Perfume oils consist of erratic substances in high quantities and thus have to be watered down by chemicals, so that trauma is not caused when utilized specifically on skin or clothes. The common solvent is pure ethanol or ethanol mixed with water. Fractionated coconut oil or wax, neutral smelling fats such as jojoba, can also act as chemicals and water down the perfume oil. The perfume oil is further mixed with other fragrant compounds. Generally, the percentage of aromatic compounds in perfume extract is 20% to 40%; in eau de parfum is 10% to 30%; in eau de toilette is 5% to 20%; and in eau de cologne is 2% to 5%.
The oil concentration in a perfume along with other aromatic compounds, determines the severeness, sustainability, and price of the perfume and thus it is a closely guarded secret of every perfumer and perfume house. By adjusting the proportion level and the notes of the perfume, variations on the same brand name may be created like Chanel’s Pour Monsieur and Pour Monsieur Concentree.
Classification of perfumes is never complete, due to its ever-evolving nature. The traditional classification comprises of categories like Single Floral, Floral Bouquet, Ambery, Woody, Leather-based, Chypre, and Fougere; while the modern classification comprises of Bright Floral, Green, Oceanic/Ozone, Citrus/Fruity, and Connoisseur. In 1983, Michael Edwards, a perfume specialist, created a new fragrance category “The Fragrance Wheel”, which categorized and sub-grouped five standard families, namely Floral (Floral, Soft Floral, Floral Oriental), Oriental (Soft Oriental, Oriental, Woody Oriental), Woody (Wood, Mossy Woods, Dry Woods), Fougere (has fragrance elements from all the families), and Fresh (Citrus, Green, Water).
Perfumery has used a number of aromatic sources like plants, animals, and synthetic resources in the generating of perfumes. Plants are used as a source of aroma chemical compounds and necessary oils. The parts of plants that are used are:
1 – Bark (cinnamon, cascarilla);
2 – Flowers (rose, jasmine, osmanthus, tuberose, mimosa, vanilla);
3 – Blossoms (citrus, ylang-ylang, clove);
4 – Fruits (apples, strawberries, cherries, litsea cubeba, juniper berry, vanilla, oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit);
5 – Leaves and Twigs (lavender, patchouli, citrus, violets, sage, rosemary, hay, tomato);
6 – Reasons (labdanum, myrrh, gum benzoin, Peru balsam, frankincense/olibanum, pine, fir, amber, copal);
7 – Roots, Bulbs, and Rhizomes (vetiver roots, ginger and iris rhizomes);
8 – Seeds (coriander, cocoa, mace, cardamom, anise, nutmeg, caraway, tonka bean);
9 – Woods (agarwood, birch, rosewood, sandalwood, pine, birch, juniper, cedar).
Animal resources include Ambergris, Castoreum, Musk, Rom terpenes, Honeycomb, and Civet. Other natural resources include Lichens and Protists. Synthetic sources include synthetic odorants synthesized from petroleum distillates, pine resins, etc. Modern perfumes are mostly made from synthetic sources as they allow fragrances not found in mother nature, like Cologne is a synthetic substance that imparts a marine metallic ozonic fragrance. Synthetic aromatics are more consistent than natural aromatics, and are therefore, broadly used nowadays in modern available perfumes.