Basics of Making Personal Perfume Fragrances
Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Can Easily be Used for Perfumery
Jul 21, 2009
There are few senses that evoke an emotional response quite as easily as the sense of smell. The fragrance of a rose, the scent of old cedar, the heady aroma lavender; these scents and more are almost certain to bring back memories for almost anyone. Making personalized perfumes, either for yourself or as gifts, is a truly enjoyable experience; even much more expensive perfumes cannot match the pleasure of knowing the scent is completely unique.
Perfumery Notes
One of the most important guidelines to learn to make perfumes, is the designation of scent notes. There are three note tiers: bottom, or base notes, middle notes, and top, or head notes; then there are what are known as bridge notes, scents which fall between, or can be used as, two or even all three of the note tiers. The primary difference between the note tiers is how quickly they evaporate; this affects how quickly the scent is picked up by the nose, and for how long. Top notes are highly volatile, so they are smelled almost immediately, and their aroma fades quickly, usually within half an hour of application. They are particularly important because they are generally what forms the initial impression of a perfume; they are the scent picked up when someone smells perfume in the bottle. Middle notes take a bit longer before they make themselves known, and last longer, up to a few hours. Following this logic, base notes take the longest for the aroma to be picked up, as much as an hour or two to reach full power, and last quite a while, sometimes as much as a day. For a complete perfume fragrance, it is best to have a minimum of one, preferably two or three, of each note tier. Commercial fragrances may be comprised of hundreds.
Selecting Complimentary Essential Oils
Generally speaking, base notes tend to be wood type scents, while the herb and floral oils divide up between middle and top notes for the most part.
- Base notes: sandalwood, vanilla, cedar, patchouli, and cinnamon
- Middle notes: nutmeg, geranium, lemongrass, neroli, clove, ylang-ylang
- Top notes: jasmine, lavender, bergamot, rose, lemon, lime, neroli
- Bridge notes: lavender, vanilla, neroli
There are of course many, many other essential oils available, and it would be impossible to compile a complete list in one short article, but this gives a basic framework of the scent hierarchy.
When selecting which essential oils to use, there are a few guidelines one can follow. One is 'scent families'; that is, scents that have a similar nature, and will lend that nature strongly to the finished perfume fragrance. A few examples would be citrus, floral, or spicy. The other way of selecting oils is to accomplish some goal through aromatherapy, making use of the oil benefits, such as calming, uplifting, or focusing.
Perfume Base
Aside from the pure essential oils, there are two important ingredients in any perfume, which form the base in which the essential oils are placed. These ingredients are alcohol, and water. The alcohol used should be as close to odorless as possible; very high proof vodka or grain alcohol (such as Everclear in the U.S.) work very well. Don't worry if there is a little scent, as it will fade within moments of applying the finished perfume.
The ratio between essential oils, alcohol and water determine the classification of the final product, as follows:
- Parfum, or Perfume Extract/Extrait: 15-40% essential oil (typically 20-25%), less than 5% water, and the remainder alcohol.
- Eau de Parfum, or Parfum de Toilette: 10-20% essential oil (typically around 15%), 5-10% water, and the remainder alcohol.
- Eau de Toilette: 5-15% essential oil (typically 8-10%), 10-15% water, and remainder alcohol.
- Eau de Cologne: 3-8% essential oils (typically around 5% or less) 10-20% water, and remainder alcohol.
- Splashes and Aftershaves: 1-3% essential oil, 20-30% water, remainder alcohol.
Optionally, a small amount (less than 5%) of glycerin can be added as an additional scent fixative, and to help extend the shelf life of the finished perfume.
Of course, other options are also available to use as a base for a scent, that are not perfumes at all; they can be added to body oils, lotions, body butters, solid perfume bases, and so on.
Putting the Perfume Together
Decide on an approximate formula of alcohol, water, and essential oils, as well as a general outline of which essential oils and in what quantities. Start with the undiluted alcohol, then add the base notes, until satisfied with the blend of that tier alone. Then add the middle notes, and when finished with them, the top notes. This mixture should be allowed to rest in a sealed container for at least 48 hours, and up to one month, before adding the water (and glycerin, if used.) Some people choose to filter the alcohol and oil mixture through a coffee filter before adding the water, some prefer to leave it as is.
The finished perfume fragrance should be kept in a well sealed, dark or opaque container, to minimize light damage to the oils.
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