My Favorite Books VI

An Introduction to Perfumery dedicates an individual page to a wide selection of naturals and synthetics.

Each page starts with a measure of “Odor Intensity” which is on a scale of zero to six. In the center of the page is a big diagram of the molecule. To the right, is a column with a list of smells. At the top of this column is the “primary odor”, that which strikes us first, followed by “secondary odor.” Below that, we find the base notes. Last in this column, are “Odor Characteristics.” These are qualities, such as diffusiveness, that describe characteristics of the scent that aren’t smells in themselves.

Last is a list: First is “Appearance,” which describes the ingredient’s consistency, color, and clarity. “Storage” tells of precautions we must take such as using tightly-sealed lids or refrigeration; “Stability” tells us how the compound will hold up; “IFRA” lists any restrictions on use; “Applications” describes how the ingredient is used in compositions. This might include comments such as “used in fougères, in green perfumes”; “Occurrence” tells us where the compound is found in nature and where it is likely to be found in perfumes. What I find most exciting, is the small section, at the bottom, titled “Experiments.” Here we see suggestions for experiments we can perform to better familiarize ourselves with a substance, such as combining it with specific ingredients, combinations, and accords.

I’ve been using the book to help me with Black Iris. The big bummer is the IFRA section (I’ll go into this in a future post) which tells me I can only use oak moss at a .1% in the final fragrance. This is at most a tenth of what I typically use. Opoponax is also restricted to .6% in a final fragrance. This poses less of a problem, but I still need to watch it.