How many times have you walked into a perfume store, picked up something really fancy and expensive and put it down after smelling it because it just wasn't 'all that great'? Well, while you may chalk it up to having a different taste, a new study begs to differ. As per the study, these fancy perfumes that use the most common scents don't really end up with the highest ratings. Now, bear in mind that this study was conducted after an analysis of nearly 10,000 perfumes and their online ratings.
Anyone who knows anything about perfumes also knows that they're described in terms of notes. So, you either have a single odour ingredient like vanilla, jasmine and musk or you have a combination note like floral notes. A combination of all these notes is used to describe the perfume smell. 'Accords' are used to describe a combination of several notes that are commonly used in perfumes.
The researchers conducted a study on 1000 notes in over 10,000 perfumes and they found that some notes and accords were present more often in popular perfumes. So, while notes like lavender and geranium were present in successful perfumes, less common notes like jasmine plus mint, or musk plus vetiver were linked to perfumes that were more popular.
“Our work provides insights into factors that play a role in the success of perfumes. It also sets up a framework for a statistical analysis of fragrances based on simple properties and customer reviews,” said Vaiva Vasiliauskaite. “It could be a beneficial tool for systematic ingredient selection and act as an artificial ‘Nose’, a traditional craft-master of perfumery,” Vasiliauskaite said.
The team was also able to find that amongst all factors like time of release, brand and even price, it was the smell of the perfume that helped make it popular as compared to all these other factors. They were also able to determine which were the best notes that were bound to be successful. So, the next time you want to buy a fragrance, opt for floral notes or something more generic like musk or vanilla. Trust us, you'll fall in love with them. Stay tuned for more updates.
