The Language and Categorization of Aroma

Scientists will tell you that humans have a hard time describing aromas because of a communication breakdown between the brain’s olfactory (smell) and language systems. Perfumers use words like “hesperidic”, “gourmand”, “balsamic”, and “animalitic” to describe aromas but what do these words mean? In this folio, we’ll look at natural aromatic materials and then place aromas into categories called “facets”. We’ll look at how facets are combined into traditional aroma combinations. This information helps us understand the language of aroma, communicate the emotional nature of an essential oil formulation to others, and develop our knowledge foundation for aromatherapy and natural perfume blending.