Third, intensity and character are not related. According to the results shown in Figure 1, if odor concentrations are held equal, the panel would say chicken house odor is more intense than hog slurry odor. Complete description of an odor involves measuring both intensity and character. Perfumes give off high-intensity odors, but these odors are not offensive. An apple pie baking in the oven smells both strong and pleasant.
Skunks release strong and offensive odors.
A glass of water smells neither strong nor offensive because it has no smell at all. Odor Persistence Perfumers are masters in the art of blending many odors to form complex mixtures known as perfume. If one distinct odor is a note, then a mixture of many odors is a chord. Perfumers also recognize that a chord of odors can change with time. Perfumers group notes according to their relative volatility or persistence.