<aside> 📢 Join the Scented Waters Discord server at https://discord.gg/scentedwaters !
</aside>
<aside> đź—Ł Click on the triangles to the left of each question to reveal the corresponding answers.
</aside>
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| absolute | the substance obtained after extracting a concrete with ethanol and subsequent solvent removal. |
see also: concrete, the precursor material. | | accord | a combination of materials to create the impression of something. may contain the titular material, but may also not (especially in fantasy accords).
see also: note, which emphasises the impression rather than the constituents. | | amber | a fantasy note constructed from various resins, most often benzoin and labdanum, and vanilla. generally sweet, resinous, powdery, and warm.
not to be confused with ambergris or woody-ambers, though they are sometimes referred to as amber as well. | | ambergris (grey amber) | a waxy substance secreted by whales’ guts to protect them from irritation by foreign objects. extremely rare and therefore expensive, and is almost never used in perfumery in its natural state. fresh ambergris is brown to black and smells faecal, but ambergris aged via exposure to sunlight and seawater is greyish and has a complex olfactory profile encompassing minerallic, animalic, and marine facets.
see also: Ambrox, which is used as a substitute for ambergris in perfumery. | | Ambrox/Ambroxan/Cetalox | a minerallic, musky, salty aromachemical that contributes to the distinctive scent of ambergris. while it can be isolated from ambergris, it is industrially produced from feedstocks such as clary sage to ensure lower costs and stable supply. nevertheless, it still is one of the most expensive raw materials, but its distinctive and attractive profile still makes it very popular in contemporary perfumery. Ambroxan, Cetalox, etc. are different trade names of the same molecule, but may smell slightly different due to different synthetic procedures.
see also: ambergris, a naturally occurring source of Ambrox. | | anosmia | an inability to smell; may be universal or restricted to certain notes/materials. generally refers to a permanent (congenital) or semi-permanent (e.g. COVID-induced) state.
not to be confused with olfactory fatigue. | | aromachemical | a chemical compound used in perfumery. may be of natural or synthetic origin. | | balsamic | bearing semblance to balsams; characterised by a warm, sweet, tenacious note. often found in ambery, floral, and resinous notes. | | base note | the longest-lasting notes in a fragrance; usually revealed after the dissipation of the top and heart notes.
see also: top note, heart/middle note. not to be confused with Basenotes | | Basenotes | a popular fragrance website that lists fragrances and their notes. they also have fragrance news, forums, and a wardrobe function for listing what fragrances you own
see also: Fragrantica, Parfumo not to be confused with base note | | blind buy | purchasing a full size of a fragrance without having smelled it before | | blue [fragrance] | an olfactory category, popular in contemporary masculine fragrances, characterised by a fresh, citrusy-aromatic opening and a woody-ambery drydown. | | BNIB | “brand new in box”, i.e. never been opened or used
see also: NIB | | chypre | an olfactory category dating back to the early 20th century, characterised by notes of bergamot, labdanum, oakmoss, and patchouli. | | clone | a fragrance that attempts to 100% replicate the smell of another fragrance. (spoiler alert: they never actually smell quite the same) | | CO2 [extract] | an SFE obtained using supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent.
see also: SFE. | | cologne | generic term for men’s fragrances.
not to be confused with eau de cologne. | | concrete | the substance obtained after extracting a material with a non-polar solvent, e.g. hexane, and subsequent solvent removal. contains waxes, so is often further processed being used in perfumery.
see also: absolute, obtained via ethanol extraction of the concrete. | | dabber | a type of fragrance sample container where, once the cap is removed, you have open access to the liquid inside, like a tiny test tube. the inside of the cap may or may not have a stick attached to it. these can be applied by holding the top of the open vial against your skin, inverting it, turning it upright again, and then removing it from your skin
see also: rollerball, splash bottle, sprayer | | decant | small volumes of fragrance, made by transferring of a perfume from its original bottle into a smaller atomiser or vial by a third-party.
see also: partial, sample | | designer | see: What’s the difference between designer, niche, and indie? | | drydown | the remaining scent after the top notes have faded. | | eau de cologne (EDC) | see: What’s the difference between EDC/EDT/EDP/Parfum, etc.? | | eau de parfum (EDP) | see: What’s the difference between EDC/EDT/EDP/Parfum, etc.? | | eau de toilette (EDT) | see: What’s the difference between EDC/EDT/EDP/Parfum, etc.? | | essential oil (EO) / essence | the fragrant oil layer of the distillate after steam-distilling a material.
see also: hydrosol, the immiscible water layer left behind after removal of the EO. | | FB | full bottle
compare: decant, sample | | fougère | an olfactory category dating back to the early 20th century, characterised by notes of lavender, geranium, tonka beans (coumarin), and oakmoss. | | Fragrantica | a popular fragrance website that lists many fragrances and their notes. they also have fragrance news, forums, and a wardrobe function for listing what fragrances you own
see also: Basenotes, Parfumo | | heart/middle note | the notes of moderate longevity in a fragrance; less volatile than top notes, but more volatile than base notes.
see also: top note, base note. | | house | the “brand” that a fragrance is released under | | hydrosol | the water from the distillate after steam-distilling a material. may contain small amounts of fragrant compounds that dissolve into the water.
see also: essential oil, the immiscible oil layer separated from the hydrosol. | | indie | see: What’s the difference between designer, niche, and indie? | | ISO | “in search of”, i.e. someone wants to find a place to buy a particular thing
see also: WTB | | Iso E Super / Iso Gamma Super / Sylvamber / Timbersilk | a very popular woody-ambery synthetic aromachemical possessing facets of cedar and ambergris, it is found in most contemporary fragrances due to its hedonistic qualities and affordable price. it is produced under different trade names with varying qualities.
see also: woody-amber. | | juice | the actual scented liquid. this term is used to distinguish it from other parts of the product, such as the bottle, the branding, etc. | | longevity | the duration for which a fragrance can be perceived after application.
see also: performance. | | musk | a note historically derived from animals, e.g. musk deer and musk rat. due to ethical concerns, synthetic musks are now used in perfumery, save for some indie perfumers.
musks can be classified as “white musks”, which smell clean and laundry-like, or “animalic musks”, which are warmer and more skin-like. | | natural | a material of natural origin.
see also: absolute, CO2, essential oil, resinoid, SFE. | | NIB | “new in box”
see also: BNIB | | niche | see: What’s the difference between designer, niche, and indie? | | nose | colloquialism for “perfumer”. | | nose blindness | see: olfactory fatigue. | | note | an impression of something. e.g. jasmine may be perceived from smelling a perfume with a jasmine note. does not necessarily reflect the presence of the titular material. notes are subjective, as different people perceive things differently.
*see also: accord, which emphasises the constituents.
External links: How commercial fragrances are composed, Notes education* | | olfactory fatigue | a natural temporary desensitisation of olfactory receptors towards stimuli upon repeated exposure. has the effect of dampening the perception of those notes. for example, after smelling a perfume A containing X, smelling another perfume B also containing X will result in the perception of X being diminished in B.
not to be confused with anosmia. | | oud | a resin produced by the heartwood of Aquilaria trees when infected by a specific mould. olfactory profile varies significantly depending on location, but ouds are typically woody, sweet, and animalic. one of the most expensive natural materials in perfumery, and therefore most oud notes in perfumery are created using synthetic bases. | | parfum | see: What’s the difference between EDC/EDT/EDP/Parfum, etc.? | | Parfumo | a popular fragrance website that lists fragrances and their notes. they also have fragrance news, forums, and a collection function for listing what fragrances you own
see also: Basenotes, Fragrantica | | partial | a bottle of fragrance that someone has partially used, including the bottle. used in the context of buying/selling. e.g. “i bought a partial of that frag”, “i’m setting a partial of it”
see also: decant | | performance | a subjective composite of a fragrance’s longevity, projection, and sillage. different people may accord different weightings to each component.
see also: longevity, projection, sillage. | | perfume | generic term for women’s fragrances.
may also refer to: parfum. | | presentation | the packaging associated with a fragrance product. for example, someone selling a fragrance “with full presentation” is including the original box, any card sleeves, any inserts, etc | | projection | the distance from the wearer at which a fragrance can be perceived.
see also: performance, sillage. | | resinoid | the substance obtained after extracting plant resins and animal secretions with solvents and subsequent solvent removal. | | rollerball | a type of fragrance dispenser with a rolling ball at the top, like an extra large version of a ballpoint pen. to apply this, touch the ball to your skin and drag
see also: dabber, splash bottle, sprayer | | sample | trial-sized vial of perfume. typically from an official source.
see also: decant. | | SFE | acronym for supercritical fluid extract. the substance obtained after extracting a material with a supercritical solvent and subsequent solvent removal. often retains the most olfactory integrity to the raw material, but is an expensive extraction method and is not suitable for all materials.
see also: CO2 extract. | | sillage | the “scent trail” one leaves when moving about whilst wearing a fragrance.
see also: performance, projection. | | splash bottle | like a dabber, this is a container for fragrance with an open top. most commonly used for aftershaves.
see also: dabber, rollerball, sprayer | | split | buying a full or larger size of fragrance after other people have committed to buying specified amounts. e.g. “i’m organize a split of 30 ml of that fragrance”
see also: decant | | sprayer | the most common form of dispenser for fragrances. press down on the top, and a fine mist comes out
see also: dabber, rollerball, splash bottle | | synthetic | a material of synthetic origin. | | tester | bottles of perfume used for testing purposes in shops. often marked as such on the bottles, and come in plain boxes. some may not have caps. not sold officially, but some make their way to the grey market and are sold for less than regular bottles.
not to be confused with sample or decant | | tincture | the substance obtained after extracting a material, usually with ethanol. | | top note | the most volatile notes in a fragrance; is usually the first to vanish, revealing the heart notes and base notes.
see also: heart/middle note, base note. | | woody-amber | a class of compounds that have olfactory aspects of woods and ambergris. this includes Iso E Super, Ambroxan, Amber Xtreme, and Ambrocenide.
see also: Ambrox, Iso E Super. | | WTB | short for “want to buy”
see also: ISO |