Think you are fully schooled in the art of scent? These fragrance developers, perfumers, founders and all-around experts say there are a lot of out-there perfume-related facts that sound full-on far-fetched.
Featured Experts
- Ray Mauro is the senior manager of product development for Fragrance Innovation at Avon
- Marie Du Petit Thouars is the founder and creative director of Maison Louis Marie
The Ingredients That Are Expensive Aren’t What You Might Assume
Ever wonder what makes an ingredient rare or pricey? Ray Mauro, senior manager of product development for Fragrance Innovation at Avon, says it’s not necessarily the fancy-sounding notes that add to the fluctuation in cost. “Take Orris, for example. It’s a staple ingredient we use often for its green, earthy, powdery and root-like facets to add an elevated signature—and it’s incredibly expensive to use. The ingredient itself requires two to three years to yield the oil from its roots, resulting in a cost of around $80k per kilogram.” Mauro adds that rose oil may sound like a standard, but with a per kilo price that can range in the thousands depending on the species, it’s pricey. “Add on an extremely labor-intensive extraction process, which takes an entire room of rose petals to extract a single ounce, and you’ve got one of the most expensive fragrance oils available in perfumery.”
A Whole Lot of People Can’t Smell Musk
In a mega-twist, Mauro shares that there’s a good percentage of people—to the tune of 20–30 percent—in the world who simply cannot smell musk. “While the precise figure remains unconfirmed, it’s pretty compelling that a portion of the population cannot detect musk, making fragrances a truly unique and personal experience.”
Every Fragrance Varies, Depending on Who Is Wearing It
While brands may market particular fragrances as “smelling different on everyone,” Mauro says that’s pretty much the case for all perfumes. “I like to call this your ‘signature touch,’” he says. “Have you ever smelled your favorite fragrance on someone else and suddenly feel you’re not so in love with it anymore or perhaps like it more on someone else’s skin? The reason is because we are all unique in our body chemistry. Our skin releases oils, and the balance of those oils varies from person to person.”
If you prefer the smell out of the bottle and less on your skin, Mauro recommends starting by spraying at an arm’s length away and walking into the fragrance instead of spraying directly on pulse points. “This will have less interaction with your body chemistry and smell closer to the way it does out of the bottle. To add more of your own signature touch, apply to pulse points for a scent that’s uniquely yours!”
Most Fragrances Do Have Functional Properties
At Maison Louis Marie, it’s believed that fragrances offer more than just a pleasant aroma, and can also provide functional benefits that enhance well-being. “We craft all our scents with this philosophy in mind, and one example is our No.04 Bois de Balincourt fragrance,” says Marie Du Petit Thouars, founder and creative director of the brand. “This scent features sandalwood, known for its calming and grounding properties, which can help reduce stress and promote relaxation. By incorporating such elements, we aim to create fragrances that not only delight the senses but also contribute to emotional and mental balance.”
You Nose Doesn’t Always Know
Some anatomy intel: Mauro explains that our nose operates in “shifts” with tissue inside that will swell and contrast every few hours. “So, when evaluating fragrances on paper blotters, always move the blotter back and forth under both nostrils to get the full experience,” he suggests. “Did you know you could enhance your ability to smell with one simple trick? Smelling with your eyes closed and eliminating that sense will often boost your ability to better receive the full range of the fragrance.”
Coffee Beans Don’t Exactly Cleanse the Palette
Most fragrance retailers aren’t short on the coffee-bean setup being readily available on the counter, although it may not be necessary. “Smelling coffee beans actually adds additional confusion to your sense of smell,” Mauro says. “The best method to cleanse your palette is to smell into the crook of your arm. Your own natural skin scent is the best method to use when smelling multiple scents.”
There Are More Fragrance Ingredients Than You Could Ever Imagine
The sheer amount of ingredients available to create fragrance compositions is, in a word, massive. “There are more than 4,800 ingredients a perfumer can choose from when creating a fragrance, with around 800 of them being natural and 4,000 being nature-identical,” explains Mauro. “It’s the perfumer and their extensive fragrance training both domestic and abroad that has trained them to perfectly weave these materials together to create the next trending scent and to match the customer brief.”
‘Unnatural’ Ingredients Can Actually Complete a Scent
Natural ingredients bring richness, depth and complexity to a scent, Mauro explains. “These natural ingredients are mostly essential oils. They are highly concentrated extracts that are distilled or expressed from a variety of aromatic plants such as flowers, roots, leaves, seeds, fruits, resins and woods. Using a blend of natural and nature identical extends the perfumer’s palette, allowing for an unthinkable amount of new and unique compositions. To develop only using naturals would greatly sacrifice our ability to launch fragrances that feel new and unique.”
