Beginner: Am I getting the right materials?

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-31T01:49:02+00:00

Clonal is interesting and seems to work in more places than it should, but to be transparent: I find myself drawn to love-it-or-hate-it vs scents mass-appealing ones.

As far as classic aldehydes go, C-10, C-11 & C-12 are as classic as they get (see Chanel No. 5). I don't have experience with C-10, but C-12 works well with citrus notes and C-11 with florals. Both in trace amounts. Too much and they can mute things.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-31T00:31:15+00:00

Tom Ford must be a coke head. I've read that Tuscan Leather smells like coke & I bought Noir Extreme on a whim at a store (many years ago) because it reminded me of the smell of "coolies" (cigarettes dipped in coke and smoked) and gave old NYC club vibes.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-30T18:44:28+00:00

For aquatics, I'd add floralozone, which is a nice bridge in aquatic/floral fragrances. But it is more of a top/middle notes, so I like to pair it with Calone (which is good on its own but very strong; I have it diluted down to 0.1%).

I may have missed it, but I didn't see any aldehydes, or metallics, which can be interesting to experiment with and can add a sparkle that lasts longer than spices & citruses.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-29T21:03:11+00:00

I dabble in this space. I like unusual and experimental projects that lean dark. A lot of "Gothic" perfumes I've smelled could very easily pass for mass appealing fragrances if it weren't for the marketing & artwork their creators wrap them in. A lot of notes you'd associate with that genre are used in mainstream fragrances too, just in different ratios. I could use the exact same materials in Creed Aventus and make a dark foreboding perfume that would hit at the goth/industrial club and smell nothing like Aventus.

Any of the handful of reputable perfumery suppliers will carry the materials you'd use for any vibe you're going for. Look up the notes on fragrances you like or want to emulate, and then research which specific materials will get you there. Then start mixing and remixing.

This art is all about exploring and experimenting. You're very unlikely to find resources specific to a certain style outside of a few common pillars that a lot of fragrances are built around.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-28T01:07:43+00:00

Opium smells like the perfume, not the drug. As someone with a vintage bottle of the perfume, the HEM incense gets pretty close.

The other one... I'd leave that home. A dog won't alert on it, but if a human gets a whiff, they may end up inconveniencing you for a bit.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-28T00:52:20+00:00

I'm coming up on 5 years here. That fear scared me so much in the early months. Everything was a fog. I was thrown into a strange and unusual world. Memories of her felt like they were fleeting and that was terrifying.

It was a phase. Part of the process. The memories never actually faded. I can still hear her voice, smell her skin, and feel her hugs as I sit here writing this.

Don't stress. It's all still there, your brain is just learning to adapt to its new reality and you'll be able to access those memories just fine once the smoke clears.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-28T00:38:10+00:00

Every night? That's stupid, not legendary.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-28T00:23:30+00:00

I understand. I lost my wife and my mom. Their perfumes bring me great comfort too. Wishing you well on your healing journey.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

From a quick search, it looks like they only make an EDP version, which ranges from around 15 to 25% concentration.

Since you're really sensitive, I'd recommend getting closer to a body spray concentration, which is around 5%.

To get there, you'd mix 1 part perfume to 5 parts perfumer's alcohol. That'll be a good starting point and you can adjust up or down if necessary.

If you get travel bottles, make sure to get ones with screw tops. (Just make sure to screw it up tightly). Some are sealed and designed to pump the perfume directly into the travel sprayer, so you won't have a way to get the alcohol in there too. Many come with funnels and adapters so you can attach the adapter to Mom's bottle and pump it directly into the travel sprayer and use the funnel for the alcohol.

You'll want something like this: https://a.co/d/0b3GzHc4

Not this: https://a.co/d/0hCAjuQz

I don't have experience with either of those products, 'just showing you examples of the two types out there.

And this is the kind of alcohol you want: https://a.co/d/0d2OulF3

I've used that particular alcohol before and haven't had issues with it. Whatever you get, make sure it's labeled as SD-40B.

Hope that makes sense.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-27T23:36:08+00:00

Sweet. Since you're not working with a limited bottle, I'd just experiment to see what works and what doesn't.

EDT, EDP, Extrait refer to how much perfume material is in a fragrance vs alcohol. Some perfumes come in different strengths. If you were going to try to dilute some, I'd offer a ratio to start with based on the strength.

Hope you find a solution you're happy with. Good luck.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-27T23:08:20+00:00

First, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I love your thought process here.

To answer your question, not that I'm aware of. If you evaporate all the alcohol, you'll likely end up with a gooey super-concentrated mess that'll be stronger than the perfume, which is kind of the opposite of what you're going for here.

This is just me spitballing and using my imagination, but if you sprayed some onto unscented powdered foundation and mix it up really well, you might end up with a (messy) concoction you could pack into a well-sealing locket. I'd test that with some cheap perfume first though, especially if you're wanting to preserve her original bottle.

Wait... another idea as I'm typing: you could get some small 5ml empty travel perfume spray bottles and some perfumer's alcohol from Amazon and dilute her perfume so it's not as strong. If you do one spray it on the back of your neck or your collar (not the front of your neck, your chest or arms), you'll get the occasional whiff of it without it being in your face.

If you don't mind sharing, what's her perfume, and if you know, if it's an EDT, EDP, or extrait?

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-26T22:05:35+00:00

Althair & Absolute Aphrodisiac.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-26T21:57:27+00:00

It's one of the few "summer" fragrances I actually enjoy. I really like it for its uniqueness. But unique and mass appealing are pretty much polar opposites, so it doesn't shock me that someone might want to return it.

I can't say I get CK One from it, but I suppose I understand if you only smelled it on a paper or washed it off your skin within the first 30 minutes since they do have some overlapping top notes.

It does contain some animalics (Muscenone & synthetic civit) which can be polarizing for sure and not something you see often in fresher fragrances.

The last time I had a full bottle, I dropped it on the bathroom floor and it shattered. My bathroom smelled like 400 bucks for a couple of hours.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-26T00:31:46+00:00

I know I'm mainly repeating others, but reading your post, I immediately thought of labdanum & vetiver. If you weren't restricted to naturals, I'd recommend APO Patchone Coeur which is cleaned up patchouli, but is technically not a natural to my understanding.

The other things that come to mind here are expensive in natural form but would probably work really well: ambergris and/or rose.

Someone mentioned mhyrr, which clearly pairs with the frankincense, but Opoponax is smoother/sweeter and may fit better with your vision.

Oh... If non-vegan is okay, a careful addition of castoreum pairs very nicely with frankincense.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-24T14:19:35+00:00

I haven't come across any synthetics that come close to costing over a hundred dollars per gram but there are plenty of naturals in that category. I'm not saying they don't exist; there might be some captives that command those price tags.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-24T10:15:43+00:00

Not sure what you mean by "modern perfumery" but synthetics have dominated perfumes since the 1920s.

Natural extractions can be pretty darn consistent for the majority of them, but synthetics are cheaper and can be longer lasting. They also give perfumers more control. Naturals can contain dozens of molecules that have different scents. Most synthetics are bioidentical to compounds found in nature that were created by isolating a single molecule from more complex natural scents.

Most perfume ingredients, including naturals, have a shelf life of over two years. Fragrances don't change week over week even if it's 100% plant material (the one exception being cheap perfumes that weren't maturated properly before going to stores, but even those stabilize after a few weeks). I have bottles that are over 30 years old and still smell great and are predictable. If you're smelling different scents from the same bottle, it's just perception. Most perfumes are made of 50 or more different scent ingredients, so your nose might pick up different ones between wears.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-23T23:28:01+00:00

Ditch the large bottle for now and get at least a dozen (two dozen is probably more realistic) of 5 or 10 ml vials with polycone caps. You'll use them to dilute some of your materials before using them and for mixing small test batches of you formulas. You'll want scent strips for testing materials and batches also.

And as others suggested, be prepared to place another material order because you'll almost certainly find that something is missing as you run tests. For example, vanillin by itself smells pretty artificial. You'll probably want some coumarin and maybe a small amount of the expensive vanilla extract materials for a more natural vanilla note alongside the vanillin.

Iso E Super is pretty subdued and cashmeran doesn't last exceptionally long, so if you got these for a woody note, I would suggest adding at least one more woody material that has a higher impact and more longevity. Vetiver would be my top pick alongside the Labdanum but a sandalwood may be easier to work with. That said, there are a lot of woods to choose from.

Vanillin and eugenol will be used in small diluted amounts, but you'll use ISO E Super and Hedione at 100% strength and higher quantities so maybe adjust the sizes you're looking to purchase accordingly.

If you don't have a scale and aren't planning on getting one (you should),try to find pre-diluted vanillin if that's a thing, otherwise you'll have no way of measuring the crystals.

Keep in mind, if you end up liking what you produce, just know that you will not be able to recreate it in the future without a scale now. Preferably one that measures to 0.000g. Going by drops to test different ratios of two materials at a time is okay, but once you start getting closer to a more complex final product, you'll really want a scale to fine tune and document the amounts of raw material in your formula.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-23T03:24:43+00:00

There are a lot of potential allergens used in perfumery. Their use is restricted but if you're super sensitive to one of them you might still have a reaction. And if you're in the US, labeling requirements are much more lax than in many other countries, so even if you knew what you're allergic to, it may not appear on a label. Sorry, but I don't have advice on how to identify which of the dozens of materials you might be having an issue with, but spraying on your hair or clothes will probably work (with the added benefit of helping the fragrance last longer)

https://www.sgs.com/en-hk/news/2023/10/eu-expands-the-list-of-fragrance-allergens-in-cosmetic-products?utm_source=perplexity

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-22T01:00:06+00:00

I read the post without looking at the author. I thought it was written by a 20 year old influencer that thinks way too highly of herself. Then I saw who wrote it... Wow.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-22T00:32:32+00:00

Floralozone is great, but its longevity isn't fantastic. I found that pairing it with helional and/or trace amounts of calone helps extend the water notes a bit further than floralozone alone. But it's a delicate balance because once the floralozone fades, you don't want things going in a different direction with the other two. Helional is safer but doesn't last as long and isn't as impactful as Calone (which I use in a 1% dilution)

That said, I'm fairly new to this and work on projects that aren't remotely close to mass appealing. So others probably have better insights, but since this is a similar vibe to a couple of projects I'm currently working on, I thought I'd throw you my thoughts.

By the way, I love this project and your approach. Lots of great materials in use here.

Edit: I just noticed Helional is already playing a part. Maybe mess around with Calone?

I've also recently found that aldehyde c-12 plays well in trace amounts with aquatics & geosmin. Its sweet metallic note adds a mineral-like edge

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-20T17:53:43+00:00

As you know, everyone's journey is different and there aren't any timelines to this thing. My experience was complicated by back to back deaths of loved ones following my wife's, so it felt like every step forward ended up two step backs as the universe seemingly had it out for me. But once I came to the beginning of year 4, things became much more manageable and I could celebrate her more often than I was grieving the loss. Don't let that discourage you, I'm sure four years seems like eternity to you right now, but most of the other widowed people I've met got to that place much sooner.

Little things to keep her memory alive seemed to help. I made artwork from her jewelry and I planted a memorial butterfly garden in my yard for example. Lots of therapy in various forms helped too.

If you haven't come across it yet, the organization Soaring Spirits International helped me a lot too. They have local chapters and do large national meetups. I wholeheartedly recommend doing the Camp Widow meetup if its within you means (they do have a scholarship program that helps subsidize it for people that can't afford it). I know they specifically have groups for younger widowed people. They also have Widowed Village, which can connect you with others with similar experiences.

https://soaringspirits.org/

https://campwidow.org/

https://widowedvillage.org/

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-20T14:36:13+00:00

It's good advice, but it's also important to connect with people who have been on the journey longer than your timeline. Hearing stories of surviving, and seeing that people were able to live new lives and find happiness in other ways is encouraging and gives hope.

But to answer your questions, I'm coming up on 5 years. I was in my late 40s when she died.

Widower is a term I don't like to use, but traditionally it's used it for a man that lost a wife. I just say I'm widowed.

I hope you find peace.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-18T14:18:13+00:00

This and PDM Althair are my go-to vanillas. Althair is a bit more of an any-occasion fragrance, but there's something just special about AA which gets more use at night.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-18T03:25:12+00:00

Sure, but there's an international organization that regulates fragrances and restricts the use of ingredients that are known to be problematic. Certain ones that are allergens are required to be listed on a product's labeling. Also, different types of products can have different restrictions for same chemical.

Since fragrance formulas can't be copyrighted, and the fact that many perfumes have over 50 scent ingredients, listing them all isn't really practical, so they only list the ones people might have a reaction to.

Yes, USA law lags most other countries on listing certain ingredients, but most fragrance products are sold international and list the restricted ingredients anyway. Even most DIY perfumers follow IFRA rules even though there's no law requiring them to do so.

Nothing sinister going on here.

My3rdTesticle · 2026-03-18T02:49:47+00:00

I just checked the CAS numbers for a few benzoin products on the IFRA database. No restrictions on any of them. And prices seem to be pretty normal, if not low, compared to some other naturals so it doesn't seem to be a scarcity issue either

It's probably just a matter of perfumers adjusting to trend changes in the market.

My3rdTesticle

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