Olfaction and method: learning to smell, analyze, and describe a fragrance

Understanding perfumery is not only about knowing the names of perfumes. You also need to learn how to observe what you smell. Olfaction is therefore an essential pillar of this library.

How to smell a perfume

You can start on a blotter strip to observe the fragrance without the immediate influence of the skin, then continue the analysis on skin. It is useful to smell it at several points in time in order to observe how the fragrance evolves.

From sensations to vocabulary

Describing a perfume means transforming a sensory impression into words: fresh, floral, woody, spicy, ambery, musky, gourmand, dry, creamy, powdery or resinous. These terms should be connected to families and accords rather than to an arbitrary list of notes.

Note, accord and olfactory family

A note can refer to a perceived facet or to a material associated with that facet. An accord is an olfactory construction composed of several elements. An olfactory family describes a group of profiles sharing common characteristics.

Why can two people smell things differently?

Perception depends in particular on previous exposure to smells, olfactory fatigue, context and the way each person interprets sensations. An olfactory description should therefore be understood as a structured reading of a sensory experience, not as an absolute measurement.

The method we will develop

• smell without immediately trying to identify it;
• describe the dominant sensations;
• observe how it evolves over time;
• then look for plausible materials or accords;
• compare several perfumes using the same framework;
• gradually build your vocabulary.

This pillar will be connected to the top, heart and base notes, the glossary of oriental perfumery and guides dedicated to olfactory materials and families.

To connect olfactory analysis to materials: also consult our guide to oriental perfumery ingredients, which takes you from sensory vocabulary to the study of materials.