Les familles, facettes et notes olfactives en parfumerie

Families, facets and olfactory notes in perfumery

Perfumery is classified into 7 olfactory families , created by the French Society of Perfumers in 1984, which represent the general personality of the fragrance:

  • Aromatic
  • Wooded
  • Cyprus
  • Floral
  • Fern
  • Hesperidic
  • Oriental

Peony - a floral fragrance family in perfumery - Marylise Mirabelli perfumes

Peony — synthetic molecule, floral family

These families are then broken down into sub-families, called facets , which will evolve throughout the day, as the fragrance develops on the skin.

  • Aldehyde
  • Amber
  • Leather
  • Spicy
  • Fruity
  • Gourmande
  • Marine
  • Musky
  • New freshness
  • Powdered
  • Green

A gourmand facet in perfumery - Marshmallow - Marylise Mirabelli perfumes Marshmallow — a gourmet touch

Finally come the notes , which are divided into 3 categories that will constitute the “olfactory pyramid” of a perfume:

The top notes , at the top of the pyramid, are the most volatile, fresh and sparkling; they give the first impression of a perfume and will disappear after 10 to 15 minutes.

The heart notes , in the middle part of the pyramid, which give the character of the composition and a sort of “texture”, have a medium volatility that will last 3 to 4 hours.

The base notes , at the base of the pyramid, constitute the soul of the perfume with tenacious notes that will remain on the skin for several hours, or even all day, and even several days on materials.

Wood and grapefruit - Marylise Mirabelli perfumes Grapefruit — family Citrus

Some categories in the notes:

Sunscreens ( created using benzyl salicylate, composed of ylang-ylang, frangipani, tiare and carnation)

Animal (e.g., musks, ambergris, civet, castoreum... fortunately now available in synthetic molecules)

Balsamic (e.g., tyrax, benzoin, myrrh...)

Mineral notes ( synthetic notes reproduced in the laboratory, with intense freshness)

Smoked scents (e.g., sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, oud wood, balms, or even vanilla can be smoked...)

Mineral notes - Marylise Mirabelli perfumes Mineral notes

This is why perfume notes are compared to musical notes, because just as a conductor creates a symphony, the perfumer composes by choosing notes according to their characteristics, which will intertwine and interact to produce an effect. This is what is called "the orchestration of a perfume" .

This olfactory pyramid is a classification and visual and educational construction of a perfume, established by perfumer Jean Carles in order to describe the architecture of the perfume and allow its understanding by apprentice perfumers.

The Marylise Mirabelli collection is inspired by music, and each perfume is an olfactory representation of the musical and visual universe of Michael Jackson's iconic songs and video clips.

Discover the 3 perfume extracts from the "Nocturne Collection" with the Discovery Set .

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