Basic Fragrance Design, Octavian Coiffan
Basic Fragrance Design, Octavian Coiffan
Basic Fragrance Design, Octavian Coiffan
e Design,, Blog Posstings 1‐88, by Octaavian Coiiffan (10‐2011)
(nb: Google has co
( omputer translated the posts from FFrench, surely erroors abound…)
Basic Fraggrance Design
n: Les Formess olfactives (1
1)
The act off wearing a ggreat perfumee is a pure
contempllation in a tottal immersionn. Is not
observed a masterpiecce, it inhabits. A beautiful
fragrance abides in us, it permeatess.
The art off perfume hass its autonommy and state o of
grace of itts own. The aappearance off a
masterpieece, when a ccore aestheticc reached a
closed circuit which is perfection, iss similar to an
n
abstract to the appearance of a livin ng
organism. Without its biology, a maasterpiece of
complexitty and a pulse e of a being. TThis is the
mystery, tthe meaning of ancient iniitiation is alsoo
the source of the sustaainability of thhe art in
perfumes over speech. A great perffume is alwayys
a simulatiion model of the complexity of the
universe.
Plus an ollfactory form
m is old, it is m
more interesting. The formm is both olfacctory structurre, a certain
dispositio
on odors organized in a sett of principless, and contentt or meaning,, generated d during the con ntact
with otheer odors, doubble reference a material re eality and thee reality olfacttory images.
Any studyy of form in th
he fragrance ssmell, endow wed with an auutonomous sstructure defined and easilly
identifiable, based on tthe study of tthe oldest forrms our legaccy of mental images:
The smells of the Garden of Eden ‐ the first flowers
The smells of heavenly food ‐ the first offerings
The smells of food land ‐ the first associations
The proto scents of civilization
The archetypes of antiquity
The flavors of 18th and 19th century
Smells abstract ‐ the forgotten specialties
Perfumes reasoned ‐ buildings of the twentieth century shows
The appearance of a great perfume in a certain culture is similar to the overwhelming impact of new
smells in the exchange of civilizations, from the import of cinnamon to the discovery of patchouli or
taste Coca Cola. Any discovery is a rediscovery and this action of (re) discover a scent well hidden in our
mind, like a homecoming, brings great joy because it fills a gap apparent. The seed can flourish. This is
the meaning of a great fragrance that is an agent of transformation.
A new perfume fragrance fills the void of Lost. The smell already present in traces in a civilization is
magnified by the new raw material that is sublime and beautiful form. The olfactory world of civilization
is the set of odors perceived by humans, with no difference between the means of expression. Perfume,
drinks, food, plants, city or human activities, is woven like a huge galaxy where each scent is a star. The
brain perceives little regard to the source, compare, arrange, and has mental images change
constantly. In this galaxy, the smells are transformed, correspondences are established between a
perfume, a drink, a natural ambience or composed. It disappears from one register to be reborn in
another, becomes silent to let another shine. It is present in the apparent absence as the stars hidden by
the brightness of the sun during the day.
A cologne is American Coca Cola, a perfume is a pharmaceutical and Listerine, a medieval scented water
becomes a liquor distilled modern, dessert is a sweet caramel scent, the flowers of a garden are
transformed into a perfume, and then in a cleaning product when you live in a large building near the
garden. Lily of the valley flowers on the concrete because the soul needs to smell when the hand does
not touch the ground.
There is the historical genealogy of perfumes, but behind each scent of a different era is the idea, the
mental image, the "flower" fantasy portrayed by the perfumer with the ingredients he had at his
disposal. Every great perfume is a more accurate representation of the universal image that arises every
time like a ghost through the raw materials of the time. We use the perfumes of the past to gain access
to their truth, to continue the table an "image" which is known by everyone.
This image of an ultimaate truth or smell is a Sphiinx, each gen eration knead ded his portrait in the sand
make represe
trying to m entation as acccurate and durable than tthe rock of th he ancient mo onument untiil it
esponse. As the sand flies leaving only aa trace of its presence, od
issues a re dors remain only in the sou ul
where the e wind has blo
own away. De espite any losss, remains thhe original form, sometimes buried itseelf
waiting to
o be rediscoveered. But eacch discovery inn this archaeoological landsscape is also aa loss. To high
hlight
a hidden iimage is cove
ered with ano other party.
Each perfume is a greaat creation aggainst time ‐ ssomething veery old is rebo
orn in a very new, a form
already known olfacto ory adorned w with the latesst addition to
o complemen nt our galaxy intimate
odors. Wee like to reco
ognize and bee surprised, wwe love the faamiliar and thhe unknown.
We recognize the smell because it w was already kknown. We
rediscovered. odors exxist in us a prriori but they are so far
away likee the stars thaat we recognize the night without
being ablee to approach them. The ffragrance offers a trip bacck
from far aaway and thatt we were so close . The sm mell of
bananas it was known before discovvering the fru uit, but the
smell wass just a trace iin other confiigurations of our
metimes the smells are hidden for hund
flora. Som dreds of
years. Thee ultimate tru
uth is in biologgy, is the firstt fantasy
perfume cconnects, it iss an encounte er prohibited. The clove is
not an end bud too young, so the sm mell of flowers whose life
ended too o quickly befo
ore burning passions? Gree en leaf
geranium would it not our pink sheet, which actually has
leaves andd waxed too small comparred to the maajesty of its
petals? Annd an infusion n of oak mosss in a glass off Coca Cola, itt
does not ssmell too well known, but its flowers?
Photos:
Oedipus EExplaining the
e Enigma of th
he Sphinx, Jeaan‐Auguste‐DDominique Inggres (1780 ‐ 1
1867)
Under thee Grand Portico Philae Davvid Roberts (1
1796‐1864)
Basic Fraggrance Design
n: Les Formess olfactives (2
2)
The smell from a distan
nce
The smell of almost
An odor th
hat attracts
A smell th
hat rejects
All time
While in sspace
Combined d with the infiinite
direction iis
Every perrfume is an op pposition thaat is being buiilt across timee and space, between thee fixed and
volatile , aalways on the
e two plans, tthe real (so keey) and its reeflection (the so‐ sense) beetween the mmental
image (soo "knows") and its projectio on outside off us (this is "reecognized" in
n the palette),, between od
dor
and tangible ingredien nt that corressponds to it, b
between the iingredient an nd the smell tthat evokes all the
obvious a and the subtlee , as controllled and the game of chancce. This dynam mic part of a simple oppossition
to multiplly each time, 2,4,8, ... and return to thee primordial uunity.
A form is suspended between olfactory Inspiratiion (what takkes as its mod
del) and the in
ngredient (what
you use), while in the ttime‐space eq
quation.
New inspiiration: a new
w variety of ro
ose that has just been inveented;
Inspiration older: a faccet of a perfum
me old forgottten;
Inspiration from afar: tthe fragrance
e of exotic tro
opical flower;
Inspiration by: a pastryy that looks every day;
New ingre
edient: a new
w molecule ne
ever used;
Former in
ngredient: a m
molecule classsical
Ingredient by far: ylangg ylang (but n
not spicy);
Ingredient by: you put the spices in the dishes.
Each generation of artists depicted an ideal world in an imperfect world and determined, through the
three major variables: the inspiration (what the creator feels), palette (which he has at his
disposal), the principles (the rules of aesthetics). The angles of each period, the creator and the public
are rarely converged. Over the centuries, our olfactory environment changes, to understand a creator
must revive some of its sensory richness because the modern trend is moving towards an
impoverishment of experience, a real mitigation of odors and replace them with substitutes
standardized, less wealthy. We feel more and less.
New inspiration with new ingredients: the scent of innovation;
Inspiration old with new ingredients: modernization of a perfume;
New inspiration with ingredients of old time to adapt to trends;
Inspiration old with old ingredients: perfume even the past.
To that apply the principles of composition , in turn changing, to add the flavor of the real avant‐
garde , which is a shock to the contemporary as was the taste of pineapple first brought to Europe,
and the perfume ancestral, archetypal or ethnographic, which has the same nose modern strangeness.
The fragrance itself as an Clearly, it is understood, but subdues and intrigue. If it is too simple it will be
tired very quickly. If it is too strange it will be hard to listen to reject wrongly. The strange the familiar
anime which in turn tames it. Every note has an odd smell that surprises the familiar note without
contradicting it.
In a large perfume there are still four major classes of odors that can multiply again if we apply the
variable time‐space and the variable‐Ingredient Inspiration . The major classes are: odor known
original odor, odor forgotten smell hidden .
Known smell is one that is self‐evident to most people, instantly recognizable because it is essential. It's
the smell of what you eat, what we drink, what surrounds us and we feel without seeking the source. It
also smells a universal civilization known for hundreds of years (the apple, mint) or odors specific to a
certain area or time based on changes of human activities (the carriage of old leather) .
Original smell is the novelty that complements the heritage of a society. This was the case for the
introduction of spices, exotic fruits, fresh flowers in the gardens public in the nineteenth century. It is
often the smell of an exotic or little known the smell of a new molecule.
A smell foorgotten is thhe element th hat triggers th
he emotion beecause it is lin
nked to a sense of personaal
history orr universal. Th
his is one face
et of a perfumme forgotten, of a creationn or an old agreement thatt was
floating in
n the young.
All these p
principles app ply to creating any kind of form that saaw olfactory ssuspended beetween very old
and very new, betwee en the intimate and well kknown amongg the local an nd the exotic smell . For a
strawberrry one must aask what is the strawberry known but w what is the tabboo side of th
he fruit, how
disgustingg it is, what iss its "death" aand what we fforgot to forcce the cutter tto eat one waay. This truth of
the cutterr is in its chemmistry and in cultural anthropology. At that time, thee perfumer iss an archaeollogist
of the souul whose misssion is to brin ng in a piece o
of her perfum
me culture.
Fragrance
e Basic Design
n: The Forms olfactory (3))
Summarizze the art of p perfume to th he marriage
"scholar" of two moleccules diverted d into an act
"aestheticc" is a little m
mistake in the value of an
odor even n in life. Nothing is easier tthan to marryy
a very lim
mited number of beautiful m materials in aa
harmonio ous and pleasaant, nothing iis more
difficult thhan building aa fragrance. TThe most
difficult, yyet the heart of this job is tto make
sense of what might seem a random mixture of ingredients and go beyond the pleasant character of any
good smell. This sense is not the invention of the perfumer, it is present in the life of the plant (both
biological and chemical) or in the "uses" that combine to over the centuries to a particular smell .
Knowledge of chemistry is essential to the art of perfume as it allows to understand the nature of things,
their role in life and transformation. The question is not "it is the smell of vanilla?" But "What is
vanillin?". This natural genealogy at the micro (biochemistry) or macro (botanical) is a key part of the
composition of archetypes and genealogy forms odor. A very simple molecule with a very low odor
present in the jasmine is essential in the construction of the heliotrope although does not give the
character of the flower ‐ the secret is very simple in the reactions it undergoes a natural way and
especially at the pH of the skin.
Consider the case of the smell of green tea, which marked 90 years since the world through many
interpretations. This note of tea plant and anorexic, is odor‐free sex as it comes from the leaves, which
often are important in plant and animal sexuality. It's the smell that preceded the musky perfumes and
the symbol of freshness anonymous, disembodied. The tea is the perfumes introduced the note of the
leaves, green or black, dried, revived in a cup during their infusion in boiling water. The smell abstract ,
as a minimum representation of the natural odor, has no a vital element ‐ the promise of regeneration
which is the flower, also present in jasmine tea. If hedione is the ultimate abstract representation of the
presence of a jasmine flower, it is not principle, much less the "essence" of the flower whose scent sums
up his vegetable existence. To become a perfume, the smell of tea requires a series of
changes. Otherwise it is a candle.
Green tea is a dried leaf, sometimes months, of which the elongated shape is distorted because of the
tension she had to undergo. Boiling water poured and the revived for a moment the plant "fragrant"
reborn. The Chinese green tea shaped shaped flower that opens into the cup remind us of the hidden
miracle of this ancient beverage. What we like is that magic, like this resurrection Arab custom of
serving flavored coffee, the best way to talk to the meaning of the resurrection after the fire (the coffee
is roasted), or even how prepare the ancient sacred drink cocoa.
But the smell of tea is not just open the pot on the counter of Mariage Freres. By analyzing how the
English tea consumed, so the habits, movements and smells that surround them, we understand
immediately what is lacking in representation, ingredients or notes to be introduced in low dosage at
the end of the composition to add true and correct to the essence.
The role of these notes are agreements in relation to the tertiary composition is to introduce the new
smell in life and make sense of an ancestral link or in a register which remains in silence. For example,
the use green tea for the note of a trace of an absolute beeswax and a reconstruction of an infusion of
England called Honey, as it was sold by Guerlain in the nineteenth century, not to mention smelling
guaiac wood tea houses and the bitterness of vanilla and a floral absolute Asia.
The perfuumer cannot e escape the cyycles of life, let alone ignoore the princiiples that con
ntrol the
formation n of a certain smell, its rolle and historyy. Then theree's the huge d difference bettween "odor note"
and "perfume" from th he simplest aggreement sugggests the sm d a tea scent that capturess its
mell of tea and
essence, iin addition too its odor. A jaasmine without flesh, builtt exclusively o
on Hedione, sso a "souvenir Air
jasmine" is not a jasmine flower, bu ut another should use the name. However, the overdose is comm mon
in nature,, it must find other items tthat complem ment this form
m
without thhe stinging smmell the jasmine true, becaause the resuult
will alwayys be a syntheetic jasmine ddiluted in Hed dione and nott a
flower. It is stupid and unnecessaryy to build a jassmine fragrannce
without uusing even a trace, jasmine e itself or at le
east one
extractionn jasmine flowwer.
Similarly, no real femin
nine fragrancce cannot be built withoutt
wo extraction
at least tw ns flower, eve
en if they are
e in trace andd
do not givve the keynotte.
In a real p
perfume there e are materiaals that are ussed more for
their sensse for the scent obvious, because apart from the notte
even a natural materiaal there is a "ttreasure mole ecular", whicch
provides access to the e unknown . TThis "unknow wn" is what wee
can not exxtract the mooment is a bit the soul of th hings we ofteen
look to annother plant oor it is more ""concentratedd".
Fragrance
e Basic Design
n: The Forms olfactory (4))
Imagine the smell of th he form as follows: a seed,,
which is the germ of th he idea or inspiration, will
give a treee with flowerrs and fruits that representt
the completion of the essence in it. We can
representt the eye thatt focuses on this form as a
sketch in the drawing. A plan view, when you
look high,, and a front vview when looking from
the front. There is thuss a symbol that our mind
can perce eive as a shift away from th he tree in ourr
primitive germ or as a circumambulation when
you realizze a circular m
motion around d that
form. Botth are just the e projection oof a single mootion " time‐‐space "spirall running alon ng the evoluttion,
as if the thought was a a slow bee en ndowed with h eternal life iin search of tthe flower of a baobab treee,
after discovering his se eed on the grround.
Any form that olfactory perception must be stud died in relatioon to his past,, his genealoggy, and its possible
future, it could be, trying to place itt in the tree structure of iddeas.
Do I have to state an id
dea germinatte?
Do I stand
d before a tree with the peerfect flower??
Do I welco
ome the resullt of ideas wh
hen the leavess fall?
There aree two major m
methods of stu udy whose naames I have bbeen inspired d Jung because,
d by Freud and
like dream he chiaroscuro of the blur .
ms, the smell is living in th
The circullar
As a circu
umambulation n around a grreat symbol, the circular p
provides a paanoramic imaage of an odo
or it
down ana alytically, pre
ecise and metticulous.
If during the chromatography of natural essence the individual molecules that compose it are separated,
in this method it is the smell and not the ingredients. The goal is to draw the facets that make up an
odor, from notes to major tracks. This of course requires a good command of the pallet and the
olfactory world, as more references were more we know what we are exploring. This method is
analytical and excludes the use of imagination that is used to link distant things. Therefore be careful to
feel that there is no odor and is in constant doubt of the facets outlined. So if in this one feels a rose
scent, it should be clear that part of the type of rose or pink. Nothing is more difficult to distinguish
between what one feels in the smell and the smell suggests that in mind. There are two types of analysis
to do, one that relies on the palette odors (odors extracted) and the other based on the smell of life. All
these images olfactory discoveries within an odor are carefully noted and stored. The circumambulation
of an odor is made for life, he must return to his notes, correct, complete, always in the same analytical
mind. After this method is applied to a form designed by the perfumer smell, so a new idea that
attracts. Any new form is like a scent unknown, as a new ingredient, it is important to know and
"correct" before sending it as an essence to the public.
The tree method
In the manner of a tree that springs from a seed without looking like it but while containing its
essence, the method of free association to tree goal to break free of the unknown and the blur of an
odor. is expressed without discrimination and critical all the thoughts that come to mind spontaneously
when in front of an odor, while taking care to note. It aims to identify the unknown, the trace, the
impossible, the paradox that often hide in odor and to express his wealth. Resistance is the temptation
to recognize the smell and the frustration of not being able to name it right away. The day I gave
another name to the essence of black pepper and cloves, everything changed. After the game, when the
mind is imbued with the smell, we must study the patiently notes, classifying discoveries and mistakes,
draw the link unknown and distant on the horizon, even the pattern. If the method is performed at
regular intervals, it will allow to draw a portrait of a smell as it exists in mind, often far from what we
learn. Forget the name to be carried away by the smell. When the method is applied to form a new
scent, a smell so designed by the perfumer, without access to the formula, so the ingredients of the
material representation, it can bring out the depths of this form and traits that often have not been
designed, which in turn can be modified and reworked to increase the emotional impact of the
perfume. In this case the draft of the perfume is subject to the seed germination.
Like that it is the identity of an odor known? Apply two methods on two groups of perfume (one more
used to the note because of the preference or work and the other less attached) of individually and
collectively, followed by validation of information by the same group, the use of software and a new
session from what we "know" already. Multiply by a few thousand for all of the ingredients available and
you have a very effective tool for composition.
The creation of perfum me is a long prrocess of studdy. Unlike poeetry, when peeople arrive aat a certain agge to
poetic state ccontinued, the
a kind of p e art of perfu
ume requires constant stud dy and thorou ugh, becausee the
"words" o me or the smell far beyond all words of aa spoken langguage. There are smells we
of the perfum
know from m birth by being constantly exposed, th hey are know n by the spiriit smells. Repproduction or
developmment perfume e ask a lot of w
work for the pperfumer hass to replicate what people know of a
lifetime. T
The illusion o
of smell, or th
he simplest re eduction worrks when therre is no odor similar and
available on the perfume market. B But when a siimilar tone apppears more likely from th he image thatt our
mind has formed over the years, the new interpretation will bbe as quickly accepted. Th he creation off this
fragrance requires a loong study for tthe perfume because it w ill consciouslyy know the deetails in order to
choose thhe ingredientss for its rangee that can exppress it as besst as possible,, before makiing its own
interpretaation, but alw
ways in the same register. IIt is in two tyypes of perfum me ‐ one of mmaturation, tthe
other inveention, one ttakes the ideaa fragile fleett in another ffragrance to m make his majjesty, the oth her an
invented seed often by mutation o or crossover. A great perfuume is a synth hesis of two ttypes. However,
there are new seeds th hat do not germinate, as th here are steriile flowers.
Fragrance
e Basic Design
n: The Forms olfactory (5))
A flower a
a day
A flower a
at night
The high a
and low
In silence and beauty
The seed a
and leaf
The floweer and fruit
Combined
d with the infiinite
Of the Sen
nses
Olfactory any form ma ay be subjectt to a series o
of formal ope rations, the m most importaant are addition,
subtractio
on, intersectiion, reversal or mirror. Too understand the first 3 I did the next gaame. On a tab
ble I
have a be
eautiful rose ggarden and a juicy pear, eaach with its u nique biological identity and olfactory and
reproducttive closest to
o the smell th
hat I was able to perform inn the mannerr of a photograph and thatt
excludes m
my interpretaation or intervvention. Eachh formula is leess than 20 in
ngredients, mmost of which exist
elsewheree in the headspace of my rreal objects. FFrom this I didd the followinng exercises:
‐ Isolate the pear note that exists in the pink as part of its olfactory profile;
‐ Isolate and pink floral note that is so subtle in the smell of ripe pear;
‐ Weigh the rose without the pear and the pear rose without its consent;
‐ Modify the agreement so subtle pear in the rose so that as close as possible to the real pear;
‐ Change in subtle pink in the agreement so that the bulb as close as possible to the real rose;
‐ Make the direct transfer of the following agreements with the aim to obtain the twist of the original
agreement, so a change: without the pink pear + pear without the rose, then rose without any
agreement pear + reconstitution pear, pear without agreement without the pink + pink pear, pear
without the rose + rose throughout the reconstitution;
‐ Make note note pear hybrid isolated from the pink rose isolated note of the pear;
‐ New working agreement in each overdose (1:9 and 9:1) to obtain a new bulb and a new rose, all from
the same two "tree".
Olfactory perfect form can be reversed using the same ingredients in the opposite proportion. This
allows, when a large fragrance is designed, which is a new harmony, to produce another set of forms
from the original original formula, each with its own identity, so without a variation. This is the case of
the relationship between two major olfactory forms that dominated the nineteenth century, the
expression of ambivalence, the double character who speaks the same time, is found in the famous
perfume that made the glory of home Lubin.
There are three levels, including formal work. They do not represent the so‐called pyramid structure of
the fragrance or the interpretation proposed by Jean Carles in Roure.
‐ Support or structure chosen as starting, often another scent or smell an odor structure of plant. That
support "fixed" which aims to give the strength of the fragrance and realize the idea is often fragile. It is
never an abstract idea, but often another structure that was chosen for its beauty and perfection;
‐ About the soul or the idea or new this time is introduced, the major theme in the olfactory, the idea
even before we build the fragrance and choose the elements for its representation;
‐ The spirit or the flight is all very new, but characteristic of the perfume, which aims to give the
character, instant recognition, but also the originality and strength.
To this I add the 3 criteria derived from the rhetoric (primer, escort, range) whose role is to transform
the shape and scent to make the link with the Man (seduce, captivate, tie) through steps such
as inventio, or dispositio elocutio, whose final effect is the Grand Style.
This is expressed finally by a mise en abyme perfumer public self‐similarity , which, in the form of
olfactory reflects a mirror effect of the work in itself, like the paintings of Jan Van Eyck and Velasquez,
and at the formal level it is olfactory resulted in the resumption of the major chord in the minor
structures.
The language of smell has been known by humans before the appearance of articulate speech, the
fragrance also has the features of a forgotten language in which the perfumer works with figures of
speech, expression processes which deviate from ordinary use in order to gain expressiveness
particular, to the Poetics of Fragrance .
It was in this case the example of "ordinary", smells known in everyday life (the smell of gourmet
blended Demeter Fragrance Library), and their fragrance in through metaphors. “Gluttony” by Guerlain
is poetic away from the current appetite (perfume cooking) because it makes use of poetry through a
clear desire for stylistic effect desired in a cultural reference (note greedy the time of Auguste Escoffier).
All Perfume is a departure from the common language, or olfactory world power. But the more a
society lives in a world without smells real, the more it will need to be recaptured as well as the
common language of a society is constantly to evolve over the centuries.
In the art of rhetoric, the figure of speech is part of the elocutio , part of the style and ornament, the
choice of "words" and the composition of "sentences". As we will have a fragrance delicate balance
between archaisms (old smells of a form olfactory),neologisms (novelty smell) and the use of
metaphors and figures of speech to make service within the meaning and the idea conveyed by the
olfactory form.
A fragrance full of archaisms indevinable written on parchment by modernity, a perfume with too many
words of recent invention may become a UFO and a fragrance without olfactory metaphors is
prosaic. The use of three balanced thrilled Essence.
From this, three new types of discourse can be built in the world of perfume:
‐ The neo‐vintage, which is adorned with the historical style in the manner of design which
incorporates the old code from being restored to the pastiche;
‐ The avant‐garde work of unknown words and forge new signs fragrant with the use and adoption
remains uncertain;
‐ The perfume of metaphors, suspended between the minimalism of the essential expression and
richness of meaning and baroque between odor‐ingredient (Jean Claude Ellena) and the smell‐sense
(Serge Lutens).
The merit of the first figure of speech, the author's own , in the ancient sense of the word author
(lat. auctor , who increased) and the phrase of Buffon, is away from the current use and pleasure
or delectatio by the ratio between the signifier (the material used) and the signified (sense of smell). In
the perfume, the goal is to enrich the rich served by a formal unusual. We are not in mixtures common
pes or associations (the gre
stereotyp een feels greeen, the fruit iss a fruit) even
n though the theme of thee
speech is familiar (carrry the smell o
of coconut). This unusual feeature rich Goutal perfum mes.
The basic principles arre: the analoggy (the olfactory equivalennt of an image through a ccommon elem ment,
the comparison of 3 im mages olfactory metaphor)), the substitu ution (or allegory concretee representattion
of a olfacttory abstract image, symbol, metonymyy which substtitutes one teerm by another with a logiical
but not a common scent related),op pposition (paarallelism, anttithesis, inverrsion). There are also the
figures th
hat are similar to work of ssound in poetry that applyy to particulaar odorous mo olecules whose
tone is juxxtaposed freqquently, as th
he recovery (rrose oxide an d diphenyl oxxide) and playy on the
proximityy of the odor note of distaant families ( pyridines andd quinolines).. Rupture of cconstruction or
ellipse in the syntax frragrant, the ju
uxtaposition and the shorrtcut, are elements of con ntemporary
perfumerry which operrates at the le evel of spontaaneous emotiion (Hermesssence line).
To summaarize the ideaa of Cicero traansposed into
o the eighth aart, figures off speech of th
he fragrance aare
figures off word (odor ingredient) aand figures off thought (sm
mell sense). Th heir use with accuracy andd
parsimony enhances th he speech of the form whiile their olfac tory abuse tu urns wealth innto confusion
n.
The autho
ors of the Pléiiade said thatt the text is a dish to taste when the tongue is raised
d by figures o
of
which are like a flower or grocery storess.
speech, w
Fragrance
e Basic Design
n: The Forms olfactory (6))
The smell is touched,
An odor th
hat smells,
The leaf in
n the seed,
The wood
d in the root,
The fruit iin the flower,
Skin, air, w
water,
Floating a
and submergeed
The sap and the blood
What is the reason why the smell is reflected in parts of plant or animal so different without
performing a similar biological role even less related species? Why a series of macrocyclic musk
molecules are they in such a resin, such as root and such seed not to add the significant number of other
plants that have a musky smell, however without being extracted for perfume?
Odors between its more material existence, or source, and more abstract representation, or the idea
we have of this smell like a volatile ingredient completely disembodied from his body. This is the case
the relationship between the odor of natural musk and musk contemporaries. They come from organic
synthesis, but their relationship with the primary source of the real world (the secretion of chevrotin) is
both very distant and very close because the chemists went to the heart of the olfactory note in
"cleansing" in extreme the notion of musky odor. However, each molecule keeps it in memory of his
"origin" despite its artificial existence (not found in nature) and therefore there are secondary aspects
of musk (woody, fruity, animal, and even aromatic grass). If from a plant / animal smell musk musk is
extracted from the principle, it is the same way from the molecule and imagine the new part of the plant
which would have contained.
"Back to the source of the smell" is a major step to give the likelihood of a perfume. For a fragrant
source of the natural world we seek the essence is to say, the smell that characterizes it in hardware
and which differentiates in volatility. For a very abstract agreement to form a new odor is sought
materiality, the possible source that could produce in nature. We arrive in this way to "fix" the "volatile"
(not in the direct sense of toughness), to report a source that will project to the underlying brain smells.
The materiality of his body odor or ‐ angelica root is primarily a root;
The soul of the smell ‐ which its own, unique, special odor of angelica root in contrast to the common
points can be established with other olfactory and raw materials with which they share a set of
ingredients;
The identity of the smell ‐ the elements that make up the spirit of the smell and what is an obvious
attachment to the smell to identify it in the most volatile meeting;
Because perfumery operates with ingredients, they must know and use them in all their richness
fragrant, from the plant source to each type of extraction, including the most "volatile" (totally free
because of the support ), which is the same molecule.
Any natural smell of a plant varies between the highly volatile and very persistent, almost nonvolatile,
perfumery uses only what is in between, it has three parts. Now we have access to volatile molecules
of great intensity, which are in evidence in the small grain, galbanum, lily of the valley. These are high‐
impact odorant molecules whose presence in any given synthetic reconstruction of the mind or the
immediate likelihood. This "spirit" is also present in flavorings which recognition should be granted
immediate because time is extremely short compared to the perfume. It captures the spirit of a
strawberry yogurt in a synthetic aromatic, its "soul" and "body" pass into the stomach within seconds.
When you look at the analysis of air around a plant and then analysis by extraction of the plant, there is
an enormous variability and a large number of molecules that are not part of the perfumer's
palette. Some molecules are extremely volatile, others too heavy almost odorless, and their agreement
in a composition is almost impossible.
Yet all these notes of the plant world, we perceive every day, are available through the various
extractions, often used without knowing what they really are: absolute, concrete, CO2, enfleurage,
essential oil, stain, resinoids, headspace, etc. Each method has something that essence and it must be
used correctly since, apart from the smell that gives the distinct and identifiable part of a field, there are
other smells of the background that bring the richness molecular .
The current perfume has dreamed that the old and put in metaphors, each book in its place in modern
research fragrant. Each time a well known odor note is used as the major component (a jasmine flower,
for example), these modern products must be known for a good choice even if it is a use of traces.
A perfume extract is a gasoline that contains the material body of a plant in all hypostases
accessible. This materiality was called Salt, the minerality of a plant was still in the still during distillation
in the form of a residue. But all this wealth of chemical and odor "micro notes" of the living plant was
accessible through the infusions / tinctures. Both minerals (trace elements so that we know the effect
upon the use of perfume on the skin) and low odor molecules studied were in the background of the
perfume.
The spirit of a plant volatile that emerges when we feel it is only part of its smell and is represented by
molecules highly volatile and often very fragile. Because of this fragility, the temperature destroys much
during distillation to open fire or by steam, but also in the case of absolute. Do not forget the very
nature of a solvent (polar, nonpolar, etc.). Who never gives a total extraction. But all this wealth is now
available for some plants through CO2 extraction and headspace analysis that provide access to this
fragile smell next to the new molecules of great impact.
The soul of a plant volatile that contains all its biological richness, that is to say, other notes that
express the biological functions of the botanical study, is the essence of concrete and absolute. Fatty
acids, waxes, all that is heavy and gave trouble when the filtration and bottling of perfume old, are the
elements that a plant uses to perform its functions. Their odor is low, their role immense and
unknown. It is no coincidence that the iris butter 15% irone called butter and, despite the synthesis of
ironies, it is still used.
Fixed very corporeality, Spirit and Soul Very Volatile Volatile are the three aspects of the smell of a
plant that can now access a relatively small part of the perfumer's palette.
At the level of olfactory forms, so the idea itself, this means looking for the very element of the fixed and
volatile element when an idea was born. It has nothing to do with head / heart / background. It's about
finding the start and end of a note or support for a natural evolution of the idea since its inception (the
light) to its disappearance (dark). The Spirit volatile announces the appearance of Soul Vitale while the
corporeality, the source comes from the real world, keeps his memory at the end of evaporation and
also serves to connect the two to ensure that an olfactory form does not break down into two during its
time evolution.
The nineteenth century began with the explosion of light Eau de Cologne in the manner of revolutions
seeking freedom and expansion and as a fragrance volatile seeking to fill a space. The century has come
to be fragrant "fixed". The twentieth century began with fragrant amber which all creation in Paris, he
eventually overdosed musk fragrances in all contemporaries. As I said already in 2005 when I opened
the blog, the two fundamental odors, ambergris and musk Tonkin, played the role of two basic actions
of all species ‐ coagulate and exalt. One refines the notes as a binder invisible, the other amplifies
them.
"Coagulatio", including the effect of ambergris, but extended to other processes in creating the
fragrance, means finding the element that connects the entire composition by giving it form and
meaning, "fix the idea volatile". This is not to introduce a molecule heavy and tough, but a suitable
binder according to the tone, to keep the character until its slow demise.
For cons, the excitement produced by the musk is extreme in the case of Tonkin Musk and its effect is
profound and unknown, very different from the current musks. I've realized by reconstitution of old with
real dye several times when I lived the same condition described in any literature of the nineteenth
century, a kind of euphoric nausea bizarre, sometimes difficult to bear. Moreover, the association
between dye Tonkin musk and aldehydes of Chanel No5 give me the effect that glass of champagne is
not reproducible with modern molecules.
For each type of olfactory note, since the Rose woods, there's always this kind of ingredients, one that
connects the form and one that exalts the one who "holds" that the other " explodes "and that
opposition arises the energy of a smell. However, these two elements are not necessarily the major
elements of the olfactory identity. A very complex role is played by the family of molecules related to
Hedione that both bind and exalt a jasmine note if the right dose is selected (not overdose, which
"dilutes"). When an element is that exalts overdosed sometimes bind because it suffocates the other
elements.
The mechanism which exalt clot‐end reflects the fixed‐volatile opposition is similar to the sap and the
blood and in general the role of fluids in the body. When a flower is young and green, the fluid is a sap,
when the flower flourishes, it is called a fluid sexual, even if both characterize its function in plants. It is
also the difference between a fragrant jasmine petals and jasmine Sambac country. We are talking
about a Blood and a secretion Jasmin Jasmin next notes that characterize the olfactory identity of the
flower.
The binde er is what's in
nside , as ambbergris which
h has long "steeeped" in thee interior of thhe whale and
d then
he "soake ed" in water oof the ocean aand soak up the mineral sppirits. 's exciting is what w
we "throw" w with
intent , ass the musk heerbivore with its secretion. harmonizess One, the oth her struck a ccomposition.
Fragrance
e Basic Design
n: The Forms olfactory (7))
The smell and her husb
band,
Binding an
nd exalts
Odor mineeral
The smell of mushroom
m
Odor plan
nt
An animal odor,
Tetrads off the Senses
Combined
d with the infiinite
One of the oldest form
ms is simply ann agreement between tinccture of ambeergris and tincture of muskk,
both deveeloped with ggreat care, wh means reduci ble to the mix Ambrox / m
hich is by no m muscone. It iss the
archetypee of the smell that binds aand odor thatt exalts, in alll its majesty. In this case, the elementss of
animal an
nd mineral kinngdom are present directlyy in the fragraance.
Ambergris introduced the smell of the sea, even if she herself is not an ocean smell. The discovery of
Calone and helional coincide with the gradual disappearance of the true tincture of ambergris in
perfumes, since replaced with the 50 new molecules of Firmenich and Dragoco through three famous
specialties. Once ambergris fragrance has completely disappeared in 90 years, even as olfactory
reconstitution, the Calone exploded. And when the Calone and marine notes have begun to fade by
overdose is the note of the ambroxan and ambroxide which are mounted in overdose as if man sought
in vain ambergris essential and archetypal rich scent that is matched only by the incense as I said in the
past. Freshness exploding water and detergent smells Ambrox the distance is the sum of the ambergris,
which tamed the mysteries sailors in each townhouse. It is surrounded by amber as in 1900 but in the
form of persistent freshness of laundry that does not feel like dying.
The gradual disappearance of oak moss, first of all for reasons of taste and its replacement with re‐
enactments, had any response as a gardenia blossom notes (and recently truffle accents) because of all
the well‐known flowers, she notes that this fungus in an obvious way. Oak moss, despite its olfactory
identity, is a fungus associated with algae (to see why the male‐evernyl calone are so many) and absorbs
the scent of the bark of wood on which it grows. The real stain oak moss was in it by its simple nature
and botanical extraction process odors forgotten mineral and fungi.
The smell of the mineral kingdom entered the antique perfume by the presence of unrefined salt and
mineral powders, followed by tincture of ambergris, which had flown for years on the ocean, but also by
all the dyes from the roots, and finally by the extraction of roots, which still had a memory of their origin
Underground.
The smell of the reign of the bacteria was present with alcohol, first and after the wine, alcohol
distillation, from a fermentation product, but also by the various fermentations that were part of the
technology production of certain extractions such as rose and patchouli with notes marry precisely by
the intervention of the "musty" blight. Now, biotechnology opens a new path to areas unknown to
fragrant perfume, but well known in the kitchen.
The smell of algae and fungi , including lichens (a symbiotic fungus algae), was represented only by a
very small number of natural products, including foams. Only now we have access to other smells of this
reign to introduce subliminally in a composition.
The smell plant itself was the favorite material of perfume, as the more accessible and acceptable
because of its relationship with food on earth.
The smell of insects , yet little known, was represented by the use of honey in ancient formulas until the
nineteenth century, as well as beeswax used in fragrance cream to give consistency.
The smell of animal , rare, valuable, unexpected, was made in perfumes through the animal fat which
served as a carrier for solid antique creams, the grease used to extract the flowers, and of course the
many anim
mals whose pproducts we kknow only 5 today (amberggris, musk To
onkin, civet, castoreum,
hyraceum
m) although th
he number annd extractionss were possibble many morre.
A perfume must be in him the olfactory heritagge of the univverse, even if f this set is exxpressed as siilent
when the e molecules re esponsible fo
or these odorrs are presentt in trace: Miineral, mushrrooms (and lo ower
life forms), Plants, anim
mals (and inssects).
All these n
notes, in addition to their importance in human civi lization, are p part of our daaily existence,, but
each timee for very short moments rrelated to ourr business. A fragrance thaat covers itself for hours and
gives you the next day with the sam me desire "ine explicable" is the essence tthat extends all our
experiencces as if the notion time (sttart‐end of an
n activity) is i nterrupted our brain.
A real perrfume is not a o Mundi who
a good smell,, a feel‐good,, it's an Imago o accompaniees us in
silence, even though itts theme is th
he obvious sm
mell of a ripe ppeach.
The wealtth of ancient perfume wass given by thee source of inggredients, meethod of extraaction and
productioon technologyy of perfume. This wealth iis often hiddeen under the appearance o of a single rosse,
easily iden
ntifiable, but the amount o
of informatio
on transmittedd to the brain
n was enormo ous.
A fragrance is an essen mix of spices, flavored win
nce that sums up everything, even if itt is a clever m ne or
extract wwearable. The examples in the cultures o over the centturies are Maany. All these "smells" thatt are
in a plate or in an extraact are one th
hing ‐ a summ
mary of the ol factory worldd that tells uss himself what is
lacking in the harmonyy of the experriment.In the kitchen you gget there by iintuition but when such
harmony is reached, th he creation thhrough the ce
enturies withoout change because we do o not feel a need
to invent.
He develo oped the formm olfactory, e
even in its moore abstract rrepresentatio on, it must bee introduced in
life and in
n all the smells that manage our lives tto give it a re al presence aas qu'odeur TTrue.
Fragrance
e Basic Design
n: The Forms olfactory (8))
Coinciden
ntia oppositorrum
The Self a
and the Other
Eros and R
Rose,
The mean
ning comes,
The seal iss eight,
Secret Gold is already
Gasoline, Splendor, Sun
n,
Direction is infinite
The secret is the ultimate essence to put in a perfume. "An impression of me in the memory of others"
said Guerlain and nothing more sense than the sentence that summarizes all the work that is the basis
of an Essence. The fragrance is a chiaroscuro that brings together the traces of the soul and the visible
signs.
Every great fragrance is an initiation into a secret of Nature which the odor character is revealed in
yourself without noticing. More work of the perfumer is laborious and the search for a truth he sees, he
seduces and subdues it to be then, the craze over the person wearing the perfume in its glory will be
great, immediate and addictive. But this beauty cannot be perfect without the essence of self. This is the
secret note that acts as a seal on the smell to make it impenetrable. This note, apart from the technical
virtuosity and beauty of each creation is the most intimate of signature fragrance that comes from its
own heritage smell. In the fragrant variety of the world and human creations, there are areas of clear
obscure, little known, rarely visited, but have a strong emotional power to the creator. This is the
collection of treasures of every great perfume, both real objects and souvenirs he keeps carefully as this
is his intimacy with the fragrance. In this case, the Secret is the smell of Eros, the force that determines a
perfumer to continue its way to the perfume.
Any perfume odor is a hunter who tames the soul. The signature is constructed in two phases, the
choice of the main palette, or dominant, and the choice of palette secret, both a selection of unique
ingredients, little known and a selection of mental images, small olfactory obsessions that haunt the
fragrance without specifying their identities.
These elements have the role of olfactory close the shape, making it opaque in all its "transparency"
as a real form olfactive is self‐evident but not explained . If the seal is the unique brand of perfume,
the secret is also cultivated by ambiguity. A dominant ingredient, clearly visible, will be slightly
"impurifié" by another with which it shares a duality in the same register smell. This appears at the end
because the ambiguity can affect the clarity of the form when the construction is continued through the
maze creative.
When olfactory form is perfect, it can be implemented in all the preparations that flatter the sense of
smell: perfume, drink, main course. The naturalness of an olfactory form comes from there. Plus an
olfactory form intimate relationships with earthly food the more it will be accepted without difficulty. A
form more intimate relationships with the heavenly food, the more it will last. Without going into
details, the food of the gods is unknown to contemporary brands, it is both culture and history of
fragrances, so fragrant archetypes. A scent lasts for another reason he likes.
That represents all forms of olfactory imagined by man since ancient times? I think it's a mind map
(mind map) which reflects the relationship between man and odors.
I summarized the principles set out in sections dedicated to the birth of the olfactory form two tetrads
which must be in a Gasoline. The first describes the smells of nature, number 4, and second odors that
give meaning by transforming first the smell in a perfume. This applies to any form of smell, the notion
of essence is independent of the tone.
The smells of nature (in number of 4)
The smells of Time (start and the end of History)
The smell that drives and binds (conjunctival)
The smell divine, and the Meaning of Knowledge
The Scent Secret
The quality of gasoline compared to a gross smell is its relationship to human and there were two very
distinct categories, the fragrance landscape or atmosphere (for perfume the environment) and the
fragrance itself. The difference between the perfume to wear as gasoline and other odor invented by
the perfumer is that the perfume is a personal initiation: it initiates the other in his own world by
drawing an invisible and inexplicable and its' introduces oneself in the worship of beauty, in a broader
sense odorants in the mysteries of the universe. The difference between a perfume and a consumer is
given by the enormous wealth of experience of the first fragrant than the other will know that often,
because people are both conservative and sedentary. That is why, in the representation of an odor
distant (say India) do not lie, but give as much wealth as possible through what I called the background,
wealth and molecular secondary notes shall not inhibit an exaggerated accumulation.
The fragrance is an integration of nature in the sense of communion with the main olfactory
experiences of humanity , even if the obvious reason is a simple smell of flowers in the garden. The
wealth of fragrance has two levels: a wealth of facets, which in the extreme, when all are activated,
giving the heavy perfume Baroque and wealth Molecular acting in the background. The wealth of
experience combined with the ease of reading the fragrance that is self‐evident has been the feature
of the great creations.
Dare to Believe Know. Essence itself as a discovery that has both the know of this and know the past
(olfactory richness of what we know and what we knew) and the ultimate item is the notion of belief. In
the Beautiful, the True, the secret meaning of the universe that eventually unfolds before our eyes every
day. This is the Sacred Nature of Perfume that provides access to the privacy of distant things.
Perfume, the most futile of Arts as it apparently has no role except to enrich the brands that produce
it, however, is the most intimate link between Us and the Universe. It's a secret science that cultivates
the secret which she has not the key. The beauty of the great perfumes, apart from the genius and
wisdom of the creators, is given by the Times. By dint of working several years as an odor that haunts
the mind of a perfumer, the answer, the solution or the final structure, has her own perfume as if the
head of the perfumer, not the other. The perfumer is the interpreter of the Essence at a particular time
in history. The Perfumer binds man to his inner world, known or forgotten.
I have before me a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 of the '30s whose juice is in perfect condition and I am in
a state of pure happiness. I have the complete formula written in the handwriting of the author in the
versions that led to the final product and yet I cannot explain why she captivated me for years. The
universality achieved by the creation of Ernest Beaux we replicated elsewhere.
The biggest secret of a perfume is ultimately the creator himself.
Like a bee that catches the soul of a flower to turn it in Gold (real world), the perfumer picked the
knowledge of other arts (the world of ideas) to make the "flower dies" a life in the imagination of others.