Perfumes

 

          All perfumes are composed of both a base and a fragrance compound. The perfume compound will account for 20 to 50 percent of the fragrance and is made from aromatic oils, essential oils and synthetic fragrances. There are several different groups of perfume. There are different smells that a fragrance is produced from. Fragrances are usually specified as floral, fresh, woody or oriental. 95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other. Perfume bases, which account for 50 to 80 percent of a fragrance, are generally made from liquids such as alcohol and water. They also include a variety of stabilizers, which are used to fix a perfume's scent and ensure that ingredients do not separate.
          Most oil-based perfumes are free of stabilizers. The oils used for these bases are clearly identified and will be familiar to perfume wearers. These fragrances must be applied with the fingertips or with a roller ball and are not available in spray-on form.

 

Basic Natural and Organic Perfume Ingredients

• Organic or natural essential oils
• Distilled water
• Organic natural grain alcohol from a variety of different grains

1. Ethyl Alcohol

Most of perfumes  contain an ethyl alcohol base. Also known as ethanol or pure alcohol, ethyl alcohol vaporizes quickly. It is used in perfume precisely because it acts as a carrier for a perfume compound but dissolves quickly on the skin. Some organic perfumes use a denatured alcohol in place of ethyl alcohol due to concerns about the safety of ethanol-based products.

2. Coumarin

Coumarin is used to enhance aroma in perfumes. This chemical may be produced synthetically or may be sourced from cassia bark, sweet grass, and some beans. Coumarin has a slightly sweet scent of its own that boosts that overall scent profile of other ingredients, especially spices and musks.

3. Benzyl Benzoate

Benzyl benzoate, also known as benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol, is used as a fixative or stabilizer in many perfumes. It helps perfumes to have a consistent scent and can prevent variation in scent profiles for several years.

4. Pthalates

On perfume bottles, pthalates may be called diethyl phthalate (DEP) or may simply be referred to as fragrance. These plasticizing agents are used to add stability to perfumes. Much like benzyl benzoate, DEP helps fragrances maintain their scent profile.

5. Distilled Water

Distilled water is often listed on perfume packaging as aqua. The water used in perfume has undergone distillation in order to remove chemicals and minerals that might affect a perfume's overall scent profile or stability. In general, distilled water is either the first or second ingredient listed on the label, meaning that it makes up the body of the perfume.

Essential oils

Essential oils are used to add scent to many perfumes. Many of these oils have been sourced from plants, woods, herbs, spices, and other organic materials.

Most of the essential oils will be added as a function to promote relaxation. These oils mostly are extracted from flora such as lavender, rose, patchouli. 

Like Bergamot oil and Lemongrass oil are used in many blends described as energizing or invigorating.

Synthetic Fragrances

The majority of perfumes made by major cosmetics companies use synthetic fragrances in place of natural essential oils. These are the examples:

1. Limonene

Limonene is the chemical that gives most citrus fruits their distinct smell. While this compound can be found in high concentrations in the rinds of lemons, the majority of limonene used in perfumes is synthetic. Perfumes with limonene may have a slightly astringic smell and can irritate the skin.

2. Galaxolide

Galoxolide is one of a handful of synthetic musks used in the production of fragrances and cosmetics. This particular musk has a sweet, slightly woody smell that is most often used in women's fragrances.

3. Tonalide

Another type of synthetic musk, tonalide is widely used in perfumes labeled as white musks. It may also be listed on ingredient labels by its trade name, Musk Plus.

Did you ever want to create your own secret perfume which is based on the scent,aroma that you really want it but the perfumes found in the current market couldn't fulfill your favourite? Below are the steps to make perfumes, make use of this, make your own unique blend.

Step 1 : Prepare what you need

Ingredients:

• Vodka (the higher percentage alcohol the better) or Everclear if you can get it
• Essential oils, fragrance oils, infused oils, even flavour extracts (make sure it's pure) such as vanilla extract
• distilled water or spring water
• glycerine (this can be found in pharmacies)

Apparatus:

• pretty glass bottles 
• glass jar for mixing fragrance in
• measuring cup/spoons
• a dropper if you have one
• funnel
• aluminum foil or wrapping paper if you are using clear glass bottles
• a pencil and paper for jotting down your recipe

Step 2: Preparing bottles

Sterilize the bottles and jars in the dish washer, especially if you are reusing bottles. They need to be clean and sterile.

Step 3: Add the alcohol

Measure 1/4 cup of vodka/Everclear and pour into jar. 

Step 4: A note about scents

Notes:
In perfumes the fragrance can be divided into three different notes depending on when they arise.

Top note: The initial scent when you put the perfume on, then disappears, they include; lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, bergamot, spearmint, peppermint and others.

Middle note: This scent appears just after the top note disappears. Scents like; coriander, palmarosa, marjoram, basil, rosemary, rose geranium, pettitgrain, lavender and others.

Base note: This appears after the middle note and is the base of the perfume, they include; patchouli, vetiver, frankincense, cedarwood, sandalwood and others.

When you are mixing your perfume, start by adding your base notes, then middle then your top notes.

Families:
Scents can be divided into different families such as floral, oriental, woody and fresh (such as citrus, etc) When you are mixing your perfume,adding scents from neighboring families creates harmony in you perfume.

Step 5: Add your scents 

Add approximately 25 drops of essential/fragrance oil.

Take one scent;

• add a few drops
• swirl
• smell
• add more or continue on
• write down type of oil and number of drops

Take the next scent and repeat as above until you have added the approximate number of drops. Feel free to add more or less to create the desired fragrance. You can divided the alcohol into smaller volumes and try different combination, experiment, be creative, have fun with it!

Step 6: Let it age

Place it in a cool dark location for a minimum of 48 hours, up to a month.

Aging your fragrance allows the scents to mingle, and also become stronger. Once you have aged your fragrance for the desired length of time, smell it again, the mingling may have changed the overall scent, so feel free to add a few more drops of scent to tweak it (don't forget you will need to age it again, if more scent was added).

Step 7: Add water and glycerine

Now that the fragrance is ready, it needs to be diluted.

• Add 2 tablespoons of distilled/spring water. If you are making a perfume spray, add more water.
• Add approximately 5 drops of glycerine, this helps preserve the fragrance. 

Step 8: Finishing up

Pour the perfume into your bottle, use a funnel if you need to. If you are using clear bottles, you will need to cover them with aluminum foil or wrapping paper (your fragrance needs to be protected from the light or it will go off).

Where to apply perfume and how to make it last longer?

The Pulse Points
          The "pulse points" are locations on the body where the blood vessels are closest to the skin. These spots emanate heat, which can help fragrance to emanate from your skin into the air. (It's the same principle used by essential oil diffusers). Apply your perfume to these points - namely, the inner wrists, the base of the throat, behind ear lobes, in the cleavage, behind knees, and the inner elbows. As you wear your perfume throughout the day, it will react with your body heat and continue to emit scent.

Making Fragrance Last Longer
          There are a few tricks to help your fragrance last longer. For instance, a scent will fade faster when skin is dry. Applying fragrance - free moisturizer to your body is an excellent preparation for applying fragrance, and will help you get more bang for your perfume buck.

          You can also help your perfume to go the distance by applying some petroleum jelly to your skin, and then applying your scent on top of that. The perfume droplets will cling to the petroleum jelly rather than sinking into your pores - which can reduce or eliminate the need to reapply fragrance later in the day.

          Layering products from the same line is another effective way to make a fragrance last. You might use the scented body gel, treat skin with the body lotion, and then spray the perfume on top. The combination of products will help the scent to maintain fullness and extend throughout the day.