Masculine, as well as feminine, in the perfume sense is subjective to fragrance impressions. Normally, the term "masculine," is applied to fragrance favored by men. These contain dry notes of tobacco, spices, mosses and woods. They are generally less floral than feminine perfumes, and often contain a high percentage of fresh ingredients. In the past few years, masculine and feminine notes have come closer and closer together.

A perfume must mature for four to eight week, before it can go on sale. This time is necessary to allow the individual ingredients to blend, bringing the fragrance to its full development.

These notes are used in perfumes to produce cool, clean effects. They are used in nuances, and very seldom occur dominantly.

Fragrance notes which are reminiscent of peppermint and spearmint are used in perfumery to produce special fresh effects in the top-note.

The stage in the production of perfume in which the concentrated perfume oils are mixed, on a large scale, according to the perfumer's recipe, is known as the mixing or compounding plant.

It means varying an existing, basic fragrance theme by changing some ingredients or introducing new, additional nuances. The result may impress a lay-person as a new perfume, but the expert will recognize a mere variation on an old theme.

Odors of different kinds of tree mosses (especially oak moss) play an important part in nearly all perfume types. They are of special significance in the chypre notes. Mossy nuances are very complex and can have, besides the basic moss element, algae-like, leathery, woody and other characteristics. Their especially good fixing qualities, as well as their ability to give fragrances substance and depth, make them indispensable.

It is a secretion of the musk deer. The material extracted from musk-sacs has a strong animal-smell. They give perfumes a warm, erotic note and have outstanding fixing characteristics. Perfumes that are based on musk notes are especially subject to fashionable trends.

A modern perfume as differentiated from Classic is a perfume based on new notes or harmonies often from newly available aroma chemicals. Modern perfumes are frequently identifiable from their lack of heavy, narcotic notes and their predominance of lighter floral.

(French for) Lily of the Valley. The Italian term is "Mughetto".

A gum resin produced from a bush found in Arabia and Eastern Africa.