and vintage bottles), but the juice itself: the actual scents. They formed in 1990 when a group of perfumers decided it was not enough for perfumes to live on only through memory, written descriptions, and nostalgia; we need to be able to smell them firsthand.

This picture showing “la cave” or “the cellar” — 12°C fridges filled with dark glass bottles containing perfume topped with argon, an inert gas, to keep the perfumes as stable as possible within their bottles — that is the heart of Osmotheque. Their archive houses 5,000 perfumes, 850 of which are no longer available except here.

What I did not realize until I visited is that Osmotheque does not simply take the vintage/antique perfume out of the bottle and preserve it. They have perfume formulas entrusted to them, and they re-blend the formulas with fresh materials: that is what gets preserved in the cellar. (When a raw material is no longer available, that perfume does not get reconstituted.) It is simply reality that perfumes under any conditions will degrade and change over time, to the point that after enough years have passed, the way the juice smells is no longer the same scent that the perfumer created and shared with the world. I asked if they ever get vintage perfume so well-preserved that they don’t need to reconstitute it; the answer is no.

After visiting the cellar, we were treated to a fantastic (and scented) lesson on the history of perfumery. We smelled perfumes from centuries ago when distilled alcohol was first used, all the way through the 20th century. It was striking how that musty “vintagey” smell that overpowers so much of vintage perfume for me was basically absent. There were perfumes where I could smell a sensibility that I associate with vintage style (Shocking by Schiaparelli, 1937, was the primary example of this for me), but on the whole, I felt like I was encountering the perfumes clearly, the way they were originally encountered, and not through the scrim and cobwebs of age and time.

Perfume Note: Vanilla

by Aubrey Allison

Vanilla: the foundational gourmand note. The characteristic volatile molecule of vanilla is vanillin, which is often used on its own to inexpensively impart a vanilla note. Vanillin is also present in other materials such as benzoin resin, wheat, and oak wood (especially after it has been heat-treated to barrel spirits like whiskey).

Vanillin is distinctively sweet and creamy, and vanilla can have aspects that are fruity, floral, smoky, medicinal, almondy, anisic, caramellic, animalic or leathery.

M. Micallef Note Vanillee walks the line between vanilla’s light and dark sides: honey-floral jasmine notes, boozy cognac, juicy mandarin, and a hint of anise. Inviting and mischievous.

Jovoy Fire at Will is a delicious brown sugar vanilla. Mimosa lightens with a slight powderiness, for a scent that is playful and seductive.

Perris Monte Carlo Vanille de Tahiti’s vanilla is rich and almondy. Ylang ylang and champaca bring a ripe fruity-floral character, and sandalwood adds to vanilla’s creaminess and depth.

Les Indemodables Vanille Havane focuses on vanilla’s dark side: notes of leather, rum, tobacco, spices, dried fruits, and even cocoa. Still absolutely a gourmand, and very much centered around vanilla, but in an unusually rich way.

 Jeroboam Insulo uses clean musk notes and airy jasmine to render this vanilla sheer, a “skin scent” vanilla.

Profumum Roma Vanitas is sugary sweet. Delicate orange blossom and soft myrrh keep this vanilla from becoming overly candied or childish, yet it’s still as delightful as a marshmallow.

Essential Parfums Divine Vanille is the perfume that I always want “wood vanilla” or “incense vanilla” scents to be. Every note blends with and modifies the other notes, for an overall effect like a smooth color ombre. Tonka softens vanilla, becoming like suede with osmanthus. Cinnamon bark’s spice brings out subtle fruit notes, and locks in with the woodiness of cedar, patchouli, and clary sage. Benzoin bridges these notes back into the central vanilla and brings out their incense aspects. A hint of black pepper adds earthy, bitter balance to vanilla’s sweetness, and silky-sheer musks smooth over it all.

Perfume Edit: The Horse Stable

by Aubrey Allison

Parfum d’Empire Ruade is the perfect balance of an authentically equestrian scent with wearability and sophistication. Oud and leather are supported by hay and narcissus, for a scent that is just the right amount of animalic.

Sarah Baker Bascule is the horsiest of this bunch. Imagine nuzzling your nose into a fresh peach, inhaling the fuzzy ripe scent – now replace the peach with a horse’s coat. The earthy, leathery barnyard hay is softened and lightened with the scent of the sun-ripened fruit.

With Naomi Goodsir Corpus Equus, we’re in a horse stable, but it’s the set of a fashion editorial. The leathery patina is there, along with a smoke-and-ash facet. Settled quietly underneath is something cool and soft, like rosewater, that keeps the animalic notes from overpowering. This is not so much the scent of a horse stable or an open field, but rather the scent of an enigmatic person who moves through those spaces and has an understated yet distinctive style all her own.

Francesca Bianchi The Black Knight is an epic tale of medieval knights camped before battle: the leather of horse tacks, the smoke of campfires wafting over wild flora. The heart of this perfume is a waxy, powdery rose.

Parfumerie Generale Arabian Horse paints a scene: an early morning, cool mist lingering over the dewy, sweet grass of the open countryside. You can smell the suede-like warmth of the horse under you and the freshly-turned earth under its hooves.

Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories evokes a cowboy atmosphere. Its clary sage and geranium are herby and green, while carrot seed is earthy and warm. Cedar, vetiver, and birch tar bring woody, grassy, and smoky notes to this dry, resinous perfume.

Photo by Oleksii Piekhov via unsplash

Perfume Note: Ginger

by Aubrey Allison

The smell of ginger is bold and complex. It has a bright, lemony facet; a warm, zesty spice facet; and a deep woody/earthy facet.

Filigree and Shadow Incurable is a superlative ginger perfume, warm, zesty, deep yet powdery, accented with saffron, coriander, clove, green pepper, earthy patchouli, and a woody, oakmossy base.

Perris Monte Carlo Cedro di Diamante is a bright, lemon-lime ginger scent.

Monsillage Pays Dogon is fresh-cut flower stems, fruity-tart hibiscus, with ginger and pepper for spice and a light, vetiver and guaiacwood base.

Etat Libre d’Orange Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes is green shiso leaf and citrusy ginger, with a soft sweetness that emerges with its rice-and-coconut-milk dry down.

Pierre Guillaume Intrigant Patchouli is a honeyed patchouli with sweet ginger and smooth sandalwood.

Stora Skuggan Silphium is black pepper-forward, with dry ginger and clove, smoky incense, geranium, leather, and wood.

Masque Milano Hemingway sets ginger and rhubarb atop a leathery vetiver.

And of course, ginger lends itself beautifully to warm, spicy gourmands. L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two is candied ginger and cinnamon-sweet honey. Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Au Gingembre is soft and warm, ginger-spiced tea with honey and a hint of pepper. Serge Lutens BaptĂȘme du Feu is sharp and powdered, gingerbread and tanned leather, a dense fruitcake carved out of wood. Etat Libre d’Orange Noel au Balcon smells like gingerbread at a holiday party with your closest friends.

Olfactive Studio Woody Mood is a delicious ginger and cocoa wood, with saffron, patchouli, and sage. On my skin, a sweet campfire smoke note emerges and crackles underneath the ginger.

Perfume Vibe: Beach Vacation

by Aubrey Allison

Perfumes to help you pretend you’re on a beach vacation.


Heeley Sel Marin is the first whiff you catch of the ocean when you arrive. Salt and sand, carried to you on a breeze. Wade into the waves and smell Profumum Roma Acqua di Sale, salty seaweed and ocean brine. For a softer take, try Hilde Soliani Acquiilssssima: seaweed and jasmine green tea. Your skin will smell like Arquiste Sydney Rock Pool, traces of coconut suntan lotion mixing with the salt water, warmed by the sun. Spread out your towel on a sun chair and the air smells like Heeley Coccobello: coconut, unsweetened, with touches of vanilla, subdued beachy florals in the salty air. 🌊 🏝

In the evening, you might put on Aftelier Parfum Privé, lush, soft, and romantic with tropical florals and a setting sun. Or you might reach for Fzotic Unsettled, the creamiest sandalwood over a relaxing pineapple and black tea accord. Wear Nishane Fan Your Flames if you want to smell like piña colada, but make it fashion—a generous pour of rum, with tobacco and coconut. For dessert, Pink MahogHany Pas Encore Nommé: pineapple cream topped with malted sugar. 🍍

Finally, my favorite part of a beach vacation, which I’m evoking through generous sprays of Pierre Guillaume Poudre de Riz: The Nap. Late afternoon, post-beach and post-shower. The lights are off and the shades are drawn, but natural light suffuses dimly into the room. The sun’s warmth still radiates from your skin, but the hotel towels and bedsheets are cool, and clean, and starched white. There is no nap more restful than this one.

Perfume Insights from Raw Materials

by Aubrey Allison

Sometimes smelling a raw material feels like discovering a Rosetta Stone—it unlocks a perfume that until then I couldn’t quite decipher.

flouve1Recently I had this flash of recognition with flouve absolute (see description below), which was entirely new to me, but upon smelling it I suddenly understood what’s going on in Oriza L. Legrand’s Chypre Mousse. Similarly, when I smelled a gorgeous fir absolute, it felt like I could more deeply understand Slumberhouse’s Norne and its dense, sweet, “jammy” forest character. I don’t know if this material is in the perfume, but when I smelled hydrocarboresine (made from the gummy resin of labdanum) my mind instantly went to Bruno Fazzolari’s Ummagumma, and the chewy quality of its smoky leather made more sense, like I could see the through-line from incense to chocolate.

Have you had this experience with any raw materials and perfumes?

flouve2book
From Steffen Arctander’s Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin.

Gourmand Perfumes for Fall

by Aubrey Allison

 

Or du SĂ©rail by Naomi Goodsir smells like sexy Thanksgiving—a cornucopia of fruits dripping with honey, soaked in rum, edged with tobacco. It’s the smell of the color gold. Warm, voluptuous, its texture balances somewhere between velvet and silk. A delicious and seductive scent for autumn.

Salt Caramel by Shay & Blue is a lighthearted gourmand: salty, creamy, caramel popcorn that is simply delectable. In my mind I was “saving this one for fall” while in reality I wore it throughout the summer too. Summons Halloween treats or a seaside carnival, whichever you’re in the mood for.

Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens smells like comfort: warm milk, freshly baked baguettes, crusty and toasted on the outside with soft, warm, pillowy centers. Licorice notes are nestled underneath, complicating things. This is a gourmand perfume, but not in the usual sweet way. In fact, someone recently suggested to me that milk is an animalic note, and I think Jeux de Peau may be a point in their favor. Milk notes in perfumery (lactones) live on a continuum with apricots, coconut, and even osmanthus, and hints of those notes live in Jeux de Peau, softening the milk and blending its edges into the buttery woods. This is the scent of the idea of a hearth: warm, a blanket wrapped around you while homemade bread bakes in the kitchen the next room over. A cat dozes in your lap, purring.