Perfumer Archive
Fragrance Brief Translation Methodology
by: Ziad El-Desoki | Published: August 6, 2024
The Best Methodology For Translating Client Briefs.
Start Late, Finish Early.
Here, I will teach you my strategy for converting fine fragrance briefs into real perfumes:
The secret of this 3-Step methodology is that it's Time Safer & Anti-Creative Block.
Let’s explain the steps first, and then I will give examples.
1. Understand the Customer:
(* Brand's 3W -->
Who: they talk to
Why: their vision
When: they launch this product /
* Brand Scent-DNA).
2. Understand the Brief: Ensure you understand each word’s meaning to the other side.
- Is there any scent or fragrance that can describe the words they want to express? (Try to be as objective as possible.)
3. Search in your Fragrance Library: You may have previously created a fragrance similar to the requirements or have a base/accord to start from.
- If nothing suitable is available, proceed to point 4.
4. Start Translating the Brief:
a. Clarify the brief for yourself.
b. Summarize the brief into only 3 words.
c. Saturate these 3 words with similar words.
d. Choose only 3 words from these similar words.
e. Select accords that match the feeling of these 3 words.
f. Choose the materials that provide these effects.
g. Choose your Modifiers/Beautifiers/Bridges.
** Examples:
# Example 1:
* Brief:
- Fine fragrance
- Fresh
- For 20-30 years old
- For businesswomen
- Captures freedom and independence
a. Clarify the brief by articulating it into one line:
- A perfume for 20-30-year-old businesswomen that evokes the feeling of freedom and independence.
b. Summarized brief: FREE, FEMININE, INDEPENDENT
c. Saturating the words:
- FREE: FRESH, BRIGHT, AIRY.
- FEMININE: SOFT, FLUFFY, LIKEABLE.
- INDEPENDENT: BODIED, SOPHISTICATED.
d. Choosing only three words:
- Example: BRIGHT, LIKEABLE, BODIED
e. Deciding main accords:
- BRIGHT: LIGHT FLORAL.
- LIKEABLE: SOFT CITRUSY.
- BODIED: AMBERY.
f. Convert every word into effects:
- BRIGHT (LIGHT FLORAL): Hedione HC, Ethyl Linalool, DHM, Calone, Mayol, Florol, PEA, Citronellol, Geraniol, Rose Oxide, Linalyl Acetate, Helional, Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde, Magnolan, Cis-3-Hexenyl Salicylate.
- LIKEABLE (SOFT CITRUSY): Bergamot Oil, Lemon Oil, Methyl Pamplemousse, Allyl Amyl Glycolate, Mandarine oil green.
- BODIED (AMBERY): Ambroxan, Benzoin Resinoid, Patchouli Oil Light, Cinnamic Alcohol, Spirambrene, Cedramber.
g. Choosing Modifiers/Beautifiers/Bridges:
- Rose Oil & Phenoxanol (naturalizes the rose accord).
- Methyl Ionone Gamma (for rose accord).
- Orange Flower Absolute (naturalizes the white flower accord).
- Bulgarian Lavender Oil (wraps the herbal floral notes).
- Heliotropine (gives background for florals).
- Gamma Undecalactone & Methyl Anthranilate (to produce a light creamy tuberose note).
- Coumarin (to sweeten and tame herbal notes).
- Galaxolide, Helvetolide, Musk T (to brighten the base notes).
*You don't have to use all these materials; you can start with a base of 10 materials and build from there. (This is just a demonstrational idea.)
# Example 2:
* Brief:
- Perfume
- Beast mode, Ambery, Sweet
- For 25+ years old
- Unisex
- Brave Scent
"Briefs are usually more complicated than this example (and sometimes simpler)."
a. Clarify the brief by articulating it into one line:
- A bold, unisex, ambery, brave sweet fragrance for the 25+ crowd, with beast mode performance.
b. Summarized brief: SWEET, BOLD, BRAVE
c. Saturating the words:
- SWEET: BALSAM, CANDY, MOLTEN CAKE.
- BOLD: LEATHERY, SPICY, CHYPRE.
- BRAVE: ORIENTAL, WOODY, FOUGERE.
d. Choosing only three words:
- Example: BALSAM, SPICY, WOODY
e. Deciding main accords:
- BALSAM: VANILLA.
- SPICY: CINNAMON.
- WOODY: SANDAL/CEDAR BASE.
f. Convert every word into effects:
- VANILLA: Vanilla, Ethyl Vanillin, Isobutavan, Bicyclononylactone, Ethyl Maltol, Labdanum Absolute, Tolu Balsam Absolute, Ambrarome Absolute, Coumarin, Heliotropine, Anisaldehyde.
- SPICY: Cinnamic Alcohol, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Peru Balsam Oil, Eugenol.
- WOODY: Patchouli Oil Dark, Polysantol, Bacdanol, Cedramber, IBCH, Cedarwood Oil Virginia.
g. Choosing Modifiers/Beautifiers/Bridges:
** Bridges:
- Vanilla to Ambery (Benzoin Resinoid).
- Woody to Ambery (Gurjun Balsam Oil).
- Vanilla to Spicy (Dihydrocoumarin).
** Modifiers:
- Brighters & Uplifters: Bergamot Oil, Hedione HC, Linalyl Acetate, Ethyl Linalool, French Lavender Oil.
** Beautifiers:
- Lavender Oil Bulgarian (modifies Linalyl Acetate, Ethyl Linalool, and soften Bergamot Oil sharpness)
- Lemon Oil (enhances the powdery effect with Ethyl Vanillin & Cinnamic Alcohol)
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