How to analyze a perfume step by step: olfaction method

Analyzing a perfume is not just about saying "I like it" or "I don't like it." A useful analysis separates what one perceives, what one identifies, what one feels, and what one evaluates. Work on the sensory evaluation of fragrances distinguishes, in particular, between description, discrimination, and the evaluation of intensity or evolution over time.

1. Start without immediately looking for notes

The first step is to smell before reading the olfactory pyramid. The name of the perfume, the brand, and the list of notes can influence one's attention. To learn how to analyze, it is more useful to first note down spontaneous impressions.

An initial observation can answer four questions: what do I smell? what intensity? what olfactory texture? what general impression?

2. Observe the opening

Upon first contact, describe what appears immediately. Look for broad families rather than a precise molecule: citrus, aromatics, spices, flowers, fruits, woods, resins, musks, gourmand notes, or animalic materials.

The opening is very volatile and does not predict the perfume as a whole. A fresh impression may quickly give way to a floral, spicy, or woody heart.

3. Observe the heart

After a few minutes, start the analysis again. Ask yourself which facets remain present and which ones appear. It is often at this stage that the structure becomes more legible.

For oriental perfumery, it can be useful to look specifically for the relationships between woods, resins, spices, flowers, musks, and balsamic materials, rather than artificially isolating each note.

4. Observe the dry-down and the evolution

A perfume is an odorant material in evolution. The intensity and perceived facets change over time. Sensory evaluations of fragrances therefore often take into account overall intensity and its temporal evolution.

In the dry-down, note what persists: dry or creamy woods, resins, vanilla, musks, amber, leather, smoke, spices, or other effects. The dry-down does not necessarily correspond to a single "base note" announced commercially.

5. Separate material, note, and accord

One of the most frequent mistakes is considering every word in a pyramid as an isolated material. A material is an ingredient or raw material; a note describes an olfactory impression; an accord results from the combination of several ingredients.

Thus, "amber," "oud," or "rose" in a commercial description can refer to olfactory constructs and not necessarily the exclusive presence of a corresponding natural material.

6. Describe using several levels of vocabulary

Olfactory vocabulary can be organized into several levels.

Research on olfactory language shows precisely that descriptions combine perceptual properties, references to sources, analogies, emotions, and judgments. It is therefore normal that a good description is not just a list of materials.

7. Use analogies without confusing them with facts

Saying that a perfume "reminds one of damp wood," "evokes a spiced pastry," or "brings to mind a piece of incense" is useful. This is a perceptual analogy, not proof that the perfume actually contains that material.

This distinction is particularly important when analyzing oriental perfumes, whose commercial descriptions readily use cultural, culinary, territorial, or ritual references.

8. Evaluate intensity, sillage, and longevity separately

These concepts are related but do not designate the same thing.

• Intensity: strength of the scent perceived at a given moment.
• Sillage: olfactory presence perceived around the wearer or in their movement.
• Longevity: duration during which the perfume remains perceptible.

A perfume can have a strong opening and then become discreet while remaining present for a long time. Conversely, a perfume can have a significant sillage at the beginning without necessarily lasting as long.

9. Compare on skin and on a blotter

The blotter is useful for comparing several perfumes under similar conditions. Skin allows one to observe the worn perfume and its evolution in a real context.

For a serious comparison, keep the applied quantity, the medium, the observation time, and the environment as constant as possible. Note the differences at several moments rather than comparing only the first few seconds.

10. Build a simple analysis sheet

A sheet can fit on a few lines:

1. Opening: first impressions.
2. Heart: dominant materials or facets after a few minutes.
3. Dry-down: persistent elements.
4. Families: dominant olfactory universes.
5. Texture: dry, creamy, powdery, oily, airy, dense...
6. Intensity: low, medium, or high depending on the moment.
7. Sillage: close, moderate, or diffused.
8. Evolution: what disappears, appears, or transforms.
9. Image: personal or cultural association.
10. Conclusion: general character of the perfume in one or two sentences.

11. Train your nose

The identification of scents can progress with practice and feedback. The goal is not to memorize hundreds of names immediately, but to gradually build a vocabulary associated with concrete references.

Start with a few known materials: rose, jasmine, saffron, cardamom, vanilla, benzoin, olibanum, oud, sandalwood, vetiver, and patchouli. Smell them separately when possible, then look for their effects in compositions.

At each session, try to describe without looking at the answer first. Then compare your perception with the reference material or composition. This alternation between perception, language, and correction is more useful than simple list memorization.

12. A particularly useful method for oriental perfumery

For an oriental perfume, add four questions to your sheet:

• Which materials provide the warmth of the composition?
• Which materials provide the texture: resinous, woody, powdery, creamy, smoky?
• Which material or accord carries the cultural or ritual character of the perfume?
• How do the materials evolve between the opening, the heart, and the dry-down?

This method allows for linking olfaction to material, technique, and cultural context without reducing the perfume to a pyramid of notes.

Key points

Analyzing a perfume consists of observing an evolution, then transforming a perception into a description. Start with broad families and facets, distinguish between material, note, and accord, measure intensity, sillage, and longevity separately, then add analogies and personal impressions. With concrete references and regular practice, the vocabulary becomes gradually more precise.

Reference sources

• De Viti & Le Goff, Fragrances and sensory evaluation techniques, 2022.
• Upstill, Rowland & Jordan, work on fragrance evaluation by trained panels, 2022.
• Research work on the vocabulary and description of scents and perfumes.