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Failing miserably

post #1 of 5
1/3/08 at 11:54pm
Thread Starter 
I have no idea what I'm doing wrong; but my fragrances seem to be too volatile.

Once I've created them - bam - perfect. I'll test them before I put them down to cure, and they're great! The evolution and drydown goes just as planned, but obviously a little strong on the alcool - they haven't cured yet, after all.

Then I leave it a few weeks... and it's like a whole new fragrance is coming out of the vial. Same basic... well, same SMELLS, but much much milder, and all the bang has gone out of it. It's almost as if I made a Mitsuoko, left it for two weeks, and it grew into toilet freshener! It just becomes so bland and inoffensive!

I don't mean that I want to create an offensive scent but I'm getting frustrated that my little symphonies are turning into elevator music. What am I doing wrong? I can't be over-diluting them (all final mixes are approx 35% perfume oil to 65% alcool max, usually closer to 20:80) and I'm using high-quality ingredients.

Help please?
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post #2 of 5
1/4/08 at 12:24am
  • db
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Sarahrarah,
I am just guessing here, but could it be that you are living in a very humid climate (according to your flag you are from Down Under) and the alcohol soaks up the humidity, thus dilluting the scent even more?

What kind of alcohol are you using?

// d
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post #3 of 5
1/4/08 at 4:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by db View Post

Sarahrarah,
I am just guessing here, but could it be that you are living in a very humid climate (according to your flag you are from Down Under) and the alcohol soaks up the humidity, thus dilluting the scent even more?

What kind of alcohol are you using?

// d

Humid is putting it mildly! It's the dead of summer here, averages about 41 celcius / 109 fahrenheit with about 70% humidity.

I hadn't even thought of the alcohol being affected by the humidity! (I'm using 95% grain alcohol).
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post #4 of 5
1/4/08 at 6:10am
What sort of blends are you making? I find that with straight floral blends, it tends to smell nice for the first few days, but after a few weeks they all start smelling the same.

Is it weak from smelling it straight from the bottle? Or the scent just doesn't last as long when you wear it? If it evaporates too quickly, you can try adding a few drops of benzoin tincture to the mix which makes the scent "stick" to your skin.

I feel your frustration as I'm trying to create something in the style of Incanto Charms. Mine's actually the other way around with the scent being too strong and sweet!
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post #5 of 5
1/5/08 at 1:11pm
Hi Sarah, I was wondering where you "cure" your perfumes? Do you protect them from the light and are your bottles completely airtight? They should be stored in a dark place where the temperature and humidity is going to stay pretty much the same. This is a crazy thought but have you ever thought about A) Burying the perfumes deep underground in airtight containers or B) placing them in an airtight water tight container and sinking them to the bottom of a lake or C) if you could get a heavy stoneware container that might be good. AFAIK a fridge is not a good place to cure the perfumes. Think cheese and wine curing and the cellars and stone food stores of long ago. The only way you will improve is to make mistakes, and then try something different. That's the key, if it doesn't work when you do it one way then try it another way.
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