23/03/2026
Fragrance Oils vs Aroma Chemicals & Accords in Perfumery
Not everything that smells good is made for perfumery.
Many beginners believe that fragrance oils are the starting point for professional perfume creation.
In reality, they are mostly designed for soaps, candles, diffusers, and household products, not fine perfumery.
Let’s clarify the difference.
🧪 1. WHAT IS A FRAGRANCE OIL (FO)?
A fragrance oil is usually:
A pre-made mystery blend
Designed for functional applications (soap, candles, detergents)
Often heavily diluted with fillers such as:
Benzyl Benzoate
DPG (Dipropylene Glycol)
📌 If you check the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) of many fragrance oils, you’ll often see:
35% or more Benzyl Benzoate
This dilution helps them:
Survive high heat (candles)
Perform in alkaline environments (soap)
Be cheap and stable
⚠️ The problem:
You usually don’t know what’s inside, and you can’t modify it.
🧠2. WHAT IS AN ACCORD (PROFESSIONAL PERfumery)?
An accord is:
A deliberate blend of known materials
Created to smell like one new thing
Built from:
Aroma chemicals
Naturals
Or both
đź“Ś Key definition:
An accord smells like its own identity, not like its individual ingredients.
Examples:
Jasmine accord
Amber accord
Grojsman accord (classic perfumery structure)
Accords:
Are transparent in purpose
Can be adjusted, refined, and rebuilt
Are often labeled with dilution strength:
Accord 50 → 50% dilution
Accord 10 → 10% dilution
🔍 3. WHY FRAGRANCE OILS ARE NOT THE “SHINING PATH” TO PERFUMERY
Even when a fragrance oil is called “Jasmine”, here’s the reality:
âś” It might resemble a jasmine accord
❌ But it often includes:
Fillers
Stabilizers
Rounding materials
Regulatory adjustments
These additions are made to:
Fit soaps or diffusers
Reduce cost
Improve shelf stability
👉 What works in soap often fails on skin.
And most importantly:
You cannot learn perfumery from something you cannot take apart.
🎓 4. LEARNING VS CONVENIENCE
âś… Use fragrance oils if:
You make soap, candles, home fragrances
You don’t want to dive deep into perfumery
You want quick, consistent results
