Did you know that there are over 500 ingredients in many commercially produced perfumes and that legally theyt do not have to list any of those ingredients? No wonder people with asthma have problems with fragrances. How could they possibly be able to distinguish which ingredient is bothering them? It must be really hard to make perfume if so many ingredients are needed, right? Nope. Not really. It just takes a lot of time.
Through my research I found that it only takes 3 ingredients to make perfume; alcohol, distilled water, and fragrance. The hard part is being patient enough to add the fragrance in drop by drop slow enough so that it is completely mixed with the alcohol and the water. That takes freaking FOREVER! And it makes your hand really really tired. Then after that the perfume needs to be left to mature for at least 3 weeks.
This is not time that big perfume companies are willing to take so they would rather use synthetic materials and poison us with chemicals. And really, for what? There are very few perfumes that I like and they all seem to smell the same. When I read that the base note is patchouli, I want to smell the patchouli, but I rarely do. Patchouli is an expensive oil so usually the patchouli used is synthetic or very little is added.
Another reason big perfume companies use synthetic ingredients is that they can control the color and make it clear and clean looking. Many essential oils have their own distint color and that would tint the perfume. Oakmoss is a dark green, goopy, thick oil. It turns the perfume a murky greenish color that doesn't look exactly crisp and clear. It smells wonderfully and is a beautiful base for many fragrance mixtures, but it doesn't "present" well.
I know that this may be hard to believe, but I am very PARTICULAR about my fragrances and scents. So with a little experimentation, a lot of time, and a extra pinch of patience, I have created my own artisan perfumes. I love them all! I have them lined up on a shelf and I just spray a different one on every day!
Last week, I just made a new perfume with Sandlewood, Moroccon Rose, and a touch of lemon. It is NICE! It isn't even matured yet and I wear it all the time. When I taught my spin class Saturday, I wasn't lying when I told them I smelled like roses! They, on the other hand, smelled like corn nuts. That is what happens when you have 60 people sweating in an enclosed room for an hour. It begins to smell like a teenage boy's room!
So on February 2nd, I will have two new perfumes ready; Sandlewood Rose and Jenn's Tree. I am working on Lemonwood for men. That will smell awesome too and even though I am not a guy, I may just have to wear it so I can have the illusion that some really hot man is around me all the time!
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