Creating Cologne: A Beginner's Guide To Fragrance Making

Creating a cologne is an art form that can take years to perfect. However, with the right ingredients and a bit of experimentation, it is possible to make a cologne at home. The key to success is selecting the correct oils to create the desired scent. Cologne typically contains around 3-5% essential oils, resulting in a lighter fragrance compared to perfume. The scent of a cologne usually lasts around two hours, making it suitable for everyday use with occasional touch-ups.

To make a cologne, one will need essential oils, alcohol, water, and glycerin. The essential oils are the key ingredients that give the cologne its unique scent. Alcohol is used to dilute the essential oils and make the cologne suitable for skin application. Water and glycerin are added to the mixture to adjust the concentration and help the fragrance stick to the skin.

The process of making cologne involves blending the essential oils, adding alcohol, and then allowing the mixture to sit for several days to weeks to let the fragrance develop. The cologne can then be diluted with water and glycerin and stored in a spray bottle for easy application.

Choosing your essential oils

The essential oils you choose will make or break your cologne. It's important to select the right oils to create your desired scent profile. You can use woody, sweet, citrus, or floral notes, or a combination of these, depending on your preference.

Woody notes

Woody, grounding notes include cedarwood, one of the oldest essential oils used in perfumery. It combines beautifully with citrus notes to provide a warm tone.

Sweet notes

Bay essential oil has a masculine, sweet, and spicy odour with uplifting properties. It can help you feel less stressed and more relaxed.

Citrus notes

Lime essential oil brings a sharp freshness to cologne. It mixes well with other citrus oils, as well as sweet and woody scents.

Floral notes

If you lean towards romantic, floral scents, you might try jasmine, rose, or ylang-ylang.

Remember that the final result will likely be more diluted and muted than the first whiff of a single scent, so don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations of oils.

Blending the essential oils

When blending your oils, it's important to use the correct ratios of base, middle, and top notes. The fragrance pyramid accord recommends 60% base notes, 30% middle notes, and 10% top notes. Alternatively, you can use a ratio of 20% base, 50% middle, and 30% top.

It's also important to use the correct number of drops. Start with around 30 drops in total, and if one scent is much stronger than the rest, use less.

Once you've blended your oils, add two ounces of alcohol to the mixture.

Examples of blends

Base notes like sandalwood, tonka bean, violet leaf, and vanilla blend well with middle notes like geranium, ylang-ylang, rose, and lotus flower. Top this formula off with lavender, neroli, magnolia, or mandarin.

Alternatively, you can use 12 drops each of bay, lime, bergamot, and cedarwood essential oils, as in the Evergreen recipe.

Tips

• It can take years to perfect a fragrance, so don't be discouraged if your first attempts don't turn out as expected. Experiment with different oils and ratios, and accept that not everything will be perfect the first time.
• Your sense of smell will change and develop over time, so you may need to re-learn the scents of different oils.
• Most cologne brands contain alcohol to dilute the essential oils and make the cologne more suitable for use on the skin.
• Citrus oils can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight, so avoid using them if you'll be exposed to the sun.

Blending the oils

Firstly, you will need to choose your essential oils. There are many options available, so it can be difficult to pick a favourite. If you prefer woody and slightly sweet scents, cedarwood is a good option as it is very grounding. If you are more inclined towards romantic florals, jasmine, rose, or ylang-ylang are ideal choices. Keep in mind that your chosen scent will be diluted and blended, so the final result is likely to be different and more muted than the first whiff of the individual scent.

When blending the oils, it is recommended to use no more than 30 drops in total and adjust the amount if one scent is significantly stronger than the others. You can start by adding a few drops of each oil, one by one, and then mix them together. Once you have achieved your desired formula, add two ounces of alcohol.

Base notes such as sandalwood, tonka bean, violet leaf, and vanilla blend well with middle notes like geranium, ylang-ylang, rose, and lotus flower. To complete your fragrance, you can add top notes such as lavender, neroli, magnolia, and mandarin.

After blending the oils, your cologne will need time to compose. Allow the fragrance to sit for at least 48 hours, and it is recommended to refrigerate it for two weeks. Then, shake the mixture to ensure the molecules are well combined.

Adding alcohol

Alcohol is an important ingredient in cologne, as it helps to dilute the essential oils and make the fragrance more suitable for use on the skin. It also helps to disperse the oils and makes the cologne last longer and more intense.

When making cologne, it is recommended to use perfumer's alcohol, or pure grain alcohol, such as Everclear. The amount of alcohol used will depend on the desired concentration of the cologne. For a stronger cologne, more alcohol can be added, while for a milder cologne, the amount of alcohol can be reduced.

To make cologne, start by adding the essential oils to the alcohol. The ratio of essential oils to alcohol is important, as too much alcohol can overpower the fragrance, while too little may not provide enough dilution. The recommended ratio is 60% base notes, 30% middle notes, and 10% top notes. However, this can be adjusted depending on the desired fragrance profile.

Once the essential oils and alcohol have been combined, the mixture should be stirred slowly to ensure that the oils are thoroughly dispersed. It is important to leave the mixture to mature for at least three weeks, as this allows the perfume to develop its full aroma. After maturing, the cologne can be filtered through a coffee filter to remove any sediment, and then poured into a glass bottle for use.

Refrigerating

Refrigeration helps to preserve the fragrance and ensures the ingredients do not spoil or deteriorate. The cool temperature of the refrigerator can help to maintain the chemical balance of the cologne, preventing it from becoming too strong or overpowering. This is especially important if your cologne contains citrusy top notes, as these can be more volatile and prone to oxidation.

In addition to refrigeration, there are several other measures you can take to ensure your cologne stays fresh and long-lasting. It is important to store your cologne in a cool, dark place, avoiding direct sunlight or extreme temperature fluctuations. The original box can be useful for this purpose, providing an extra layer of protection from light and temperature changes.

You should also aim to keep the bottle sealed and tightly closed when not in use, as oxygen can cause the scent to dilute and become oxidized. If possible, store the cologne in its original bottle, as these are typically designed to be airtight and prevent contamination.

By following these steps and taking care to properly refrigerate and store your cologne, you can ensure that your fragrance remains fresh and enjoyable to use.

Diluting

Perfumers alcohol is a good choice if you are making an alcohol-based perfume spray. However, if you dilute your perfume materials in perfumers alcohol, you will not be able to add these dilutions to bases such as candles, creams, detergents, or oils. DPG, on the other hand, is more commonly used than perfumers alcohol because it can be used in bases other than alcoholic fragrances. However, DPG is petrochemical-derived and therefore not suitable for natural perfumery.

When diluting perfume, it is generally recommended to stick to a 10% concentration for most materials, with some materials requiring as little as 1% concentration. Always use a scale when diluting, as this is the only way to get an accurate and repeatable formula. For example, for 10g of material at 10% concentration, you will need 1g of the material and 9g of the diluent (alcohol or DPG).

Some materials will not dilute easily and will need to be warmed slightly to mobilise. This can be done using a water bath or an electric leg wax melter.

It is important to note that diluting a sealed bottle of perfume is generally not recommended. If you want to dilute a perfume, it is best to decant a small amount into a separate container and mix it with perfumers alcohol or DPG.

Frequently asked questions