The Landmarks of Perfumery

Every perfume ever made is unique with its own specific formula. This is the case even if a perfume started out as a copy or "match" of another one. When a copy is produced the reproducer does not have exactly the same materials of the same quality from the same sources even if he has the original formula. The compounding procedures, storage of materials, processing, packaging may be slightly different in the new company. When a perfumer copies anothers work he tends to stamp that work with his own interpretation and preferences.  

The same happens in food, even if sometimes we don't know a new dish that is laid before us. When we eat it we identify it as "Chinese", "Italian", "Indian" or perhaps "Japanese". This is largely because we recognize the pattern of presentation, spices, predominance of specific ingredients etc.

 The same happens in perfumes. Certain patterns appear when we look at the many hundreds of perfumes in the market.  Perhaps we may put some in a group with what we see as predominantly citrus notes others with predominantly green notes. Then there may be specific mixtures herbal notes plus oakmoss to produce the fern group "fougere". As you look at how some classifiers have put the groups together you may see discrepancies between them or even compared to your own thinking. I will tell you now - believe your own judgement. Use the classifications that you read about as a guide - no one has the final say on classification, groups or families of fragrance types, certainly not until the mechanism of how the nose works is known and probably not even then.  

Try classifying three pieces of music, rock, jazz and classic into their groups by studying the sound frequencies.  Same as smells - will the knowledge of the mechanism really help us on a practical level ?

So what is meant by the Landmarks of perfumery? As perfumery has developed over the centuries, new materials such as essential oils or aroma chemicals have become available to the perfumer at various times. Then fashion or marketing influences have pushed the use of one of these changes to the forefront. The landmarks might be seen as crossroads along the road of evolution of perfumes. In the late 18th century citrus oils and herb oils gave rise to the Cologne. Then some 70 years later the first aroma (smelly as opposed to aromatic - containing a benzene ring structure) chemicals became available and after that the the pace of change really picked up as one after the other of these new chemicals became available. Haarman & Reimer GMBH The best work on this subject has without doubt be done by Haarman & Reimer GMBH, Germany (H&R). In the late Seventies Peter Worner of H&R produced a colorful genealogy of some 400  

Perfumes are listed Chronologically and where a theme runs through a series of perfumes they are linked by connecting lines. Perfumes shown in BOLD letters are Peter Worners choice of a LANDMARK where a significant development in a perfume style has occurred. When a perfume falls immediately below a Landmark it does not indicate it is a copy but that it shares the Landmarks heritage.

  and one for women and then in 1983 reproduced in a 4 Volume Book The H&R Book of Perfume. A fifth volume was added a few years later which increased and updated the perfumes listed to include more contemporary examples. Although you will get the feel of the book from some of the images in this article there is no replacement for having the book to hand.
Dragoco Note: Dragoco and Haarman & Reimer have now joined to form Symrise GMBH.
Another leading German Company who have done excellent work in disseminating information about perfumery and have been an inspiration to many.
   Their own genealogy is interesting but not as clearly understandable or good as H&R's
 

Dragoco Women's Genealogy	Dragoco Men's Genealogy

 

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The French Society of Perfumers  Produced a Classification des Parfums with a catalogue of perfumes in 1990

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The PerfumersWorld - Family of Odors (Copyright 1992-2001 Stephen V. Dowthwaite) Shows the relationship of the different groups of smells found in perfumes. Most fragrances have a heart of Floral notes and at the base are found Musk, Oakmoss (or Marine) notes and sweet edible (Vanilla type) notes. The groups to the sides, represent modification of the heart notes towards a particular style to make them modern, fresh natural etc.. Some have their own groups.  Green - fresh cut grass or leafy galbanum notes cool and clean, natural  Aldehydic - fatty notes with ylang ylang - classic elegant  Spice - hot and sensual spice notes  Citrus - fresh classic notes of lemon, bergamot.         Then along the base of these we find these classic types:  Oriental - a combination of balsam, spice, oakmoss, musk and vanilla.  Fougere - a blend of oakmoss, herbal and green notes.  Tobacco -a masculine down to earth herbaceous group that touches its cousin Leather  Leather - classy elegant animal notes.  Chypre - a combination of citrus notes, leather and powdery notes.  Powdery - an effect rather than a group produced by a clash between fresh (citrus, fruit or fresh npotes such as in top notes of Ylang and Geranium) and sweet (sweet vanillic or oriental notes) and supported by woody and oakmoss notes.

 

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Floral Notes
Diorissimo - Dior 1956 - masterpiece interpretation of Lily of the Valley
Fidji - Guy Laroche 1966 - strong influence from L'air du Temps
Diorella - Dior 1972
Amazone - Hermes 1975
Lauren - WarnerLauren 1978
Anais Anais - Cacharel 1979
Charlie - Revlon 1973
L'air du Temps - Nina Ricci 1948 - classic carnation fragarnce
QuelQues Fleurs - Houbigant 1912
Joy - Jean Patou 1935
Soir de Paris - Bourjois 1929
L'Origan - Coty 1905
Estee - Estee Lauder 1969
Chloe - Largerfeld 1975
Tabac Original - Maurer & Wirtz 1959
Men's Club - Rubenstein 1966

Green Notes
Vent Vert - Balmain 1945
Chanel 19 - Chanel 1971
Alliage - Estee lauder 1972
Y - Yves St. Laurent 1964
Prestige Dry Herb - Wolff & Sohn 1960
Devin - Aramis 1978 - Aldehydic Notes
Chanel No.5 - Chanel 1921
Arpege - Lanvin 1927
Bois des Iles- Chanel 1925
Je Reviens - Worth 1932
Madame Rochas- Rochas 1960
Caleche - Hermes 1960
Calandre -Paco Rabanne 1968
Climat - Lancome 1968
Chamade - Guerlain 1970 Chypre Notes

Chypre - Coty 1917
Crepe de Chine - Millot 1925
Femme - Rochas 1942
Ma Griffe - Carven 1944
Miss Dior - Dior 1947
Intimate - Revlon 1955
Cabochard - Gres 1958
That Man - Revlon 1961
Aramis - Aramis 1965
Sir Irisch Moos - 4711 Mulhens 1969
Royal Copenhagen - Swank 1970
Coriandre -Couturier 1973
Halston Z-14 - Halston 1976
Polo - Warner Cosmetics 1978

Oriental Notes
Shalimar - Guerlain 1925
Shocking - Shiaparelli 1935
Youth Dew - Estee Lauder 1952
Opium - Yves St. Laurent 1977 Tobacco Notes
Tabac Blond - Caron 1919
Cuir de Russie - Chanel 1924 Fougere Notes
Fougere Royale - Houbigant 1882
Canoe - Dana 1935
Brut - Faberge 1964
Paco Rabanne Pour Homme - Paco Rabanne 1973
Azzaro Pour Homme - Azzaro 1978 Citrus Notes
Eau Sauvage - Dior 1966
Silvestre - Victor 1946 Spicy Notes - (Could also include Oriental notes such as Opium, Cinnibar and spicy florals like L'air du Temps (Carnation)
Old Spice - Shulton 1937 Woody Notes
Vetiver - Carven 1957
Sandalwood - Arden 1967 Leather Notes
Van Cleef & Arpels - Van Cleef & Arpels 1978
Macassar - Rochas 1980