Synthetic perfumes can imitate natural scents or create new ones that aren’t found in nature. From a fresh marine scent that can’t be obtained naturally to a sensuous orchid aroma that is highly prized but not attainable from natural sources, synthetic odors have been a boon to the perfume industry. 

Nearly all great perfumes contain synthetic molecules, not because synthetics are less expensive but because perfumers can create scents that evoke memories and emotions that nature lacks the raw materials for. All of Chanel’s perfumes contain synthetic components as do every other truly remarkable perfume. Methyl dihydrojasmonate, for instance, imparts the sense of pure light and clean air that imitates the scent and feel of water, an aroma not possible to imitate with any natural ingredients. 

Many lovers of perfume harbor a strong prejudice against synthetics, thinking they cheapen true perfume. Nothing could be further from the truth! The world-famous Chanel No. 5 would be mediocre without synthetic aldehydes developed in 1903. Cheap? The best synthetic creations, much like rare natural ingredients such as true vanilla, are very expensive. A truly wonderful synthetic ingredient can cost up to $1200 per pound. 

Synthetics can also prevent allergic reactions. There are many people who love the scent of Sandalwood but have allergic reactions when they try to wear perfume containing it. A synthetic named Sandalore prevents that reaction and brings joy to the allergy sufferer. As an added bonus, synthetics help to preserve our natural environment. The sandalwood forests in India have been harvested at an alarming rate to sate our thirst for their fragrance in perfumes, soaps, and other everyday products. Many perfumers, seeing the destruction of natural resources for the sake of commerce, are turning to synthetics in order to serve their customers while preserving the earth’s beauty for their own children and grandchildren. 

Take musk, for example. The musk deer was hunted to the point of endangerment up till a couple of decades ago when synthetic musk was developed and laws enacted to protect the animal. Synthetic musk not only lasts longer than the real thing, the guilt factor is removed completely. You can wear your favorite musk-based perfume knowing that no suffering was involved for innocent animals. 

In summary, you can make a nutritious dinner using only natural ingredients and practices such as baking your own bread over a fire but why would you want to? Artificial methods and growing practices have greatly enhanced our lives and our health. Synthetic perfumes, in the same way, not only protect our natural resources but allow us to enjoy a large spectrum of truly remarkable and memorable scents that would normally be out of reach.

Tim Walt

Base notes, or the longest lasting elements of perfumes, are usually dominated by the scents of wood. There are many different kinds of woods used for perfumes including cedar, rosewood, juniper, pine and agarwood. The oils and distilled essences from these and other woods are very important even to perfumes where you don’t detect their fragrance. In many scents, the woods are used to accentuate other aromas.

Sandalwood, perhaps the best known of all these fragrant woods, grows in India and other parts of Asia. Synthetics are often used for sandalwood, as the forests have been severely decimated from over-harvesting for perfumes and many other wood products. It not only serves as an important note in perfume, it is an excellent fixative that can anchor other scents. B-United by Benetton uses sandalwood as a base note as well as elements of citrus and floral notes.

Agarwood is another Asian tree that grows mainly in Laos and produces a very fragrant oil and resin that perfumers love. Only the smallest bit of the oil is necessary to scent a room and it can take up to twelve hours to unfold. It will last on a person’s skin for more than a whole day and when applied to a porous material such as wooden boxes or cloth the scent can actually last for months. It is also said to have spiritual qualities and to improve access to hidden memories. Perfumers prize its deep and complex aroma. Yves Saint Laurent and Amouage perfumers both use agarwood as a base note in their premium fragrances.

Oudh oil resin, from the Aquilaria tree in Asia, is produced from trees infected with a parasitic fungus. The growth causes them to produce a resin in the heart of the tree over a period of, sometimes, hundreds of years before the infection kills the tree and leaves the resin behind to be chipped away. This resin, called Aloeswood, is very rare and considered the most sacred oil on earth. Its delicious aroma is used only in the finest, most premium perfumes. The lower quality resin is shredded and distilled then dried and used for incense. 

Cedar is another wood valuable in perfumery. Besides the wood’s decay-resistance, its aroma is so fresh and rich that it was used in building the famous temple of King Solomon. Onyx by Azzaro combines spices with citrus and apple, using cedar wood ad juniper to give the scent a refreshing, carefree aroma with delicious lingering signature.

Without aromatic woods, perfumes would lose much of their personality. Synthetic versions of some of these woods have seen increasing use as the forests become decimated from harvesting. Synthetics are often longer lasting than natural oils and give forests time to regenerate, allowing us to enjoy the fragrance of our favorite woods.

Tim Walt