Taylor Swift Fragrances Surprisingly Unpopular word “fragrance” (fr: parfum) on a perfume or cologne ingredient list represents a complex mix of scent chemicals and compounds that a company chooses to make its product smell good. This often includes a wide variety of natural and synthetic chemicals, some of which are known to cause skin allergies, dermatitis and respiratory distress as well as to be possible carcinogens. The fragrance industry sets its own safety standards and regulations, and is not required to disclose the ingredients of its products. Fragrance Files is a website dedicated to providing information and resources on safe cosmetics and beauty products.

“Behind the Bottle: Unraveling the Fascinating Fragrance Files of Perfume Legends

When you shop for perfume, try a few sprays on blotters before you buy. These paper strips absorb the fragrance, and will let you tell if it’s right for you without overpowering your senses or lingering on others.

Scent families are a helpful guide for perfume shoppers as they can help classify a perfume’s notes and shape its story. The four main scent families are Floral, Oriental, Woody and Fresh and are arranged on a Fragrance Wheel. Each of these is then divided into sub-families. For example, Chanel No 5 is an aldehydic floral – a classic in the traditional category, but it also falls into the Woody family. The same is true for Hermes Rouge which is classified as a classic chypre, but it also falls into the Fresh category.

Middle notes are the scents that appear shortly after a perfume’s top notes fade, and are often the heart of the perfume’s fragrance. They can range from the zing of citrus fruit to the green scents found in leaves and twigs. Alternatively, they can contain modern synthetic aromatics such as calone which has a fresh ozonous metallic marine note that is popular in many contemporary perfumes, or naturally occurring terpenes such as linalool and coumarin.