Making perfume: WHAT MAKES A PERFUME LAST LONGER?
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- čas přidán 15. 10. 2021
- Can we fix it?
Fixatives - plant, animal, & synthetic - have been used for thousands of years in perfumery, from Styrax to Ambrox, Ambergris to Iso E Super. They help your fragrance to last longer, buy they can have other superpowers too.
What are they for? How do you treat them? What do you need to change your fragrances' behaviour.
This is in answer to a request, but there is no magical instant fix to make all perfumes smell the way you want and last all day. Sometimes it happens when you use a new combination of materials. Sometimes it doesn't. But there are some useful ways. - Jak na to + styl
Sarah, I have tears in my eyes welling up because of what you're doing for us! 🥲
It may sound like I'm overreacting but your intention to educate and inspire amateur perfumers in a way which is transparent and hides no secrets really is a blessing to have access to.
So many times have I watched tutorials by professional perfumers who say literally nothing concrete or practical that could enable a budding perfumer to develop the necessary perfume making skills and techniques behind the perfume making process itself.
These perfumers seem to revel in maintaining an esoteric air around the mechanics of their process for fear of others surpassing them in some way, or at least that's the way it comes across to me.
You will be rewarded with a students around the world who you'll never meet feeling intense gratitude towards you for the effort and passion you clearly put into these wondrous videos.
Thank you X
Thank you so much. It's so much easier to learn in a team, even if we're not in the same place at the same time.
This woman has an awesome sense of humor! I love her
Thank you. 😁
Love how educational this is. Watched other reviews of perfumers trying to teach us how they create perfume but hide so many things. You on the other hand dive deep into it. I'm on a binge of watching your videos 😊
Thank you. I'm delighted that it's handy.
SM you are a hug for my soul! Thoroughly enjoy your thoughts and commentary on these perfume subjects. As a self training curious individual your insights are invaluable and priceless. Thank you and keep up the amazing content! 😀
Thank you very much. Everyone has to try these things for themselves to check that they work, but I think that a hand up the ladder is useful.
Sarah, you are the best! Thank you so much for sharing such valuable, useful and real knowledge! Gonna try right now the iso e, hedione, ethylene combo! Love you
Do it! It's not the answer to life, the universe and everything, but it helps.
I’ve learnt more from this one video than any other on this topic. Thank you 🙏
I'm very happy to hear it.
Thank you for the wonderful videos! I have learned so much from this. I am an absolute beginner at perfumery and am playing with some nice smelling essential oil kits. I have added Benzoin, Tonka absolute, Oakmoss (?), Vetiver Absolute, and need to get some Labdanum. I have been struggling with presuming that these fixatives *ought* to have a lot of presence in their scent. My takeaway from this video is to learn to expect these fixatives to act as kind of a scaffolding holding other elements up.
Hi James, thank you. These materials don't need to be there in huge quantities to influence the fundamental feeling of the fragrance. Maybe I'll try to talk you into coming to one of our workshops too, then you can practice with my formulas.
Thanks for all your wisdom much appreciated
I loved this conversation and it is something I have often thought about. It seemed logical to me that physically "sticky" ingredients cause others to stay put for longevities sake. It seems like in your experience that is true. Something that has always intrigued me was ingredients like ISO E and Hedione where they can help make a perfume more diffusive, however also make it last longer. The two seem somewhat at odds with each other in my brain. I'm not a perfumer, but I have been curious to do some of my own blind testing of certain naturals mixed 1:1 with these super ingredients to see if I notice differences. Could be fun, but I fear it could be expensive depending on the materials purchased! -Chris
Thanks Chris. The superpowers of some materials seem to defy prediction, even when chemists carefully measure their volatility, and vapour pressure they just go off and do something unexpected when used in different quantities. With the Iso E Super and Hedione, there's a film where I do just that, and quite often I'll do it with an accord I've made. It is fun, and if you diluted them down to 10 or 15% the results far outweigh the costs.
The magic Sarah 💕
😀 The magic makes it all work better.
🤗 Thanks fir this talk ❤️
Your videos are absolutely amazing and inspiring. I just wanted to mention that DPG does NOT mix with any kind of wax for candles. I understand you were explaining the purpose of DPG as a solvent and I thought I point it out in case someone is trying to make scented candles, the DPG will eventually seep out of the candle wax. IMP or fractionated coconut oil are much better candidates for solvents when it comes to candle making.
Thank you for your amazing videos and looking forward to your next video 👍
Thanks ever so much. Yes, I was just talking about DPG for use in fine fragrance, not any other reason. I don't make candles as I don't like setting fire to my perfumes. 😁 I know I'm a bit usual like that.
Thank you so much 🥰
You're welcome.
I find myself shifting in my seat talking about velcro balls. 💰 Always wondered what was in that Guerlainade. To me it just smelled like fatty soap with a tinge of bergamot. But the miraculous mystery base sounds delightful Sarah. The MMB. Lasting all day @ 5 percent! Proving that it is possible. Ps, the process of elimination is so key for me identifying materials. I also like to create creative mental images in the same way that some savants use to remember long strings of numbers. Combining the two techniques is nearly a fool-proof method.
That sounds fascinating.
Can you use mmb in perfume?
🦋Great Teaching. Thank you!🦋
Glad we're keeping you busy. 😊
Thanks for all information’s you give 💐
You're welcome. I aim to make it practical and real.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 buy the way i get a copy from The perfume companion book its amazing ✨
I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying it.
thanks sarh for sharing such a wonderfull and importent information, i was wondering about amber xtreme if it's possiable that you can give some information about it and the way of using it.
with kind regards
N.N
It's an almost overwhelming material, so my answer is to add it in very small doses for a careful applicationof subtle power. It can add to longevity although if you use to much it aggressively fills all the air around it. Some people want that, which is fine too, but I'm not one of them. I'm unlikely to use more than 1% in a formula.
Great overview and I have most of them, I could join in!
Interesting what Arthur mentioned about the changes in olfactory genes. I wonder whether we will continue to evolve to have less (or down-regulated genes). But... we are now becoming very 'smell-conscious', so maybe future humans will be super sniffers.
I think we need to be taught smell in school like colours, numbers and identifying animals.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 I agree! Have you ever done school workshops? I have been thinking the same for flavour
@@aidankirkwood3339 Only once, but I'd prefer not to.
Unfortunately CZcams thought that your useful link was spam because it is an idiot, but thank you because it is fascinating.
I had read studies long ago that there is a good amount of people that don't have the genes to smell musks, some can't smell ionones, but surprisingly, some with rs5020278 (T133M) gene CAN smell the pheromone, androstenone, but far from the majority.
Hello Sarah, thank you so much for this. I'm very much a rookie and have had similar questions regarding the dpg bit. I've been trying to make car air fresheners, the card type (ex. Pine trees) and have been told to add dpg to a fragrance to make it last longer (since maybe it acts as somewhat a carrier?) I'm not sure if this honestly works, and am still struggling to make the fragrance last longer. I was thinking of using tonalide, but honestly still pretty lost. Would be nice to know your thoughts and suggestions :)
Have you done experiments with materials on smelling strips? Some last weeks and some just 20 minutes. You have to cut out all the short-lived ones, and experiment to find the best board for your needs. DPG would just be useful to dissolve solids.
great video, you are right about the projection of a perfume if it is too much is insulting to people nose , may i use benzyl benzoate as a fixative and if yes how is it getting mixed with the oil or with the alcohol ?
Benzyl benzoate is a perfumery material with an aroma of its own. It's fine mixed with alcohol and other materials. It's long lasting. I haven't used it specifically as a fixative, but it can do.
That book sounds really interesting! Remember what it is? This video is so fun! Thank you 😊
I'm going to have to watch it again to see where I mentioned a book. Give me a clue. 😄
@@SarahMcCartney4160 at 5:48 the camera person is talking about an evolutionary book. That book sounds interesting 😎
@@caseyw1050 Ah, one of Arthur's recommendations. Off I go.
@@caseyw1050 Neil Shubin, Your Inner Fish.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 thank you! Off to find my inner 🐠
That's very very amazing! You teach like those kins teachers we used to have in schools, great memories... I appreciate your effort and knowledge share dear. ❤ Bonus Question: have you tried honey in very low dosage? Specially those odorless honies available in market
Thank you. Honey in perfume? Or to eat? I haven't put it in perfume.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 Yes in perfume. Following the suggestion of using high viscosity materials, honey is almost like a glue like material and its soluble so maybe it could fixate things even further? (In traces of course, we wouldn't want to attract bees and ants to our clients)
@@Mahdizenzone I won't be doing that. It would never pass UK safety standards. That's just basically pouring sugar in it.
Hercolyn D is an odourless fixative. You can add that to a formula without changing the scent. It's very resinous and sticky.
I don't use it. It does have an aroma, but I don't find that it adds anything to the perfume that Cedramber, Iso E Super or a small amount of Ambrox Super does, just gloopiness. It's not widely used. Have you found that it has a significant effect on your creations?
@@SarahMcCartney4160 Yeah it does have a slight aroma to me. But nothing that changes the formula. It's not like the others you mention but it does have an anchoring effect on other materials. I noticed longevity with this in it rather than without it. So yeah I think this is a useful fixative. Especially with Ambery materials or if using resinous materials, which are fixatives within themselves. But it adds a little more anchoring I found. I know it isn't used and I don't know why. I think it's great for certain materials.
@@wyomingpark That's interesting to know. Thanks.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 You're welcome.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 Indeed,,ISO e super and Ambroxants works well... love you videos and Knowledge... thanks for the share..
hi Sarah! thank you for your knowledge, what do you think about using Ambergris reconstitution as a fixative? i have the one by Olifac at 15%, im worried to use too much because it smells a bit like iodine
I think I would just use Ambrox or similar if what you want is the fixative effect rather than the aroma.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 thank you, will look for some Ambrox 🙂
Dzięki
So sarah quick question, would it be OK to add in a dilution (let’s say magical mystery base) in 20% ethanol to the beaker first and then add other 100% oils up the pyramid? My question is would adding ethanol too early in the formula interfere whatsoever, because usually we add it in the end. I’m wondering if then I should leave the dilutions to add in the end, but would that have effect too? Let’s say if a diluted base mix in ethanol is added at the end (since usually bases are added in the beginning of the formula, or is that a myth? ) Some clarity on this would help a lot! ❤
big love from Beirut
This needs a whole film of its own. 😀 We add ethanol at the end when making a production batch, not necessarily while experimenting.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 would love a film talking about this! as well as demonstrating the mathematics process in the end of how you do everything with the different percentages! ❤️
@@dailyalien I've done the maths films already
@@dailyalien Also pyramids are imaginary. 😃
Before I started perfumery I thought I didn't like musk because I associated it with "musky" like wet dog or something lol but now that I've actually educated myself and smelled them I'm obsessed with them. I am able to smell all 9 that I own very vividly thank god. So far so good.
They really are lovely aren't they? Yet I think they exist as entirely different aromas in people's imaginations.
Norlimbanol is a wonderful musk with a very slight animal nuance. Belongs to the Iso E Super family. I would love to hear your thoughts on it!
@@SarahMcCartney4160 I felt the same way with opposite expectations. I expected to have pure animal musks then realized why we don't anymore. Many of the animal synthetics are very close though. So it has been pleasant to explore them.
@@TrillNoel It's not what I'd think of as a musk. It's a full on smack un the face woody amber. 😄 It's very useful in small doses.
Same here!
Hi there! Fixative I only have and is available in my country is Benzophenone, FIXIX and Tonalid. Can you help me which one is best to use?
I think you might be slightly misunderstanding what a perfumery fixative is.
Tonalide is a musk which works as a fixative, I have never heard of FIXIX and benzophenone is used as a UV filter. Do you have labdanum, vanillin, coumarin, Iso E Super, oakmoss or other musks in your country? Those act as fixatives. A fixative is not some magic stuff you add to a fragrance that glues it to the skin and gives you longevity, it is a structural and integral part of the fragrance, with an aroma. You would fixatives as part of your fragrance because of their scent.
If what you have is Tonalide, do use it, but don't buy anything with no aroma that is marketed only as a fixative.
I saw in some video they are adding 2drops of 30ml or4% of fixative?? Can you tell me which fixative will be added 4% of the total weight of the perfume (apart from all other components)
That's really not a thing. It's because they don't understand what fixatives are. There is no point adding any material that is not already part of the perfume. Iso E Super *is* a fixative, and so are many other perfumery materials. There is no secret magic ingredient to add to the other components.
Thank you Sara from Costa Rica
You're welcome. I went to Costa Rica in 1998 and loved every moment, (except for the mosquitos in the rainforest because they just adore my blood 😄). Such an enlightened country.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 thank you for your passion, disposition and patience explaining us so much knowledge.
He he, who knows you might come back to visit some of the places you skipped.
😊
@@rodvarmo I do hope so.
do you have a specific website to purchase base fragrances? to start?
If you're in the US, Perfumer's Apprentice.
Can you please charge your formula for longevity, you mention part of the list in the video. I would love to know
Do you mean share it? Not yet, I'm not quite ready. Besides I shall now have to change it ready for the EU Green Deal 2030.
what will happen if I use about 20% of fixative in my perfume? will it last longer
That depends on the fixatives and what else is in your perfume. Oakmoss, Iso E Super, musks? Most perfumes are formulated with at least 20% fixative anyway. So there is no answer to that question except to say give it a try and test it.
What was the candy floss on at the end you said how do you spell that
Ethyl maltol and I'm really sorry it took me this long to reply.
I usually just drink a couple sips of the cologne so I sweat it out throughout the day. 😉
Excellent idea.
When you create a parfum, do you have some preconcived idea of what you want to create, or the result you're looking for?...How's your creative process?
There are another five films here all about my creative process. You can watch those. :-)
Can you somehow combine the long lasting properties of garlic with perfumes? Without the smell of garlic of course. What makes garlic smell so long on skin anyways?
There are some materials, and garlic is one of them, that are so intense you can't keep them in the lab. Garlic essential oil is one. Also it crosses the skin barrier which most materials do not. There is research going on into which materials might be edible and perfumed. But mostly it is just immensely powerful.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 @morty it's to do with functional groups (in skin proteins) that hold onto the potent garlic compounds (sulphur compounds). So, I feel it wouldn't be possible to have the long lasting properties of garlic without the garlic smell
@@aidankirkwood3339 Thanks a lot for your specialist input.
@@aidankirkwood3339 So if I manage to manipulate essentail oils in a way that their surface structure acts the same as those sulphur compounds in garlic, it should last as long right? That would open a door to a whole new kind of perfumery.
@@eztanezta I am not a synthetic chemist but I don't think that is possible. That would be called sulfhydrylation (i know it happens, biochemically, when amino acids are made in our bodies). If you did add these sulfhydryl groups, the compounds wouldn't smell the same way (might be meaty, onions, garlic, cooked potato etc)
But you are correct, changing surface structure can change their release.
I believe there is a lot of work into the use of polymers in the flavour and fragrance industry :-)
I'm wondering if one of these fixatives is what smells like tar to me - it's not iso e super (fine with that) or ambroxan (smells horrible on me but not like tar), and I don't think it's labdanum. It lasts forever so I feel like it must be a modern fixative, but it wasn't in any perfumes I've smelt that were made before maybe.... 2010! I know lots of people can't smell it but it's not just me either and I was thinking it must be a vegan musk? It's in all the Floral Street perfumes, but it's not in the modern Lolita Lempicka's and they're vegan now too. I smell it on people every day in London (dupes for BR540 are the worst!) so it's in tons of popular perfumes and it's so upsetting. The horrible, burnt rubber and charred wood mystery continues!
You're not alone. I think it's a thing called Amber Xtreme.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 oh really?! Interesting! It's in the Arianna Grande perfumes too but I don't think all notes are listed for most perfumes now. I'm going to do some googling now.... thank you!!!
It turns out that the culprit is Veramoss/Methyl Atratate/Evernyl. We tested them yesterday.
@@SarahMcCartney4160 Haha OMG! Can you smell it too?! My viewers will be happy for me to have a name for it at last.... I normally just say "the Tar note" which isn't particularly helpful to them lol! Thank you so much - I'm so happy I found your video!
@@skinscentsforfusspotsI like it, but our friend Jacques feels the same as you do.
can i use dpg instead of alcohole?
Not really, no. It's different. There are other films about it.
have anyone try liquid oil Frankincense as fixatives?
I haven't, but would be interested to know if you find an effect.
Try Myrrh essential oil, and cypress blue. They work with much less impact to the smell of your blend than labdanum, benzoin in terms of naturals, if that is what your looking for.
I’ve tried using frankincense resins dissolved opposed to EO and it was a mess for me.
That's what Amuage used to do to have monster longevity. However the good ones are super expensive