“Every city, let me teach you, has its own smell.” So said E. M. Forster in A Room With A View. As a hobbyist perfumer I am fascinated by smell—particularly the smells of history. It was a precious and rare vial of the 1905 perfume, L’Origan, that decided me on the hobby. I openened the box in which it had been delivered and was immediately enveloped in the scent that led one newspaper reporter to exclaim: “All Paris smells of...
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Good Thing is that i got Appells book
Cant wait to try it Out!
I’m going to post the formulas from his book for the bases here too – and I’ll give a bit of a brief on their uses. Coty is one of my all time favorite perfumers.
Please! That would be fantastic. I have been trying to get a copy of the book but can only seem to see ones for sale around 1500 bucks -_-
It’s a brilliant book – keep an eye out and it will come up for cheaper eventually.
You can get it here: https://micellepress.co.uk/Fpcff1.html
They first published it and still sell it for 50 Bucks (UK Pounds)
Thanks! I’ll definitely grab a copy! <3
I was actually able to find all the Appel bases on TGSC. I can link them here if you like.
Feel free – I will be posting them on here at a later date as well because I have made changes to them for my own use and because it will let me explain what they were meant to replace and how those bases were originally used.
So, I have never smelled the original L’Origan , but if it smells like this, then it is absolutely incredible. I just mixed this up and let it sit for about 5 hours so far and decided to mix up a small sample. Even without having set for a few days it is so fresh and complex, like a whirlwind of so many different things all presenting themselves in tandem. This is LOVELY Jamie, thanks so much for sharing! …. just wow… cant stop.. sniffing this.
It’s awesome right? Wait until it rests for a month – the castoreum melts down into it so beautifully.
I will mix this one later this day.
What do you think about using tonka bean ‘extract’ instead of coumarin because your comment says tonka bean?
I got this but i dont know at what % it is.
It is said to be an alcohol extract.
It smells really nice with a bit of a salty caramel note, atleast i think it smells like that
Coumarin is the chemical that gives Tonka bean its smell. You would need to use a huge amount of Tonka bean – at least the full 35grams to get the same effect as 35g of coumarin. That would be prohibitively expensive these days but definitely not unheard of in days gone by. On the other hand, Tonka absolute has more than just coumarin in it and you could definitely add a little to make the coumarin note more complex and beautiful. Adding Tonka bean absolute would definitely enhance the formula. If you don’t own coumarin you need to buy some.… Read more »
I got coumarin, vanillin and Heliotropex N, its a Heliotropin replacer by IFF
Ah – I am not familiar with heliotropex N though I know real piperonal can be difficult for some people to acquire due to import regulations.
Oh my! Got me lower guard here. Just your favorite!
Nice formula and great determination persuading such achieve. I know how it cost to pay the due respect to the greats.
It’s a honor learn it from here.
Cheers from T.O.
If you make this formula up you’ll understand why it’s my favorite 🙂
I haven’t been able to get my hands on appell’s book, but i found the bouvardia and ambreine formulas online thankfully! For the opoponax doux, do you know of any chem or base available now that would be a suitable substitute? Or is it a rather complex base like the ambrene 50? Thank you!
Just one other question, would ambrettolide make a suitable substitute for musk ambrette?
Not at all. There is no true substitute for musk ambrette. Ambrettolide is the musk from ambrette seed (mostly sold as a synthetic product but the natural oil does exist at an insanely high price). Musk ambrette is a nitro musk that is totally banned. I use it a lot in perfumes I wear myself – I love the stuff and it really has no true replacer. However, you can buy Ambrettex XNM from CreatingPerfume which is an attempt to make a replacer. It isn’t up to the same standard by a long shot but it isn’t the worst option.… Read more »
I don’t know of any commercial bases you can buy right now – Auram makes the original but the cost is prohibitive as they have MOQs that are high. I am considering putting my own on here for sale in the future – along with some other bases from the past that are updated to my tastes and with the addition of new chemicals to enhance the naturals that didn’t exist back in the old days. There is opoponax oil (an essential oil) – but that is not a substitute here. Opoponax base wasn’t related to opoponax oil except perhaps… Read more »
Oh I see, I’ll have to try it out with extra musk ketone as I am eager to smell this (: And that would be amazing, I would definitely purchase them as I’m sure your versions are delightful! Thank you for the quick and thorough reply!
you’re most welcome 🙂
Is it possible to use Rosa Damascena absolute instead of Rose Otto base?
You definitely could yes – it will be a little softer but it would definitely work and be beautiful.