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The OLFACT Observatory

What 1,980 perfumes put under the microscope reveal. Every measurement on this page is calculated from the compositions recorded in the catalogue. They are recalculated with each catalogue update.

The families that structure the catalogue

From the most represented to the rarest; the gold line measures the number of perfumes.

  1. 01 Woody 1,374 perfumes · 69%
  2. 02 Floral 997 perfumes · 50%
  3. 03 Amber 785 perfumes · 40%
  4. 04 Citrus 702 perfumes · 35%
  5. 05 Musky 691 perfumes · 35%
  6. 06 Gourmand 669 perfumes · 34%
  7. 07 Warm spicy 539 perfumes · 27%
  8. 08 Fruity 387 perfumes · 20%
  9. 09 Aromatic 325 perfumes · 16%
  10. 10 Leather 187 perfumes · 9%
  11. 11 Vanilla 128 perfumes · 6%
  12. 12 Powdery 77 perfumes · 4%

The catalogue in four figures

  • 5,388 perfumes listed
  • 446 distinct materials
  • 327 houses
  • 7.6 notes per perfume on average

The 20 most used materials

White musk is present in 51% of perfumes with a recorded composition — nearly one in two. This ubiquity is probably no accident: musks serve as a binder, extend the sillage and soften the whole of a composition, often without our consciously identifying them.

  1. 01 Small mound of pearly white powder and a matte porcelain spoon White musk 1,018 · 19%
  2. 02 Whole bergamot with granular yellow skin, a ribbon of peel beside it Bergamot 851 · 16%
  3. 03 Dark vanilla pods tied together Vanilla 698 · 13%
  4. 04 Ceramic dish filled with thick golden amber balm Amber 640 · 12%
  5. 05 Red rosebud on a short stem, in daylight Rose 634 · 12%
  6. 06 Block of pale, creamy sandalwood, a few curled shavings Sandalwood 582 · 11%
  7. 07 Cluster of white star-shaped jasmine flowers on a leafy branch Jasmine 525 · 10%
  8. 08 Patchouli sprig with large crinkled leaves Patchouli 511 · 9%
  9. 09 Slice of cedar wood with clear growth rings, one curled shaving Cedar 455 · 8%
  10. 10 Small heap of black peppercorns Pepper 326 · 6%
  11. 11 Dark, wrinkled tonka beans, one split open Tonka bean 319 · 6%
  12. 12 Bundle of dried vetiver roots, golden blond Vetiver 309 · 6%
  13. 13 Branch of white orange blossom and green leaves Orange blossom 298 · 6%
  14. 14 Whole mandarin and its spiralled peel, a segment beside it Mandarin 264 · 5%
  15. 15 Cognac-brown leather strap rolled up on itself Leather 248 · 5%
  16. 16 Small heap of green cardamom pods Cardamom 245 · 5%
  17. 17 Lemon cut in half, juicy flesh, in front of a whole lemon Lemon 240 · 4%
  18. 18 Dark, resinous shard of agarwood, a few fragments beside it Oud 239 · 4%
  19. 19 Pale mauve iris flower with wavy petals, on a long stem Iris 227 · 4%
  20. 20 Golden frankincense resin tears in a rough stone dish Incense 218 · 4%

Reading: number of catalogue perfumes containing the material, and the share this represents out of the 1,980 perfumes with a recorded composition.

How tastes have changed

In our catalogue, the gourmand family goes from 27% of releases in the 1990s to 43% of those in the 2020s. Woody, for its part, remains the foundation of perfumery, present in 69% of perfumes with a recorded composition. These trends are indicative: some of the compositions are taken from unofficial sources.

  • Gourmand + 16 pts
    1990
    27%
    2000
    25%
    2010
    31%
    2020
    43%
  • Amber + 15 pts
    1990
    27%
    2000
    32%
    2010
    39%
    2020
    42%
  • Floral 0 pt
    1990
    41%
    2000
    48%
    2010
    50%
    2020
    41%
  • Citrus − 1 pt
    1990
    37%
    2000
    41%
    2010
    33%
    2020
    36%
  • Woody − 3 pts
    1990
    69%
    2000
    72%
    2010
    66%
    2020
    66%

Reading: share of each decade's perfumes attached to the family. A perfume belonging to several families is counted in each, so the totals exceed 100%. Measured on the 1,213 perfumes dated 1990 or later (61% of perfumes with a recorded composition) — houses do not always publish the release year.

The anatomy of a pyramid

A catalogue perfume declares 7.6 notes on average. They are not distributed equally: the base, which has to last for hours, uses more materials than the top, which lasts only a few minutes.

  1. Top 31% 4,657 notes Most used: Bergamot
  2. Heart 32% 4,850 notes Most used: Rose
  3. Base 37% 5,633 notes Most used: White musk

The most represented houses

  1. 01 Xerjoff 143
  2. 02 Swiss Arabian 88
  3. 03 Giorgio Armani 70
  4. 04 Paco Rabanne 67
  5. 05 Dolce & Gabbana 66
  6. 06 Tiziana Terenzi 65
  7. 07 Yves Saint Laurent 64
  8. 08 Dior 60
  9. 09 Roja Parfums 53
  10. 10 Hugo Boss 52

Method, and what these figures do not say

  1. Scope. These measurements describe the 1,980 perfumes with a recorded composition (out of 5,388 pages listed by OLFACT), not world production. They therefore also reflect our cataloguing choices.

  2. Acknowledged bias. Our catalogue over-represents niche perfumery, whose compositions are published more often than those of the big houses. Family shares should be read with this reservation.

  3. Partial dating. The evolution by decade covers only the 1,213 perfumes whose year is known. Before 1990, the numbers are too small to be significant: the series therefore starts in 1990.

  4. Families are not exclusive. A perfume generally belongs to several families; percentages add up beyond 100% and are not a breakdown.

  5. Sources. Compositions published by the houses and their official shops, entered material by material. Some pages are taken from unofficial sources (not from the house); this is flagged on each page concerned.

This data may be freely reused with credit to the source: OLFACT Observatory — olfact.me/en/observatory.