Catégorie Faq: The art of perfumery

These different names correspond to different concentrations of perfume extract, the more the product is concentrated, the more the outfit will be powerful, also explaining the differences in price.

From more to less concentrated:

The perfume extract or more commonly known as perfume: more than 20% of perfume oil – a rare and expensive product but whose concentration makes it possible to apply a touch on the skin for an incredible wake.

The eau de parfum: between 10 and 20% of perfume oil

The eau de toilette: between 8 and 10% of perfume oil

The eau de Cologne: less than 8% of perfume oil

At  Divine, we sell exclusively perfume waters whose concentration varies according to the creations, between 18 and 20%. We also have 4 excerpts on our creations for her: divine, l’inspiratrice, l’âme sœur and spirituelle.

Alcohol is chosen in the composition of perfumes for its neutral side, and its diffusion: it allows a slow evaporation of the perfume and improves the distinction of its notes.

However the perfume is not obligatorily alcoholic, it is above all a solid concentrate that we mix with a base which can be of different forms such as water, wax, or cream.

At Divine, yes all of our perfumes are in alcoholic form.

NO ! As painting, perfumery is an art that is made up of a range of materials that are both natural and synthetic, that is to say:

Natural with molecules from natural chemistry – that exist naturally in fruits or flowers (for example: limonene in orange),

Either natural with absolutes or essential oils directly extracted or distilled from products from nature – flowers: absolute jasmine or rose, or fruits: orange: essential oil of orange bigarade,

Or from synthesis with molecules that have been developed by chemistry to contribute to a richer and more diversified olfactory palette (for example: vanillin-ethyl for vanilla, MNA aldehydes for a more floral / fresh metallic scent).

We can not always rely solely on natural materials, indeed some flowers for example, have no flowering large enough to bring out an absolute or an essential oil, for example for lily of the valley, lily or peony we are working on reconstructions based on natural materials and syntheses.

Legislation and time also forbids us to work on natural materials such as animal musk, civet etc. …

Finally most of the natural materials used in perfumes, themselves being an association of different molecules, are not identical olfactory to their scent of origin in nature, in fact they can be slightly transformed olfactively following their extraction or distillation with pressure or heat. All these materials play an important role in the creation of our perfumes with our perfumers, like painting, all the colors available to draw a work, whether they come from nature (mineral or vegetable origin) or of chemistry.

We classify perfumes in what we call olfactory families according to the notes that compose them.

These families are then subdivided into subfamilies.

We can cite 7 main ones, from the coolest to the most powerful:

Citrus: a family made up of fresh and sparkling notes: citrus fruits (mandarins, oranges, lemons, petit grain, bergamot …) that are often associated with floral notes (white flowers) and spices. Our eau divine creation is part of this family.

Aromatics: this family is rather represented by masculine perfumes based in particular by aromatic notes, oak moss, lavender, fern … Our creations l’homme infini, l’homme de coeur and l’être aimé au masculin  are part of this family.

Florals: family consisting of many notes based on flowers (absolute, essential oil, and synthetic) that are found both in the head and heart. These floral notes are often associated with fruity notes. Our l’âme soeur and l’infante creations are part of this family.

Florientals: a family of floral notes in the head associated with warmer notes such as vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood and musk. The florientals do not have too woody notes or patchouli; they are rather greedy and floral. Our spirituelle creation is part of this family.

Chyprés: family whose specificity is to combine 3 universes: fruity notes, spicy notes and floral notes around the oak moss. Our divine eponymous creation of Divine is part of this family.

Orientals: family made up of warmer and more opulent notes such as patchouli, amber, vanilla, rose, musk and woody notes (oud, sandalwood …). Our creations l’inspiratrice, l’être aimé au féminin and l’homme accompli are part of this family.

Woody: family consisting largely of woods and balms in base notes such as sandalwood, vetiver, cedar but no patchouli. Our creation l’homme sage is part of this family.

In perfumery, we speak of notes for the constitution and the description of a perfume, the notes correspond to the various scents that compose a perfume. When we build a perfume, we work on the olfactory pyramid, with top notes at the  head of the pyramid, heart notes at the middle and base notes at the bottom. These ratings are divided according to their lasting capabilities / volatility.

The top notes are the most volatile, we can only feel them for a few minutes on the skin, it’s a bit like the first impression of the perfume, it’s often fresh or sparkling notes as citrus, spices and aromatic notes ( basil, coriander …).

Then appear the heart notes a few minutes after the top notes, it’s a little the heart of the perfume, its identity, it is often floral notes. And finally there are the base notes, they are the wake of the perfume, his outfit and are often composed of wood, balms, musc and powdered chords. On each Divine creation page on the website, you can find the top, heart and base notes of each perfume, they will help you better understand the olfactory construction of each creation and you appropriate it or not according to other perfumes that you already wear.