When an accord sounds dull, muddy or just plain off, beginning perfumers often reach for a new ingredient that they think will fix the problem. Instead, consider the effect of tweaking existing proportions. A seemingly endless number of formulas can include the right ingredients, yet smell flat, overbearing or disjointed.
For instance, an accord of wood and citrus might smell rough and vibrant when balanced a particular way, yet smooth and long-lasting as the proportion of wood is raised. But it might also lose its brightness under a dry, heavy base if you push the wood too far. In each case the formula contains the same notes, yet you’ll probably recognize the smell as different. The perception of the fragrance is based on the relationships among the notes.
When testing new blends, always pay attention to the character of the smell rather than the quantity of ingredients. Some materials are stronger or more persistent than others. Even a tiny amount of them can make a noticeable impression. If you use dilutions of these materials, you’ll have the chance to adjust their strength and control their influence on the blend. It can take some practice to develop a nose for relative impact and tenacity of notes, but if you learn to pay attention to these qualities, they’ll reveal themselves. For example, powerful notes such as musk or resins often overpower subtler notes.
If you dilute these powerful notes, you will be able to evaluate how they perform alongside other ingredients more accurately. You’ll be able to introduce them in controlled increments that balance the character of your blend. This also makes it possible to use these notes in greater quantities in the end. In the final formula, they may have a smaller proportion than you first thought necessary, but their effect on the whole blend will be stronger. In this case, the number of parts is misleading: It’s better to think of the materials in terms of the strength, tenacity and projection each one has on the blotter.
When learning how different notes work together in an accord, you can test your sense for how they interact by mixing several combinations. Let’s say you are blending two materials. Mix a larger amount of material A combined with a smaller amount of material B. Make another blend using a smaller amount of material A and a larger amount of material B. Make a third blend that is evenly balanced. Label each, then smell them side-by-side on individual blotters. Notice the character of each at first application, and how they smell as they develop on the blotter. Then, write these observations down in your formula records.
When adjusting your formula, make one change at a time. If you add a new ingredient while also taking away some of a dominating ingredient, you won’t know if the resulting softness is due to the added ingredient or because there is less of the note that once smothered it. You might find it’s the same with a new sweet ingredient. And you might not be able to tell if greater diffusion in the formula is the result of the new ingredient’s introduction or of reducing the less diffusive note that once dominated the accord. Making one change at a time will keep your testing more focused, and make your results and observations clearer.
As you revise your accord, record the changes in your notes and in the composition of the formula. Note which ingredient dominated the scent in the beginning and if the smell cleared up later on. Jot down what happened in the drydown. You can’t forget to jot down what proportion you changed. You may find patterns as you go through these exercises. A particular note may become apparent when you reduce it slightly. Sometimes when you raise the proportion of a note, the heart of the fragrance improves, but the drydown suffers in a couple of hours.
When your accord smells close to perfect, but you’re missing something, you may think it needs another note. Consider whether all the ingredients are perceivable. Is one overbearing? What’s missing from the accord, and what ingredient could make up for it? Once you’re clear on these questions, try adding a small quantity of your new choice and see how the blend performs.