Rose is in the air

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Image - a rose found on http://www.kunstflora.com/

Well, sometimes it's just in the air and you can see its influences... Like you read how Andy is busy with his rose or you read the discussions in a perfumer's group about the quality of citronellol and the use of damascones instead of damascenones in a rose accord. Or someone shares his rose formula and you get inspire to try it out and figure out why those components are used. Roxana has made a wonderful post about the roses and the yummy things you can make with it. The rose is definitely in the air.

Inspired by all of those I decided to make a rose too. When you are an experienced perfumer you get an idea in your head and try to recreate that idea in the smell. When you are less experienced you mix things and later try to figure it out what direction your mixture is going :o) Sometimes you get the picture and begin to enhance enhance and modify it. I am not that experienced yet. I wanted to make a rose, but I didn't know what rose I'd get.

First it was just a rose accord experiment. I took a simple rose formula from the Perfumersworld based on phenyl ethyl alcohol. Later I enhanced it with rose alcohols. They gave some unpleasant citronella like nuances. To get rid of them I continued blending and using of another rose chemicals. At the certain point I got the picture - I was making an Old English style rose - a bit dirty recalling the smell of drying petals. So, I added some galbanum - wow - it was wonderful to see how it makes rose old with its sharp green note - like a flower from a herbarium. More eugenol to enhance this effect and a touch of lemon. A woody base of Patchouli and Cedarhout with a non-sweet amber accord and a touch of animal notes.

The perfume I made smells from a bottle like an old fashion eau de cologne - as if you made an infusion of rose petals with a citrus peels. On the skin the rose becomes stronger and sweeter - a mixture of a fresh rose with dry petals - a smell of an old herbalist cellar, old fashioned eau de cologne and a single rose standing somewhere in the corner. The dry out was surprising reminding me of Rose Poivrée - with its dirty underpants undertones (not unpleasant though).

What I am not satisfied with is a citronella note coming from the rose alcohols. Well, it contributes to a herbarium smell, but doesn't really allow the fresh rose to come through. I think I should get better quality of citronellol and geraniol or try to use less of them and may be to try some modern rose aromachemicals.

Mostly when I am obsessed with happy blending I can forget to write the formula down. But this time I did it. And I also described the process of making of a rose accord that I shall place here in the following entries. So, if you are interested you'll be able to make a rose accord too.