In short
You can use an accord in a formula in two ways: as a premix, weighed as one line, or expanded so each of its materials becomes a line. The perfume smells the same if the arithmetic is right. Premixes make weighing easier, and expansion shows you every material's true share, which you need for cost and restriction checks.
What you will learn
- Choose between using a premix and expanding its lines
- Calculate each line's share when an accord is part of a formula
- Finish the Level 4 project
Before this lesson: Keeping Accord Records That Work
Two ways to carry an accord
| As a premix | Expanded | |
|---|---|---|
| On the scale | One line | Many lines, some very small |
| Traces | Easy, since they are already blended in | May be too small to weigh without stocks |
| Seeing true shares | Needs a calculation | Visible directly |
| Changing one material | Needs a new premix | Change one line |
| Risks | Premix can age; must be recorded separately | More weighing errors |
The reference on premix calculation handles the batch arithmetic. In practice, many perfumers do both: develop with premixes, then calculate the expansion when checking the formula.
Expanding an accord: worked example
A formula uses Rose-A at 25%, along with other materials. Rose-A, in parts per 100 of pure material, contains:
| Line | In the accord | Calculation | In the formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phenylethyl alcohol | 40% | 25 × 0.40 | 10.00% |
| Citronellol | 35% | 25 × 0.35 | 8.75% |
| Geraniol | 20% | 25 × 0.20 | 5.00% |
| Geranyl acetate | 5% | 25 × 0.05 | 1.25% |
| Total | 100% | 25.00% |
Now suppose the formula also contains geraniol somewhere else, at 2%, or from a geranium oil. For a restriction check, the sources add up: 5% + 2% + whatever the oil contains. This is why you must be able to expand. A premix line can hide a limit you have crossed. Level 10 returns to this.
Dilution in a premix
If you weighed a premix that contains solvent, as in the accord record example, then 1 g of premix is less than 1 g of accord. A premix that is 18% active used at 10 g in a formula contributes 1.8 g of accord, and 8.2 g of solvent. Record its strength the same way you would for any dilution, and always use the pure material figures when you compare.
Accords inside accords
You can use one accord to build another, as you did in the chypre workshop. It works, but it adds a layer. Keep each premix's formula, lot and date, because a premix made a year ago is an older material than one made today. The encyclopedia and formula library treat accords like the Frost Herb Accord as formulas in their own right.
Evaluate in context
An accord that is perfect alone may vanish in a formula, because the formula's other materials change how it reads. Test it in place. Compare the formula with and without the accord, and adjust using its share, not its internal ratios, unless you have a reason. Accords are rarely finished until you see them in company.
Finishing Level 4
You should now be able to build an accord deliberately, diagnose it, record it and reuse it. Level 5 makes the arithmetic rigorous and Level 6 turns these accords into complete compositions.
Practical exercise: The Level 4 project: an accord portfolio
This is the Level 4 project.
- Assemble a portfolio of at least four accords from this level, from different families, each with a full record.
- Choose two that might go together. Write what you expect them to do.
- Blend them as premixes by ladder (3:1, 1:1, 1:3). Choose a ratio.
- Expand the chosen blend into a single list of materials with shares that total 100%, combining any repeated materials.
- Write a one-page reflection: what you can now do, and which accord you want to develop further.
Assess yourself against these criteria: every accord can be remade from its record; every percentage in the expansion totals correctly, with repeated materials combined; and your reflection names one specific weakness. This assessment is for your own use, and it does not establish that an accord is safe or suitable for any product.
Common mistakes
- Treating a premix line as a single material in checks. It contains several, each with its own rules.
- Forgetting a premix's solvent. It changes the arithmetic.
- Using a very old premix without checking it. Smell it against the record first, and make a fresh one if it has changed.
Key terms
- Premix
- A blended accord or base kept ready to use as a single line in a formula. Sometimes called a base.
Knowledge check
Written and reviewed by the RUŌOD Lab team. This is general education, not legal, regulatory, medical or safety advice. Example dilutions and exercises are for learning, are not validated products, and have not been safety-assessed. Completing a lesson confers no qualification. How we check these lessons.