Can I make my own perfume?

We certainly would not want to discourage you, and if that’s something you are obsessed with, you should probably try !

But there is something to be said about how complex it is, and we would like to share this definition of Robert R.Calkin and J.Stephan Jellinek in chapter 9 of their 1994 book “Perfumery: Practice and principles”:

“A perfume is a blend of odoriferous materials, which is perceived as having its own unique and aesthetically appropriate identity. It is carefully blend based on a definite structure in which each material plays its part in achieving the overall fragrance. What it is not is just a mixture of pleasantly smelling materials. Apart from having a well-defined identity, a perfume must meet a number of technical requirements. It must be sufficiently strong, it must be diffusive ( which is not quite the same thing), it must be persistent, and it must retain its essential character throughout its period of evaporation. A well-constructed fine fragrance will still be recognizable many hours after it is applied to skin. The technique by which this is achieved is an essential part of the perfumer’s art, and it needs many years of dedicated work to arrive at the level of experience necessary to formulate perfumes that are not only original but also well made.”

It takes years of training

In effect, it starts with a deep memorization and understanding of each of the materials available on the palette (several thousands!). It is important to know how each of them behave, their respective evaporation curve, their inner esthetics and also how they can complement each other or not. Just the academic part of the learning takes years, and then it takes even longer to really master the practice because it is all based on empirical research.

The difference between blending my own vs a real perfume

Many people these days are buying essential oils online and blending them based on their taste or feelings. We have nothing against it, on the contrary, as we despise the arrogant attitude of looking down on non-professional or non-experts. We believe that their work does not mean to compete with the fine fragrance that classically trained perfumers create, and we also understand that part of their quest may stem from some disappointment with what is available in the market. And lastly, we are the first one to claim it: making perfume is fun, whether the result qualifies as masterpiece or not ! So by all means , enjoy doing it if that’s your thing ! Otherwise, try ours, we believe they are really well made, and in the pure tradition of the classic definition above !