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The vocabulary of commercial scenting borrows from HVAC, perfumery, facilities management, and marketing, and vendors do not always use the same word for the same thing. These are the terms as we use them.
Ambient scent / ambient scenting
Fragrance present in the air of a space as part of the environment, rather than attached to a product. Ambient scenting is the delivery of that fragrance deliberately and consistently. It is the term most of the academic research uses.
Scent marketing
The use of ambient scent in a commercial space to shape how people perceive, feel about, and remember a business. See the full guide: what is scent marketing?
Scent branding / signature scent
A fragrance selected or developed to be associated with one brand and used consistently across its locations, so that the smell itself becomes recognizable as the brand. A signature scent is the fragrance; scent branding is the practice.
Cold-air diffusion
A method of dispersing fragrance by using compressed air to break fragrance concentrate into a dry micro-mist, with no heat and no water. It is the standard technology in commercial scenting because it delivers consistent intensity, does not alter the fragrance with heat, and can be programmed. Also called nebulizing or atomizing diffusion.
HVAC-integrated scenting
Cold-air diffusion connected to a building's air handling unit so that fragrance travels through the ductwork with the supply air. Covers everything the air handler serves and inherits the air handler's schedule.
Direct-area (standalone) scenting
Diffusion from a unit that covers one room or zone through its own fan, independent of the HVAC system. Used for zoning and for buildings without shared air systems. See HVAC vs. direct-area scenting.
Scent zoning
Dividing a property into areas that receive different fragrances, different intensities, or no fragrance, based on how each area is used. A lobby, a fitness center, a clinic, and a trash room are four zones.
Intensity / dosing
How much fragrance is present in the air, controlled by the diffuser's output settings and schedule. Intensity has an optimum; both too little and too much underperform.
Tuning
The process of adjusting intensity, schedule, and placement after installation so the program matches how the building actually moves air and people, and re-adjusting as seasons, occupancy, and HVAC schedules change.
Coverage
The area a diffusion unit can scent evenly, a function of the unit's output, ceiling height, airflow, and whether it is HVAC-integrated or standalone.
Odor control
Finding and neutralizing a smell that should not be there. Distinct from scenting: odor control removes; scenting adds. See commercial odor control.
Masking
Putting a stronger smell on top of an unwanted one. Both remain present, and the original usually reappears within minutes. Masking is what odor control is not.
Malodor counteractant
An ingredient formulated to reduce the perception of unpleasant odor molecules in the air rather than cover them. Used in odor-control formulations; manufacturers describe the mechanism in different ways, and the practical test is whether the odor comes back after two minutes in the room.
Fragrance concentrate
The undiluted fragrance oil used in commercial diffusers, supplied in sealed cartridges. Commercial concentrate is formulated for continuous diffusion and consistent character over a long service life.
Fragrance families
Broad categories used to describe a fragrance's character: fresh, floral, woody, fruity, aromatic, food and drink, and so on. The commercial fragrance library is organized by family.
Top, middle, and base notes
The stages in which a fragrance is perceived: the first impression (top), the character that develops after a few minutes (middle or heart), and the foundation that lasts (base). In ambient diffusion the middle and base carry most of the experience.
Unidimensional (simple) scent
A fragrance that reads as one clear idea, regardless of how many materials are in it. Research associates unidimensional scents with larger effects; see scent marketing research and statistics.
Congruency
The fit between a fragrance and the setting, brand, or product it accompanies. Supported as a positive factor in the meta-analytic evidence, but not consistently across individual studies.
IFRA Standards
The International Fragrance Association's code of practice restricting or prohibiting specific fragrance materials and setting concentration limits by product category. An IFRA-conforming fragrance is formulated within those limits. See is commercial scenting safe?
RIFM
The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, which publishes the ingredient-level safety assessments on which the IFRA Standards are based.
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
The standardized document covering a chemical product's hazards, composition ranges, handling, and first aid. Every fragrance concentrate in a building should have one on file.
On-site trial
A limited-time installation of the real equipment and fragrance in the real rooms before any commitment, used to test fit, intensity, and coverage. Aroma Impressions runs a free seven-day trial; see how it works.
Serviced program
A commercial scenting arrangement in which equipment, fragrance replenishment, maintenance, and tuning are provided on an ongoing basis for a recurring fee, as opposed to a one-time product purchase. See how much does commercial scenting cost?