The fabulous world of fragrances...

The French have transformed perfumery into a higher art form.

Wearing a fragrance is a lesson in intimacy and at the same time, an invitation to discover who you are. A perfume can be your signature, represent your emotions and moods, speak of your intentions and embody your essence. It can also be a story, a poem, a memory, a love affair or anything that you want it to represent. Famous perfumer Jean Paul Guerlain says, "Perfume is the most intense form of memory."

A perfume's unique relationship with our senses is primeval yet sophisticated, it reminds us of our humanity, frailties and our sensibilities. It personifies a kaleidoscope of human characteristics - it can be flirty, feminine, mysterious, magical, sensuous, dependable, traditional, minimalist, masculine and ebullient, and that's just a subtle whiff of its true essence.

Perfumes have been part of human culture for aeons: Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Persians and Indians have a history of using aromatic plants, essential oils and resins. However, it's the French who've transformed perfumery into a higher art form.

The real rise of the perfume industry in France is linked to the patronage of the Bourbon kings including Louis IV and Louis XV. The court at Versailles saw a display of myriad scents and cosmetics during their reign. Even gloves were perfumed, as were garments and the human form. In fact, in 1656 the guild of glove and perfume-makers was established in France, and parliament even allowed master glovers to take on titles of perfumer and powderer.

Regions such as Montpellier and Grasse became well known for their herbs and flowers, such as rose, jasmine, tuberoses, violets and lavender, among others, in the 18th century. In fact, Grasse, which is in the South of France, is still considered a very important source of ingredients for the perfume industry and is also where the majority of France's perfumes are created.

A global leader

Today, the French cosmetic industry is the fourth-largest global exporter with perfumes accounting for a major share of the exports. L'Oreal manufactures and distributes perfumes under brand names such as Lancôme, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Guy Laroche, Giorgio Armani, Paloma Picasso and Lanvin. The Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) Group owns Christian Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy and Kenzo. The Elf Aquitaine, through its subsidiary, Sanofi, controls brands such as Yves St Laurent, Nina Ricci, Van Cleef & Arpels and Oscar de la Renta. Brands such as Creed, Chanel, Cartier, Annick Goutal, Caron, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Boucheron and Lalique also have a strong presence in the fragrance sector.

These companies, and several other global brands, launch more than 50 perfumes collectively on an annual basis. Considering the high stakes, the bigger companies spend millions on their advertising campaigns to ensure that a fragrance succeeds. Sometimes a brand launches new editions of an original fragrance to capitalise on its success. Some even launch fragrances for teenagers and children.

According to Xavier Bouin, Managing Director, Euroluxe, a company that represents popular French brands such as the L'Artisan Parfumeur and the Caron in the Middle East, "There are two distinct kinds of perfume companies. There are those that are interested in creating perfumes that appeal to a mass market. The main aim is to capitalise on their brand name. Sometimes it becomes less about the perfume and more about the money. However, there is a breed of perfumers who focus on the creation of the perfume. They are more interested in creating unique fragrances. For them it's about creating art rather than just a commercial product."

Complex process

Regardless of the objective that drives perfume houses and companies, the creation of a fragrance is a complex process. It involves many steps and a team of dedicated professionals and artists.

However, before that process begins one needs to have the basic ingredients. There are hundreds of natural and synthetic ingredients that can be used to compose a fragrance. These include flowers and other plant sources, animal sources, resins, fixatives and solvents and other compounds. The aromatic ingredients are sourced through a variety of processes including distillation, volatile solvent extraction, enfleurage, expression, headspace and synthesis of natural odiferous substances.

Composing a perfume from these ingredients is where creativity meets chemistry. Fragrance and fashion houses provide perfumers with a brief when they want to create a perfume. According to Francois Desroches, Training and PR Manager for Guerlain, Middle East, "The brief could involve a desire to transcribe a personality into an olfactory note, or match the trends of the time. It could be inspired by a love story or even a memory."

Guerlain, incidentally, is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. Their creations include masterpieces such as Jicky, Shalimar, Samsara, Heritage, Mitsouko, L'Heure bleue and Vétiver.

The nose

The person who harmonises the ingredients and the brief is called the ‘nose' or nez. "The function of a nose is to imagine and visualise what the fragrance will resemble in terms of its scent, its identity and its personality. It's their job to sculpt the ingredients and harmonise its elements into a fragrance that's enduring and appealing. They rely on their expertise and explore their imagination to do the job," says DesRoches.

So if perfumes are an olfactory symphony, a nose can be likened to the composer. Most often these creative geniuses are people who hail from generations of perfumers including families such as Ellena, Cresp, Guerlain, Cavallier, Astier and Creed. In fact, Olivier Creed, the sixth in family line of Creed, is responsible for some of the most intriguing fragrances including the Millesimes. A majority of them are also trained chemists, which is why there's as much science as there is art in composing a fragrance. Some of them belong to houses such as Jean Paul Guerlain does from the House of Guerlain, while others including Max Gavarry, Olivia Giacobetti or Jean Guichard, who create perfumes for brands.

Apart from spending time perfecting a fragrance at the perfume organ and laboratory, a nose also consults with people such as product development specialists, fragrance design managers who are responsible for creating the concept for the perfume, and suppliers who provide the aromatic ingredients and compounds. The nose also considers feedback from consumer groups that critique new products in addition to looking at prevalent trends since perfumes have to appeal to a wide range of consumers with different tastes.

Fragrance families

The nose works his magic using a perfume organ, which is a set of semicircular stepped shelves filled with miniature bottles of essential oils and other aromatic compounds. According to Desroches, "The perfume organ can be likened to a piano of fragrances that the nose uses to juggle different notes, accords, numerous families of ingredients and different concentrations. A perfume organ has more than 400 ingredients."

The perfume is created around a central olfactory theme, which forms the main accord of the fragrance. The ‘accord' of a perfume is the characteristic scent that makes it distinct. It is a well-balanced blend of natural and synthetic aromatic ingredients that signify the identity of the fragrance. The theme also determines the family of the fragrance.

According to Desroches, there are four main olfactory families: floral, chypre, citrus and Oriental. The floral family can be found fragrances that have flowers or a bouquet of different floral scents as part of the central theme. Women's perfumes tend to use floral notes the most. He adds, "Rose, jasmine, tuberose, frangipani, iris and violets belong to this family. In perfumes, floral notes represent traits such as tenderness, love and femininity.

The chypre family includes fragrances that are distinct and have a classic aura to them. Oak moss, ciste-labdanum, patchouli, vetiver and bergamot notes form part of their composition. Perfumes from the citrus or Hesprides family are composed of stimulating scents, also called eaux fraiches such as lemon, orange, tangerine and grapefruit or even the essence of orange-tree blossoms or neroli oil. These perfumes are characterised by their freshness and lightness. Perfumes from the Oriental family get their warm and sensual appeal from exotic ingredients such as amber, musk, vanilla, spices and exotic floral and animal notes.

Green, fougere and marine are other important olfactory groups. Some of the olfactive families also comprise sub-families created by combining different notes. Fragrances are also composed with aromatic herbs such as sage and rosemary, or accords based on woody scents such as patchouli, sandalwood, cedar and vetiver, or even aqua or marine notes.

Once the personality of a fragrance has been determined. Composing it involves combining ingredients, experimenting with different notes, testing the combinations and concentrations and reviewing the formulation to get the perfect marriage of aromatic elements that reflects the brief. Fragrances could contain as few as three components to more than 100 of them.

The creative process of playing with different aromatic notes - each of which reflects a particular characteristic - and orchestrating them into a beautiful symphony of scents gives this technical process a unique dimension. However, perfumes are created using a technically structured system. In fact, if you break it down, a perfume has three components - the top/head note, heart/middle note and base/ bottom note.

"The top note can be compared to the roof in structure. It's that part of the fragrance that awards you the first impression of the fragrance. It's meant to pique your interest and seduce you into discovering the perfume. Top notes are usually volatile and evaporate in few minutes," says Desroches.

The middle note reveals the ‘heart' and personality of the fragrance. It gives the perfume its body and complexity. It also lasts longer than the top notes. The bottom or base note is the part of a fragrance that lingers the longest, as it contains the least volatile compounds. They emerge slowly but leave a more lasting impression. "The base notes are the culmination point of a fragrance," says Desroches.

The essence

Desroches adds that the higher the quality of the ingredients the longer the perfumes last. The concentration of the perfume also makes a difference. A concentrated perfume composition is often diluted with a suitable solvent to make the perfume more usable.

Solvents such as jojoba, fractionated coconut oil, ethanol or a mixture of ethanol and water are generally used to dilute the concentrate. The percent of perfume oil in a perfume will also dictate the nature of the perfume. There's parfum (which has about 20-40 per cent aromatic compounds), eau de parfum (which has about 10 to 30 per cent aromatic compounds), eau de toilette (which has about five to 20 per cent aromatic compounds), or an eau de cologne, (which has about two to three per cent aromatic compounds).

The whole package

Packaging is also a very important part of a perfume. Millions are spent annually on creating an ideal flacon or bottle and even the box.

According to Desroches, "The packaging that encompasses a perfume is important because it has to inspire a customer to fall in love with it at first sight. The colours and the bottle are all part of the deal. Depending on the personality of the fragrance, you can see them convey the idea of luxury or even minimalism.

"For instance, men's fragrances have bottles that have clean lines, are ergonomic, sturdy and easy to handle and carry around. Women's perfumes have more beautiful and ornate designs. Some of them are rounded and have a voluptuous shape. In fact, at Guerlain, packaging is so important that we have a sculptor to create our bottles. In fact, we have a special edition of ‘Plus que jamais' which comes in a Baccarat crystal bottle and even has a string of pearls around it."

The bottom line

A fragrance, regardless of how simple or complex its construction, how classic or contemporary its identity, or how extravagant and expensive it seems, is the ultimate indulgence.

People need it to accessorise and accentuate their personalities. It's as unique as one's signature yet it is a common denominator. It's also an industry that rakes in millions even during tough economic periods, which goes to prove an important point - that people love smelling good.