Lance Carson
Making your own perfume is a fun and rewarding experience that gives you complete control over your signature scent. It's easier than you think, and you can even avoid harsh chemicals found in some commercial fragrances. The basic composition of a scent includes top notes, middle notes, and base notes, with top notes being the initial impression that disappears quickly, middle notes emerging after the top notes, and base notes forming the foundation of the perfume. You can use essential oils, fragrance oils, infused oils, or even food flavour extracts like vanilla. To get started, you'll need a small scale to measure your ingredients accurately, a dark glass bottle to store your perfume, and a carrier agent such as alcohol or jojoba oil. The creative part involves deciding on the type of scent you want to create, whether it's floral, woody, fresh, or a combination. Once you have your ingredients, combine them following a perfume recipe, adding your base notes first, then middle notes, and finally, your top notes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Alcohol, distilled water, glycerine, essential oils, fragrance oils, infused oils, flavour extracts, perfume alcohol, aromachemicals |
| Tools | Funnel, measuring cup, atomizer bottle, small scale, coffee filter |
| Techniques | Dilution, layering, blending |
| Considerations | Scents, fragrance families, health advisories, solubility, storage |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing a base
When choosing a base, it's important to consider the type of scent you want to create. Do you want a floral, woody, or fresh fragrance? Base notes are typically warm and earthy, providing depth and longevity to the perfume.
Essential oils are a popular choice for base notes. However, it's important to research the health advisories of essential oils, as not all are safe for direct skin contact. Fragrance oils, on the other hand, are often diluted in carrier oils, making them less irritating to the skin.
If you want a completely natural perfume, essential oils are the way to go. However, fragrance oils can be easier to work with, as they don't change scent over time. Additionally, fragrance oils may be a better option if you're aiming for a commercial perfume smell, as they often contain synthetic aromachemicals that are difficult for amateur perfumers to source in small quantities.
When blending your base note, it's recommended to use a small scale to measure your ingredients in grams, as this is more accurate than using drops. You can start with a basic 80% carrier agent and 20% oil ratio and adjust from there according to your preferences.
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Adding essential oils
To start, select 3-4 essential oils that complement each other. For example, if you're aiming for a floral scent, you might choose rose, lavender, and geranium essential oils. If you prefer woody fragrances, cedarwood, sandalwood, and vetiver oils could be a good choice.
Once you've selected your essential oils, it's time to measure and combine them. It is recommended to use a small scale to weigh your ingredients in grams, as this provides more accurate measurements than counting drops. The general ratio for a perfume is 80% carrier agents and 20% oils. However, as a beginner, you can start with a lower concentration of oils and gradually increase the amount until you achieve the desired scent strength.
When measuring, add your base notes first, followed by middle notes, and then top notes. This ensures that the fragrance unfolds in layers as it dries down. The number of drops for each note may vary depending on the recipe and your personal preference, but a common ratio is 9 drops for top notes, 15 drops for middle notes, and 6 drops for base notes.
After combining the essential oils, it's important to let the mixture rest in a dark place for at least 48 hours. This allows the scents to meld together and mature. The longer you let the mixture rest, the stronger the fragrance will become.
Finally, once you're satisfied with the scent strength, you can dilute the essential oil blend with distilled water. Add approximately 2 tablespoons of water and about 5 drops of glycerine, which helps preserve the fragrance. Pour the diluted perfume into your chosen bottle, and your signature scent is ready to use!
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Combining with alcohol
Combining your chosen scents with alcohol is the next step in making perfume. This is an essential step, as it makes the fragrance more approachable, whereas smelling a blend of undiluted ingredients can be overwhelming.
Firstly, you'll need to get your hands on some perfume alcohol, also known as perfumer's alcohol. This can be purchased from specialist perfumery suppliers, or you can use a more affordable option like vodka. If you want to get serious about perfumery, you can invest in Everclear, although this is illegal in many states.
You'll need to dilute your ingredients in alcohol. This involves some basic maths. For a 10% dilution, you'll need to mix 1 gram of your ingredient with 9 grams of alcohol, to make a total of 10 grams. You can also measure in drops, although this is less accurate. For a 200-drop solution, you'll need 140 drops of alcohol.
Before adding the alcohol, put your bottle of blended oils in a dark place for a week. After a week, check that you still like the scent. If you're happy with it, get your bottle of blended oils, a funnel, a measuring cup, and alcohol. Pour 7ml of alcohol into your measuring cup, then pour the alcohol into the funnel and from there into the bottle of oils. Put the lid on the bottle, shake it, and put it away.
You can also dilute your perfume with water. Add 2 tablespoons of distilled or spring water, and about 5 drops of glycerine to preserve the fragrance.
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Diluting with water
When diluting your perfume, it's essential to use distilled or spring water. These types of water are purified and free from contaminants, ensuring that your perfume remains stable and doesn't develop an unpleasant odour over time. The amount of water you add will depend on the concentration and type of perfume you desire. For a stronger perfume, you can use a lower ratio of water to fragrance, while for a lighter fragrance, you can increase the proportion of water.
If you're creating an eau de parfum, a typical ratio is 20% essential oils, 70% alcohol, and 10% distilled water. This combination ensures a balanced fragrance that is not overly potent. However, you can adjust these ratios slightly to create a unique scent that suits your preferences. It's important to remember that essential oils are highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way.
The process of diluting with water is straightforward. Measure out the desired amount of distilled or spring water and add it to your fragrance mixture. If you're making a perfume spray, you may want to add slightly more water to create a more diluted solution. After adding the water, shake the bottle vigorously for at least a minute to ensure that the water and fragrance are thoroughly combined.
After dilution, it's crucial to store your perfume in a dark glass bottle. Clear bottles can allow light to penetrate, potentially altering the fragrance over time. Keep your perfume in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight or heat sources, to preserve its scent and quality.
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Storing and ageing
Storing your perfume in a dark glass bottle is ideal, as light can negatively affect the perfume oils. Clear glass bottles should be covered with aluminium foil or wrapping paper. You will also want to keep your perfume in a dark place, away from visible light, heat, and air. These factors can cause your fragrance to lose its scent or turn bad.
Perfume typically needs to be diluted with distilled/spring water. If you are making a perfume spray, add more water. You can also add glycerine to help preserve the fragrance.
If you are using alcohol-based perfumes, you can store your blend in a dark place for a week before adding the alcohol. This allows the oils and alcohol to infuse.
The longer you let the perfume rest, the stronger the scent will be. You can place your perfume in a dark place and let it sit for at least 48 hours. Once you are happy with the strength of the fragrance, add the water and shake the bottle for at least a minute.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need essential oils, fragrance oils, alcohol, distilled water, and a glass bottle.
Essential oils provide the fragrance of the perfume. You can use floral, citrus, or earthy notes, such as lavender, coriander, palmarosa, basil, rosemary, or rose geranium.
You can use perfumer's alcohol, vodka, ethanol, or Everclear. Avoid using rubbing alcohol.
First, prepare your bottle by cleaning it thoroughly. Next, add your essential oils, followed by the alcohol. Shake the bottle gently to mix the ingredients. Let the mixture sit in a cool, dark place for at least 48 hours to a few weeks to allow the scent to blend and deepen. Finally, test the scent and adjust as needed by adding more essential oils, alcohol, or distilled water.
Apply your perfume to your pulse points, such as your wrists, neck, and behind your ears. You can also spritz it onto your chest or anywhere else you would like the scent.
