Perfume-Making Supplies
From the time of the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians, humans have used scents to enhance their beauty and charisma. Archaeologists have discovered perfumes on the island of Cyprus that date back 4,000 years. The art of perfumery came to Europe sometime in the 1300s as Arabic traders spread throughout the region. During the Renaissance, Italy was a center of the perfume-making and perfume-trading industry, and later, France became a hub for the perfume industry. Today, perfume is as popular as ever.
Types
The main supplies for making perfume are aromatic compounds, water and alcohol. Aromatic compounds, consisting of essential oils or other scent sources, are diluted in ethanol or a mixture of alcohol and water. Sometimes preservatives or fixatives are also added to keep the perfume oils from breaking down. The type of aromatic compounds can further be broken down into plant sources, animal sources, other natural sources and synthetic sources. Examples of plant sources include bark (for example, cinnamon), flowers (rose), resins and seeds. Musk and ambergris are two perfume-making supplies that come from animals. Lichen and seaweed are natural ingredients sometimes used in perfumery as well. Scents that don't come from nature can be made synthetically in a lab.
Features
Perfumes rarely contain one simple scent. Traditionally, fine perfumes have had three main parts: the base note, the top note and the middle notes. The top note is the first scent noticed when you apply the perfume. As the top note fades, the middle note becomes apparent. When the first two scents dissipate, the base note comes through. These scent notes can be fruity, floral, spicy, or reminiscent of wood or leather.
Identification
Perfume can be identified by the concentration of aromatic compounds versus other ingredients, such as alcohol or fixatives. Aftershaves may contain only about 3 percent aromatic compounds, and colognes around 5 percent. In order to qualify as an "eau de parfum," a scent must contain 10 to 20 percent aromatic compounds, with the average perfume containing about 15 percent.
Considerations
Perfumes can sometimes cause allergic reactions in the wearer or those who come in contact with the wearer. If you're new to a perfume, you may want to test it before buying and check for skin irritation in response to one of the ingredients. When you wear a perfume, it's better to go easy on the scent and not over-apply it, since others you encounter may have a sensitivity to your scent. Fragrances can cause asthmatic reactions or nausea in people who are sensitive to fragrance ingredients.
Potential
It's possible to make custom fragrances at home with basic ingredients such as vodka, distilled water and essential oils. You can mix and match oils to come up with combinations you enjoy, such as lavender, ylang-ylang and vanilla, or jasmine and rose. This can be done by stirring a few drops of each oil into a few ounces of good quality alcohol and letting it sit for 48 hours, then adding a few tablespoons of distilled water and letting the mixture sit for another 48 hours. Glycerin can be added to help preserve the homemade perfume (see Resources below).
Warning
While it's fine to use vodka or brandy to make perfumes for yourself, you cannot legally sell perfumes you have made this way. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms considers the sale of perfume containing brandy or vodka to be equivalent to serving alcohol, for which you would need a permit. Instead, if you want to make homemade perfumes to sell, you would have to obtain denatured perfumer's alcohol as the solvent (see Resources below).
Tags: aromatic compounds, about percent, base note, come from, distilled water, essential oils