NOMEN - A classification of methods used to create odourous compositions with a historical dimension: re-weighing,...

The past decade has seen a proliferation of olfactory compositions and devices claiming a degree of mimetic connection to a vanished scent or atmosphere, whether in museum settings or the context of scientific, commercial, educational, or event-based initiatives. The aim is to offer visitors a direct sensory connection to the past. These endeavours differ significantly in both their objectives and methodologies as they may include to re-create a lost perfume for which we have the original formula, reconstruct an ancient fragrance through archaeological analysis, or draw inspiration from literary or visual sources to evoke the scent of a particular place or time. The specific objectives of a given project, such as commercial purposes, also shape the perfumer's brief. Despite their obvious differences, all such projects are often lumped together under the broad and vague label of "reconstitution," with little or no indication of the methodology used or the scientific grounding of the work. This ambiguity undermines the historical credibility of the scents and tends to blur the scientific rigour behind its creation, the expertise of the perfumer who formulated it, and the historical research that informed both. It is therefore essential to adopt a more nuanced terminology. With this aim in mind, and with the goal of mapping a highly dynamic and evolving field in which it has long played both an active and observer role, the Osmothèque, Conservatoire International des Parfums, tasked its multidisciplinary scientific committee with developing a nomenclature to document these various odourous compositions and their specific characteristics. This classification was to be based on objective criteria and was independently conceived, without any evaluative or promotional intent. The result is the NOMEN model: a bilingual framework with five categories that encompass most of the methods currently employed to create compositions with a historical dimension.