Bertrand Duchafour is my favourite living perfumer and in particular I love his Or Du Serail for Naomi Goodsir. One weekend I was bored and decided to play around with a bunch of formulas and see if I could make something as sweet and beautiful as the opening of this brilliant scent. I was somewhat successful and while I have not spent any time editing this formula, I thought it might be fun to publish something that is a work-in-progress.
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Hi Jamie, a very interesting start! I didn’t have a bunch of the things you’ve listed but also experimented by adding alternatives. It needs time to settle but the initial is fantastic honey, sweet, fruity perfume which is not the thing you might find in your average store. I added a bit of iso-butylphenylacetate, nectarste, methyl Laitone, cognac absolute, and amber 83. Trying not to make it too sweet but it balances very well with the juicy fruits of the berries, the manzanste, and the raspberry Keton.
It’s hard to not make it sweet – it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever made I think 🙂 You’ve definitely made some really nice choices.
Hello,
I used all ingredients but added zenolide, a berry top note musk, some rum co2, beeswax absolute, tobacco blond absolute, used less oakwood, more mate abs, some gamma octalactone, half vanillin half vanilla absolute, and some cedarwood virginia. Interesting, thanks
Oh Nice musk choice! you have a lot of materials I really love to use – beeswax, tobacco blond, etc.
Hi Jamie, Can’t wait to mix this one! I have a few ingredients that I have to buy. I am going to receive Mango Ginger from Hermitage oils and I am applying this one to the mix, according to Hermitage oils: The mouth-watering, piquant top has delicious notes of pine resin, camphor, vanilla, and shimmering ginger. This develops into a fully resinous, coniferous heart cradled by the juicy, macerated flesh of champagne mangoes and pleasantly sweet brown sugar. The dry down reveals tropical fruits encased in amber; deep, dark, delicious, fibrous. One may also detect notes of warm opoponax and… Read more »
Oh that mango ginger sounds a real delight! I can’t imagine it being anything but great in this fragrance. In fact, a bold ginger note would take this in a new direction and really add to it I think – so you could consider supplementing the mango ginger with some fresh ginger EO too maybe.
Is’n’t that oakwood fascinating? Just be careful – it contains a touch of water I believe and can very easily cause a formula to louche.
Hi Jamie, I’m a sucker for honey based fragrances and I really love Honey Signature. Any substitution for Oakwood CO2? I read that material contains high water content (61-69%)!
ooh that’s a tough one! It adds quite a distinctive note (and yes it does have high water content). I’d suggest maybe if you leave it out pick another woody note and use a material that suits it – plus add a touch of another boozy type chemical – rum or brandy.
Thank you for timely response and apologies for such a long time I took to ask a follow-up question. Could you kindly make suggestions for ‘boozy type chemical’ and a suitable woody note to go along with it?
It would probably pay to do a bit of research on some of the supplier sites like perfumerSupplyHouse as there are so many options.
Will Oakwood Absolute and a touch of Rum ether work?
Definitely! You can play around quite a bit with this formula.
Hi Jimie, 1. Is there any difference between Ambrox DL by Firmenich, Cetalox by Firmenich and Ambroxan? Isn’t Ambrox Super just 2 ingredients: Cetalox and Amborxan mixed together? What can I use instead of Ambrox Super? 2. What can I use instead of Labdanum Resin 50%? Could It be Labdanum Clear Absolute – Spain? 3. What type of Wild Orange can I use? Can I use something instead of it – Bitter Orange maybe? 4. What Mango Flavor do you recommend, where from? 5. Can I use Dextramber instead of Norlimbanol Dextro? 6. I have found Honey Signature by Firmenich at PellWall. It is kind expensive…is… Read more »
1. Ambrox super is the best quality of Ambrox. Cetalox is more woody. Ambrox super is not two ingredients mixed – it is a refined ambrox. 2. Labdanum absolute would be fine also – but use it at 50% 3. Wild orange is like sweet orange – but you could use bitter orange – you’ll need to experiment. 4. Perfumers Apprentice makes a good one – you could leave it out entirely if you want. 5. I haven’t used it but yes you could. Norlimbanol dextro is the very best of this chemical. Your substitute is like switching cage chicken… Read more »
Thanks for reply! It’s helpful for me. Are you going to share one time what improvements did you make? I’m really curious about it. 😀
It was a slew of changes over time – too numerous to list one by one.
Piggybacking off the other commenter: would the Robertet Mate NHS be an adequate replacement for mate EO or abs?
Also, interested in what other materials, even more expensive, could replace Honey Sig. I do plan to use that there and have a relative boatload of it (and fully adore it), but also always on the lookout for more honey-influence materials.
Thank you!
The Robertet product would be a good substitute. Robertet is awesome – I love their stuff (except their nasty civet product). To replace the honey sig I’d recommend something like a light touch of Miel Oliffac by IFF – it’s a beautiful honey based (from my guess) on aurantiol. You’d probably want a touch less than the honey signature though as it is quite powerful (deceptively so). You can also still buy Miel blanc from symrise (an old de laire base) but that is a more acidic, technical, and sharp honey (based around phenyl acetic acid I presume) while Miel… Read more »
Just got Honey Signature and Oakwood CO2 from PSH.
Both things are extremely nice.
Im looking forward in trying this out
Two brilliant materials right? I adore both.