...that the average human nose can identify 10,000 different odours and that the sense of smell is the most powerful of all our senses? No other sensory input...
..can change human consciousness so quickly and completely.
Research has shown that the olfactory nerve which senses fragrance, is directly connected to the most primitive component of the brain, the limbic system, which plays an important role in the processing and storage of memories and emotions. This accounts for the direct and immediate experience that smell provides us, as well as the profound effect it has on our mental & emotional states.
The smells that surround us affect our well being throughout our lives. Yet, it is intriguing that our culture places such a low value on the sense of smell.

• We do not have an extensive vocabulary, as with colours and hues, to describe the myriad smells that surround us.
• Nor can we measure odours on any scale such as we use to measure the frequency of sound or the wavelength of light.

What is the right perfume for me?

What do you want to use a perfume for?
Broadly, people use perfumes to:
a) be perceived in a certain way by others i.e. to project a desired personality. Others seek social affirmation or enhancement of personality.Fashion connoisseurs prefer prestige brands to make a fashion statement.
b) feel a certain way about themselves, either seeking to exalt their sensuality or to reconnect with their inner self.

It is also important that people understand the fragrance family that their preferred brands belong to so that they are in a position to better understand and communicate the kind of fragrances that suit them.

• Fragrance families are grouping of 'similar smelling perfumes'.
• The perfumes industry has evolved a matrix for classification of perfumes into families that are homogenous in their odour profile.
• This enables effective communication of fragrance preferences between consumers and marketers.
• Perfumes for women are categorized into Floral,Oriental and Chypre families.
  • Perfumes in the Floral family as the name suggests have a typical floral accord as their foundation and can lean toward green, fruity, aldehydic, floral and aquatic directions while retaining the floral character.
  • Oriental fragrances have a dense animalic, spicy and balsamic accord at their core.
  • Chypre fragrances have a fresh citrus and mossy accord at their core.
• Male fragrances are classified into Fougere, Oriental and Chypre fragrances.
  • At the heart of a Fougere fragrance is a lavender and mossy accord.
  • The oriental and chypre families for men follow the description provided for the female oriental and chypre families respectively.

Diagram Chart

As a start, one can identify their preferred fragrance on the fragrance matrix and explore other fragrances in the same category. Since the fragrance family has categories of similar smelling perfumes, there is a strong possibility that one will like the other fragrances in a same category.

It is also important to remember that the odoriferous nature of a perfume will differ depending upon the surroundings.Its impression can be entirely different in a fragrance- intensive perfume department than in a neutral environment, such as at home. Differences in temperature and humidity also play a major role.

However the main reason for these differences in the olfactory effect of a perfume are the various fragrance compounds that it contains, which evaporate at differing rates.That's why perfumers speak of a fragrance composition's top note, middle note and base note.What they mean by this is the way its scent develops, which will be different in every perfume.

Top notes provide the first scent impression of a fragrance once it has been applied to the skin.They are usually lighter, more volatile aromas that evaporate readily.Their scent usually lingers for between 5 and 30 minutes.
Middle notes, sometimes referred to as "heart notes", make up the body of the blend.They may be evident from the start, but will usually take 10-30 minutes to fully develop on the skin.They are the notes that classify the fragrance family (floral, oriental, chypre).

Base Notes are those with the greatest molecular weight.They last the longest, and are also important as fixatives, that is, they help slow down the evaporation rates of the lighter notes, giving the fragrance holding power.Common base notes include oakmoss, patchouli, woods, musk and vanilla.

Pyramid

A fragrance which does not have traditional top, middle and base note is usually described as "linear".

When testing the perfumes, if you try out too many perfumes in succession, your nose will quickly go "blind" because of odour fatigue and you'll no longer be able to differentiate between what you like and what you don't like.That's why you should never test more than four similar or five to six different fragrances at a time - and you should try them out on un-perfumed areas of your body that are as far apart from one another as possible.

In addition, a perfume will smell differently on every skin. There's no assurance that you'll like what smells so good on someone else when you wear it yourself.That, too, should be taken in to consideration in choosing a perfume.

What are Eau De Toilette, Eau De Parfum, etc?

These terms refer to the strength of the fragrance, or more specifically, to how much high grade alcohol and/or water has been added to the fragrance oils.
Parfum (generally the most concentrated form you can buy) has 15-25% perfume concentrate dissolved in alcohol.Any mixture with a lower proportion of perfume concentrate to alcohol is an eau (water).

Eau Fraiche (Usually 3% or less perfume concentrate)
Eau de Cologne (2 - 5% perfume concentrate) Eau de concentrateette (4-10% perfume concentrate)
Eau de parfum (8 - 15% perfume concentrate)
Soie de Parfum (15 - 18% perfume concentrate)
PARFUM or Perfume(15% -2 5%-- also sometime referred to as extract or extrait)

You may also seek the term Parfum de Toilette.Most companies use this term to describe a concentration that is either the same as Eau De Parfum, or between Eau De Parfum and Parfum. Other companies use the terms to describe an Eau De Toilette concentration.

To further confuse matters, some companies use different notes or different proportions of notes, in the different forms of fragrance they offer.In addition, some companies reserve costly fragrance oils for their parfum, and use synthetic substitutes in lighter concentrations.

How many ingredients are used in making a perfume?

Typically, around 50 to 200 aromatic chemicals and natural extracts are blended together in creating a perfume.

Why do perfumes smell different on different people?

Your own body chemistry affects how different notes react on your skin.Anything that affects the "natural" smell of your skin, such as stress, hormonal changes, your current diet or medications, might change how a perfume smells on you.

How can I make my perfume last longer on my skin?

All other things being equal, perfumes evaporate more rapidly from dry skin, so the best way to make fragrance last longer is to use a relatively heavy body lotion or cream. Some people like to buy the "matching" cream for their fragrance, but you can also use an unscented one, or try petroleum jelly or jojoba oil.You might also try a light mist to your hair, which is said to hold scent longer than skin.

How long can I keep my perfume before it "turns bad"?

Some industry experts say that perfume should be replaced every year, but properly stored, perfumes should last much longer.Most perfumes will keep several years, some will keep many more years than that.

To store perfume properly, keep it away from heat and light. A dark closet or a covered box is best.Also avoid direct exposure to air. Splash bottles, which expose the fragrance to air every time they are opened, are problematic.

What is Aromatherapy?

• One of the oldest uses of incense, as old as 5,000 years.
• It uses pure, essential oils to rejuvenate and maintain harmony of body, mind and spirit, based on the principle that the subtle power of fragrance plays an important role in our health and wellness. Thus guided by holistic principles, it awakens and strengthens energies and promotes self-healing.

Interestingly, aromatherapy is facing a resurgence in popularity today along with its associated branches - Ayurvedic Aromatherapy - the ancient art & science, in practice for thousands of years and working on holistic principles to reestablish balance in the three doshas - Vata, Pitta & Kapha, using fragrances, and, Aroma-psychology and personality profiling, comparatively newer entrants, which study natural fragrance preference to assess which essential oils bring out a person's most positive traits.

Types of Oils:

Vegetal oils and butters

• Derived from seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables
• Primarily used as carrier oil to dilute essential oils
• Examples: Cocoa butter, corn oil, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil

Essential oils

• Fragrant oils extracted from herbs, flowers, and trees considered to be the "essence" of the plant
• Examples: Lavender, camphor, eucalyptus, citronella, patchouli

Infused oils

• Produced from plant materials that are extracted with heat into a carrier oil medium
• Used for plants that yield very small amounts
• Examples: Aloe vera, arnica, calendula

Some Aromatherapy Oils & Their Properties

Chamomile, Lavender - Anti-inflammatory

Thyme, Ylang Ylang - Antiseptic

Citrus Oils - Appetite Stimulator

Rosemary, Cascarilla Bark - Carminative

Wild Thyme - Choleretic

Eucalyptus - Circulation Stimulator

Patchouli - Deodorizer

Tea Tree, Eucalyptus - Expectorant

Citronella - Insecticide

Valerian - Sedative

Routes of Administration of Aromatherapy Oils

a) Oral

• Bitter tasting
• May irritate mucosal lining - often formulated as capsules
• Use only under supervision of experienced practitioners
• Continuous ingestion for long duration leads to hepato-toxicity

b) Trans-dermal

• Avoids first pass effect
• Lipid solubility allows for better penetration of skin and BBB
• Easy penetration: behind ears, eyelids, inside wrist > soles, palms, forehead, scalp, armpits > legs, buttocks, trunk, abdomen
• Methods of Transdermal admnstrn:
• Compresses
• Gargles/mouthwashes
Sprays
• Baths/Sitz baths
• Massage

c) Inhalation

• Most common and effective route
• Regarded as "true aromatherapy"
• Easy penetration: behind ears, eyelids, inside wrist > soles, palms, forehead, scalp, armpits > legs, buttocks, trunk, abdomen
• Incidence of adverse effects rare
• Methods of Inhalation
• Aroma lamp
Humidifier
• Facial steam baths
• Tissues
• Cotton swabs
• Hands
• Spray bottles
• Vaporizers/diffusers

Storage of Aromatherapy Oils

• Store in amber bottles
• Avoid extreme temperature
• Avoid exposure to air
• Most oils may lose potency after one year - Exceptions: Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Rosewood

© 2006. Ripple Fragrance Pvt. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.