Formulas for perfumery bases and accords which you can use in your own fragrances.
I have always loved that dark, powdery, mossy heart that is so ubiquitous in the fragrances from the 80’s. One to note is “Zino” by Davidoff. This base is inspired by the heart and base of Zino and, to my nose, captures that punch that makes these fragrances so powerful, bold, masculine, and beautiful.
Some time ago I published the formula for a dianthine base – modeled on the famed Dianthine of Firmenich. It is a beautiful base with many uses but it is primarily a top and heart note formula. Here I am presenting a heart to base note formula built around Givaudan’s most amazing methyl diantilis – …
Pear is a lovely fruit to add to perfumes for a gourmand note that needn’t be cloying or overly sweet. Pears have a naturally perfumistic quality about them which makes them such a great fruit for our purposes. This formula is a modification of a known Givaudan formula that enhances and enriches the original as …
Sandalwood is now so expensive that chemicals are ubiquitous in replacing it in most fragrances. This formula is a particularly useful one in that it gives you both natural sandalwood and a beautifully balanced combination of the finest sandalwood chemicals. I advise sticking with the proportions in the formula for the most part, but in …
Mandarin is, to my nose, perhaps the most beautiful and complex of all the citrus notes in perfume. We are fortunate to have such a plentiful supply of the real oil from a variety of places and in a variety of forms (red, yellow, green, etc). While the natural oil is a beautiful complementary note, …
Once upon a time, Rose de Mai was the main rose absolute used in fine French fragrances. These days the price is prohibitive and the absolute is mainly available to big houses like Dior and Chanel. But all is not lost! You can make your own Rose de Mai. This is very much a wardia-type …
Brazilian Rosewood oil is becoming harder to purchase on the regular market these days due to scarcity. Typically perfumers these days will use synthetic linalool to fill the gap now left. But genuine Brazilian rosewood had qualities that you simply can’t get from linalool on its own. Those qualities come from trace elements of chemicals …
This is a very basic leather base that has been modified with the addition of a few interesting trace elements to add naturalness and interest. It was created in order to add a complex leather note to my L’Egoiste derived fragrance as opposed to a simpler leather based on just isobutyl quinoline.
The finest Jasmine in the world is Jasmin de Grasse, or French Jasmine Grandiflorum absolute. Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to get hold of because Patou and Chanel still purchase most of the French Jasmine for Chanel No 5 and Joy (and presumably 1,000 which is also still in production).
Neroli is one of the most expensive essential oils still in use in mainstream perfume. It is often now used in trace amounts but in the past it was used more heavily as perfume was more about luxury and less about mainstream marketing. This is a luxury Neroli oil replacer which really is excellent and …
