Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Did you know? We’re giving away a fantastic fragrance by Jan Barba to one lucky winner 🎁✨! As a token of our appreciation for your amazing support, we want to celebrate hitting 1,000 Instagram followers by going back to our roots — our very first interview ever. It’s been an exciting journey, and we’re beyond grateful to have you in our community as early supporters of what’s to come 😏. Visit our channel to enter the giveaway, and good luck! 🍀

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: AI, AI, AI … and (almost) Christmas 🤖🎅🤖 

2. Season Scents: Autumn picks by 15West 🍂 🤌 

3. Scent MythBusters: The universally valid Olfactive Pyramid❓️ 

4. QUIZ: Lavender love outside France 🇫🇷 🛫 

5. Molecule Spotlight: All You Need to Know about Orris 🌼 

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

• Osmo's Fragrance 2o Manifesto is set to transform the perfume industry from the ground up. Spearheaded by Alex Wiltschko, they're tearing down the walls of secrecy by fully disclosing fragrance ingredients, much like how online communities are democratising scent. By harnessing AI and robotics, Osmo plans to speed up fragrance creation from months to mere minutes, catering to the fast-paced demand for personalisation. They're putting perfumers back at the heart of creation and focusing on clean, sustainable ingredients. This bold move blends cutting-edge technology with artistry, making the world of fragrance more transparent, innovative, and ethically conscious than ever before. Supported by Christophe Laudamiel and many others!

• Artificial Intelligence is shaking up the perfume industry, blending data with artistry in scent creation. While legendary perfumers like Jean-Claude Ellena remain skeptical, seeing perfume as pure emotion, others embrace AI's potential. Companies like Givaudan and Symrise are using AI tools like Carto and Philyra to craft fragrances faster and predict consumer preferences. Brands such as O Boticário and Charlotte Tilbury are launching AI-assisted scents, aiming to quantify emotions and personalize experiences. As AI continues to make inroads, the industry is at a crossroads, balancing technological innovation with the timeless art of perfumery

• For everyone who thinks Christmas under 15 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere isn't festive enough, Grant Osborne's latest roundup is a fragrant feast! He showcases an extensive list of perfume advent calendars for 2024, from luxury giants like Guerlain and Dior to niche brands and even scented candle collections. Each calendar offers daily olfactory delights, making the countdown to Christmas a sensory adventure.

Fragrance Must-Haves for the Autumn Season 🍂 

We spoke with Marc Janssen, founder and CEO of 15WEST, one of Germany’s top curated niche fragrance shops, to discover his top scent picks for this autumn season. We’re excited to share his exclusive suggestions, available only with Scently Speaking.

Marc’s top scent picks for this autumn season 🍂 

Scent MythBusters 🎭️ 

➡️ Short answer: Not quite! 🕒

TL;DR

While the traditional fragrance triangle—comprising top, heart, and base notes—suggests a linear progression of scent development, modern perfumery often defies this sequence. Factors like molecular structure, evaporation rates, and innovative formulation techniques mean that fragrances can unfold non-linearly. Some perfumes are designed to be linear, maintaining a consistent scent throughout, while others might highlight base notes from the very beginning.

The Classic Fragrance Pyramid: A Guideline, Not a Rule

The olfactive pyramid has long served as a foundational concept in perfumery education and marketing. It divides a perfume into three layers:

1. Top Notes: These are the initial scents perceived right after application, usually light and volatile molecules like citrus or herbal notes.

2. Heart Notes: As the top notes fade, the heart (or middle) notes emerge, forming the core of the fragrance with floral, fruity, or spicy elements.

3. Base Notes: Finally, the base notes develop, providing depth and longevity with ingredients like woods, resins, and musks.

This model suggests a neat, chronological unfolding of scents. However, the reality is more complex.

Modern Perfumery: Breaking the Pyramid

Linear Fragrances

Some contemporary fragrances are formulated to be linear, meaning they smell the same from the first spritz to the dry-down. Perfumers achieve this by carefully selecting ingredients with similar evaporation rates or by using fixatives that stabilise more volatile notes.

• Example: Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules is built around a single aroma molecule, Iso E Super, offering a consistent scent experience.

• Example: CK One by Calvin Klein is a linear fragrance that blends notes like green tea, papaya, and jasmine, maintaining a consistent, fresh scent from application to dry-down without significant changes over time.

Inverting the Pyramid

Innovative perfumers are experimenting by flipping the traditional pyramid structure, introducing base notes early in the fragrance experience.

In our former interview, Cláudia Camacho, Portugal's first independent female perfumer, shared how she turned the pyramid on its head with her creation Mystery. The fragrance opens with a bold top note of black pepper, moves into a heart of mushrooms and wet floor accords, and settles into base notes of pink pepper, resins, and woods. This unconventional progression challenges traditional expectations and offers a unique olfactory journey.

Early Arrival of Base Notes

Advancements in fragrance chemistry allow heavier base notes to appear earlier in the scent experience.

• Co-Distillation and Encapsulation: Techniques like co-distillation can blend heavier molecules with lighter ones, while encapsulation can delay the release of certain notes.

• Synthetic Molecules: The use of synthetic ingredients like Hedione can blur the lines between different note categories.

Molecular Interactions and Skin Chemistry

Individual skin chemistry can affect how a fragrance unfolds. Factors like pH levels, skin temperature, and even diet can influence the volatility of fragrance molecules.

• Skin Types: Oily skin might hold onto lighter top notes longer, while dry skin may cause a fragrance to evaporate more quickly.

• Environmental Factors: Humidity and temperature can also impact how scents develop over time.

The Marketing Myth

The Olfactive Pyramid is often used in marketing to simplify the complex nature of perfumes for consumers. It helps in narrating the "journey" of a fragrance, making it more accessible. Consumers may expect a certain progression, which doesn't account for the artistry and innovation in modern perfumery.

QUIZ 🎲

All You Need to Know About Orris 🌸

What is Orris?

Orris is the fragrant root of the iris plant, specifically derived from the species Iris pallida and Iris germanica. Celebrated for its elegant, powdery, and woody aroma with subtle violet and fruity nuances, orris has been a treasured ingredient in perfumery since ancient times. The scent is extracted from the rhizomes (root structures), which undergo a thorough and time-consuming process to develop their characteristic fragrance.

Origin 📍

Orris is primarily cultivated in the Mediterranean region, notably in Italy, France, Morocco, and China. The plants thrive in well-drained, rocky soils at altitudes of 300–500 meters. In Italy, especially in Tuscany near Florence, the iris has been a symbol since the 11th century. France has revived iris cultivation in Provence and Grasse, while Morocco grows orris in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. China has also become a significant producer, particularly in the Yunnan province.

Key Facts 📔

• Harvest Time: Rhizomes are harvested 2–3 years after planting.

• Maturation Period: Rhizomes require an additional 2–4 years of aging to develop their fragrant compounds.

• Yield:

  • 100 kg of fresh rhizomes → 25–30 kg of dried rhizomes.

  • 100 kg of dried rhizomes → 3–4 kg of orris resinoid (3–4% yield).

  • 1,000 kg of dried rhizomes → 2 kg of orris concrete (0.2% yield).

  • 10,000 kg of rhizome powder → 4 kg of orris absolute (0.04% yield).

• Price:

  • Orris Concrete: Approximately 9,000€–12,000€ per kilogram.

  • Orris Absolute: Approximately 63,000€–82,000€ per kilogram.

Cultivation 🧑‍🌾

Iris plants prefer light, stony soils with moderate sunlight on slopes at altitudes of 300–500 meters. They require minimal watering to prevent swelling without increasing fragrance compounds. Regular weeding and soil aeration are essential. Harvesting is done carefully to avoid damaging the rhizomes, which are dug up 2–3 years after planting.

From Harvest to Absolute: The Extraction Process 🌿

Harvesting

Rhizomes are collected after 2–3 years when mature. They are carefully unearthed to prevent damage, which is crucial for quality.

Processing

1. Cleaning and Peeling: Rhizomes are washed and manually peeled due to their irregular shape.

2. Drying: Cleaned rhizomes are dried naturally or with warm air, losing about 80% of their weight.

3. Aging (Maturation): Dried rhizomes are stored for 2–4 years to develop irones, transforming the scent from earthy to powdery.

Extraction Methods

1. Solvent Extraction:

   • Orris Resinoid: Ground rhizomes are treated with solvents; yield is 3–4% from dried rhizomes.

   • Orris Absolute: Further processing removes impurities, yielding a product with over 60% irones.

2. Hydrodistillation:

   • Orris Butter (Concrete): Powdered rhizomes undergo distillation, yielding 0.2% from dried rhizomes after 15–20 hours.

Use 🛢️

Orris is esteemed in high-end perfumery for its complex, long-lasting fragrance characterised by powdery and floral notes reminiscent of violets, with woody and earthy undertones. It is used primarily as a base note, providing depth and longevity. Its fixative properties enhance other ingredients, making it invaluable in complex compositions. Due to its cost, orris is used sparingly in the most expensive perfumes.

Most Notable Orris Fragrances 💫

• Prada Infusion d'Iris (2007)

• Dior Homme Parfum (2005)

• Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens (1994)

• Iris Poudre by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle (2000)