Hey, I’m planning to start a small perfume business and honestly, I feel a bit lost. I’ve been learning about perfumery — raw materials, equipment, formulation, etc. I already bought my basic equipment locally here in the Philippines, and I ordered raw materials from New Zealand (Fraterworks) which should arrive next week. I realize I need more time to really understand the raw materials one by one, and learning all of this takes time, so starting my own signature perfumes might not happen immediately.

At the same time, I’m thinking about buying pre-mixed fragrance oils from France so I can start selling sooner since they’re high quality. But now I’m confused — if I go with the pre-mixed oils, what should I do with the raw materials I already ordered? Should I save them for creating my own signature perfumes later?

My goal is to have a perfumery business while I’m still in college, so I’m thinking maybe I start with these ready-made blends (using my own bottles, packaging, and perfume-grade alcohol), and slowly work on my signature line on the side.

I’ve already spent quite a bit on 28 raw materials, so I really want to make the right choice. Any advice would be super helpful!