ÇaFleureBon Perfumers Workshop: Naming a Perfume + Notes, Numbers and Name Artisan Fragrance Draw

Frank Bernard Dicksee_ Romeo and Juliet 1884

Romeo and Juliet by Sir Frank Dicksee, 1884.

In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet ponders the question “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  In today’s Perfumers Workshop, we ask this very same question.  While  perfumers' potions may not change if given a new name, would our impressions and appreciation for them be altered?

shalimar painting

Shalimar illustration used with the permission of Parisian Artist Lucile Prache (Check out her art on Etsy)

Naming a perfume can happen in many different ways.  In larger perfume houses, a brief is usually provided with the information and goals that will inspire the scent of the perfume.  This brief may already contain a name, or the naming process may occur later with the assistance of a marketing department, test groups, and other input.

jadore-dior-charlize-theron  celebrity endorsement for perfume

 Master Perfumer Calice Becker created Dior J'Adore in 1999.  Charlize Theron is now the scent's image in 2015

Advertising also influence how we may feel about a fragrance, especially if a celebrity is used.  In smaller houses like our niche, indie, and artisan perfumeries, the path to naming often looks quite different.  For these houses, the responsibility for naming often falls solely on the perfumer’s shoulders.

Deciding on a name is very important.  It can often times feel like naming a child.  A name can make or break a perfume.  It is usually the first thing you will see about the fragrance, making this first impression very formative of the memories you have of the perfume.  When someone asks you what you are wearing, that is important as well. It needs to be accessible, desirable, enticing, seductive, inspiring, and most of all, memorable.  These traits help make a successful perfume. The  three perfumers joining us today for our Perfumers Workshop are artisan perfumers: Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio  Ineke Rühland of Ineke and Dannielle Sergent of COGNOSCENTI.   While they each use different approaches  all three have launched very successful lines of perfume that are impossible to forget.

Laurie Erickson

Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio

Laurie Erickson of Sonoma Scent Studio, a house with a mix of both natural and mixed media perfumes, offers this advice about naming: “The best names are memorable and apt. Sometimes I have a name in mind from the start, but often I leave the final name decision until the formula is done. I try to pick a name that has not been used yet, though that gets harder all the time with the recent proliferation of perfume releases…  Naming products requires practicality (can you fit it on a label?) as well as creativity (is it memorable and descriptive?). I’m still learning and developing my naming style as the years go by.”

yin and ylang monica belluci perfume

Laurie Erickson from Sonoma Scent Studio Yin and Ylang was based on photos of Monica Belluci sent by Michelyn  and Laurie's desire to create a feminine floral

Laurie uses a few approaches in naming her perfumes.  For some of her perfumes such as Amber Incense, Rose Musc, and Yin and Ylang (a collaboration with and named by our very own Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief for CaFleureBon!), Laurie uses dominant notes that are featured in the perfume to tantalize our noses and give us a sense of what we may smell within.  In Tabac Aurea and Ambre Noir, she pairs a note with a mood or direction the perfume takes.  With other scents, including Jour Ensoleillé (sunny day) and Forest Walk, Laurie tries to capture a feeling or a moment in time.  Laurie has also worked on collaborations and arrived at a name together with others, as with Yin and Ylang (Michelyn Camen).  Rose Volupté was named by Elisa Gabbert during a blog post discussion on potential names.

Ineke_cafleurebonprofilesin-american-perfumery

Ineke Rühland

Ineke Rühland of Ineke Perfumer shares her thoughts about naming fragrances: “I've always been interested in perfume naming because I think it's important to enhance the olfactive experience with background information on the fragrance and its inspirations.  I truly believe that a good name will make a good fragrance smell even better.”

ineke perfumes balmy days and sundays , a, b, c, d. e ineke logo

Ineke Balmy Days and Sundays and her collection After My Own Heart, Balmy Days and Sundays, Chemical Bonding, Derring Do, Evening Edged in Gold, Field Notes from Paris Gilded Lily and Hothouse Flower

And that she does with names such as Balmy Days & Sundays, reached after formulating her very green, fresh floral perfume that makes her think about “a relaxed day on the weekend, biking through the park, and smelling the grass, fresh flowers, leaves and dirt.” Field Notes from Paris was a name picked at the beginning of the idea for the perfume.  Ineke shares its story and inspiration: “When I studied perfumery at ISIPCA in Paris in the 1990's, we were constantly smelling vintage fragrances that our professors would bring up from the Osmothèque collection in the basement of the building.  I wanted to do a unisex fragrance based on French men's fragrances from the 1950's, 60's and 70's, with warm natural materials like tobacco, beeswax and tonka bean.  The "Field Notes" refers to my study notes, some of which I included on the fragrance carton.  The "Paris" is obviously just from where I was living and working at the time, and I think it gives the fragrance a geographic context that makes sense when you smell the fragrance.”

Hothouseflower ineke

Hothouse Flower by Ineke

Ineke also uses an alphabetical sequence for her collections to guide their naming.  “My overseas customers would generally refer to them as "A", "B" or "C".  As a result, I've found myself drawn to shorter names like Gilded Lily and Hothouse Flower in more recent years.  In fact, my upcoming "I" fragrance has just a one-word name.”

dannielle sergent cognoscenti

Dannielle Sergent of Cognoscenti

While some perfumers like to guide us by sharing notes or impressions, Dannielle Sergent of COGNOSCENTI , an artist and architect takes a different, if somewhat cerebral approach  and prefers to let us be taken on our own journeys by her fragrances without any potential bias from their names.  As such, she uses a numbering system to name her perfumes.  Dannielle has released five fragrances under her brand COGNOSCENTI – for those who know: No.1, No.8, No.16, No.17, and No.19.  For those readers whose brains are rebelling at only having a number to go by, or think CHANEL owns that genre,  fret not.  Dannielle understands this and offers us the following: “Before the launch of COGNOSCENTI I found that most people still needed a guide for the fragrances. So in addition to the number I added a two-word descriptor of the notes that were being explored: Tomato Leather, Aldehydic Oakmoss, Warm Carrot…etc. These even became to de-facto names for some.”

cognoscenti perfumes  1 8 19 16 17

COGNOSCENTI for those in the know, artwork for No 1, and  bottles of Cognoscenti  1, 8, 16, 17, 19,

By granting us the freedom to experience the perfume through only our own lens, Dannielle has received some very interesting responses.  “Scent No. 8 – Aldehydic Oakmoss, was described by one person as “a young Clint Eastwood meets Joan Jett”. The same fragrance has also been described as reminiscent of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 in G Major. Both have musical references but are VERY different.  I don’t know that this would have been possible if I had named No.8 in the traditional way.”

As for the gaps in numbers, Dannielle explains by sharing a bit about her creative process, a peek into her creative mind: “I have a little book that has the genesis of many fragrances to come. It started with my first class in 2010 and the fragrance that eventually became Scent No.1. It was an exploration of Bergamot and Sage, and although there were numerous iterations, the final was still the same core combination of notes and thus still No.1… I do not issue the numbers sequentially but according to whether I think they work together as a collection.”

After gaining insights into  "what's in a name" by these talented olfactive artists, we will leave you to reach your own conclusion about what is in a name.  In our mind, we have decided that while the perfume might be just as sweet; it is a matter of preference to use numbers, names or notes..

Michael Singels, Contributor

Editor’s Note: please welcome Michael who will be writing for CaFleureBon.  We are happy that Perfumers Workshop is back!!! In the past we have featured the art of Enfleurage, HydroDistillation, Tincturing and memes. Art direction MC.

Thanks to the generosity of our perfumers, we have a draw for a sampler set from each of our perfumers for 3 lucky CaFleureBon registered readers. You must be registered in order to be eligible, otherwise your entry does not count. Please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about the “name game” and if you prefer buying a fragrance with a number, notes or an evocative name,  what you found interesting about the process of naming a scent,as well as your choice of sampler set should you win (keep in mind country restrictions). Is there one name that grabbed your attention while reading this? Let us know!

COGNOSCENTI Sample Set

Danielle is offering world-wide a sample set of all five of the COGNOSCENTI perfumes.

Ineke Discovery Set

Ineke is offering world-wide a Deluxe Sample Collection from her line.

Sonoma Scent Studio Samples

Laurie is offering 5 1ml dauber samples of the reader’s choice. (Please specify which samples you would choose in your comment from Laurie's site here) Restricted to US only.

 Draw closes July 18, 2015.

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

 

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34 comments

  • How lovely Michael is joining y’all, he’s a great addition. So enjoying reading the latest Perfumers Workshop article, and getting a glimpse into the creative process of naming perfumes.

  • madeleine gallay says:

    Naming is a bit of an art, with a serious amount of consideration as to what can fit on the label. Beauty, whimsy and the printer.

    Lovely illustrations and art, as usual. I first caught the beauty of Shalimar in an elevator on a lovely elegant woman, so chic. I was 16 and it just seemed to capture a grown-up world of sophistication and exoticism, bohemian and yet so refined. I was lost as the formula changed, giving up a signature scent was not easy. It took the lush perfumery blogs to get me to understand what to try.

    I love them all but Laurie’s dauber samples are especially enticing: the colors are fascinating. In the US.

  • fazalcheema says:

    It is interesting to learn how different perfumers take different approaches to naming and how naming processes themselves evolve over time, due to perfumers’ experiences with customers or insights gained during the creation process. I tend to prefer names that tell me something about perfume (literally anything but sufficient to give me info as to what to expect)..it could be a reference to dominant notes such as Musc Tonkin or it could simply refer to a category such as Cuiron by Helmut Lang..I agree there are some names that have become iconic but only because there were the names of brilliant creations such as Chanel No. 5.

    My choice for this draw will be COGNOSCENTI Set. I am in the US

  • I would strongly agree that a great name makes a good fragrance smell even better (as such, I prefer a named scent over a number). With a good name you can close your eyes and it can transport you somewhere. I really like Ineke’s imaginative fragrance names and aesthetic and would choose her sample set. Thank you!

  • pursejunkie says:

    What a great set of perfumers you chose for this article. I have no clear preference among number, name or notes when it comes to perfume titles, but I do admire houses that manage to maintain a common theme in their choices. (Also, I could live without perfume names that are on the verge of becoming full sentences).

    Since I’ve already had the pleasure of trying all the Cognoscenti (a great name in and of itself) and several of the SSS scents, I would like to win some Ineke. (US)

  • MikasMinion says:

    Welcome, Michael! And, thank you Cafleurebon, for bringing back the Perfumer’s Workshop series. I always learn something interesting from it.
    I hadn’t thought of the differences in naming scents. I guess I just assumed that some divine inspiration struck at some point and the name was there, poof! I’m generally a sucker for good ad copy so an interesting name gets me every time but I don’t mind descriptive names either (as long as they fit, Le Labo take note). I would hate sampling something called Iris and finding it a completely flower free tobacco. Numbered scents are confusing to me if there isn’t a description that I can mentally tack on. I may never sample a certain German/New York line that uses a combination of numbers and letters simply because I can’t remember which interest me.
    I also want to say that I love Ineke’s and Laurie’s scents and their names. They each rank high on my list of favorite houses and I don’t think I dislike a single one of their perfumes. It was fun to get a bit of insight on how they work.
    I haven’t tried any of the COGNOSCENTI line (not because of the numbers, just haven’t gotten around to it) and would love to try them, especially Aldehydic Oakmoss! I’m in the U.S. Thanks!

  • Linda Jardee says:

    It is interesting to find out how these perfumers arrive at their decisions with their names for their fragrances. I personally wouldn’t care how someone names a perfumes, a name or a number. What is important to me is the notes listed. There are certain notes I just don’t care for and/or don’t work with my chemistry. In other words is someone sell something as ‘8’—I want to know what the top, middle & base notes are in ‘8’. Some names can sound so beautifully romantic, but if the notes work on me–it doesn’t matter what it is called. I love Laurie’s at SSS & have a number of her fragrances already. I would like to try either Ineke or COGNOSCENTI. Aldehydic Oakmoss, now anything with oakmoss grabs my attention. I love the mossy, green, dewy, foresty scent of oakmoss. In fact all of the vintages I loved had oakmoss in them (Paloma Picasso for instance). I’m in the U.S. Thanks!

  • Linda Jardee says:

    It is interesting to find out how these perfumers arrive at their decisions with their names for their fragrances. I personally wouldn’t care how someone names a perfumes, a name or a number. What is important to me is the notes listed. There are certain notes I just don’t care for and/or don’t work with my chemistry. In other words if someone sells something as ‘8’—I want to know what the top, middle & base notes are in ‘8’. Some names can sound so beautifully romantic, but if the notes work on me–it doesn’t matter what it is called. I love Laurie’s at SSS & have a number of her fragrances already. I would like to try either Ineke or COGNOSCENTI. Aldehydic Oakmoss, now anything with oakmoss grabs my attention. I love the mossy, green, dewy, foresty scent of oakmoss. In fact all of the vintages I loved had oakmoss in them (Paloma Picasso for instance). I’m in the U.S. Thanks!

  • This is a really interesting topic! I find it oddly soothing when the name of a perfume “matches” how it smells (which does not always happen). It also helps me remember a scent (numbered scents are hard for me to keep straight). I would love to try the SSS sampler set. I am in the US.

  • I myself tried to make perfumes for myself and mt friends. I understand how complicated the process is. You don’t want to name each new feminine perfume Julliete and so on.
    I would try Laurie’s samples, I can be either in USA, eirther worldwide.

    Thank you!

  • What an interesting topic! Naming a perfume seems to be very difficult. I prefer names which tells me about ingredients, but it’s true that you can pass by just because it doesn’t appeal you. Then, if you try because it’s related to your favourite notes you can like or not! It’s not a science but it helps a bit. Naming with suggestive names can be interesting but only if you read something about the fragance and then knowing more, you want to buy it, here I must say that I don’t like long names. And…..naming by numbers it’s interesting because you have no idea about what the perfume is going to be, but I prefere names to numbers, it’s easier to remember .
    If I win, I would like to have COGNOSCENTI and discover what it is behind a number 😉 . I,m in EU. Thanks for the draw.

  • Iphigenia says:

    That’s a very interesting topic the naming of a perfume and a true “science” hidden behind it. I enjoyed the whole review and of course I believe that for selling a perfume apart from the naming the whole promotion plays significant role. For me I love numbers like Chanel No 5 which I simply adore and then Shalimar name however in the case of this perfume I felt in love with the first sniff in the age of 5 when I first smelled it on my mothers skin, implying that good ingredients / mixture play a decisive role in wanting to wear and buy a perfume. I live in EU and I choose Ineke sampler set.

  • thegoddessrena says:

    I much prefer names over numbers since it gives my brain something to hold on to. In spite of that, I’d be most interested in trying Cognoscenti. I’m in the US

  • I don’t have a preference of a name over a number. I did enjoy reading about the naming proces though. I choose Laurie’s 5 1m daubers, Amber Incense, Cocoa Sandalwood, Incense Pure, Winter Woods & Wood Violet. Thank you. US

  • I enjoyed most reading about Ineke and why she chooses the names she does, I guess because I agree. The statement ” I truly believe that a good name will make a good fragrance smell even better,” I love. I prefer names rather than numbers (see previous sentence) 😉 I am in the US, I’d love to try the Ineke sample set. I am in the US.

  • Beautiful review, It was very good to read. I suppose, that these perfumes are all incredibly wonderful, I would very like to try them.
    I live in Europe. Thank you for the draw!

  • I adore my fellow Californian Laurie’s work, Champagne de Bois in particular. Though I tend to be drawn in by the narrative of a name, I’m intrigued by the Cognoscenti line and would love to experience scent in a different way.

  • In the beginning was the word…and words have power and so much so that connotation can be even more important than denotation when it comes to aromatic ambrosias of the senses. A name can impart so much, but the fragrance all the more. The name is a hint of the possibilities–a titillation perhaps. Spiced Citrus Vetiver sounds delicious and I do believe I would like to put it inside my wrist and smother in its nuances. Such is intoxication….

  • I prefer buying with names. And I like reading back stories when available. I agree with Ineke that a good name will make a good fragrance smell even better. For the draw I’d like to win the Cognoscenti set. 🙂 USA

  • bunchofpants says:

    I had never given a lot of thought to how fragrances were named, and now this will make me think much more about it. I think numbers (or letters) are a perfectly good way to name a fragrance because as we all know, the experience of a fragrance is so subjective that names cannot fully express it. I’m rather more fond of names that don’t try to reference too much about what to expect in the scent … I think “Field Notes From Paris” is a wonderful way to name a scent without description. I’m in USA and my sampler choice would be Ineke’s.

  • Elizabeth T says:

    Finalizing a name for a perfume would be so difficult… that is the name people will forever associate with it, and the options are almost endless! It is yet another big decision that these talented perfumers make. The entire process impresses me.

    I would love the Cognoscenti sampler set! I’m in the USA. Thank you!

  • The names inspire me often. I do think that the fragrance builds in the mind of the purchaser with a scintillating name! I would love the Cognoscenti set and I am a US registered reader. Thank you for the draw and review.

  • I gravitate towards descriptive names, as I have a hard time keeping track of names generally, and numbers would not help me….yet, I have found that fragrance depends on who wears it. Narcisco Rodriquez for her smelled lovely on the SA but we agreed that it did not smell as nice on me! I think naming is difficult, books, art, perfumes….I would like Ineke or Laurie’s Jour Ensolielle and whichever other two she would recommend for summer (I love woodsy warm scents, but am having trouble finding light summer scents).

  • I find it interesting how a perfumer goes about naming a perfume and the name that the actual perfume actually ends up with in the process. Thanks for this review and the draw! My choice for this draw will be COGNOSCENTI Set and I am in the USA! 🙂

  • I like both evocative names, and those that highlight a note. I’m in the U.S., and I’d choose the Sonoma Scent Studio samples: Jour Ensoleillé, Ambre Noir, Cocoa Sandalwood, Wood Violet, and Yin & Ylang (one of the best perfume names ever).

  • As a writer by profession, I found this to be my favorite post ever. To me, one deep pleasure in perfume is the delight of finding just the right language to connect with my sensory experience. I love hearing how others do it. Thanks. The post is prize enough for me.

  • To be eligible, please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about the “name game” and if you prefer buying a fragrance with a number, notes or an evocative name, what you found interesting about the process of naming a scent,as well as your choice of sampler set should you win (keep in mind country restrictions). Is there one name that grabbed your attention while reading this? Let us know!

    I found it interesting that number-names invite such varied associations! To be expected, I think, because there is no processing framework given. But I do like it when scents give the dominant note(s) or else like Forest Walk the feeling they are trying to encapsulate. So I guess I don’t have a preference.
    Also interesting that naming can come anywhere in the process.
    Thank you for the piece and draw

    USA
    I would choose Laurie’s SSS samples: Amber Incense, Cocoa Sandalwood, Tabac Aurea, Winter Woods , and Jour Ensoleillé

  • Thanks, Michael, for such an interesting article. I absolutely agree with Ineke that a name can make a perfume. I am hopelessly influenced by the name; the more unusual, the better! (I also can buy a wine based on the label, although I’m trying to break that habit). I definitely prefer a descriptive name to a number. Having said that, I would love to try the COGNOSCENT samples, as i already have samples from the other two, and i have been curious about this line. Thank you. USA

  • WELCOME MICHAEL!

    Already working with some of the best! 🙂

    No need to enter me, i just wanted to say cheers on the article and welcome both you and the Workshop.

  • Thanks Michael and Michelyn for the article and the opportunity to tell the story of the “naming” for COGNOSCENTI. I love that despite a preference for names the readers still are intrigued by COGNOSCENTI. The notes are the teasers. Looking forward to sending samples to the winner! and awesome article!

  • What a great article! I haven’t heard of these houses before but after some researching, they seem very well made and authentic. I’ll have to choose the COGNOSCENTI sample set! It sounds wonderful!

    Canada

  • I have always wondered how fragrances are named and I enjoyed reading about the “name game” and found the process interesting. I’m a huge Jo Malone fan and prefer buying a fragrance named after its notes. My choice would be the Ineke sampler set. The name that grabbed my attention is Yin and Ylang – descriptive and clever.

  • I am always interested in how companies come up with their fragrance names. A great name definitely gathers the interest of me. Although a lot of the time I like perfume names that tell the customer what the main notes are (Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford) for example. I would love the COGNOSCENTI sampler set. Canada

  • JazzBelle says:

    It’s fascinating to learn that a lot goes into the naming of perfumes. I love perfumes that have evocative names because I think of perfumes as olfactory experiences, related to a certain mood. A perfume with a great name will create intrigue and interest for me!

    I would love to win the Ineke sampler set and I’m in USA (San Francisco to be specific where Ineke is based!) Thank you!