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Where can I smell 500 fragrances (in the US)?
If there is one area that I have disappointed myself….it is finding that perfect fragrance for my lotions. Yes…I have a couple I am happy with…and a couple I tolerate….but NONE that BLOWS ME AWAY.
Problem is…every single one….is rated 4.5 to 5 stars…. and somebody says it is the best fragrance in the world. In reality, most are about 1 star in my olfactory opinion.
I think the only way I can find the silver bullet I am looking for, is to go to a trade show where all the fragrance people attend (exhibit), and smell fragrances until my nose finds that perfect product.As it stands….I have something like 50 tiny bottles….taking up way too much of my bench.
Can anyone recommend a trade show….or even any type of gathering…where the fragrance folks show up in mass?
Thank You.
And just for fun….if you read this…tell my your favorite fragrance, and where you get it.
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6 Replies
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This is an interesting post.
Are you looking to make your own fragrance or purchase finished fragrances?
I think this is a WHOLE different world parallel to cosmetics. Perfumers dedicate full-time to fragrance creation. Each fragrance having 50+ individual compounds, some of which would make us wanna throw up on their own but really enhance other compounds when combined.
If you just want to purchase a finished fragrance why not work with a perfumer lab? you can create your own signature scent with the help of an expert in the field.I was doing research about scents myself because I wanted to create blends of essential oils (trying to avoid synthetics) and realized it’s a completely different profession where only practice makes perfect. Chemistry is just a foundation to know which compounds not to mix together or what to avoid for certain applications, but when it comes to the scent itself the technical knowledge does not help. Only years of experience and understanding of all the compounds available.
I think the Fragrance Pyramid is a great resource and http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/search2.html to get the “tech specs” and good pairings for certain oils and compounds. But it’s all trial and error from there.
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letsalcido said:Are you looking to make your own fragrance or purchase finished fragrances?Well….a little of each…hehehe. I have about a dozen EO’s…all of which were selected of their perceived ability to repel mosquitos. With those 12….I have not really been able to create an amazing combo…that being said…. Lavender EO is one of my better selling fragrances. However, the finished mosquito lotion, with those 12 EO’s plus Vanillin, has people going crazy (in a good way).
I just placed an order with NDA…ordering some EO’s….possibly not known for repelling mosquitos…that I will experiment with…either by themselves, or in combination. So maybe I can make something with those…as I will add some citrus type scents, and some herbals. (Thank you for the link).But Mainly….I was buying fragrances…and not having much luck.
Hey….you did not enter the ‘just for fun’ category….of what are some of your favorite scents.
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@Graillotion my first impression is that there is a “small” set of compounds that repel mosquitos and it’s possible that such compounds cause all those EO you own to have similar smells (close levels in the pyramid), like citronella and lemongrass which are commonly used mosquito repellents they have similar smells probably resulting from their overlapping compounds (geraniol, geranyl acetate, contronellal, limonene…).
So, it will be really hard to formulate a balanced fragrance with just mosquito repellent essential oils, because they’re likely a similar set of compounds at different concentrations each. Can always modify the concentrations of each compound to change the character of the fragrance: add sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, etc to increase lemonene concetration and give a more citrus, light character, or geranium for a more floral scent that simply ups the already present geraniol and geranyl acetate.
I think looking up what are the constituents of each of the essential oils can help figure out which ones to pair. You probably want a couple compounds that overlap (indicating similar notes) that can “connect” different oils.I’m no perfumer, but this is what I would do.
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letsalcido said:@Graillotion my first impression is that there is a “small” set of compounds that repel mosquitos and it’s possible that such compounds cause all those EO you own to have similar smells (close levels in the pyramid), like citronella and lemongrass which are commonly used mosquito repellents they have similar smells probably resulting from their overlapping compounds (geraniol, geranyl acetate, contronellal, limonene…).
I think I was not clear….My mosquito lotion is heavenly….in fact I have shared samples with my vendors, and now risk bodily harm when they see me, and I do not have a finished product.
My unhappiness with fragrances….had to do with my regular (non-mosquito) hand and/or body lotion.
However…you are spot on…..in that many of the EO’s thought to repel….share a component in common that is doing the work. I am a anal perfectionist….so I have spent countless hours looking at the guts of the EO’s I use…and have been careful to try and reduce redundancy in what I think is the active in each EO. I read something interesting the other day….and in summary it said…plants that are able to repel insect invaders….typically do so with several compounds at low levels… vs …. one compound at a high level. In other words… a synergy of compounds works better than just one strong compound (in the context of natural repellency).The real challenge in that project…was finding the right fixative/s. The traditional fragrance fixatives…were essentially worthless, so had to work slightly outside the box. (Hehehe….and don’t even get me started of getting rid of the oxidation when including high amounts of Vanillin.)
Thank You for your thoughts.
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Don’t think for a moment, that I was not scouring the gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis charts on the citrus EO’s I was looking to add…and seeing which had the highest levels of Nootkatone, and it’s precursors! I am always looking to kill two birds with one stone.
When I tried to formulate a fragrance with EO’s, I was unsuccessful. When I let repellency drive the formula, I ended up with something wonderful…hence part of the frustration!
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@Graillotion my limited knowledge ends here, then haha. I hope you can find that perfect scent for your other lotion!
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