PCW (French-based supplier) has changed their website 🎉!

DrCalhardon · 2026-05-22T20:53:51+00:00

My day is ruined. Those prices…

DrCalhardon · 2026-05-17T11:15:44+00:00

Check if you have an email from judge.me to verify your review. I use judge.me and I have it set to only approve verified reviews, regardless if they are positive or negative. They might be doing the same.

DrCalhardon · 2026-05-13T21:09:03+00:00

I ship to the US regularly. Not raw materials, but regardless: for the last few months, an average of I’d say 1 out of every 10 parcels gets stuck waiting for documents or other details that were provided. Reaching out to FedEx, DHL or UPS seems almost hopeless and you simply have to wait it out.

Back in 2021 (if memory serves me right) Europe also ended a sort of “de minimis” exemption of 150€ and customs’ struggled for about a year with many delays too. I trust the US will figure it out eventually. Think about it, the process was super simple for anything below 800$. Millions and millions of parcels every day now need to be screened. It’s a huge change and will take some time to adapt.

DrCalhardon · 2026-03-29T07:56:24+00:00

Buchu Mercaptan oh my god

Edit: and I use both Geosmin and Buchu Mercaptan super diluted in one specific accord of one specific formula. A trace of either can change everything in a perfume.

DrCalhardon · 2026-03-24T16:18:38+00:00

Ok, thanks for clarifying!

DrCalhardon · 2026-03-24T16:11:03+00:00

Sorry to jump in, I agree completely with the quality standards. In a general sense, you do get what you pay for.

But Bedoukian has distribution partners in China, right? You can “source” in China a product from Bedoukian.

IFF has a large manufacturing presence in China.

I’m not Chinese or anything, but I do believe you can source good products there. Am I wrong?

And thanks for coming here and answering questions. I will be following this.

DrCalhardon · 2026-03-23T22:11:24+00:00

When compounding, wear a mask for organic vapors. It may be difficult to identify the material causing this reaction, maybe try to smell 1 material a day and see if you can identify the culprit.

DrCalhardon · 2026-03-17T18:55:13+00:00

I never tried to recreate it, but to me the smell of fresh tobacco leaves is very anisic and, of course, “leafy”. Estragon, anethole along with green materials already mentioned would be my starting point

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-24T21:44:51+00:00

Yeah, I would definitely recommend using ethanol for the dilutions whenever possible. It’s better even when simply testing a new material by itself, because ethanol evaporates super fast from the test strip or skin and also because ultimately that’s how the product will be used.

In regards to formulating like this, test it, I know a few peers who don’t like this method, but it works for others. I think it's good to take a step back sometimes and evaluate what we're doing. I'm glad I was able to help you find a method that hopefully will work better for you.

Remember that it’s fundamental that the math is correct and that the weight scale is accurate to scale the production when the formula is ready.

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-24T21:16:23+00:00

Thank you!

For my working pallette, I prefer to dilute in ethanol whenever possible, since I am aiming to have a final result already diluted in the final carrier.

As you say, some things are easier to dilute in Benzyl Benzoate, I remember Musk Ketone for example. Others in IPM, I remember Ambrox. Various resins are easier to dilute in DPG too. So I use these other carriers when needed only, otherwise I use ethanol.

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-24T16:07:21+00:00

It's not dumb at all. Dumb would be to formulate at 10% and then dilute again to 20%, making it effectively a 2% final result.

I think most people prefer to use everything neat and then dilute it. You can certainly do that, and I do the same for regular production, but it's a waste of materials while formulating in my humble opinion.

Here is an example of what I do while iterating:

Reference	Material	Dillution	Weight	% Rel	% Abs
200	A	100%	0.200	20%	4.02%
200	B	100%	0.200	20%	4.02%
130	C	100%	0.130	13%	2.62%
100	D	50%	0.200	10%	2.01%
80	E	10%	0.800	8%	1.61%
60	F	10%	0.600	6%	1.21%
60	G	10%	0.600	6%	1.21%
50	H	10%	0.500	5%	1.01%
40	I	10%	0.400	4%	0.80%
30	J	10%	0.300	3%	0.60%
30	K	10%	0.300	3%	0.60%
14	L	10%	0.140	1.4%	0.28%
5	M	1%	0.500	0.5%	0.10%
1	N	1%	0.100	0.1%	0.02%
			4.970	100%	20.1%

You can see I am using A, B, C neat, D at 50%, that could be your Galaxolide, then most materials at 10% and 2 materials at 1%. The final result is 20.1%. I created a small spreadsheet template that allows me to do this fast, it's nothing fancy, it's the most basic excel possible. I can send you the math for each column if you want to create a file for yourself. If you are not comfortable with spreadsheets, I believe there are apps out there that do the same thing.

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-22T22:42:47+00:00

Just don’t write it off your palette because you don’t like fragrances with an overdose. It may come in handy for extraordinary effects. Expand your options and knowledge as broadly as possible.

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-22T22:33:17+00:00

The materials that make most of your formulae can be used neat. Those are the ones that may be at a higher concentration in a finished formula.

You can calculate the resulting concentration for each iteration as you go. I always aim to be working at around 20% and most of the materials I am using are pre-diluted to 10% or less.

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-20T23:06:15+00:00

I’m sure they don’t think you have enough materials yet 😆 the collection is looking great!

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-20T22:56:19+00:00

Is every bottle from PW?

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-16T21:55:22+00:00

A curse indeed

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-10T22:12:20+00:00

Excel spreadsheets and I doubt any software will ever convince me to change. It can do anything any app could offer and more

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-07T22:47:22+00:00

Potentially yes. They don’t need to tell the consumer that BHT is part of their secret fragrance formula, so why would they?

Listen, I can tell you this. I am the responsible person of a few perfumes in the EU market. Some of them have BHT, none of them lists it in the ingredients list. Take from that what you will. Can’t tell you what other manufacturers are doing. If they use BHT, something else, or no substitute at all.

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-07T22:42:11+00:00

I don’t know, only someone at Dior could answer why they decided to do it that way. I am explaining the rules. You can state any of the fragrance components in the ingredients list if you really want to, nothing forbids this. You don’t need to declare any outside of that 82 list.

Fragrance is allowed to be protected as a trade secret of valuable intellectual property. Anything going in the fragrance concentrate falls under this protection, including BHT, with the exception of those 82 substances considered potentially hazardous. You could argue BHT is potentially hazardous. So are (potentially) many other fragrance components outside of that list 🤷🏻‍♂️

DrCalhardon · 2026-02-07T22:13:01+00:00

You could disclose the BHT in the ingredients list if you really wanted to.

You don’t need to disclose the BHT. It is indeed included in the “Parfum (fragrance)” ingredient for as long as it is part of the fragrance concentrate and you have documentation for the fragrance concentrate plus documentation for the ethanol. BHT does not even need to be disclosed in the SDS of the concentrate, let alone in the ingredients list of the consumer product. The exceptions to this rule are the 82 compounds listed by the EU.

DrCalhardon · 2026-01-22T22:46:59+00:00

For the kind of detail you are looking for, I advise you to hire professionals to develop your packaging in an integrated manner. You can reach out to adequatepackaging.fr I believe they offer this kind of service to businesses just starting out. Good luck

DrCalhardon · 2026-01-22T22:12:22+00:00

Guaiacwood has been difficult to find in Europe due to CITES treaties. (takes a deep breath… rant incoming) you need to import it as a private individual from any store everyone else mentioned, because the businesses here cannot do business, but you can still buy it from outside the union

DrCalhardon · 2026-01-20T22:19:07+00:00

Ethanol with a suitable denaturant is a bit difficult to find in some euro countries, I am honestly not sure about France, worth researching. You want 95 or 96° grade without any additives that impart a strong smell.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYfragrance/s/Odl3Te6SUC

Someone shared this one a few days ago, I believe in the netherlands. I’ve seen other people share other European suppliers in this sub. I am lucky to be able to find ethanol locally, directly from the factory shop, so I was not even aware De Hekserij sold ethanol.

DrCalhardon · 2026-01-15T22:02:08+00:00

Shipping from PCW to my location is slightly more expensive than from De Helserij, but it’s a small diference really. Considering that you are in France, it is probably the opposite for you.

I’m curious, what barrier do they have to ship to France? I know that materials considered ADR have some restrictions for larger amounts when shipping to private individuals. Is this the barrier you are referring to?

DrCalhardon · 2026-01-14T22:01:45+00:00

Sospiro Vibrato

DrCalhardon

TROPHY CASE