In short
A jasmine accord is usually built on a sweet, fruity ester such as benzyl acetate, opened up with an airy material such as Hedione, then given depth by a very small amount of indole and a jasmone. This workshop follows the workshop method, and its central lesson is how far a trace can move a floral.
What you will learn
- Build a jasmine in rounds using the workshop method
- Dose indole by ladder and describe its effect
- Compare a floral made of parts with a natural absolute
Before this lesson: Rose Accord Workshop
What makes jasmine a different problem from rose
Rose is built mostly from gentle alcohols. Jasmine has a narrower body and a more dramatic character: sweet, solar, fruity, and with an animal shadow. That shadow is the interesting part. In a simple accord, the balance between prettiness and that darker side decides whether it feels like a flower or a soap. The guide to white floral accords gives the wider family and example materials.
Round plan
| Round | Change | Listen for |
|---|---|---|
| J1 | Benzyl acetate with linalool | Fruity-floral, perhaps banana or pear. Too thin? |
| J2 | Add Hedione at a large share | Does the accord seem to open out? Compare side by side. |
| J3 | Indole from a 1% stock, by ladder | Where does it deepen the flower, and where does it become mothball or fecal? |
| J4 | cis-Jasmone at a trace from a weak stock | Green-fatty realism. Stop when you can name it. |
The indole ladder
Suppose J2 is 2.00 g of a 10% blend, which carries 0.200 g of pure accord. Test indole at 0.1%, 0.5% and 2% of the accord's pure material.
| Indole as % of accord | Pure indole | Weigh of 1% stock |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1% | 0.0002 g | 0.02 g, below reliable weighing |
| 0.5% | 0.001 g | 0.10 g |
| 2% | 0.004 g | 0.40 g |
Notice the first row. On a 0.01 g scale you cannot weigh 0.02 g well, so use a weaker stock: 0.20 g of a 0.1% stock gives the same 0.0002 g. These percentages are a search range for this exercise, not recommended levels. Adding a stock also adds solvent, which matters little here, as you are comparing strips.
Natural versus built
Real jasmine absolute has far more going on than these four materials can give you, and many natural absolutes contain indole. If you can get a small amount, smell it beside your accord. Our Journal's article on jasmine in perfume covers what it smells like for a wearer. What you are learning is which parts of the impression your few materials account for.
Practical exercise: Build a jasmine in four rounds
- Write your goal: for example, a clean daytime jasmine or a dark, narcotic one.
- Make J1 and J2. Compare with and without Hedione, blind if you can, since its effect is easy to imagine.
- Run the indole ladder. Mark the dose you prefer, and the first dose that is too much.
- Add the jasmone trace if you have it. If you lack it, note that you could not test it.
- Recheck the chosen version the next day. Write it out in parts per 100 of pure material.
You have done this well if you can state a preferred indole dose and the dose at which it became too much, and you can describe what your comparison with and without Hedione showed. Compare with the Feral Jasmine Accord in the library after finishing.
Common mistakes
- Judging indole only at first sniff. Its effect can grow as the fruity top fades, so check it again later.
- Weighing tiny amounts of a strong stock. Dilute further, then weigh a sensible amount.
- Expecting Hedione to smell of much. Compare with and without. Do not sniff it alone and decide.
Safety
Indole is potent and unpleasant when concentrated, and it can stain. Handle it as a weak stock, on strips, with ventilation. Benzyl acetate and other materials here have their own SDS guidance.
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.