Understanding the Science of Perfume

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Know the different notes. Perfumes are a blend of different levels of scent, also called “notes”. When you spray a fragrance on your skin, it moves through these notes in the following order:^[1]

• Top notes are what you smell first. They are also what disappears first, usually within 10 to 15 minutes.^[2]
• Middle notes appear as the top notes die off. These are the fragrance’s core, determining which family the perfume belongs to — for example, oriental, woody, fresh, or floral.^[3]
• Base notes accentuate and fix the fragrance’s middle notes, also known as its theme. They comprise the fragrance’s foundation, making the scent last up to 4 or 5 hours on your skin.^[4]
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Familiarize yourself with popular top notes. Popular top notes include basil, bergamot, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lime, mint, neroli, rosemary, and sweet orange.^[5]

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Familiarize yourself with popular middle notes. These include black pepper, cardamom, chamomile, cinnamon, clove, fir needle, jasmine, juniper, lemongrass, neroli, nutmeg, rose, rosewood, and ylang-ylang.^[6]

 

 

 

Knowing What Materials You Need

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   Buy dark glass containers. Many people recommend using dark glass containers because the dark glass helps protect your perfume from light, which can shorten its lifespan.
   

   • You’ll also want to make sure your glass containers haven’t previously contained any food items, as any residual scents will transfer to your perfume.
   • The exception to this would be if you actually wanted to use the scent of what was in the glass container before. (Warning: peanut-butter-banana-chocolate perfume might taste better than it smells!)
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   Buy a carrier oil. A carrier oil is what carries the scents in a particular fragrance on to your skin. These are generally unscented, and are used to dilute concentrated oils and aromatics that can otherwise irritate your skin.
   

   • Your carrier oil can really be anything. You can even use olive oil if you don’t mind the scent.
   • One popular perfumer simmers rose petals in virgin olive oil, then combines it all with vitamin E oil to stabilize it.^[11]
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   Buy the strongest alcohol you can find. A common choice amongst many DIY perfumers is a high-quality, 80- to 100-proof (40% to 50% alc/vol) vodka. Other DIY perfumers favour 190-proof (80% alc/vol) alcohol.
   

   • Popular choices for 190-proof alcohol include organic neutral grape alcohol and the much cheaper Everclear, which is a grain spirit.^[12]
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   Select your scents. Your perfume can be made out of a wide variety of ingredients. Common aromatics for perfumes include essential oils, flower petals, leaves, and herbs.
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   Decide on a method. The method for making perfume will vary slightly depending on your materials. Two common aromatics used for perfume are plant materials (flowers, leaves, and herbs) and essential oils; the methods vary for each of these.

Part 3

Using Fresh Flowers, Leaves or Herbs

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   Obtain a clean glass container. The type of container isn’t as important as the material: just make sure that a) it’s clean and b) it’s glass. The container also needs to have a tight-fitting lid.
   

   • Perfumers generally recommend using dark glass, which can lengthen the fragrance’s life by protecting it from light.
   • Avoid using jars that have previously contained food items, even if they’ve been washed out, as the glass might pass the scent on.
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   Obtain an odorless oil. Popular choices for use in perfumes include jojoba oil, almond oil, and grape seed oil.
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   Collect flowers, leaves, or herbs whose scent appeals to you. Be sure to collect plant materials when the scent is strong and the leaves are dry. Letting them air out can leave them limp and with a less effective scent.^[13]
   

   • You may want to collect and dry more plants than you need, just in case you want to add more to strengthen the oil’s scent later on.
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   Remove any unwanted plant materials. If you’re using flowers, use only the petals. If you’re using leaves or herbs, remove any twigs or other bits that might interfere with the scent.
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   Bruise the plant materials lightly. This step is optional, but may help to bring out the scent more. You’ll just want to lightly press on the plant materials with a wooden spoon.
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   Pour some oil into the glass container. It need only be a small amount — just enough to properly coat and cover your petals/leaves/herbs.
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   Add the plant materials to the oil and shut the lid. Ensure that the lid is closed tightly.
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   Let the jar sit in a cool, dark place for one to two weeks.
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   Open, strain and repeat. If the oil doesn’t smell as strong as you’d like it to after one to two weeks, you can strain out the old plant materials and add new ones to the scented oil, then store it once more.
   

   • You can repeat this process for several weeks or even months until the oil has reached the desired strength.
   • Be sure to keep the oil! It’s the old plant materials that you want to discard.
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    Preserve your scented oil. Once you’re happy with the oil, you can add 1 or 2 drops of a natural preservative such as vitamin E or grapefruit seed extract to your scented oil to help extend its life.^[14]
    

    • If you’d like to turn the oil into a balm, you can also add some beeswax to it: melt some beeswax in the microwave, combine it with the perfume, then dump the whole mixture into a container to cool and solidify.

Part 4

Using Essential Oils

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   Gather your materials. You’ll need the following ingredients:
   

   • 2 tbsp carrier oil (jojoba, almond, or grape seed will do)
   • 6 tbsp 100- to 190-proof alcohol
   • 2.5 tbsp bottled (not tap) water
   • 30 drops of essential oils (at least 1 of each: base, middle, and top)
   • Coffee filter
   • Funnel
   • 2 clean glass containers
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   Pour 2 tbsp carrier oil into the glass bottle.
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   Add your essential oils. You’ll want to add roughly 30 drop in total. Start with your base notes, then add your middle notes, then add your top notes. The ideal ratio is 20% base, 50% middle, and 30% top.
   

   • Pay attention to the scents that you are adding: if one scent is much stronger than the rest, you’ll want to add less of it so that it doesn’t overpower everything else.
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   Add the alcohol. Use a high-quality alcohol with a high alcohol content. Vodka is a popular choice amongst DIY perfumers.
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   Allow the perfume to sit for at least 48 hours. Shut the lid and allow the perfume to cure for at least 48 hours. You can leave it for up to 6 weeks, which is when its scent will be at its strongest.
   

   • Check the bottle regularly to see where the scent is at.
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   Add 2 tbsp bottled water. Once you’re happy with the scent, add 2 tbsp bottled water to your perfume.
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   Shake the bottle vigorously. Do this for 1 minute to ensure that the contents are well blended.
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   Transfer the perfume to another bottle. Using a coffee filter and a funnel, pour your perfume into a clean, dark glass bottle. You can also transfer it to a fancy bottle if you’re giving it as a gift.
   

   • You may want to label the bottle with the ingredients and a date on it so that you can keep track of how long it lasts. That way, you’ll know whether you should make more or less the next time around.
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   Try a variation. To make a solid perfume (like a lip balm) instead of a spray/liquid perfume, try substituting the water with melted beeswax. You would add the melted beeswax to your perfume and then pour the warm mixture into a container to solidify.
   

   • You can buy beeswax at most health food stores.

Community Q&A

• Do I really need to dry the flower for 1 to 2 years?

  Anonymous

  If you want to make the scent stronger and more concentrated, yes. If you want to make a weaker perfume, then no.

  Not Helpful 1 Helpful 9
• Should I spray this on or just dab it on my skin?

  Anonymous

  It depends what bottle you put it in and how strong the perfume is. If the perfume is strong, then you might want to dab it.

  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 11
• Why the coffee filter? If using only oils water and alcohol there shouldn't be any particulate matter.

  Anonymous

  The coffee filter is used because after the sitting process, there develop some minute particles that, when mixed with water, can be seen in a transparent bottle. That's why you need a coffee filter, to prevent any cloudiness.

  Not Helpful 5 Helpful 12
• How can I make perfume that smells like a marshmallow?

  Anonymous

  Try searching for a "toasted marshmallow" fragrance oil. You can find it in online shops that specialize in soap and candle making supplies.

  Not Helpful 3 Helpful 8
• How do I open a perfume business?

  Anonymous

  Start by sharing your products with family and friends so they can help spread your business through word-of-mouth. Open accounts on social media for your business and create a website to sell your perfume.

  Not Helpful 3 Helpful 4

Unanswered Questions

• Could I use the same top note scent as the base note scent?

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• Is water forbidden in perfume that's developed from plant materials?

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• How long will this perfume last before it starts smelling off or losing its scent?

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• Can cherry blossoms make perfume?

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• Can I use distilled water instead of bottled water?

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Tips

• Don’t go overboard with your scents. Smell each ingredient and really consider whether they will all go together well. Having too many notes can ruin a fragrance.
• To clean a glass container, wash it with the hottest water possible, then place it in a baking pan and dry it in the oven at 110 degrees Celsius.
• Consider modeling scents after your favorite food and drinks — for example, you could make a chai perfume using cinnamon oil, sweet orange oil, clove oil and cardamon oil.^[15] Another example is pumpkin pie, which might contain the following essential oils: cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and orange.

Warnings

• Avoid putting fruit juices in your perfume, as they can curdle the perfume or make it go rancid. In addition, lemons are phototoxic, meaning that applying things containing lemon juice to your skin can cause your skin to burn in the sun.