Making your own perfume: the dream of a custom-made fragrance

We all want to have a smell of our own. We dream of a perfume that we recognize ourselves in and that feels like a little cocoon around us. For it to

be something that sets us apart in the eyes of others. A perfume that says, “I’m special.” In short, a fragrance that we won’t smell on others in the subway in the morning. So how can you not want to make your own perfume?

If you can make your own perfume at home, the ultimate dream is usually to make your own custom-made perfume…

Making perfume at home: how does it work?

What is perfume?

Generally speaking, a perfume is composed of a concentrate diluted in

alcohol. And this concentrate contains a mixture of pure fragrant raw materials (essential oils, absolutes, or synthetic ingredients). When applied to the skin or fabric, the alcohol will evaporate very quickly, leaving only the odorous molecules. These molecules then develop and diffuse their notes.

The ratio of concentrate to alcohol varies according to the type of perfume. From the lowest to the highest concentration, we find: eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, and finally, the extract. (At Sillages Paris, we create eau de parfums that are highly concentrated to ensure real longevity and all-day hold.)

Create your own formulas? Yes, but only if they are simple

Homemade products are on the rise these days in the world of perfume and in many other fields! Many blogs now have recipes and tips on how to create your own perfume. You’ll find formulas that use essential oils or even fresh flowers.

It is theoretically possible to create a perfume at home by mixing essential oils with alcohol. This method is very appealing because it gives free rein to your creativity. You can have fun mixing the scents, and at the same time,

controlling the ingredients you use. (A little side-note to reassure you: at Sillages Paris, all our ingredients and formulas are 100% safe, vegan and animal cruelty-free. To learn more, you can read our article on vegan cosmetics to understand our philosophy.)

But the truth is that although the idea is very appealing, the actual experience may end up being quite disappointing. The excitement of creating and mixing essences often ends in disappointment when the end result is revealed. This is because blending several essences together harmoniously can be quite challenging.

The result can be quite impressive (even very satisfying!) if you limit the number of essences you use to one or two, or three at the most. Beyond that, it can be very difficult to combine fragrances successfully. The difficulty is twofold: you have to choose notes that go together, and also the right quantities of each.

Perfume: a complex structure

It is possible to make perfumes with a very simple structure. However, “homemade” perfumes cannot be created that resemble the olfactory works of art that have shaped the history of perfumery. Indeed, many perfumes can contain a hundred ingredients! These ingredients complement and harmonize with each other in an extremely complex and sophisticated blend. You would have to be able to measure dosages in tenths of a milligram to make a 100ml bottle yourself. And unless you’re a little odour genius and have a chemistry (or sorcerer’s) apprentice lab hidden away in the back of the garden, it’s hard to imagine making a perfume from A to Z yourself.

Unfortunately for us, only a handful of chosen ones possess this rare gift and the expertise needed to create a fragrance with a complex and faceted scent. These perfumers (also known as Nez or Noses) are able to memorize, recognize, and assemble no less than 5,000 scents! And there are just over a hundred in the world who possess these extraordinary skills. In fact, there are fewer fine perfumers than astronauts in the world! At Sillages Paris, we have 4 ultra-talented Supernoses perfumers who represent the new generation of Haute Perfumery.

Obviously, the ultimate luxury is making your own custom-made perfume nose to nose with a perfumer. But that’s for those lucky few who have at least 20,000 euros to spend on their perfume.

The holy grail of custom-made perfume

To realize your dream of wearing a perfume that is uniquely your own, the only way to go is custom-made. So what exactly is it?

Defining your perfume with your Nose: the brief

The first step in creating a custom-made perfume is to meet with a Nose and define your desired scent. This involves describing your ideal perfume’s character, strength, and ingredients. There is no need for technical knowledge, as this is more like a quasi-psychological interview! Which scents do you like? Which smells do you find reassuring or pleasing? Why and how do you wear perfume? Do you want it to be strong or soft, etc.? In short, all your requirements in a perfume are noted in this interview that we call a brief.

Tip-toeing towards THE formula

Once the brief has been given, the most time-consuming stage begins: the creation of the perfume. The perfumer is going to imagine an olfactory work that corresponds to his client’s request. To do so, he will create and test dozens, even hundreds of formulas, and rework them to obtain a result he considers satisfactory and relevant to his client. At the end of this research, the Nose presents the results to the client. If they are not satisfied, they ask for modifications and refine their request, and the perfumer goes back to work. It’s a real game of back and forth that usually lasts several months before finding THE formula. So creating a custom-made perfume is not easy or instantaneous; it’s a real process.

And unfortunately, the cost of a Nose is not negligible. To create a custom-made perfume, you can usually count on spending several tens of thousands of euros. Ouch! So what do you do when you didn’t plan to take out a loan to perfume yourself, but still want to have a perfume that reflects you?

Personalized perfume: a dream within reach (or a click away!)

At Sillages Paris, we believe that everyone is unique and deserves to wear a perfume that resembles them. We think it’s a shame when you have to choose between making your own perfume and being limited to just a handful of notes, and paying an insane amount of money for an ultra-exclusive product.

That’s why we’ve created hundreds of formulas with our perfumers, and why we help you select from our palette of 64 ingredients ones that go together. Our goal is to make haute perfumery accessible to all and to share the know-how of the Noses to create a perfume that resembles you!

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