how do you build a perfume?
About the magical process of perfume creation
Written by GlenN lauritz andersson & denis vasilije, fragrance experts
Have you ever wondered how a fragrance is created from scratch?
Why is alcohol used? What are the different substances actually made of, and how are they blended? Let’s take a closer look at the creative yet demanding process behind your favorite perfume.
Summary
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Creating a perfume is a creative process where fragrance ingredients are carefully blended in alcohol to achieve the right balance between notes.
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The process requires experimentation with top, heart, and base notes, along with repeated testing and adjustments.
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After blending, the perfume is aged and evaluated before filtration and final bottling.
The craft of fragrance creation dates back to ancient times, when Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans experimented with perfumed oils and skin creams – practices that later spread throughout the Middle East. The Arabic art of developing perfume oils was then carried across trade routes to Europe. During the Middle Ages, perfumed oils as well as aromatic spices and plants were also used for medicinal purposes, as they were believed to protect against disease.
In Europe, Italy is often regarded as the birthplace of modern perfumery. If you have seen the film Perfume, you may have gained insight into the working process that – albeit with dramatic elements – reflects the core principles of contemporary perfume production: namely, to dissolve various aromatic materials in alcohol. Some, however, argue that the 14th-century Hungarian “Queen’s Water” – the predecessor of classic eau de cologne – where spices such as rosemary were heated and distilled in wine, is the earliest known example.
In short, perfume creation involves extracting aromatic compounds from flowers, spices, animal fats, woods, and more by dissolving them in alcohol and water, blending them into the right proportions, then filtering and aging the mixture. The goal is to create a fragrance with the proper balance between notes, a distinct character, and the desired memories and associations envisioned by the perfumer. It is, without question, a deeply personal and artistic craft.
the ingredients
The fundamental components of a perfume consist of essential oils derived from fruits, spices, plants, wood resins, wax-like animal substances, and more, extracted with the help of alcohol. Essential oils are far too potent to be used entirely in their pure form.
The concentration is chosen depending on whether one wants to create a cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, parfum, or extrait, the latter being the highest concentration. Many fragrances – such as the exceptionally pure compositions from Profumum Roma – contain an unusually high percentage of fragrance oils relative to the solvent (around 43 percent).
Sometimes even fully synthetic notes can deliver extremely powerful perfumes if the formula is strong enough, as seen with Nasomatto and Orto Parisi, since synthetic materials can sit on the skin like a seal. However, this typically requires a different level of composition than the synthetic “commercial scents” found on designer shelves.
When constructing a perfume, one works from the three main groups that structure a fragrance:
Top Notes: citrus, fruits, petit grain, certain spices, or florals. These are often volatile and introduce the scent before fading to make way for
Heart Notes: the core of the fragrance that defines its primary expression. Floral notes often serve as building blocks here – they may not always be obvious, but they are present. Spicy and peppery elements can also appear, along with sweet notes such as vanilla and tonka bean, or green notes like vetiver, rosemary, and juniper.
Base Notes: the foundation of the fragrance and the deeper notes that linger the longest. These often include heavier ingredients such as amber, oud, various woods, leather, incense, and more. Many of these can also appear in the upper layers, depending on the desired emphasis.
It is also common to add synthetic ingredients, created in laboratories – for example, as substitutes for costly oud oil from agarwood or ambergris, which frequently appears in base notes but is rarely used in its natural form due to economic or practical reasons. The same applies to musk, whose natural origin from the musk deer is rarely embraced by Western manufacturers. Amber is one of several synthetically created notes designed to provide depth and warmth.
There are also pre-blended combinations of fragrance oils, known as extraits or “extracts,” which are handled in the same way as single notes.
the process
The perfume is built gradually by dripping the various fragrance oils or extracts into the alcohol solution. It can be a creative puzzle to find the right balance and olfactory character. Which note should belong to which layer in the pyramid, and in what proportion relative to the others? One adds the correct number of drops, smells, records, repeats, and continues testing until the desired balance is achieved.
Afterwards, the finished blend is aged for a certain period until it develops the right character. A perfume bottled too early may smell overly alcoholic, which is why a maturation process is necessary. During aging, the perfumer evaluates the result to determine when it is ready for bottling. Think of winemaking – the principle is very similar. The aging period can vary from 48 hours up to a month. The mixture is then filtered with water and possibly supplemented with glycerin.
Finally, it is poured into an elegant bottle and fitted with a refined label.
It may sound simple, but creating a fragrance that is truly worth wearing requires artistic sensibility, creativity, and extensive knowledge and experience. To evoke a deeply personal response – even goosebumps – demands even more. Keep this in mind next time you enjoy your favorite scent: building a perfume is an art form as complex and delicate as any other, often the result of the perfumer’s sweat, tears, and relentless dedication.