Making perfume is like cooking. You start with a base recipe and adjust it predicated on your personal taste and likes of how the dish tastes. You adjust the ingredients accordingly and over time you perfect it. You start with the pyramid and suggestions, once you are confident and skills increase you veer to your style.
I actually own a perfume that's comprised of mostly base notes and its one of my favorites. Its oris root, pink peppercorn, musk, ambrox and ambrette. Its wonderful. Pretty basic but I think its unique smelling and its very comforting. I like wearing it to bed as well because its so soothing and cozy.
Thank you for this. Top/Mid/Base notes are always relative. If a fragrance doesn’t include top notes, and you smell a mid note of pepper first, that would be your top note, which isn’t classically consider a top. The pyramid is a myth.
Your channel came around at the exact time I *truly* needed it. Basenotes is great, but hearing you explain it verbally is just so helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
You should. I'm working on mine this year after wanting to do this for 20 years. Take business classes and fragrance classes and do plenty of research on suppliers.
Interesting. I find reversing the pyramid creates scents I like better. I am just learning about fixatives to make it last longer without using too many base notes, which I tend to not like as much.
And there no wrong way in doing it this way. It just shows you like crisper, cleaner, vibrant scents if you tend to like top note heavy fragrances. Classics like Davidoff Cool Water is primarily all top notes and very little base. But if your looking for a good scentless fixative to extend your top notes a bit longer, check into Cremophor RH40 or Glucam P20. Adding a bit of that in your complete fragrance will keep the top notes from fleeting away so fast.
I had my suspicions here but thank you for confirming! On top of the fact that there are no set rules for ratios, people can't even agree on what's a top vs. middle vs. bottom note, with classifications differing pretty substantially depending on who you ask. You gotta use whatever ratio gets the job done, no other rules than that.
I randomly searched for perfume making and crossed ur channel . You explained in a neat way. I loved the way of ur teaching so I'm ur new subscriber 🤗. I love to break the rules 😅😌
Quite true, other factors that I take into consideration also is whether the fragrance will be linear or non linear, the type of fragrance also whether its going to be a fruity chypre or oriental and the viscosity of fixatives.
Exactly. Linearity plays a good factor in the scheme of things regarding top-middle-base pyramid. There are so many factors that can alter the pyramid, and new comers thinking they need "xxx%" of a total of top/middle/base materials will only pigeon hole themselves into all their scents performing them same and having the same vibe
@@bkscents7050 I'll even virtually go 50-50 so for example would be my Russian Leather fragrance Birch and Galbanum can be quite the sopranos in the fragrance and then it quickly shifts to a warm leathery bass with Castoreum leather and a different type of wood again Virginian Cedarwood. So I'm not really thinking of three levels in a leather fragrance. The opening is quite fresh somewhat antiseptic and astringent very clean with a luxurious warm dry down quite masculine.
@@bkscents7050 hello i wanted to ask you, i’m in france and here there’s a website named quosentis and they sell prediluted raw materials, Is it safe to buy?
Thank you. I'm designing my own fragrance line ATM and taking classes but I think this is one area where you just have to go with it and tweak it as you go along. "Let your nose be your guide." I love that!
Hey BK, loving your videos. Really great content and can't wait to see the next vids! I have a request for a video about brainstorming your compositions. From choosing the heart notes, modifiers, blenders all the way to base and top notes. Thank you for this content!
so if I may then ask....what then can be top notes and what can be base notes? For instance, oud is known to be a heavy ingredient and usually falls under base notes, however sometimes it is mixed in some perfumes as a top note. Likewise, citrusy aromas are usually top notes, but can they also serve as base notes?? Thanks
Thank you very much! Very usefull!) It was a mystery for me how they create 'light' gentle smells with these 'classical' proportions:)) You have solved a lot of questions)
I disagree, summer is higher temperature hence higher molecular weights should be used, it’s counter productive to use light molecules. Summer where is live is mango, dates, limes, watermelon, and other melons.
Beautifully said. It has to do with people looking for long lasting texture and nature in everything. Does that mean we can omit a base note completely in a perfume?
Thank you very much for the free lesson. I'm soaking in a lot of infos from your videos. Ummm I have a question. There are notes out there that can be used as both top and base note, for example Vanilla. How do I make sure Vanilla only perform as top performer? Dilution? Thank you. 🙏
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and tips, your videos are very informative and help immensely. I have a question... I have approximatrly 34 oils now and i'm wondering how I should sort them on my table. Instead of having them all bundled together I have seperated them into 3 categories, 1st is the fruits, 2nd is the florals, 3rd is the woods. Is there a better or best way to sort them? Perhaps top notes then middle notes and finally base notes?
I sort all of mine (I now have over 500 materials) the same you you do. I classify them by category. Citruses, woods, resins, florals, greens, herbals, ozonic, musk's, etc.
Great video. Question. What can I do to increase the performance of the fragrances that I create. Also I am new to perfumery and currently I am hand mixing my compositions, are there any tips that you can recommend that will enable me to blend my fragrances as well as possible?
Sir, Can you please explain the below item one by one like which is base note, middle note and top note? Benzaldehyde Ethyl butyrate amyl acetate Amyl Valerate Ethyl Valerate Ethyl Acetate phenyl acetic acid caramellic Ethyl maltol vanillin strawberry furanone acetate glycerine edible ethanol honey extract Propylene glycol KKL Musk KL Musk Krishna Musk
How can someone with Oily skin wear heavier base note fragrances or attars with better performance? Since most of the fragrances in my collection are heavy woods, resins, and Oud/Rose scents they seem to stay closer to my skin without projecting as much?! Even though I am not particularly fond of fresh or citrusy based fragrances, they seem to perform a lot better on my skin. Would this be a result of having a heavier “base” (oily) skin type? Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated
@@nickkerinklio8239 agree But for those getting started it's more important to experiment and have fun than worry about perfection. In the end perfumery is indeed a perfect amalgamation of art and science. Science teaches you the ruless, and art teaches you to forget them.
Material odor strength is covered in another video. But Galaxolide is a low odor strength, meaning you can dose it quite high before its scent is perceived. Indole and Cis-3 Hex are higher odor strength, thus these amounts should be kept lower in your formula because in low amounts its very detectable
@@bkscents7050 Yeah, I saw your video on that. (Great, BTW.) I meant that the whole perfume pyramid myth seems misleading because it doesn't make clear if it's referring to material strength by Notes, or by material weight by Notes. Example: does 30% top Notes refer to weight (3 grams out of 10 grams of fragrance concentrate), or does it refer to 30% of the materials odor strength? Also, wasn't the fragrance pyramid more of a historical fragrance technique developed far in the past before synthetics were so widely used?
@@JayMannStuff The ol' fragrance pyramid is in terms of any value of 'amounts' really. Weight, volume, drops etc....but it never was intended for "odor strength". The fragrance pyramid just gives a general idea of approx how much materials leans into which of the 3 sections (top/mid/base) respectively with one another, which general refers to 'amounts', in which can be by weight, volume, or drops. Its such a vague and widely misinterpreted structure, which is why i tend to not even bother referring to the pyramid because it can be perceived in so many different ways depending on whos interpreting it.
@@bkscents7050 Thanks. Yeah, makes sense. Oh, btw, I downloaded the spreadsheet tool you made. I've been trying to rework it to create volatility graphs for all materials to show how the fragrance evolves over time, hour by hour, taking into consideration the amount of material and the odor strength of the material, also showing the percentage of each of the 26 fragrance families. There's also a really nifty search tool with dynamic drop-down lists to help come up with fragrance sketches easily. Tool is WIP. Can't wait to share it. Cheers. EDIT 2: The spreadsheet re-working I'm doing isn't to improve upon the one you did. Your spreadsheeet was great for documenting the formula and checking IFRA compliance. The spreadsheet I'm designing is meant for quickly coming up with a way to visualize a "Perfume Sketch/Concept" without wasting any materials. A way to preview and prototype without using materials, so you don't just go in blind and end up wasting time and money and getting frustrated. (It'll probably be more useful for newbies like me. I'll share on comments of your spreadsheet video once it's ready.)
sir can i ask you something,we all know that base notes are the long lasting scents,what if i make a formula like 30% sandalwood and cedar on top,30% patchouli and vanilla on mid,40% then musk and ambroxan on base?will it work?or am i wrong with this kind of formula?im your new fan,thank you so much!🙏
@@Beginners07 i just want a linear olfactory,one type of scent that if i sprayed it,i will only smell one type of fragrance,but my concern is that if i focused on that,the projection is not that good,just like sandalwood doesnt project that much
He already went over this in the video. Most summer fragrances that are on the market typically have a higher percentage of top notes mainly because of the citruses which contribute to that particular theme, and that’s why they don’t last as long compared to most winter fragrances. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to follow that same formula if you don’t want to and that’s the point he’s making in the video.
I agree....these were some of my earlier videos where I was still figuring out what the right ratio of background music to voice was. My later more recent videos I (hopefully) cleared all that up and should be an enjoyable experience.
Thicker woods i meant more dense, robust, heartier woods that carry a stronger impact. Woods like Oakwood, guiacwood, oud/agar, are considerably stronger than the typical woods used in cleaner scents like cedar, sandalwood, cypress, etc
Making perfume is like cooking. You start with a base recipe and adjust it predicated on your personal taste and likes of how the dish tastes. You adjust the ingredients accordingly and over time you perfect it. You start with the pyramid and suggestions, once you are confident and skills increase you veer to your style.
I actually own a perfume that's comprised of mostly base notes and its one of my favorites. Its oris root, pink peppercorn, musk, ambrox and ambrette. Its wonderful. Pretty basic but I think its unique smelling and its very comforting. I like wearing it to bed as well because its so soothing and cozy.
I actually really like perfumes that are Basenote heavy. So thick, warm, cozy! I love fall and winter fragrances 🤤
Glossier you?
What volume did you make the fragrance with basenotes? 100ml? 30ml?
I love this! I like wearing Aramis to bed year round 😊 About to try my hand at making my first EDP
Thank you for this. Top/Mid/Base notes are always relative. If a fragrance doesn’t include top notes, and you smell a mid note of pepper first, that would be your top note, which isn’t classically consider a top. The pyramid is a myth.
Your channel came around at the exact time I *truly* needed it. Basenotes is great, but hearing you explain it verbally is just so helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
thank you! :)
I want to create my own perfume company. I don't know why, but I genuinely feel that this video solidified that dream for me. Thank you.
I would most definitely buy from you if you made one
You should. I'm working on mine this year after wanting to do this for 20 years. Take business classes and fragrance classes and do plenty of research on suppliers.
@@ASMRyouVEGANyet Kindly lets connect , I am also an aspiring perfumer .
Interesting. I find reversing the pyramid creates scents I like better. I am just learning about fixatives to make it last longer without using too many base notes, which I tend to not like as much.
And there no wrong way in doing it this way. It just shows you like crisper, cleaner, vibrant scents if you tend to like top note heavy fragrances. Classics like Davidoff Cool Water is primarily all top notes and very little base. But if your looking for a good scentless fixative to extend your top notes a bit longer, check into Cremophor RH40 or Glucam P20. Adding a bit of that in your complete fragrance will keep the top notes from fleeting away so fast.
WTH posted three replies and they are not posting! Thanks for the reply.
I had my suspicions here but thank you for confirming! On top of the fact that there are no set rules for ratios, people can't even agree on what's a top vs. middle vs. bottom note, with classifications differing pretty substantially depending on who you ask. You gotta use whatever ratio gets the job done, no other rules than that.
I randomly searched for perfume making and crossed ur channel . You explained in a neat way. I loved the way of ur teaching so I'm ur new subscriber 🤗. I love to break the rules 😅😌
Great video! Yes, perfume/fragrance is meant to be playful and enjoyed! Not strict or bound by scientific rules.
I guess that's a secret that many are not aware of. Not a regimented kind of thing.
finally found you. Thank you man
Thanks for subscribing and watching!😁
Quite true, other factors that I take into consideration also is whether the fragrance will be linear or non linear, the type of fragrance also whether its going to be a fruity chypre or oriental and the viscosity of fixatives.
Exactly. Linearity plays a good factor in the scheme of things regarding top-middle-base pyramid. There are so many factors that can alter the pyramid, and new comers thinking they need "xxx%" of a total of top/middle/base materials will only pigeon hole themselves into all their scents performing them same and having the same vibe
@@bkscents7050 I'll even virtually go 50-50 so for example would be my Russian Leather fragrance Birch and Galbanum can be quite the sopranos in the fragrance and then it quickly shifts to a warm leathery bass with Castoreum leather and a different type of wood again Virginian Cedarwood. So I'm not really thinking of three levels in a leather fragrance. The opening is quite fresh somewhat antiseptic and astringent very clean with a luxurious warm dry down quite masculine.
@@bkscents7050 hello i wanted to ask you, i’m in france and here there’s a website named quosentis and they sell prediluted raw materials,
Is it safe to buy?
Thank you. I'm designing my own fragrance line ATM and taking classes but I think this is one area where you just have to go with it and tweak it as you go along. "Let your nose be your guide." I love that!
thank you so much for debunking these common notions. I am a beginner and now Ill be embarking on my start up with this new vital information
Hey BK, loving your videos. Really great content and can't wait to see the next vids! I have a request for a video about brainstorming your compositions. From choosing the heart notes, modifiers, blenders all the way to base and top notes. Thank you for this content!
An excellent idea for a video! I'll mark this for something to record within the next weeks to come :)
Actually I don't think I scrolled that far yet! Just saw some vids that will fit that bill. Thanks again you rock!!
Awesome 👍😎 I'll be looking out
so if I may then ask....what then can be top notes and what can be base notes? For instance, oud is known to be a heavy ingredient and usually falls under base notes, however sometimes it is mixed in some perfumes as a top note. Likewise, citrusy aromas are usually top notes, but can they also serve as base notes?? Thanks
Thank you very much! Very usefull!)
It was a mystery for me how they create 'light' gentle smells with these 'classical' proportions:)) You have solved a lot of questions)
I disagree, summer is higher temperature hence higher molecular weights should be used, it’s counter productive to use light molecules. Summer where is live is mango, dates, limes, watermelon, and other melons.
Don’t forget ruh khus (green Indian vetiver). Cheers
This my first video watching on your channel good video bro keep em coming
Beautifully said. It has to do with people looking for long lasting texture and nature in everything. Does that mean we can omit a base note completely in a perfume?
I always liked & attracted by white musk & Amber. Either these are of summer or winter or ? Thanks 🌹
I'm loving your videos! They are so very helpful, so thank you!
Thank you very much for the free lesson. I'm soaking in a lot of infos from your videos. Ummm I have a question. There are notes out there that can be used as both top and base note, for example Vanilla. How do I make sure Vanilla only perform as top performer? Dilution? Thank you. 🙏
your camera speed was too low buddy
Lol yeah it was! It made everything so wobbly like an acid trip!
but I love the message here, thanks anyway.
Just discovered your channel!! So informative thank you!!
this is so interesting, thank u for the information!!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and tips, your videos are very informative and help immensely. I have a question... I have approximatrly 34 oils now and i'm wondering how I should sort them on my table. Instead of having them all bundled together I have seperated them into 3 categories, 1st is the fruits, 2nd is the florals, 3rd is the woods. Is there a better or best way to sort them? Perhaps top notes then middle notes and finally base notes?
I sort all of mine (I now have over 500 materials) the same you you do. I classify them by category. Citruses, woods, resins, florals, greens, herbals, ozonic, musk's, etc.
@@bkscents7050 Awesome, thank you.
hey! I learn a lot from your video. May I ask you a question? How's the "pyramid percentage rules" work for scented candle?
Thank you so much, I love your content.👌🏽
Great video. Question. What can I do to increase the performance of the fragrances that I create. Also I am new to perfumery and currently I am hand mixing my compositions, are there any tips that you can recommend that will enable me to blend my fragrances as well as possible?
VERY NICE DEMONSTRATION SIR.
Sir, Can you please explain the below item one by one like which is base note, middle note and top note?
Benzaldehyde
Ethyl butyrate
amyl acetate
Amyl Valerate
Ethyl Valerate
Ethyl Acetate
phenyl acetic acid
caramellic
Ethyl maltol
vanillin
strawberry furanone acetate
glycerine
edible ethanol
honey extract
Propylene glycol
KKL Musk
KL Musk
Krishna Musk
Should I blend the top notes, mid notes, and base notes separately or can I just blend everything together all at one time?
How can someone with Oily skin wear heavier base note fragrances or attars with better performance? Since most of the fragrances in my collection are heavy woods, resins, and Oud/Rose scents they seem to stay closer to my skin without projecting as much?! Even though I am not particularly fond of fresh or citrusy based fragrances, they seem to perform a lot better on my skin. Would this be a result of having a heavier “base” (oily) skin type?
Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated
Which type of chemical base note medal note and top note sir please tell me
Fantastic video. 🤙🏼
You are great teacher ❤thanks sir
Thank you thank you can you make more videos like this please 🙏🙏🙏
The basic rule in perfumery, and indeed in life is that there are no rules.
Damn right! 👍
Writing down your formula so you can recreate it should be one rule, if any
@@nickkerinklio8239 agree
But for those getting started it's more important to experiment and have fun than worry about perfection. In the end perfumery is indeed a perfect amalgamation of art and science. Science teaches you the ruless, and art teaches you to forget them.
Wow....well said!
Thank You So Much Brother, For Your Informatio
Thank you for your advice
Question: what about material odor strength? Example: Indole, cis-3-hexenol and Galaxolide?
Material odor strength is covered in another video. But Galaxolide is a low odor strength, meaning you can dose it quite high before its scent is perceived. Indole and Cis-3 Hex are higher odor strength, thus these amounts should be kept lower in your formula because in low amounts its very detectable
@@bkscents7050 Yeah, I saw your video on that. (Great, BTW.)
I meant that the whole perfume pyramid myth seems misleading because it doesn't make clear if it's referring to material strength by Notes, or by material weight by Notes.
Example: does 30% top Notes refer to weight (3 grams out of 10 grams of fragrance concentrate), or does it refer to 30% of the materials odor strength?
Also, wasn't the fragrance pyramid more of a historical fragrance technique developed far in the past before synthetics were so widely used?
@@JayMannStuff The ol' fragrance pyramid is in terms of any value of 'amounts' really. Weight, volume, drops etc....but it never was intended for "odor strength". The fragrance pyramid just gives a general idea of approx how much materials leans into which of the 3 sections (top/mid/base) respectively with one another, which general refers to 'amounts', in which can be by weight, volume, or drops. Its such a vague and widely misinterpreted structure, which is why i tend to not even bother referring to the pyramid because it can be perceived in so many different ways depending on whos interpreting it.
@@bkscents7050 Thanks. Yeah, makes sense.
Oh, btw, I downloaded the spreadsheet tool you made. I've been trying to rework it to create volatility graphs for all materials to show how the fragrance evolves over time, hour by hour, taking into consideration the amount of material and the odor strength of the material, also showing the percentage of each of the 26 fragrance families.
There's also a really nifty search tool with dynamic drop-down lists to help come up with fragrance sketches easily. Tool is WIP. Can't wait to share it. Cheers.
EDIT 2: The spreadsheet re-working I'm doing isn't to improve upon the one you did. Your spreadsheeet was great for documenting the formula and checking IFRA compliance. The spreadsheet I'm designing is meant for quickly coming up with a way to visualize a "Perfume Sketch/Concept" without wasting any materials. A way to preview and prototype without using materials, so you don't just go in blind and end up wasting time and money and getting frustrated. (It'll probably be more useful for newbies like me. I'll share on comments of your spreadsheet video once it's ready.)
Bhai don't use Galaxolide. It's harmful.
I'm using musk oil instead. You can also try Glucam P20.
BIG TRUE!!! 👌👌👌
have You reviewed about agarwood oil...?
thank you
Thanks bro ,can you please guide me I want to become perfumer ,but I am in india can you guide me.i know nothing about this trade
Interesting Very good teacher
Some Perfumes can cause skin irritation, is it because of DPG or fixative?
if you have skin irritation you dont need to buy alcohol base perfumes but oil base perfumes should be your priority.
sir can i ask you something,we all know that base notes are the long lasting scents,what if i make a formula like 30% sandalwood and cedar on top,30% patchouli and vanilla on mid,40% then musk and ambroxan on base?will it work?or am i wrong with this kind of formula?im your new fan,thank you so much!🙏
You can use any percentage because it's a art
And I think if you wish to make long lasting than use base note
@@Beginners07 i just want a linear olfactory,one type of scent that if i sprayed it,i will only smell one type of fragrance,but my concern is that if i focused on that,the projection is not that good,just like sandalwood doesnt project that much
@@mi-vy8xm do experiments
Very informative
Good advice thx
Do you think I can be a master perfumer without Chemistry degree?
Yes....Alberto Morillas who has done hundred of mainstream designer fragrances does not have a degree in chemistry (as far as I've read)
In summer we should use large quantity of top notes ????
He already went over this in the video. Most summer fragrances that are on the market typically have a higher percentage of top notes mainly because of the citruses which contribute to that particular theme, and that’s why they don’t last as long compared to most winter fragrances. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to follow that same formula if you don’t want to and that’s the point he’s making in the video.
@@PanthersCentral704 thanks Panthers
Tq
the background music is a little distracting
I agree....these were some of my earlier videos where I was still figuring out what the right ratio of background music to voice was. My later more recent videos I (hopefully) cleared all that up and should be an enjoyable experience.
@@bkscents7050 I only just discovered your channel and diy perfumery and I'll check out your recent work :)
what do you mean 30%-40%?You mean 30ml-40ml?
I would like you to enable subtitles in other languages like Spanish thanks
3:54 umm.. a lot more thicker woods! was that “groove”?? HELP!
Thicker woods i meant more dense, robust, heartier woods that carry a stronger impact. Woods like Oakwood, guiacwood, oud/agar, are considerably stronger than the typical woods used in cleaner scents like cedar, sandalwood, cypress, etc
Everything is OK.. one doubt why ur so handsome?
👍
The music is distracting
Your amazingly brilliant and handsome teach me i sit at your feet....
what are base middle and top notes?
Top notes are the initial impression
Middle notes are the core of the fragrance
Base notes are the foundation and contribute to the longevity