The basics of perfume designing
Have you ever created your own perfume or cologne and then experienced the enormous sense of achievement you get from it? This is a feeling that not only comes when you’re creating anything for the first time, but also one worth keeping. Creating something from scratch can be a rewarding, exciting and worthwhile experience. Especially when you consider that everyone else might try to mimic or replicate what you’ve done. So now the question is, how can you take creating this or a new scent further? How do you reach that next level so that you have something that deserves recognition over all those already on the market?
Perfume Playground can give you a hand to further your expertise.
In the words of our fragrance host and designer, Astrid, “one of the most valuable skills in fragrance design is the ability to find a shared vocabulary for our most subjective sense – consider not just the plant source in your description but qualities like: temperature – fragrance notes exist on a spectrum from warm to cool and create a huge impression depending how they are combined; texture – is it an aquatic, powdery, silken, or velvety quality you are looking for; colour – a spring green smells totally different to an autumn burgundy but what does the rest of the rainbow conjure?”
There’s a great deal to learn when it comes to creating your own perfume, so don’t be afraid to experiment. As with all our club events, perfumery is a unique blend of science and art. Once you’ve mastered the basics, there is a world of possibilities waiting for you. Remember that trial and error are part of the process! We can’t wait to play.
STEP 1: Prepare the basic tools that you need for your perfume
Glass dropper – Ideal for essential oil blends, liquid medicine, chemicals.
Blotter Strips – When perfume is applied to the skin you are essentially adding paint to your canvas – if you have ever experienced a fragrance that doesn’t work for you, you can imagine why it’s useful to save your skin until you have honed in on something close to your ideal scent! Blotter strips are also easily labeled, whereas it is very easy to lose track of where you have already applied fragrance!
Bottles and Vials – At Perfume Playground, we only use fine French glass bottles, a worthy vessel for your personal formula.
STEP 2: Find Suppliers for Your Ingredients
If you are a beginner, remember to always make sure you are buying reliable sources of ingredients. For example, if you aren’t sure where to start with fragrance, make sure you do your research and purchase from a reputable supplier. A good place to start is at companies such as ours! We deal directly with professional perfumers only so rest assured that all of our ingredients are of the highest quality, and ready to be used in your next scent creation.
STEP 3: Creating A Perfume Formula
The creative part of fragrance creation lies within the imagination, where everything is possible. As you create your perfume formula, think about the scent you want to make and what type of scents are important to you. What notes do you want to feature? A strong wood note with a hint of citrus? Or a fresh floral with tangy apple? Use as many words as you can think of to describe your fragrance and use them in context with each other.
STEP 4: Assess and Correct Your Formula
Your first ideas of the perfume will be spontaneous but not necessarily good. It’s worth the effort, however, because creating a perfume is a kind of art and craft, and your idea or formula might be the start of something great. As you work through each stage, it’s critical to keep adjusting the formula and observe how it changes with different materials (on paper blotter strips), so that as your idea evolves into something more beautiful – or at least acceptable! Remember that what you’re aiming for is a fragrance that captures your idea.
STEP 5: Diluting Fragrance
If you want to make your own fragrance, you’ll need some ingredients including perfumer’s alcohol (the solvent) and fragrance oils, extracts, and absolutes. A pre-diluted eau de toilette strength makes things easier for beginners and helps the ingredients blend more readily so you don’t have to rest your fragrance for long before it’s ready to wear!
At the masterclass we cover scent evolution, the romance of perfume isolates, creating scent with longevity and evaluating up to six fragrance designs. With fragrance hosts Samantha Copland & Astrid Crosland at your side, this is an incredible opportunity to explore, be hands-on with the natural materials and have creative freedom for a full day.
Join us at our upcoming Masterclass Workshop.
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