Ingredients and Accords
An ingredient is a raw material used in a perfume formula. For example, bergamot oil can be used as an ingredient. An accord is when two or more raw materials come together and create a certain scent. For example, a classic amber accord can be created by combining materials like vanilla or vanillin, labdanum, and benzoin.
What Is a Note?
A note is the smell we perceive or describe in a perfume. In other words, a note does not always have to come directly from one single ingredient. For example, you may smell a leather note in a perfume, but there is no single raw material that is literally leather in the formula. That leather effect can be created by combining different materials. So in the end, the smells we perceive in a perfume are generally described as notes.
Perception Doesn't Always Match the Raw Material
A perfume may contain bergamot as an ingredient, but you may not notice it as a clear bergamot smell. This is because bergamot can combine with other materials and create a scent that is different from pure bergamot. This resulting scent can then become one of the notes or accords we perceive in the perfume.
Ingredients Have Their Own Properties
Ingredients also have their own characteristics. For example, vanilla-like materials are generally less volatile and can stay noticeable for a long time in the dry-down. Because of this, they are usually perceived in the middle and base notes. Ingredients also affect the performance of a perfume. For example, notes created with ingredients like oud, caramel, and animalic materials are generally more projecting and longer-lasting.
Notes and Seasonality
Notes also play an important role in the character of a perfume, its perceived performance, and the seasons we associate it with. For example, leather, oud, or rich amber notes are less common in fresh summer fragrances, while lemon, bergamot, and other citrus notes are more commonly used. This is because darker and richer notes can make a perfume feel heavier and warmer, while citrus notes usually give a fresher and more lively effect.