Master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel shares his thoughts on the ingredient’s versatility, usage and more.
When Perfumer & Flavorist+ asked me to write a column on a specific ingredient, I decided to pick one of those ingredients that I call “perfume-formula-changing.” My theory is that some ingredients can redirect suddenly, even at small levels, an entire fragrance from one family to another. Among those ingredients, I count vanillin, damascenone, phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA), patchouli alongside a few select others. (Linalool, sandalwood as well as sandalwood molecules, albeit super interesting, do not fit into this category in my opinion.)
