ZCONY / MATERIALS & SCENT
Materials & Scent
A simple guide to the language of fragrance—so when you read a scent description, you can understand what it really means.
HOW TO READ A FRAGRANCE
The words around a scent shape the way you experience it.
When people talk about fragrance, words like notes, accords, materials and ingredients often get mixed together. They are connected, but they do not mean the same thing. Knowing the difference makes it easier to read a scent description, compare fragrances, and understand what you are actually smelling.
NOTES
Notes
Fragrance notes are the scent impressions used to describe what you may notice in a perfume—such as rose, citrus, tea, musk or wood. They help communicate how a fragrance smells and develops, but a perfume note is not necessarily the same as an ingredient or raw material used in the formula.
ACCORDS
Accords
A fragrance accord is the overall scent effect created when several notes or materials work together. Instead of describing one recognizable note, an accord helps explain the combined character of a perfume—such as floral, woody, fresh, musky or warm.
MATERIALS
Materials
Materials are the building blocks a perfumer works with. They may come from natural sources, modern perfumery, or a combination of both. Their role is not simply to smell pleasant on their own, but to help shape the character, texture and behaviour of a fragrance.
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
Ingredient information belongs to the formula and disclosure context of the finished product. This is different from fragrance notes, which are used to describe how a scent may be perceived and developed.
BACK TO THE FRAGRANCES
Discover the collection through scent.
Explore the ZCONY fragrances, or start with a set if you would like to compare several scents side by side.