DIY Suppliers List

Suppliers of Perfumery Raw Materials (updated January 27, 2012):

This is an alphabetical list of some of the companies from which I have bought perfumery materials as well as a few others. My experience with all of the companies on this list with whom I've done business has been generally positive unless noted otherwise. When I first posted this list, these were all companies that sell to individuals who are not buying by the kg, but that seems to be changing. If you are looking for a specific ingredient that none of these sources carry, I suggest that you do a Google search for it.

Camden Grey Supplier of essential oils and other natural materials, fragrance oils, soapmaking supplies and such. They're on the East Coast, so I've never ordered from them, and therefore can't speak to the quality of their products. Nearly all of their products have a big disclaimer saying they can't ship by "air or ocean", so I assume that means no international shipping.

Eden Botanicals Supplier of essential oils, absolutes, resins, CO2 extracts, etc. in small or large sizes. Good selection, good quality, easy ordering system, no minimum order. Ship internationally.

Essential Oil University Supplier of essential oils, including a few items that are difficult to find elsewhere, but have changed their name to "The Perfumery" and now sell only to registered businesses, with a large yearly minimum purchase. The quality of their products is good, shipping costs are very reasonable, and some of their prices are competitive, but they are no longer accessible to the hobby perfume maker. However, if you previously had an account with them when they were EOU, you can still log in using that account info and will be grandfathered in at a lower yearly minimum purchase (still high for people who do not buy in bulk).

Liberty Natural Supplier of essential oils, absolutes, resins, CO2 extracts, etc. in small or large amounts. They have an excellent selection and their products seem to be of uniformly good to high quality. Their ordering system used to be cumbersome, but has recently been greatly improved. Minimum order is $50 in US, $100 internationally.

Mountain Rose Herbs Organic essential oils, bulk herbs, tea, spices, cosmetic ingredients. As far as I can see there is no minimum order. I have not ordered from them, so cannot vouch for them one way or the other. Ship internationally.

New Directions Aromatics Serves both USA and Canada. Supplier of essential oils, a few of which are hard to find elsewhere, fragrance oils, cosmetic-making supplies, a limited selection of aroma chemicals, packaging supplies, etc. Their ordering system is easy to use. No minimum order as far as I know. Feedback on this company is mixed at best, so extreme caution is advised. They are also located in the UK and Australia

Perfumers Apprentice Supplier of aroma chemicals and perfume bases as well as a few essential oils and other natural materials. Also carries a few basic supplies. This is an excellent place to obtain a wide variety of aroma chemicals in small amounts. Easy ordering system with no minimum order. Ship internationally. Outstanding customer service.

Scents of Earth Incense-making supplies including a good selection of solid resins, woods, seeds, etc. to use in making tinctures. Easy checkout, no minimum order. Ship internationally.

Save On Scents Supplier of perfumer's alcohol in small amounts and bulk, fragrance oils, soap-, candle-, and cosmetic-making supplies, packaging materials, etc. They appear to ship internationally, but warn that it may be expensive. I find their strategy of charging extra if you're not a "member" annoying. To become a member you have to order $60 worth of their fragrance oils, which I do not want to do. Their checkout is a little cumbersome, but not too bad once you get used to it.

The Good Scents Company Supplier of aroma chemicals and a few naturals, in small or large amounts. This is a good source, but the ordering system on their website is arcane and difficult to use. TGSC also has extensive information on aroma chemicals. Minimum order is $50. The website does not state whether they ship internationally.

White Lotus Aromatics First they discontinued all of the attars and other desirable products and for a while their website was down. They now appear to be back in business with a standard selection of essential oils, CO2 extracts, and absolutes. The attars and other unusual things are gone.

Bottles and vials:

Accessories for Fragrance Perfume bottles and vials. To me the prices seem high, but there is no minimum order. (NB: I have not ordered from them)

Best Bottles (aka Nemat) Perfume bottles and vials, singly or in larger quantities. They have a good selection of bottles and vials and excellent service, but I have had problems with their bulb atomizers. Check-out is easy, and prices are reasonable, but there is a minimum order of $50.

Pilotvials Perfume bottles and vials: Perfume bottles and vials, in small quantities. No minimum order as far as I know. (NB: I have not ordered from them)

Specialty Bottle: A good variety of Boston round and other types of storage bottles, sample vials, jars, candle jars, tins, aluminum bottles, etc. Their prices and shipping are reasonable, and their prices on bulk sample vials are the best I've found. They have no minimum order, and ship internationally. Good customer service.

Oliverandco, I'm hoping that someone in Europe will put together a sticky for that part of the world.

Yes, this one should go on the list, so maybe it can be added to the sticky. I seem to recall that their shipping is fairly expensive even in the US, but shipping internationally is a plus.

Thank you! I've added this info to the sticky.

I'm not sure what you mean by "true to scent". Are you looking for fragrance oils that smell like what they're supposed to (e.g., "rose" FO that actually smells like rose)? Hardly any of them do, no matter where you get them. Are you looking for fragrance oils that are the same from one batch to another? Good luck with that, too, although the chances are better. When you say "keep their scent", do you mean withstand the soapmaking process? Most FOs are designed to be used in soap, so you'll probably have reasonably good luck with that if you get the highest concentration available.

You might try Wellington, if you haven't already. I think they sell in bulk.

Probably because it's synthetic or cut with something else. If you investigate, it may be something like 10% neroli in jojoba oil, which won't work for perfume making. I think Wellington is OK if you want to buy fragrance oils for soap or body care products, but I don't think they're the best source for natural materials.

Real neroli is obtained from orange blossoms. It takes about 1000 kg of flowers to yield 1 kg of absolute. It's not like orange peel oil, where it only takes about 50 kg and is a by-product of the orange juice industry, or cedar, where it takes less than 25 kg of wood chips, that are by-products of the lumber industry. It takes about the same volume of flowers to make an absolute whether it comes from North Africa, India, or elsewhere. A lot of trees have to be dedicated to producing flowers, and a lot of flowers have to be picked and processed. You'll find that all flower absolutes are relatively expensive. If they're an order of magnitude cheaper from one source than others, you should be suspicious.

If you want to make a cheaper version of a commercial perfume, why not use a synthetic neroli?

I looked at the website too, and not only are the essential oils overpriced (as is usually the case with businesses of this type), the prices make no sense. 15 ml of Bergamot EO double the price of 15 ml of African Bluegrass EO? Something's wrong.