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Design your own signature scents using a creative method unlike everyone else who teaches this subject. Create elegant, old-fashioned single scent perfumes from precious natural ingredients.
Table of Contents
Making Designer Copycat Perfumes ~ Making Solid and Oil Perfumes ~ Designing Your Own Scents ~ Making Your Perfume Last Longer ~ Perfume & You ~ Serious & Legal Stuff ~ Suppliers
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You can print out the pages, of course, but you wont get the benefit of the links or pop-up boxes.
A no-snob zone
I am not a perfume snob, or even a great perfume appreciator. I am just someone who just likes good smells, whether they are cheap, expensive, Japanese, French, synthetic, or natural. In my opinion, if it smells good, it is good. I dont believe that natural ingredients are necessarily superior to synthetics; each have their advantages. Most industry perfumers use both types of ingredients when designing their scents. I am also a creative bargain hunter, which is what led me to discover how to make designer copycat perfumes in the first place. I just couldnt resist the possibility of being able to make Thierry Muglers Angel for $10! From there, I went on to create my own fragrance blends using the easy techniques I will teach you in this book.
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tell you a little about how it is possible to get such dead-on duplications. In the 80s and 90s, a company called Designer Impostors sold knock-off perfumes at discount and drug stores. If you tried them, you know that they werent exact duplications; they were only similar. This is because the technology that duplication perfumers used then isnt nearly as sophisticated as it is now. Now, it is possible to take a sample of nearly any substance (that produces an aroma) and chemically analyze it. Reverse Engineering The Perfumes Perfume scientists can look at this data and recreate the scent, also using their noses to get greater accuracy. This includes designer perfumes. Independent fragrance makers analyze and recreate designer perfumes, releasing them to the public in concentrated form. These can be diluted with alcohol or other carriers (which I will tell you about) to make perfume, just like what department stores sell. It has the same fragrance as the originals; in most cases, you will not be able to tell the difference between the duplication and the real thing.
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Totally Legal
You may wonder if making copies of designer fragrances is illegal. It isnt. Long ago, the courts ruled that smells werent works of art made by humans, but works of nature. This makes sense if you think about how many people have come out with a rose perfume. Imagine if someone had exclusive rights to something smelling like roses... theyd have to sue the flowers! Copying or making a derivative of an exact recipe is illegal, but there are many ways to get the same fragrance. Most of the reverse engineered perfume concentrates vary wildly from the original composition.
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Ingredients
Designer perfume concentrate Isopropyl alcohol (for cleanup)
Overview of process
To make a designer duplicate perfume, pour some perfume concentrate in the perfume bottle. Then, fill up the rest with perfumers alcohol, leaving room for the dip tube (if any), and shake gently. Thats all it takes. Your perfume is ready to use as soon as its diluted.
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Towel
Alcohol for cleaning Roll of paper towels (you need a lot of these)
Pyrex for measuring and pouring. Notepad and pen for recording discoveries
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Use the eyedropper to transfer small amounts of fragrance oil. Dont try to pour directly from one bottle to another - it never works as well as you think it will. Especially if youve had a lot of espresso, because caffeine tends to make the hands shaky.
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Make sure your bottles and eyedroppers are clean before you begin. If you need to wash them, dont use soap and water unless you have a long time to let them dry. Use drug-store alcohol so that the alcohol evaporates fast and leaves your equipment clean and dry. The alcohol is a good solvent for aromatic residue left in the bottles and eyedroppers, and it kills germs. Dont use it for perfuming, because it smells bad!
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Gently turn the bottle over a few times to mix the contents. Theres no need to shake vigorously. For home use, just use an office label, cut to the proper size. If you dont, you will end up with many unlabeled bottles of mystery perfume.
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Solid Perfumes
Even though solid perfume is a hot new trend, its actually much older than alcohol perfume. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used perfume in the form of solid pomades or liquid oils. This is because they used fats to extract the fragrance out of flowers, spices, and plants. They would rub these scented fats and oils on their bodies as protection from the sun and wind. The first alcohol perfume is said to be Hungary Water, designed for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in the 1300s.
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Oil perfumes are just like alcohol perfumes, except that you use oil and a roll-on bottle.
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Fill the tins. If you have a steady hand, you can do it with a teaspoon like Im doing here. You can alse use plastic disposable pipettes. Since these tins are small, the solid perfume doesnt take long to cool and solidify. Put the lids on as soon as you can. Debris, dust, and pet hair are always attracted to cooling solid perfume. As I mentioned before, you can use many things for solid perfume base: beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, petroleum jelly, premade lip balm base, even soy wax. As long as your base is fat or wax, you will get something usable.
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Adding A Twist
Or, you could take a perfume you mostly like and see if you can improve on it, like I did for Drakkar Noir. I always thought it was too harsh, so I added some sweet fig scent to it. It became a whole new cologne (my boyfriend wears it.)
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Single-scent perfumes
Single-scent perfumes are very hard to find in stores! Most modern perfumes dont smell like anything recognizable; they are too complex. However, some of the best perfumes come from a single source and have an oldfashioned mystique. The good news is that you can easily make single-scent perfumes yourself. It may be the only way you get to experience a true rose or violet perfume. The aromatic material for single-note perfumes can be synthetic or natural. There are some now where most people absolutely cannot tell the difference - even for rose. For maximum old-fashioned appeal, though, real plant sources are the way to go, even though they are a bit expensive. Precious plant concentrates come in the forms of C02 extracts, essential oils, or absolutes. I dont usually recommend that beginners start with plant essences because they are so expensive, but single-note perfumes are easy enough that anyone can make them.
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Introducing a fixative
Once you get comfortable mixing basic single-note perfumes, you can add a ingredient. This will make your perfume last longer on your skin, as well as give it a stronger scent. Here are some natural fixatives: Sandalwood or Amyris (sweet and woody) Ambrette Seed (animal musk replacement) Patchouli (spicy, dark wood) Frankincense (dry, dark, resinous wood) Orris root (sweet and rich, but not very strong) Benzoin (resinous sweet vanilla) Vetiver (smoky, stony, forest)
Most of these have dark, earthy, or heavy scents that might turn you off on first sniff. But used in very small quantities - like 1% of your entire blend - they can amplify the effects of your fragrance without adding much of their own scent.
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Briefs
The major perfume houses make something called briefs to focus the efforts of their perfumes. They can be a little poetic, such as Mysteria should evoke a beautiful but sad woman with dark eyes, standing before a crashing sea. (I am not kidding about these briefs - they are often statements of pure imagination.) You should do the same, even if its less lyrical, such as: Mysteria should be a perfume version of the Indian incense in a fortune tellers booth at a carnival. It is this skill that will make your original perfumes successful. I think the more emotional impact a perfume has, the better.
Simplicity
Even if your method for creating perfume is simple, it doesnt mean your fragrance is inferior. Many people place greater value on complicated things than they do on simple things. Dont fall into this same trap; your perfumes dont need to be complicated to be great. It is your idea for the perfume that is valuable, not how many hours you spent during the process. The fact is, if you throw together an awesome fragrance in 10 minutes, it will still smell great! If you spend 100 hours trying to make a perfume, and it smells bad, it still smells bad, no matter how much time you put into the formula.
Process goals
You dont have to have an end result in mind. Your goal can simply be to make something with rose and something weird, and see what happens. But define
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Layering fragrance
Layering is probably the best way to make your perfume last. You can layer scent by using body wash, lotion, bath oil or salts, dusting powder, body mist, and perfume all in the same fragrance. This will make the fragrance stronger without being overpowering. Some companies make daily products in the same scent as their perfumes, but most do not. This is where the Popular Bath and Body book comes in - I teach you how to easily custom-scent everyday toiletries - even shampoo and conditioner - with the fragrance of your choice. Custom scenting bath and body products is only a little more complicated that making perfume. It is probably the only way you will get toiletries to layer your favorite scents.
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Womens Fragrances
Shalimar, by Guerlain in 1922 Mature, musky, adventurous Oriental for women of any age, but young girls cant usually pull it off. Many people have worn Shalimar their entire adult lives; it is that classic. It always evokes a strong response - if you like light, fruity perfumes, then Shalimar is not for you! But if you like powerful mysterious scents, you will love it. No. 5, by Chanel in 1921 An elegant, powdery, and refined scent. For many, this is the classic French perfume that makes the wearer feel like a grown up lady. It comes on strong when you first apply it, but it fades to a clean soft fragrance. Goes well with a business suit or a little black dress. Also the first mass-marketed scent with the use of synthetic aldehydes, which is part of what gives it a distinct scent. (Also why many people dislike it initially.) Angel, by Thierry Mugler in 1996 This is a warm, feminine fragrance with many edible scents all mixed up: vanilla, chocolate, anise, fruit, with a hint of spicy patchouli. Angel is great for girls of any age, from the 5-year-old playing dress up to the grandmother
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Mens Fragrances
Cool Water, by Davidoff in 1988 This is an incredibly popular fragrance for men. This contemporary, fresh and sporty scent can be worn anytime, anywhere. It works well on many people, so it makes a great gift. The popularity of it has some drawbacks: some people associate it with ex-boyfriends or 13-year-olds trying to be more mature! It is also not unique; many people will recognize it as an obvious date scent. Escape, by Calvin Klein in 1993 Fruity, fresh, and a little spicy, almost like a complex fruit punch, Escape is unusual in that there are no florals at all. To me, it smells like a summer scent; Escape seems to go well with picnics and warm sunsets. Many women like to wear it too, especially those who dont like flowery fragrances.
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youre going to do that, obviously you cant pass off your perfumes as the originals. You must label everything properly, but you dont have to list each and every perfume ingredient. If you have an alcohol perfume, your ingredients will read: SD Alcohol 40B, fragrance. Both natural and synthetic materials count as fragrance. I have not sold my own perfume, but I have sold many other things, including scented candles with fragrances I blend by hand. If you want to sell your own perfume, my best advice is just to do it. Anyone can dream, but far fewer will actually take action. Quick ways to get started selling are: Etsy Craft fairs and shows Your friends Independent boutiques Consider offering roll-on perfume oil and solid perfume - they are becoming very popular!
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Snowdrift Farm
http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/ Phone: 888.999.6950 Ship from: Arizona No minimum order What they have: A few high-quality designer fragrance oils Extensive catalog of essential oils Precious absolutes, CO2s Perfumers Alcohol Jojoba oil, many butters Silicone oils Lip balm base Many tubes, bottles, jars, and tins What they dont have: A large selection of fragrance oils. What they do have is great, but if youre looking to sample a lot of different designer-type fragrances, SOS is your best bet. Things to know: They have a lot of stuff on their website, and I think a lot of things are hard to find. Even the search box is hard to use. But theyre probably the best place for a small amount of perfumers alcohol.
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E.D. Luce
http://www.essentialsupplies.com/ Phone: (562) 802-0515 Ship from: California $5 charge added to orders under $50 What they have: Many plain glass perfume bottles Plain lip balm tubes Aluminum spray bottles Cool specialty glass bottles Nice glass jars for solid perfume What they dont have: Any ingredients - just packaging. Things to know: Most bottles and jars are only available in minimum quantities of 12 or 48, depending on size. This is my favorite place for bulk plain packaging. Its best to order from here only if you need a lot of the same kind of container; some things only come in 200+ quantity. You must choose the caps separately.
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Royal Aromatics
http://www.royalaromatics.com/ Phone: (866) 567-6925 Ship from: New Jersey $50 Minimum order What they have: Premium designer fragrance oils Some nice essential oils and absolutes What they dont have: Small oil sizes Any other ingredients - just aromatic stuff. Things to know: I wouldnt normally recommend Royal Aromatics to hobbyists because of the high minimum order and the lack of small sizes. But! They have such a wide selection of designer duplications that are specially designed for oil perfumes. I think that the hobbyist / seller could really benefit from Royal Aromatics selection. Anyway, if you order essentials or absolutes... you wont have any trouble with the minimum order. Their shopping cart leaves a lot to be desired. They seem to want you to call to order.
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Butters for Solid Perfume Save On Scents Sweet Cakes Snowdrift Farm From Nature With Love The Scent Works Solid Perfume or Lip Balm Base Sweet Cakes Snowdrift Farm Silicone Oils Save On Scents Snowdrift Farm The Scent Works
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Ending Notes
And now, you know how to make perfume. Whether youre recreating your favorite designer perfume or making your own original fragrance, you are a perfumer! This book isnt actually that long. For one thing, its for beginners, so I didnt go into anything too technical. But its also because theres not that much to making perfume. Yes, I know that there are books and books written on perfuming theory - Ive even read some of them - but youre still just taking some good-smelling stuff, diluting it with some other stuff, and putting it in a bottle (or tin.) Plenty of beginners with no experience have learned to do it, and you can too. It is a form of self-expression. Theres no right or wrong way of doing it, just whether you like your results.
Questions? Comments?
Send your questions and comments to: cat_bathbody@yahoo.com
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