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I've tried it. Short answer is it is not for the light hearted. Difficult, expensive and requires skill and experience. Fun though. I had better luck with making absolutes and tinctures using...

Atlas Cedar always smells urinous to me, I'm sure it would help in your efforts.

Sure sounds nice from the description, but i had not even heard of it before... I hope we get an answer from someone.

I am stuck in New Delhi for the weekend (and I mean stuck, I would really rather not be here, the air pollution here is absolutely unbelievable and is making me sick). Anyway, to pass the time I...

Sounds very interesting. I looked on PA's website and did not see it (maybe I did not look hard enough?) are you buying direct from John Steele somehow?

I don't know its any use in a base reconstruction but I did buy some "reseda body" from proxisante which I have been using in an herbal tobacco accord. Since I have not smelled the actual absolute I...

I guess I think it is unnecessary, or worse, will alter the accords in your perfume. If I want benzoin in my formula I put it in the formula. I think Luigi's point is the main one -- but even then I...

Sorry but could either of you explain why "pre-fixing" is necessary (and what it is?)

Not sure what you are trying to do vazhuar, copy the baby cologne you smelled or rather copy the smell of a baby? The latter has had some discussion in this forum although I don't recall when and...

These are some exotic ingredients indeed Graphite, very interesting. I am having to look many of them up as I have never heard of them.

That's wonderful PERFUMKEV, welcome. I really hope you stick around. We have at least two professionally trained perfumers in the group that I know of, David and Irena and at least two self-trained...

jfrater how does your benzyl acetate natural compare to the synthetic one? can you tell a difference? Is it worth the price and trouble?

I just want to say welcome to PERFUMKEV. We are extremely lucky to have a few professional perfumers here, from whom we learn tons, but the large majority of us are amateurs and so I hope you stick...

I believe it is likely to be acetophenone

I don't have any to smell either right now, but I did this a while back and to me it's all about the heliotropin.

On civet: I did quite a bit of research on this a while back and I wanted to purchase some directly from Ethiopia. I was fortunate to have a colleague who worked there at the time and who had the...

Thanks for this report, very encouraging. I have ordered some too, but have not yet received it.

I have found, assuming they have it in stock and it is in fact real, Flouve absolute: http://store.labo-hevea.com/A00171/anthoxanthum_odoratum_sweet_vernal_grass

Anybody have experience buying...

This is also where I bought mine and it was of a high quality. I don't know if he is still doing it, but worth a try.

It's Payan Bertrand, but I don't think they sell to individuals... Proxi sante buys from them, and he claims he made an inquiry but so far nothing...

Of course I'm obsessing. Obsessing about ingredients is about 90% of what I do in this business.... and you're right, I probably should just bite the bullet and get the EO...

Yes, and since I think I want the abs, not quite ready to spend that much just to smell it...

yes I think is "same-same, but different"... it's the "but different" part that interests me. Maybe David can shed light?

Thanks Paul -- well until I've actually smelled it, not much -- like 20-30 grams I suppose, thus my need for retail quants...

I am trying to source Flouve absolute, does anyone know where it can be had retail? Perfumerssearch came up with nothing (Payan Bertrand make it and some MD versions, but will not sell small quants)....

Well no, you don't need water in it, period. And you also probably don't need DPG. If you like the civet smell keep it, but you probably don't need that either. Just your FO and ethanol should do...

Sasori you are winning points though, by not insisting on adding water :)

How much do you want? I could probably spare a few grams.

You might also want to check this out: Molecular distillation of leather: http://www.proxisante.com/fr/specialites/768-cuir-distillation-moleculaire.html I have some but I have not yet diluted it....

Boye look carefully through the various threads on DIY, a lot of discussion on leather has happened and that is a good place to start. Also, I think "blond" leather is more than likely just a...

I don't want to fan the flames here but I think on this board we are often faced with folks in the throws of the "Dunning–Kruger effect" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)...

It's all good Jacinta, it just gave me a bit of a chuckle... :)

The other one that is amazing is the bigardier heart; it is almost a perfume in itself.

Well Jacinta I can imagine what was going through your mind: you're saying to yourself "I only get to make one first post at basenotes ever, so I think I'll go for thanking someone for a post about...

I can confirm the cedrat heart is a gem, I have some from Proxisante and I love it.

I can send you a small sample too Chris (I mean small, because they didn't send much) if you are interested, let me know by PM.

I finally received the sample of this musk. Bill, PM me your address and I'll see you get a sample. My impressions: a pleasant warm round sweet animalic musk that reminds me of Musk R1 if you have...

I think one drop of violet leaf abs will be way too much. Dilute it down to 10% and then add one drop at a time. Too much and it smells fishy.

My sample from Takasago was not delivered because the courier did not like my small village address (no house number) and so I will get it this weekend. I shall report my impressions and send a...

"I would imagine these roots take longer than normal tinctures. Did you grate or powder yours first?"


Actually at the time I had my gardener pound it into powder (in Burma). I still have a bag...

I have some spikenard tincture somewhere if anyone is interested in a sample. From the Burmese Himalayas. The tincture has a more rootbeer smell than the absolute (which smells like feet)

I believe spikenard is referred to as "musk root" in some publications. This may be what you are looking for. To me it smells like feet and not musk.

Well you may well wish to challenge him on it, as it would be the only legitimate violet flower or honeysuckle (or tobacco flower) in existence as far as I know, if it is indeed true... but he does...

Hermitage now has its Italian webshop open. I know there was some discussion on the DIY board about how hard it is to ship into Italy, so I thought this would be of interest. He is also going to be...

It's 195 Euros a Kg plus VAT (20%) minimum order 500 Euros.

I wrote to my contact at Takasago France to see if she will give a price and a sample.

Now THAT's funny!

Not sure why you are posting here in DIY since you never have before. If it's just to post a lame joke about killing men, you can keep it to yourself. What if the genders were reversed? Would you...

Wow. You are indeed blessed. So what does it smell like?

250g would be a reasonable sized steak and I assume it is lighter than beef.

Be sure to send us pictures!

The above advice is good. Diluting will help you avoid wasting money as you experiment to try to get your formula back, and using weights will ensure you don't lose it again. I think you should look...

Have you looked at the supplier sticky? Hermitage still has some although he is apparently phasing out ACs. The German suppliers Omikron et al should be able to help you too. Proxisante does not have...

Welcome Enrico, and don't worry about your English!

I just found out Proxisante will be getting Reseda body at the end of January. (They also now have Clearwood and something called "Leather, molecular distillation")

Mine would be:

Amyl or Iso amyl salycilate (and other salycilates -- I love what they do as blenders)

Patchouli (can't say more than anyone else on this one, but where would we be without it?)...

There are two or three on this board who can help you. Still, it seems a bit odd to me you would post here in a DIY forum rather than contacting a known company that does such things. Or maybe you...

This is an amazing forum; I love how you can get answers to the most obscure and interesting questions in just hours.

Javiero to me the scent of playdough is exactly the scent of straight up heliotropin. Not sure what the scent of Plasticine is though. My wife used to have a perfume based on heliotropin (heliotrope...

Thanks to both of you, fascinating stuff. It's like "the secret life of dogs" for you, and I admit a bit of jealousy. I can pick out quite a few things now, and a lot more than what a complete...

I have done so from the very first day he posted. The name says it all and I for one in not interested by that. And as Danielle points out, the best way to deal with it is not censorship, but just...

Could be it is my maltol that is adulterated!

I have never had a problem with maltol in ethanol -- I don't know what the highest percentage I have dissolved it at was, but I know it works at 10%. If not then just try some IPM.

The latter, how a trained person experiences scent. How it changes your perception and way of enjoying scent. And everything else I said above... In the title, I realize it could be confusing: I mean...

While I am in a posting mood I thought I would ask a question I have been meaning to ask for some time. This is specifically directed at those here with formal, or very good informal training. Thus...

I have always had a sneaking suspicion that the key to a great accord is contrast, and perhaps even a bit of discord, in the musical sense, in order to make it pop out. And in a way the sweetness I...

I have Ebanol, and I love it, but it does give that je ne sais quoi of overarching sweetness, at least in any of the accords I have used it in.

Not sure if you were replying to me -- if so I am referring to the whole thread on sweetness in male scents, and the fact there have been so few AC suggestions, or at least fewer than I expected...

I am fascinated by all the replies, thanks to everyone. What surprises me the most is the overwhelming majority of suggestions have been naturals; I somehow assumed there was a whole roster of ACs...

Graphite I am interested in your Thuja. Mine is rather dominated by I guess what is called terpenes, and not what I would think of as sweet.

I am out of tonka abs... Grrr. need to get some more -- Lav abs I have used, but not with this specific purpose -- will try it.

Fir balsam is a good one, I think I have been overdosing it though as I always seem to make it dominate -- let me try it in traces. Otherwise all the above save Rosone I have tried and indeed...

I agree getting the combo right is key, but its not for lack of trying! Vanilla or even vanillin does work but it gives for me a very specific kind of sweetness that I associate with an oriental (and...

Thanks David , Cistus and Davana I have not used too heavily, let me try it, thanks. Orange flower and related I have used as well as of course various citruses in the top but this is still not "it",...

In the men's fragrances I work on I like what is dark and I like dry. So I have worked on dark dry accords, for a long time. I buy dark dry materials etc. (I also buy others, because I want to have...

I think there was some discussion of it in the past, although it may be in the dark vault. I have both white and green and I recall them smelling pretty distinctly of vomit. That was the consensus of...

Did you try heating (gently)? Otherwise you may need ipm or another solvent.

Bo Jensen confirms this and also has a nice discussion of possible substitute/similar-smelling chemicals: "Minor components like dihydrocoumarin (with a sweet-herbal odor), 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural...

Thanks I will be ordering today! For everyone's eduction, how does it smell compared to the regular Hydroxycitronellal?

Paul proxisante carries it in small quantities and it is not expensive.

I think geranium (or geraniol) may be involved.

Read the stickies before you do anything. FOs will likely not replicate anything close to this formula and using all naturals for this will be very pricey and probably a waste; unless you are...

As long as you don't eat the bitter almond oil (but good luck finding any) you'll be alright (cyanide). It won't smell anything like lily of the valley though, I've tried it.

I have lived there for two years and in SE Asia for 10 and we went there regularly. Definitely lemon grass and don't forget frangipani. Also for lime I would use kaffir lime. And galangal instead of...

Thanks David yes, I have both, the amyl version seems a little "rounder" to me, but they are indeed quite similar




Chris it is indeed a discontinued fragrance and I am doing both because I...

Chrestomanthic you have some very nice, generous and very experienced people here giving you good advice, advice you asked for. You would do well to heed it, but of course you can do whatever you...

The isomerization issue is interesting; for example there seems to be a lot of isoamyl salycilate in it, but your comment makes me think perhaps this could have been originally plain old Amyl...

An intriguing idea, which would make sense given what I am smelling, but sadly no methyl anthrilate listed. Is it possible the GMCS missed it?

I think this is telling. When institutions have to be responsive to their customers and care about them, they make attractive, easy to use websites (among other things). When they have unbridled or...

agree .5% of C-8 is a heck of a lot, especially for me as I really don't like the smell of the aldehydes.

Well I am pretty patient, I've been working on this for more than 2 years, and up to formula number 22 (version 6). But I admit I have only had the c-8 for 9 months.

I agree it is possible with...

so if I put in a dehydrating agent and kept it warm do you think that would do the trick, at least minimally?

I would love to work out a way to just buy them but I don't see how. I just really...

I have written about this in the past and David confirmed one can encourage acetal formation by diluting in ethanol and waiting, but I have not been too successful. The two acetals I am looking for...

The prices being quoted on those eBay listing are highly optimistic; you can buy top grade stuff from a reputable supplier in New Zealand for $US25 per gram. 130 UK pounds for 1.88 grams is usurious.

David I guess the answer is yes, although I am not sure I would, depending on how bad they smell or unpredictable the effects. I have just always been curious about them. As for the effect I guess it...

Thank you both for taking the time to reply so thoroughly. Fascinating indeed. As I suspected it is quite complicated and with a lot of unknowns. It also seems like you would be working with a...

I have questions for two members on this subject:

One, for David: Do you know whether pheromones are ever used in mainstream fragrance (I guess I am talking about a perfume or cologne, and also...

Nizan as you say natural perfumery is a philosophical stance more than anything although I would also say there is a certain aesthetic to it as well which I can understand. I think you will fail to...

As Mumsy says.

Also I have mixed ambergris tincture with sandalwood in the past and while the effect is noticeable, I found it tended to attenuate the sandalwood. Also, if ambergris tincture takes...

Mumsy I have been wanting to do this for years but have not managed for various reasons, usually being my not being near my lilac when it is blooming (as is the case this year, plus it's alwasy WET...