Emotion is the key to any appreciation of the senses, particularly organoleptic and visual. For example we have all experienced a different degree of appreciation of the same piece of art, music or food, depending on our state of mind at the time.
A widely held theory of emotion is that the sequence begins with an encounter with an important event, thought, or image. The person then interprets the meaning of that encounter and their interpretation determines the feeling (emotion) that is likely to follow. Many times the company requesting a fragrance for their new product can provide intimate details of the packaging, the demographics of the targeted consumer, cost per unit of the finished product, and any specific technical formulation details. Imagine how difficult it is then to take this, often esoteric, image and convert the sometimes precise brief into a physical product – a fragrance. The concept introduced in this article is a communication tool that assists in channelling thoughts and determining the direction at the time of a fragrance request. Before any journey is commenced it is important to plan a trip, or in this case, write a fragrance brief. It is this initial step that dictates the direction or path to be taken. Obviously, if you wish to travel to the city the first decision to be made is what transport you plan to use. Once, and only after, this decision is made the details of the transport vehicle/s become relevant, e.g. if you decide to travel by bus then what motor cars may be available are totally irrelevant. However, the bus timetable then becomes important. Therefore we need some form of tool that will assist on determining the fragrance development direction. It is also obvious that unless you choose the fragrance type that is going to satisfy the brief, then we should not embark on any other direction as it will take us away from the target. In most cases in this industry the use of odour, shape, and colour is used to support the ‘Promise of the Product’ and all should give the same signal to the consumer. If you are, like me, a compulsive sampler of finished products in supermarkets and other retail outlets you probably have been disappointed between what you expect the product to smell like and the actual odour perceived. The package shape, colour, and design construct an image of the total product in your mind, and if the fragrance does not support the “Promise of the Product”, then the product suffers. This emphasises the psychology or “aromachology” of fragrance and its importance in supporting the image of the product. At this point the aspect of shape should be introduced into this discussion. To support the assertion that odour shape and colour must act in harmony to create the desired image, I recall a presentation on this same subject I made to the marketing group of a major international cosmetic and toiletry manufacturer. They were listening intently but I felt, with some reservations. To make my point regarding the importance of shape in the trio, I placed every variant in the company’s range of this product on the table. This particular product is a brand that reflected the Scandinavian outdoor image. I proceeded to comment on only any variant that I thought were not selling as well as expected, using the odour, shape, and colour criteria. The fragrance of this product is a Fougere type (this will be explained later) that has a rising linear shape profile. Therefore, if my theory was plausible then the packaging must be tall, slender and upright, and not squat and dumpy, in order to support the promise of the product. There were two variants that were outside the shape parameters and they were a wet-wipes variant and the other was a hand soap. I said to everyone at the meeting that these two were not selling up to expectations, keeping in mind that they were product types accepted by the market and that the brand owner had, and still has, lots of retail muscle. The product manager responsible for this range confirmed this statement and mentioned they had arrived at a similar conclusion by a slightly different path. During more than 40 years in the fragrance industry, I have seen hundreds of different odour descriptors used, and probably used most of them myself. However, they can become very confusing to those not working with fragrances every day (see Table 1).
The concept
The objective of this article is to illustrate a concept that makes the choice of direction a lot easier, as the language used is common language and is neither technical nor esoteric and is a common easily understood vocabulary. Fragrance dialogue is made much easier as it is no longer that of the privileged few – the perfumers. Following is a simple example to explain the descriptive terms used.
Example: vetivert
The scent of vetivert evokes the forest undergrowth, the damp ground and roots, as well as being described as being: heavy, sombre, solemn, massive, and harsh. Consider also the colour and pack shape that would complement this description and you can see a language starting to develop. Forget what you may know of the composition of a fragrance and consider only its overall impression on you, or the emotion that it can engender. Odours, by nature, are resistant to precise classification as each is unique. But being human we must categorise, and hence seven basic themes have been identified that encompass the major fragrance types.
Tobac
Tobac is described as: square, rugged, massive, powerful, virile. The shape and colour are square solid etc., which obviously makes it a very masculine image. Fragrances like Paco Rabanne and Drakkar Noir are good examples of the use of this note.
Chypre
This is described as: feminine, sensual, gentle, gracious, erotic. Chypre usually contains soft sensual woody and animalic base notes and citrus freshness. The colour and the soft flowing curves support the image. These fragrances are Chypre types: Miss Balmain – Balmain, Miss Dior – Dior, Passion – Elizabeth Taylor, Ysatis – Givenchy, White Diamonds – Elizabeth Taylor, and Eau de Rochas – Rochas.
Fougere
Described as: rising, rocketing, spontaneous, streamlined, linear, balanced. The word fougere is French and roughly means ‘fern’. Blends of lavenders and oak moss create the base for many fougere fragrances. Fougere type fragrances: Pino Silvestre – Vidal, Cool Water – Davidoff, Eternity for Men – Calvin Klein, Jazz – Yves St. Laurent, and Safari for Men – Lauren.
Aldehydes
Described as: dazzling, vivid, striking, voluptuous, lyrical, violent, rich, dynamic, magnificent, positive. Ask any aspiring perfumer about aldehydes and you will hear that they are synthetic materials first used in Chanel No.5 and that this is the first and the prototype of synthetic fragrances. The truth is a little more difficult to state than that, but aldehydes are now an integral part of any perfumers library. If you refer to a bottle of Chanel No.5 it shows a positive image of ‘no compromise’, and an exclusive image that exudes class. The colour and shape support this image.
Nature-like
Described as: airy, active, pure, tonic, clear, light, fresh, cool, simple. The consumers have associated this fragrance theme, and packaging, with being simple, pure and safe to use. An analogy which seems to explain the phenomenon of J&J Baby Powder (which fits this description), is that it demonstrates the “simple” image and that the consumer associates “simple “with ”safe”, and hence suitable for a baby. This particular theme demonstrates the psychology of fragrances as well, or better, than any other. This theme is extremely well-suited to skin and hair care fragrances. This may also be a good time to discuss the attributes of the modern trend to ‘natural’ fragrances. It needs to be mentioned that many so-called synthetic perfumes are still made using combinations of essential oils and other natural extracts because of their unique qualities as aromatic materials. However, formulating using only natural materials does not give you the odour flexibility that we are used to in our commonly-used fragrance types. Natural materials may have hundreds of components, and if you take the holistic approach, they are said to demonstrate the aromatherapy benefits and the implied safety you do not get from synthetic replacements. However stating that aromatherapy-type benefits are not obtained from synthetic fragrances is not always true. There is a large school of belief that the aromatherapy benefits obtained from essential oils may have a lot to do with the psychology of odour, and possibly less to do with the perceived medical benefits. Therefore it is not correct to rule out the ‘aromachology’ effect. It is also very important to consider the allergens in natural materials when formulating ‘natural’ fragrances as there are only a handful of aromatic essential oils, as used for their fragrance, that do not contain any of the suspected 26 Potential Allergens as specified by the Colipa Legislation. Therefore, to say that natural products, particularly essential oils, are always safer to use than some of their replacement materials is a fallacy. No matter what the consumer is being allowed to believe.
Orientals
Described as: arabesque, sophisticated, complex, intricate, charming, mysterious, glowing, undulating. These sensual scents can contain oriental resins, exotic flowers, vanilla and musk. The traditional oriental fragrance theme is a delight to explore and consumers have associated the fragrance, and packaging with being exotic, unusual and different. Some oriental fragrances: Shalimar – Guerlain, Samsara – Guerlain, Bal a Versialles – Deprez, and Cinnabar – Lauder.
Spicy
Described as: intricate, vibrating, extravert, beaming, shiny, exciting. Spicy describes fragrance notes that have a warm or hot spicy character. These are pungent and exciting scents, incorporating many well known and familiar spices. The consumers have associated the fragrance, and packaging with being exciting.
Conclusion
I hope you can now see there is a vocabulary of fragrance that is similar to that used in everyday life. And where possible we should use these terms to describe the fragrance you want when briefing for your new product. In my opinion it is more important to convey the image of the product being perfumed to the fragrance company when being briefed, than any suggestion you may have on specific fragrance types. Let the perfumers revert with their suggestions. But if you feel the fragrance does not support the image of your product, try again. One can also see that there are many more descriptors that can be used in this area, and, of course the concept lends itself to basic expansion. However, the use of too many descriptors will confuse and detract from the intention to simplify the exercise of understanding fragrances and the overall concept, which sits happily alongside colour and shape to provide a consistent marketing message to the consumer. The odour, colour, and shape of your new product should be considered in concert when developing your new consumer product. Hopefully this will result in the consumer benefiting from and realising ‘the promise of the product’.
Note: A version of this article was first published by the Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
