Are you in the early stages of designing a new perfume? Or maybe looking to brush up on your perfume design skills ? Our perfume creation guide will cover the main areas of perfume selection, formulation, packaging design, filling and marketing your perfume. The Ultimate Guide to Perfume Design – Perfume ingredients Perfume ingredients can either be synthetic or natural. Natural ingredients can vary from one harvest to another, so fragrances with a very high percentage of natural ingredients may result in small variations for each production batch. Natural essences are derived from plants, spices, barks, grasses, animal products and mosses which are naturally occurring. Do synthetic ingredients cost less than natural ingredients? Not necessarily, as there are some very sophisticated and expensive synthetic ingredients available. Some very interesting nuances of natural smells using synthetic ingredients can be created. It can be argued that synthetic perfumes are a more sustainable and planet friendly option. Many people are talking about the negative aspects of some synthetic ingredients, that they are ‘endocrine disruptors’. IFRA – the International Fragrance Association – has strict rules about the ingredients of fragrances and how much of the allergenic ingredients can be safely used in each formulation. It rigorously tests ingredients to ensure safety and sets guidelines about how much of a certain ingredient can be used. All allergens must be mentioned on the outer packaging of perfumes in most regulated countries. An allergen is a chemical which it has been proven to cause an irritation when applied to the skin. It is worth noting that essential oils (natural perfumes) can also cause allergic reactions and that IFRA is currently considering adding some essential oils to the list of known allergens. Your perfume supplier will be able to provide an allergen list for the fragrances you select. The Ultimate Guide to Perfume Design – Perfume formulation What is better – a formulation with or without alcohol? In ancient times perfumes were made without alcohol using waxes or oils to hold the perfume. Nowadays most perfumes are made with a combination of distilled water, ethanol alcohol and perfume oil. Of course the decision of which formulation to use depends on the market you work in and who you are targeting. In a highly muslim population country a non alcoholic perfume may work better. Alternative carriers such as water, oil, wax or resin can be used to dilute and mix the perfume oils. In a market where alcoholic perfumes have been traditionally used, it could be difficult to change consumer behaviour. Formulations containing alcohol allow the top notes of a perfume to open up quickly. At the point of sale where consumers trial new perfumes this could pose a challenge for non alcoholic perfumes. Often buying decisions are made based on the first ‘hit’, if the top notes are strong or powerful enough. The Ultimate Guide to Perfume Design – Fragrance concentration How much perfume should I put in my formulation? The amount of perfume that you put in your formulation will depend on the market where you are selling it, what is the norm. Some markets like Saudi Arabia love a very high concentration of up to 25 or 30% fragrance oil, but the UK market will usually prefer a lower concentration of maximum 15% fragrance. A very high concentration can be irritating for the nose in markets which are not accustomed to heavy fragrances. The price you pay per kilo may also be a consideration of how much to add. For high price fragrances adding one or two percent more fragrance oil will add a lot to the product cost. Eau fraiche has 3% or less fragrance oil. Eau de cologne has 2 to 5% fragrance oil. Eau de toilette contains 10% usually. Eau de parfum has 8 to 15% fragrance oil. Soie de parfum has 15 to 18% fragrance oil. Parfum has between 15 to 30% fragrance oil. The Ultimate Guide to perfume design – Fragrance notes A perfume will undergo different phases after being sprayed onto your skin and a perfume consists of different ‘notes’. Each phase will last for different lengths of time. TOP NOTES are the first notes which give a burst of smell right after spraying the perfume and typically last for 10-15 minutes. These notes are usually more volatile and they are often citrus, fruity or floral. MIDDLE NOTES are also called heart notes and these take 15 to 30 minutes to fully develop on the skin. They usually contain florals and aromatic plant notes and are the notes by which the fragrance is classified. BASE NOTES last the longest and help to slow down the evaporation of the more volatile molecules. Typical ingredients for a base note are woody, vanilla, musk, cedar and sandalwood. A perfume which does not change from initial spray to its final dry down is a linear perfume – it does not contain top, middle or base notes. The most popular linear fragrance at the moment is Baccarat rouge by Francis Kurkidjan. There is a recognised classification system of perfumes which was developed by Michael Edwards. The main types are floral/ amber/ Woody and fresh with sub classifications for each type. Check out the Michael Edwards fragrance wheel online if you wish to know more. The Ultimate Guide to Perfume design – wholesale and retail trade Understand the dynamics of the wholesale and retail trade for perfumery in your country. A detailed retail survey of the market place would enable you to have an idea of market size and what is selling. It is vitally important to understand the wholesale and retail margins in order to be able to calculate the price at which you need to sell your product in the market and to establish if you can actually make any money out of it. The Ultimate Guide to Perfume – Consumer knowledge It is important to think about how best to describe your perfume and market it to buyers. But first you need […]
The Ultimate Guide to Perfume Design
