Champagne in perfume is an accord that evokes the sparkling wine from France's Champagne region. It is created by the perfumer rather than extracted, and it smells effervescent, fruity and slightly yeasty, with crisp apple and pear, fizzy aldehydes and a creamy, brioche-like softness.

What does Champagne smell like?

The champagne note aims to capture fizz as much as flavour. The first impression is bright and sparkling, with pear, green apple and citrus, lifted by aldehydes that suggest bubbles. A dry, slightly mineral and winey facet follows, and some versions add a toasty or yeasty richness recalling the bread and brioche notes of aged wine. Compared with a red wine accord, champagne is lighter, fresher and more effervescent; compared with a gin accord, it is fruitier and less herbal.

How perfumers create Champagne

Perfumers combine aldehydes and fruity esters for sparkle, pear and apple notes, grape and white wine materials such as cognac oil, and sometimes a touch of lactones or brioche-like notes for creaminess. Citrus and pink pepper can add effervescence.

• Also known as: Sparkling wine accord
• Fragrance family: Fruity, Fresh
• Type: Accord (created by the perfumer)
• How it's obtained: Blended from natural and synthetic materials
• Key aroma molecules: Aliphatic aldehydes, ethyl hexanoate, hexyl acetate

Champagne in perfume history

Champagne has long symbolised celebration. Its most famous perfume moment came in 1993, when Yves Saint Laurent launched a fragrance called Champagne. The Champagne trade body challenged the name and the French courts ruled in its favour, so the perfume was renamed Yvresse. The case is often cited as an example of how protected designations of origin extend beyond food and drink.

Champagne in modern perfumery

Champagne accords appear in celebratory flankers, holiday releases and fruity florals that want a bubbly, festive opening. Because the name is a protected designation, brands usually describe the effect as sparkling or effervescent in product names while listing champagne as a note.

How Champagne wears and what it pairs with

Champagne is a top note that fades quickly into the heart. It adds a festive sparkle and brightness. Classic pairings include pear, apple, peach, rose, jasmine, pink pepper, musk and vanilla.

Fragrances featuring Champagne

• Yves Saint Laurent Yvresse, originally Champagne (1993)