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
- Woody
- chypre
- floral
- Fern (fougère)
- Hesperidae (citrus)
- Oriental
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.
- Aldehydic
- Amber
- Leather
- Spicy
- Fruity
- Gourmet
- Marine
- Musky
- New freshness
- Powdery
- Green
Marshmallow — gourmet facet
Finally come the notes which are distinguished in 3 categories which 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 as a kind of “texture”, have an average 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, even the day, on the skin, and even several days on the materials.
Grapefruit — hesperidae family
Some categories in the notes:
Solar (created with benzyl salicylate, is composed of ylang ylang, frangipani, tiare and carnation)
Animals (ex: musks, ambergris, civet, castoreum... fortunately today in synthetic molecules)
Balsamics (ex: styrax, benzoin, myrrh...)
Minerals (synthetic notes reproduced in the laboratory, intensely fresh)
Smoked (ex: sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, oud wood, balms or even vanilla can be smoked...)
Mineral notes
This is how notes in perfumery are compared with musical notes, because like a conductor who is going to create a symphony, the perfumer is going to compose by choosing the notes according to their characteristics, which will fit together and interact to produce an effect. This is called “The Orchestration of a perfume”.
This olfactory pyramid is a classification and pictorial and educational construction of a perfume established by the perfumer Jean Carles in order to describe the architecture of the perfume and allow its understanding by apprentice perfumers.
The Marylise Mirabelli collection is also inspired by music, and each fragrance is an olfactory representation of the musical and visual universe of Michael Jackson's iconic songs and video clips.
Discover the 3 perfume extracts of the "Collection Nocturne" with the Discovery Set here :
