Lift and Bloom

I recently received a promotional mailing from Firmenich discussing products of theirs that they feel are good for adding lift or “bloom” to fragrances.  They listed products in the usual categories you’d consider for lift, like damascones, aldehydes, hedione, some powerhouse green and/or ozonic chems, some woodsy and ambery chems, and various musks.  Of couse naturals can also provide lift, but they tend to be shorter lasting and this promotional mailing focused on Firmenich synthetics.

I don’t like using ozonic notes and often I want to minimize aldehydes, so I end up with a more limited palette for creating bloom.  I love damascones, hedione, and various woods, ambers, and musks, but you have to pick what is appropriate for the scent you’re creating and you need lighter notes to contrast with the heavier woods and ambers.  Sometimes I get the basic scent I want but then need to experiment before finding the right additional ingredients that will add extra lift and life to a blend.  I don’t want huge sillage in my scents, but I do want enough life and zip to them.  With experience you learn more combinations that work and mentally file these notes away for future use, but the right combination also depends a great deal on the specific formula at hand and your goals for that scent.

I was very interested to read Jean-Claude Ellena’s comments on this topic with reference to the creation of the Hermes fragrance Un Jardin sur le Nil in Chandler Burr’s book The Perfect Scent.  Even Ellena pondered various options to add volume and lift to his mods along the way to the final creation.  It was interesting to read about the interplay between his creative process and the industry requirements placed on him.  I love many of his scents and enjoyed a peek into the process.

I’m struggling with these issues on the white floral I’ve been working on for a few months.  It does great for a few hours while the floral aspects are at their peak, but it needs a better base to pick up the dance when the florals wane.  I want the base to be soft though so that the florals really shine in the first few hours.  Still experimenting…