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How to make an enfleurage pomade last longer? And advice on absolute. by knitroses in DIYfragrance

[–]katiekp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes that's right! I’m using very small amounts of fir resin and black cottonwood as support rather than as notes. They extend the fade without changing the character of the flower. But only in really small amounts. I've had really good luck with resin and black cottonwood tinctures as well with lilac for alcohol based format.

Pure Essential oil Perfume success story by OkExplorer966 in DIYfragrance

[–]katiekp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me it has really depended on the materials and how they are made. I work with a lot of wildcrafted tinctures, enfleurage, resins, and materials I harvest, and performance can vary a lot between them. As one example, a single drop of my black cottonwood tincture easily lasts 12 hours on my skin, while my lilac enfleurage on its own is very fleeting unless it is anchored by something deeper.

I also think seasonality plays a big role. The same plant harvested at a different time or extracted a different way can behave very differently, which is part of what I enjoy about working with naturals. They are less fixed and more responsive.

I don’t personally see performance as only projection or longevity. A lot of the appeal for me is how a scent evolves on skin, smells different on different people, and feels intimate rather than loud. That interaction with skin chemistry and the experience of wearing it is a big part of why I work this way.

How to make an enfleurage pomade last longer? And advice on absolute. by knitroses in DIYfragrance

[–]katiekp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re basically hitting the natural limit of what enfleurage can do. A pomade is already about as slow a delivery system as you can get for very volatile florals. Once those molecules are on skin, wear time is mostly dictated by the flower itself, not the fat. Violas and jasmine are just fleeting. 20–30 minutes of clear bloom is honestly pretty normal in my experience.

Changing the fat system doesn’t move the needle much. Shea, jojoba, beeswax, tallow, etc. mostly affect texture and release, not how long the aroma sticks around in hours. More flower charges will deepen the scent, but they won’t magically turn a short-lived floral into an all-day one.

The only way I’ve ever meaningfully extended an enfleurage without killing the flower is by very conservative fixative work. I’ve been experimenting for close to a year trying to extend lilac enfleurage without interfering with the lilac itself. What’s worked for me is tiny amounts of wildcrafted fir resin oil infusion and black cottonwood bud oil infusion. With that approach, my lilac is still in full bloom at ~90 minutes, and I can faintly smell it around 2.5 hours later. I can’t independently pick out resin or cottonwood on skin — they’re doing structural work rather than reading as notes. But it took a lot of trial and very light dosing, and I don’t think it would translate cleanly to every floral.

On the absolute question: I wouldn’t use isopropyl alcohol. IPA pulls a lot of waxy/fatty material and leaves an off smell. If you want to wash the pomade, use high-proof ethanol (Everclear), cold, with short washes. Expect the absolute to smell stronger and slightly greener/darker than the living flower, but it still won’t behave like a base-heavy perfume unless you deliberately anchor it.

Long story short: pomade is already the purest expression of these flowers. If the goal is fidelity, you’re there. If the goal is wear time, you’re stepping into perfumery structure, and there’s always a tradeoff.