The ABCs of Perfumery

Systematic odour classification groups for Perfumery

The ABC's of Perfumery is very easy to learn and the most powerful tool to date for describing and classifying smells. It was published in May/June 1999 issue of Perfumer & Flavorist, the foremost journal in the perfumery and flavor industry. The Perfumer's Workbook and the Perfumer's Wizard software are both founded on the concepts of The ABCs of Perfumery system. Although listing and keeping materials with similar odour types together may seem strange at first you will find it makes a lot of sense during storage and creation.

A - Z	Class	Common Description	Key Reference Materials Click to view examples
A	ALI-FAT-IC	Fatty, Waxy, Soapy, Clean	Aliphatic Aldehydes, Alcohols
B	B-iceBERG (Cooling)	Cooling, Borneol, Mint, Camphor	Menthol, Camphor, Eucalyptol
C	CITRUS	Sour, Sharp, Citrus peel	Citral, Orange, Lemon, Lime
D	DAIRY	Milky, Cream, Butter, Cheese	Diacetyl, Butyrate, Lactone, Valerate
E	EDIBLE	Vegetable, Nut, Fish, Meat	Thiazoles, Pyrazines, Sulphides
F	FRUIT	Sour, Sweet fruits, Strawberry	Allyl caproate, Verdox
G	GREEN	Cut-grass, Leaves	cis-3-Hexenol, Triplal
H	HERB (Balancing)	Cool Herbaceous notes	Lavender, Sage, (Terpene based?)
I	IRIS	Orris, Violet	Ionones, Methyl Ionone
J	JASMINE	Fruity, Oily, Narcotic, Jasmin	HCA, Benzyl Acetate
K	KONIFER	Pine, Pineneedle	Terpineol, Bornyl Acetate
L	LINALOOL	Fresh light floral chemical	Linalool, Vertenex, DMBC
M	MUGUET	Lily of the Valley, Green, Fresh	Hydroxy, Lilial, Lyral
N	NARCOTIC	Heavy Sweet Florals, Absolutes	Narcissus, White Florals, Benzoates
O	ORCHID	Aromatic, Deep floral	Salicylates, Frangipani
P	PHENOL	Phenol, Medicinal, Honey	p-Cresol, Ethyl Phenyl Acetate
Q	Queen of the ORIENT	Resins, Balsams	Benzoin, Tolu, Terpenes
R	ROSE	Rose Otto, Absolute, Geranium	Citronellol, PEA, Rhodinol
S	SPICE (Warming)	Hot Culinary, Spice	Clove, Cinnamon, Thyme, (Cyclic?)
T	TAR & SMOKE	Smoke, Tar, Burnt	Cade, Birch Tar
U	Urine Faecal ANIMAL	Animal, Faecal, Leather	Civet, Castoreum, Ambergris
V	VANILLA	Sweet Edible, Vanilla	Vanillin, Coumarin, Heliotropin
W	WOOD	Wood, Oily	Cedar, Sandal, Vetivert, Patchouli
X	X-rated MUSK	Sexy, Musk, Sensual, Sweet	Musk Ketone, Galaxolide
Y	EARTHY MOSSY	Yeast, Fungal, Moss, Marine	Oakmoss, Calone
Z	ZOLVENTS	Low Odour Solvents, Solubilisers, Additives	TEC, DPG, IPM, Ethanol, PG, DEP

Odour PROFILES / Fingerprints of single materials

Even a single aroma chemical rarely exhibits a single facet in it's odour. For example, most would agree that Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol displays primarily a rose character but many find it has a green note, others comment on it's phenolic or chemical aspects. If relative proportions are allocated to each facet that the student observes then classification falls into place quite easily.

(e.g., PEA might be classified as Rg indicating mainly R-Rose (70%) with a secondary G-Green note (30%).

Relative IMPACT - a measure of 'strength'

The expression 'impact' has been used in preference to 'strength'. Relative impact is determined by using a Micropipette to apply a fixed amount of Linalool onto a smelling strip. The test material is added until the odour impact is judged as the same. Linalool Synthetic was chosen as the control reference material as it is readily available, being one of the most abundantly used raw materials in perfumes and flavours and because the quality from the major suppliers does not vary greatly (Givaudan, IFF, etc. Linalool from natural sources is not suitable). In terms of its impact it falls about midway (exponentially) in the range of materials used by the perfumer.

Odour LIFE

Odour life is determined on the smelling strip (thinner chromatography 'paper' gives more consistent results) to the point at which the material becomes weak and uncharacteristic of itself. The results of this type of examination are very dependent on the amount dipped, ambient temperature, humidity, air-flow and testers' differences and experience. Despite this even in poorly controlled conditions one is able to produce a set of comparative values that are worthwhile measures of raw materials relative odour lives.

Function

Every component in a perfume formula (or 'compound') is there for one or more specific functions within the odour.

Heart Material
It may be there to give the heart smell of the fragrance, a rose smelling material in a Rose perfume, balsam, vanilla and oakmoss in an Oriental fragrance.

Heart materials therefore cover the whole spectrum of A-Z

Modifiers
To modify or decorate the fragrance, add style, naturalness, freshness, diffusion etc. Decoration for the fragrance like a banana note in jasmin and top-note modifiers such as citrus notes (lemon, limes etc.). If modifiers are overdosed then they become the subject and therefore the heart.

Blenders
Materials to blend the sometimes disparate heart and modifying notes, to round or smooth off, to harmonise. Blenders usually have impact levels of 100 or less.

Fixatives
In completion to fix the fragrance giving depth, substance and background. Fixatives usually have longer odour lives.