Appell Rose Base

Louis Appell has some amazing formulae and bases in his book The Formulation and Preparation of Cosmetics Fragrances and Flavors and one in particular is a real favorite of mine. He calls it “Rose W” and has this to say about rose bases in general: “Absolutes of rose [around $4,000 per kg] and jasmine are particularly important.

“Either alone or combined they impart strength and quality to any well-blended perfume, cost being the only factor that limits their use. When substitutes must be considered, foremost among these are Firmenich’s Wardia [$1,030 per kg] and Jasmine 1974. If cost is still too high, Rose W and Jasmin Flower 100 should be tried.”

Rose W is a very beautiful vintage scented rose base. Unlike the modern bases such as dorinia, the focus is on the scent of old fashioned roses and not special effects such as dew drops. Dorinia is far too heavy for many older type fragrances though it is beautiful and well suited to modern fragrances in which it can stand alone (one example of this is Rossy de Palma Eau de Protection by Etat Libre d`Orange which smells to me like it has a very high dose).

Presented here are two formulae – the first is Appell’s Rose Base 30 which forms the basis of Rose W. I have made some minor additions to both accords to take advantage of some chemicals that were not in common use when Appell wrote the book – mostly for naturalness and richness. The end result is a beautiful vintage rose that sits well in pretty much any vintage formula. It is a lot of work but well worth the effort in the end. And the best part is that the total cost of this accord (using as many naturals as possible) is around $600 per kilo—and even less if you opt to use synthetic versions of the perfume chemicals.

Rose Base 30 Formula

You should make this base up at least a week before proceeding with the vintage rose base – in order to give the ingredients time to meld together and soften.

Vintage Rose Base Formula

You can omit the use of rose otto, rose absolute, and orris root and still have a perfectly wonderful rose base. They are included for naturalness and luxury. Removing them will considerably lower the cost of the final product.