Wood and mosses
Woody notes are always highly valued and are even considered the "backbone" of perfumes. Before becoming an olfactory family in their own right, they were used as a fixative.
They thus constituted the olfactory framework on which the other notes of the composition were based. For many years now, it has become rare to find fragrances without a woody aspect. These accords are found in several olfactory sub-families such as aquatic woody, aromatic woody or even floral, spicy or chypre woody.
The woody notes are structuring and versatile, they play the role of the valet in the card game that constitutes the perfumer's palette, by providing the basis of a composition and reinforcing the other elements, according to their olfactory profile. These are usually base notes. the scent of each woody note varies from tree to tree.
Some may have a smoky, phenolic scent, such as guaiac wood. Others evoke the smell of a box of new pencils; this is the case with cedar. Still others have a softer, smoother, creamier smell with milky undertones, like sandalwood. Without forgetting the famous oud wood, (oud), fruit of an infection of the Aquilaria tree by a fungus, whose smell is rich and complex, alternately woody, camphorated, but also animal, leathery, even saline and wet.
The smell of pine and fir is more autumnal and wintery. Although some woody notes are produced by natural processes, such as the maceration and distillation of real wood chips, some other notes, including those that could be produced by the natural route, are sometimes the result of synthesis This is explained by requirements relating to sustainability, profitability and health (allergens).
Since Antiquity, wood has been a popular fragrant material. Peoples already had the habit of burning wood chips and resin during religious rituals. In some beliefs, sandalwood brings well-being and calm. In the Middle East the cedar is a venerated tree, whose sacred wood would have been used for the construction of the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Vetiver and patchouli are interesting exceptions in the group of woody notes, since it is actually their roots that are distilled.
Patchouli is a shrub from Indonesia whose leaves are distilled after drying them in the sun. Woody notes represent masculine notes par excellence, but they are ubiquitous in perfumery, both masculine and feminine, and have always been, since they are found in the base notes of a large number of perfumes. They have been highlighted in women's perfumery since the 90s but have above all become very popular in niche perfumery.
Oakmoss is a subcategory of woody notes, since it is a lichen that grows on the roots of trees in the forest. Its characteristic smell is identifiable among a thousand: damp, undergrowth, woody, mushroom.
The use of this material is now largely limited for allergenic reasons, following the guidelines of the International Association of Fragrance Manufacturers (IFRA in English: International Fragrance Association)
Oak moss serves as the keystone to the chypre accords alongside patchouli, but also bergamot, rose, jasmine and labdanum.
