Making of rose scent

Nederlands: http://aromax-mijnparfum.blogspot.com/search/label/maken%20van%20rozengeur

It’s very simple as 1, 2, 3 – 1 drop of geraniol, 2 drops of citronellol and 3 drops of phenyl ethyl alcohol. The proportions can be varied. This simple formula can be even used in a perfume as a part of a complex flower accord. The scent of a real rose is much more sophisticated – it consists of hundreds of ingredients (there are about 350 identified).

The natural rose fragrance is mostly made of rose alcohols – phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA), geraniol, citronellol and nerol. There is a difference in PEA amount between rose oil (only 1% PEA) and a rose absolute (about 40-70 % PEA). From the rest of rose alcohols are geraniol (3 % in absolute and 20 % in oil) and citronellol (6 % in absolute and 35 % in oil) the most important and used in a rose fragrance base. Nerol (1% in absolute and 6 % in oil) is less popular and use in a few formulae to give a fresh citrus accent.

Pure phenyl ethyl alcohol smells like dried rose petals with some green note. I also smell an undertone that reminds me of bitter almonds or cherry stones. I don’t like that undertone and because of that don’t like the smell of PEA alone. It’s ok when combined although. Citronellol has a soft rose scent with an accent that reminds me of citronella oil (but not as harsh as citronella oil self).

Citronellol has a soft rose scent with an accent that reminds me of citronella oil (but not as harsh as citronella oil self).

Geraniol is a rose scent with a soft fruity accent that reminds me of dried berries (or let’s say rose hips).

That’s it – phenyl ethyl alcohol, geraniol and citronellol in varied proportions form the base of the rose fragrance. Some other important components are rose oxide and damascones. The natural rose scent has very small amount of a rose oxide (about 0,5 %). But because of the intensity of the smell it forms a part of a rose scent even in such a small concentration. It has a harsh gassy scent and diluted gives a green flowery note. Beta-damascone is also used in some of the rose formulae. In a natural rose scent it occurs at the concentration of 0,1% and gives a fruity plum-like note.

The base can be extended with essential oils of rose and geranium and rose absolute to increase the naturalness. 1 to 3 % of this precious oils is enough.

Clove bud oil can give a rose a bit spicy character.

Ionones, like methyl ionone and alfa-ionone in concentration of 1-10 % give a nice flowery accent with a violet or iris nuance. Alfa-ionone is more flowery and methyl ionone is also a bit woody that makes it a perfect bridge between flowery and woody notes.

Woody oils like guaiacwood, cedar wood or verivert could be used as fixatives.

To give some green freshness it’s possible to use cis-3-hexenol (fresh cut grass or smashed green leaves) and/or phenyl acetaldehyde dimethyl acetal (harsh green, rucola like).

Carnal Flower, Frederic Malle

Nederlands: http://aromax-nicheparfum.blogspot.com/search/label/carnal%20flower

Tuberose – I like the rich, sweet, a little bit creamy and definitely intoxicating smell of this flower. So, it’s no wonder I wanted to try Carnal Flower as soon as I found it’s based on the tuberose scent.

Although I was shock after I put this perfume onto my skin. Instead of expected creamy and intoxicating sweetness I smelled a slightly bitter green notes of leaves and grass. Fortunately it was just a veil covering the heart of the fragrance.

The hart revealed a soft, velvety tender tuberose that was getting stronger with every minute loosing the green notes and acquiring its richness and sweetness. A combination of a tuberose heart and green opening reminds me of gardenia flower. In fact I smell something like a Tuberose-Gardenia bouquet. No wonder, because those flowers are olfactory similar.

The longer it remains on my skin the stronger it becomes. Remaining soft it becomes overwhelming and acquires this creamy sweetness I like in tuberose so much. Orange-blossom warms the whole composition up and jasmine makes it charmingly intoxicating and even seducing. More creamy notes come at the end revealing the coconut note. This is the most difficult part of this perfume. Depending on skin it may either give extra richness and creaminess supporting the tuberose or make the whole composition smell just like coconut that overpowers the rest.

Carnal Flower is a soliflor linear fragrance. That means it represents the fragrance of a single flower remained unchanged in time. But it’s not quite unchangeable. You can really follow the flower that is unfolding on the skin like a real flower. Green in the beginning when it was just a bud it becomes soft velvety sweet at the opening. It becomes more sweet, rich, heavy narcotic, a bit fruity and creamy in its full glory. And than it decays getting too sweet and almost buttery creamy. This perfume follows nicely the stages of a real flower.

Chanel No. 5

Nederlands: http://aromax-geurbeschrijving.blogspot.com/search/label/No.%205

The first perfume of Gabrielle Chanelle made by Ernest Beaux. The perfume that had to smell like a woman according to Coco who said that “woman should smell like a woman and not like a flower.” This perfume is a landmark of the perfumery – Ernest Beaux has opened a new group of aldegydic floral perfumes with Chanel No. 5. He has succeeded to use the huge amounts of sharp aldehydes in this perfume. It was the fifth perfume in the row of perfumes presented to Coco to be chosen as the first perfume of her fashion house. It was introduced on the fifth day of the fifth month in 1921, because Chanel believed it was a lucky number. Lucky or not it was and is a great success. There were just and only a several drops of Chanel that Marilyn Monroe was wearing in her bed. But enough of the legend. What does it smells like?

When I smelled this perfume for the first time I didn’t like it at all. The sharp aldehydes smell was not the scent of ultimate femininity. It was a bitch – sharp, annoying, provocative and obnoxious at the same time. But it was just one aspect of this perfume as “the bitch” is just one aspect of the femininity. Even if it’s difficult to recognize it in yourself. I don’t want to be a sexist and when I am talking about femininity I am talking about a kind of universal feminine essence that exists in both sexes.

Today I have smelled this perfume again. Completely charmed with mystery and legends around number 5. I wanted to meet the bitch again and I was rewarded with other aspects of femininity hidden in this perfume. Behind the top note that has some orange blossom together with aldehydes I couls smell a heart of this perfume.

The heart opened with a flowery bouquet of rose, jasmine and later also iris. A lovely combination of charming and overwhelming flowers of class and elegance. The next aspect of femininity was revealing itself – La Diva. According to legend Chanel uses huge (much more than average) amounts of costly absolutes of rose and jasmine in this perfume to give it class and elegance.

Behind the chic heart the warm base note came to reveal itself. A warm scent of Amber sweetened with Vanilla, supported with woody Sandal and Vetiver and slightly spiced with Musk. The final, but the most various aspect of the feminity. The loving mother, provocative lover, charming seducer and faithful girlfriend – the warmth of love and heat of passion together. At this point the perfume had reached its balance was shining in all its glory.

Eau de perfume and perfume was the most fine to experience. Eau de toilette was a bit too sharp and green in the beginning and had less chic flowers in its heart.

Other perfumes that like at Chanel No. 5 are Arpège of Lanvin and Chanel No. 22. The first one is another example of floral aldehydic group and the second one is a kind of “light” version of Chanel No. 5.