What Exactly Is a Scent Profile?

Although our makeup and hair care relationships have changed over the past year, fragrances remain a reliable way to stand out in our homes, attract close relatives from a distance and seek heights. in successive secular days.

When we emerge from more social situations, the search for a characteristic scent seems like a relevant search. But how to do it? The first step is to expand the notes and recognize how your unique body chemistry works, and one of the most important classifications of a particular perfume is its fragrant profile. From detailed layered tones to the identification of a “family” scent, the profile is an easy way to understand the composition of the perfume and at the same time combine it with the mood you want to be in the application. Here we talk to a range of fragrances and fragrance experts to discuss everything you need to know about deciphering the fragrance profile.

What is a scent profile?

“In the world of fragrances, olactic families are a way to break down and classify how a perfume smells, instead of what it contains,” said Joan Tanis, director of rural education at Maison Francis Kurkdjian. “Simply put, the eight olfactory families are divided into two groups: in the Warm group there are fougere, oriental and leather, in the Fresh group there are citrus, floral and aromatic. Interestingly, the chypre and wood families are a cross between warm and fresh. ”

Tynan Sinks, author and co-moderator of the Smell Ya Later podcast, added that while the profile can serve as an umbrella term for the main notes of a particular scent, it can also touch on scent layers such as “top”. “, Middle and basic tones or how the scent is produced.

Will it change over time?
“The profile itself doesn’t change because the notes it creates are always fragrant, but the way it smells on your skin is always there,” says Sinks. “Some perfumes are linear, which means they have the same scent when worn. However, most perfumes develop on your skin over time.

Beauty reporter and co-host Smell Ya Later Sable Yong explains that maintaining strength always depends on the composition of the perfume layer. “The lower tones adhere to the top of your skin, while the upper tones usually disappear the fastest, and the middle tones – sometimes called the heart – are likely to affect both.” It is important to note that the perfume will show a different effect over time if applied directly to the skin than sprayed on clothing. You are more likely to experience “graded revelation” of perfume if you apply it only to the edges of your wrist or collarbone, while you will feel the whole composition longer if you also add it to the fabric, Yong said.

What is the most important note: top, middle or bottom?
“The top tones definitely attract the customer’s attention, simply because they are the first to feel,” says perfumer Kilian Hennessy. “But hearts and dry tones are actually more important because they are the true signature of the scent.” “Drying” refers to body odor, the last odor that comes out after the middle tone begins to disappear and the bottom tone begins to drift completely.