Encyclopedia · 324 notes

Notes

The raw materials of perfume, sorted by family, with the fragrances in the guide that reveal them.

Citrus

Cold-pressed zests, bright and fleeting. They give a fragrance its first light.

Lavender, mint, juniper, verbena. Bracing leaves and berries from gardens and scrubland.

Crushed stems, cut grass, bitter gum. The sap of the plant, vivid and sharp.

Rose, orris, violet, geranium. The heart of perfumery, from powdery freshness to opulence.

Tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom. Heady, sunlit flowers with creamy facets.

Almost always recreated by the perfumer, they bring a juicy, appetising note.

Pepper, cardamom, saffron. A piquant warmth that awakens and structures a composition.

Cedar, sandalwood, oud, conifers. The framework of a fragrance, dry or creamy, always lasting.

Lichens, undergrowth, roots. The damp depths that anchor chypres and fougères.

Incense, benzoin, amber accords. Tears of resin with warm, glowing trails.

Vanilla, tonka bean, cocoa. Sweet notes that recall the kitchen and fine pastry.

Molecules that feel like clean, warm skin. They carry the whole fragrance further.

Civet, castoreum. Once of animal origin, now recomposed, they lend warmth and sensuality.

Leather, birch, tobacco. Dark, burnished accords, somewhere between tanned hide and a wood fire.

Sea spray, salt, wet stone. Open-air impressions invented by modern chemistry.