How many ingredients on average are you using?

This is a general question. On the tutorials on the Perfumers apprentice there are approximate ingredient lists of some of the master perfumes. I have used these often to try and train myself to smell the mixtures to see what goes with what. If you haven't already found them then they are an invaluable tool for learning with.

The thing is, there are loads per perfume, and when I'm making mine I'm not using even half that amount. Also on the ingredient lists in the fragrance directory there are not that many things in them.

I would guess my mixes contain between 7 and up to 20 ingredients but most are at the lower end.

I would love to know what are you all doing in this respect for curiosities sake.

Thank you very much for that info. I shall have another go with that in mind. I just went out and tried on Hermes Terre and adored it, It smelt like the zest straight from an orange. I will have a go at something along those lines.

Without spoiling it yet by peeking at the ingredient list, I had in mind to use - bergamot, bitter orange, and there is something basing it like Vetiver with a softer touch there, maybe real sandalwood?

Now I shall peek!

No list, but basenotes reviews mentioning:- Cedar and citrus, neon Cedar, synthetic orange, woods and grapefruit, non synthetic citrus, super green

'Now smell this' says:- by Perfumer Jean Claude Ellena, 'The vegetable and mineral juice, made without animal by-products or musk, sparkles with orange (specifically formulated for Hermès by Albert Vieille) and grapefruit that blends with flint for a mineral note, and combines with pepper, bay rose, geranium, patchouli, benzoin and vetiver around the central note of Atlas cedar to enhance its Earthly tones. (via cosmeticnews)'
and 'So my description of the scent itself is sort of superfluous: it starts with citrus, sparkling and mildly sweet, and nothing like so sharp or high-pitched as Jardin Sur Le Nil. Then comes a whole rush of notes all at once: pepper (lots), cedar (ditto) and patchouli (thankfully subdued). Over the next hour, everything blends and softens and gets more indistinct. There is warm earth, and warm rocks, and wood, and a brief hint of greenery. After an hour or so, there is the suggestion of smoky-dusty gunpowder.'

Something quite fun as a masters challenge with not too many ingredients, although I bet a zillion times better quality than anything I possess .... We'll see!

Here is one I mean for example:- (Credit to perfumers apprentice, this is straight from their site)

Mitsouko (Guerlain 1919) (Louis Appell)

The purpose of this formula is for education and practice, and is a close approximation, but is not the production formula. For best results, use a gram scale of accuracy to .01. You can divide the formula by 100, which will produce approx. 10ml of concentrate, which could then be diluted in alcohol to 12% for cologne, 15-20% for parfum.

You can purchase a kit with the components needed for this blend.
Click here for Mitsouko Kit

Sweet orange - 10
Lemon - 20
Elemi - 2
Celery seed - 5
Chamomile, 10% - 5
Bergamot - 130
Tarragon 10% - 35
Coriander - 10
Lavender - 10
benzyl acetate - 50
linalyl acetate - 20
geranium oil - 10
Ylang Ylang - 10
Citral - 5
Jasmine absolute - 10
phenyl propyl alcohol - 5
Oak Moss - 70
Clove 30
Dimethyl Anthranilate - 2
Anisyl Acetate - 3
Benzoin 50% - 20
Castoreum tincture 10% - 5
Civet tincture 10% - 10
Labdanum resin - 10
Peru Balsam resin - 5
Rose absolute - 20
Methyl Ionone - 40
Costus 10% - 20
Ethyl Cinnamate - 10
patchouli - 10
vetiveryl - 20
coumarin - 50
hydroxy citronellal - 25
aldehyde C-14 10% - 20 Musk Xylene (or substitute with another musk) - 50 Vanillin - 20
DEP or IPM or DPG 200

That's 34/35 ingredients!

When I was decanting loads of perfumes for a fete, I put all the pipettes in a pot of water and the smell after decanting tons of them was completely amazing. Apparently I had made a mille fleur fragrance by default. Maybe I should try one drop of everything I have in one brew just to see what happens. Could be disgusting or fantastic....

I love that Irena. I love the passing down of traditions and skills. Are you willing to share one example?