The "Stages" of a Fragrance
You may wonder why Perfumes/Aftershaves always smell different after you've had them on a while. This is
because the Fragrance develops in 3 stages.
Top Note
The initial, lighter smell of the fragrance, which lasts for around 8-15 minutes.
Heart/Middle note
This remains constant throughout the use of the fragrance (hence the term heart note) and develops after
the top note.
Base note
This is the last to develop, and helps to fix the fragrance to the skin. This is where you will smell the woodier'
notes of the scent, which become more noticeable when the fragrance has been on the skin for a while.
Concentrations: Strengths and Value for Money
Fragrance products consist of a concentration of perfume oils in a solvent (usually alcohol). Of course Viridis
natural perfumes are made in jojoba. See below for sample recipes.
The amount of perfume oil in a fragrance dictates whether it is an Eau de Parfum, an Eau de Toilette, an Eau
de Cologne and so on. It also dictates how long a fragrance product will last on the skin and, of course, its
price!
To help explain the difference in strength, below are listed the types of fragrance products, their
concentrations and the average time it takes for the scent to evaporate.
Perfume
5%-30% concentration of perfume oil 6 - 8 hours
Eau de Parfum or EDP
8%-15% concentration of perfume oil 5 - 7 hours
Eau de Toilette or EDT
4%-8% concentration of perfume oil 4 - 6 hours
Eau de Cologne or EDC / Aftershave
3%-5% concentration of perfume oil 2 - 3 hours
A 30 ml bottle of Viridis Eau de Parfum will usually cost more than a 30 ml Viridis Eau de Toilette as it is
stronger.
Where perfumes are made with alcohol the more alcohol a product contains, the quicker its scent will
evaporate. Aftershave has the highest alcohol content.
Although an Eau de Toilette is cheaper, it is not necessarily more economical, as it will not last as long. EDT
is the most popular and affordable concentration available.
Fragrances should be kept away from heat and light. Storing fragrance in the fluctuating temperatures and
humidity of a bathroom will cause a scent to degrade rapidly.
Identical fragrances may smell differently and also last longer when applied to some peoples' skin than
others, this is because of the chemical make up and balance of our skin.
Fragrance Categories
The different types of fragrance are described by their scent and the ingredients that have been used to
make up a particular scent.
citrus The clean, tangy aroma of citrus fruits:lemons, mandarins, bergamot oranges and grapefruit.
green: The sharp green scent of crushed leaves and fresh-cut grass.
water: Soft sea breezes.
floral: The fresh-cut fragrance of flowers from a single rose to a rich bouquet.
soft floral: These soft, powdery floral aldehydes blend nature's flowers with the perfumers aldehydes.
floral oriental: The soft, spicy notes of orange flowers, sparkling aldehydes and sweet flowers.
floral oriental: Incense adds a sensual softness to heady flowers, spices and amber.
oriental: The hypnotic fragrances of oriental resins, night-blooming flowers, vanilla, musk.
woody oriental: Rich oriental notes blended with the potent wood scents of patchouli and sandalwood.
mossy woods: Perfumers call these forest notes of oakmoss, woods and citrus chypre fragrances.
dry woods Dry resins, cedar and tobacco make a mossy-woody fragrance drier, sometimes a little
smokey..
aromatic fougere: Sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods.
Spray
Sprays are considered the best way to apply a fragrance as you can spritz them all over. EDT and EDP are
always supplied as a spray.
Splash
Splash's are slightly more flexible a dispenser. For example, you may want to add a fragrance to the water in
your steam iron to add scent to your clothes. In this instance a splash bottle would be better. Aftershave is
always supplied in a splash bottle, as are most samples and vials.
Find out more
I find knowledge of perfume oils an excellent way of teaching aromatherapy chemistry as the students mind is
so focussed on the end product how to get there becomes interesting and memorable!
here is a useful resource
The Perfumers Workbook free download
go to your C: drive and create a new folder C:workbook, the download then proceeds smoothly
NATURAL PERFUME RECIPES
The following sample mixtures to guide your first steps into natural perfume making are all based on 0.33 fl oz
or 10ml of jojoba. The amounts given are in drops.
WOODY
15 cedarwood
5 sandalwood
5 rosewood or equivalent
2 lemongrass
SWEET
4 neroli
4 rose
4 rosewood or equivalent
4 cedarwood
SWEET, slightly aphrodisiac
4 jasmine
4 ylang
8 rosewood or equivalent
1 vanilla
4 neroli
REFRESHING, not aphrodisiac
10 bergamot
5 melissa
10 pettigrain
5 verbena
HEAVY, exotic, aphrodisiac
10 patchouli
8 frankincense
6 ylang
4 jasmine
STRONG manly, aphrodisiac
15 sandalwood
5 carrot seed
3 ylang
1 clove
APHRODISIAC
10 carrot seed
10 patchouli
5 ylang
5 cypress
Ref: Keller Aromatherapy Handbook pages 172-173
You may wonder why Perfumes/Aftershaves always smell different after you've had them on a while. This is
because the Fragrance develops in 3 stages.
Top Note
The initial, lighter smell of the fragrance, which lasts for around 8-15 minutes.
Heart/Middle note
This remains constant throughout the use of the fragrance (hence the term heart note) and develops after
the top note.
Base note
This is the last to develop, and helps to fix the fragrance to the skin. This is where you will smell the woodier'
notes of the scent, which become more noticeable when the fragrance has been on the skin for a while.
Concentrations: Strengths and Value for Money
Fragrance products consist of a concentration of perfume oils in a solvent (usually alcohol). Of course Viridis
natural perfumes are made in jojoba. See below for sample recipes.
The amount of perfume oil in a fragrance dictates whether it is an Eau de Parfum, an Eau de Toilette, an Eau
de Cologne and so on. It also dictates how long a fragrance product will last on the skin and, of course, its
price!
To help explain the difference in strength, below are listed the types of fragrance products, their
concentrations and the average time it takes for the scent to evaporate.
Perfume
5%-30% concentration of perfume oil 6 - 8 hours
Eau de Parfum or EDP
8%-15% concentration of perfume oil 5 - 7 hours
Eau de Toilette or EDT
4%-8% concentration of perfume oil 4 - 6 hours
Eau de Cologne or EDC / Aftershave
3%-5% concentration of perfume oil 2 - 3 hours
A 30 ml bottle of Viridis Eau de Parfum will usually cost more than a 30 ml Viridis Eau de Toilette as it is
stronger.
Where perfumes are made with alcohol the more alcohol a product contains, the quicker its scent will
evaporate. Aftershave has the highest alcohol content.
Although an Eau de Toilette is cheaper, it is not necessarily more economical, as it will not last as long. EDT
is the most popular and affordable concentration available.
Fragrances should be kept away from heat and light. Storing fragrance in the fluctuating temperatures and
humidity of a bathroom will cause a scent to degrade rapidly.
Identical fragrances may smell differently and also last longer when applied to some peoples' skin than
others, this is because of the chemical make up and balance of our skin.
Fragrance Categories
The different types of fragrance are described by their scent and the ingredients that have been used to
make up a particular scent.
citrus The clean, tangy aroma of citrus fruits:lemons, mandarins, bergamot oranges and grapefruit.
green: The sharp green scent of crushed leaves and fresh-cut grass.
water: Soft sea breezes.
floral: The fresh-cut fragrance of flowers from a single rose to a rich bouquet.
soft floral: These soft, powdery floral aldehydes blend nature's flowers with the perfumers aldehydes.
floral oriental: The soft, spicy notes of orange flowers, sparkling aldehydes and sweet flowers.
floral oriental: Incense adds a sensual softness to heady flowers, spices and amber.
oriental: The hypnotic fragrances of oriental resins, night-blooming flowers, vanilla, musk.
woody oriental: Rich oriental notes blended with the potent wood scents of patchouli and sandalwood.
mossy woods: Perfumers call these forest notes of oakmoss, woods and citrus chypre fragrances.
dry woods Dry resins, cedar and tobacco make a mossy-woody fragrance drier, sometimes a little
smokey..
aromatic fougere: Sexy cool-warm notes of citrus and lavender, sweet spices and oriental woods.
Spray
Sprays are considered the best way to apply a fragrance as you can spritz them all over. EDT and EDP are
always supplied as a spray.
Splash
Splash's are slightly more flexible a dispenser. For example, you may want to add a fragrance to the water in
your steam iron to add scent to your clothes. In this instance a splash bottle would be better. Aftershave is
always supplied in a splash bottle, as are most samples and vials.
Find out more
I find knowledge of perfume oils an excellent way of teaching aromatherapy chemistry as the students mind is
so focussed on the end product how to get there becomes interesting and memorable!
here is a useful resource
The Perfumers Workbook free download
go to your C: drive and create a new folder C:workbook, the download then proceeds smoothly
NATURAL PERFUME RECIPES
The following sample mixtures to guide your first steps into natural perfume making are all based on 0.33 fl oz
or 10ml of jojoba. The amounts given are in drops.
WOODY
15 cedarwood
5 sandalwood
5 rosewood or equivalent
2 lemongrass
SWEET
4 neroli
4 rose
4 rosewood or equivalent
4 cedarwood
SWEET, slightly aphrodisiac
4 jasmine
4 ylang
8 rosewood or equivalent
1 vanilla
4 neroli
REFRESHING, not aphrodisiac
10 bergamot
5 melissa
10 pettigrain
5 verbena
HEAVY, exotic, aphrodisiac
10 patchouli
8 frankincense
6 ylang
4 jasmine
STRONG manly, aphrodisiac
15 sandalwood
5 carrot seed
3 ylang
1 clove
APHRODISIAC
10 carrot seed
10 patchouli
5 ylang
5 cypress
Ref: Keller Aromatherapy Handbook pages 172-173
| WORLDWIDE EXPERTS IN AROMATHERAPY SINCE 1974 SHIRLEY PRICE AROMATHERAPY LTD ESSENTIA NATURALLY ORGANIC SKINCARE SHIRLEY PRICE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE OF AROMATHERAPY LOTHIAN HERBS (EDINBURGH) |
For our students information and to
ensure our customers choose the
optimum product to fulfil their needs, the
Sp staff have compiled this little guide to
the making and using natural perfume oils.
ensure our customers choose the
optimum product to fulfil their needs, the
Sp staff have compiled this little guide to
the making and using natural perfume oils.
| VIRIDIS Perfume Oil |
Shirley Price products
precious oils and blend retail price list
PRECIOUS OILS and
BLENDS IN JOJOBA , ideal as bases
for natural perfumes
PRECIOUS OILS £RRP ml
1170 Jasmine absolute (jasminum officinale) 33.52 3
1215 Melissa (melissa officinalis) 38.2 3
1235 Neroli (citrus aurantium var. amara) 43.68 3
1300 Rose absolute (Rose damascena) 49.04 3
1311 Rose otto (Rosa damascena) 66.84 3
1329 Sandalwood New Caledonia
(santalum austrocaledonicum) 43.18 3
PREMIUM OIL BLENDS IN JOJOBA
LB3 Jasmine 5% in jojoba 13.62 10
LB5 Melissa 5% in jojoba 8.44 10
LB7 Neroli 5% in jojoba 8.44 10
LB9 Rose Otto 5% in jojoba 7.62 10
LB10 Rose absolute 5% in jojoba 5.66 10
LB11 Sandalwood 5% in jojoba 6.06 10
LB14 Jasmine 25% in jojoba 33.52 10
LB15 Melissa 25% in jojoba 38.2 10
LB16 Neroli 25% in jojoba 43.68 10
LB17 Rose Otto 25% in jojoba 49.04 10
LB18 Rose absolute 25% in jojoba 66.84 10
LB18 Sandalwood 25% in jojoba 43.18 10
precious oils and blend retail price list
PRECIOUS OILS and
BLENDS IN JOJOBA , ideal as bases
for natural perfumes
PRECIOUS OILS £RRP ml
1170 Jasmine absolute (jasminum officinale) 33.52 3
1215 Melissa (melissa officinalis) 38.2 3
1235 Neroli (citrus aurantium var. amara) 43.68 3
1300 Rose absolute (Rose damascena) 49.04 3
1311 Rose otto (Rosa damascena) 66.84 3
1329 Sandalwood New Caledonia
(santalum austrocaledonicum) 43.18 3
PREMIUM OIL BLENDS IN JOJOBA
LB3 Jasmine 5% in jojoba 13.62 10
LB5 Melissa 5% in jojoba 8.44 10
LB7 Neroli 5% in jojoba 8.44 10
LB9 Rose Otto 5% in jojoba 7.62 10
LB10 Rose absolute 5% in jojoba 5.66 10
LB11 Sandalwood 5% in jojoba 6.06 10
LB14 Jasmine 25% in jojoba 33.52 10
LB15 Melissa 25% in jojoba 38.2 10
LB16 Neroli 25% in jojoba 43.68 10
LB17 Rose Otto 25% in jojoba 49.04 10
LB18 Rose absolute 25% in jojoba 66.84 10
LB18 Sandalwood 25% in jojoba 43.18 10
