Historic perfume terms and ingredient names
Part the first.

Getting the scent out of the organic material.

Some of the chemical compounds in the organic material can be destroyed by the heat of steam distillation and so it is instead extracted by the use of a solvent. The commercial chemicals usually used are derived from petrochemicals and have low toxicity or ethyl alcohol. Other parts of the organic matter are also removed, most notably oil,wax and pigments. what is left is usually called the CONCRETE

The ethyl alcohol is also used a second time to remove more of the unneeded material and what is left is called the ABSOLUTE

Distillation is a very common technique to remove the active scent compounds from most organic material.Steam or dry distillation may be used.Distilled products, whether through steam or dry distillation are known either as ESSENTIAL OILS or OTTOS/ATTARs

Water condensed from the steam process of distillation still contails a trace amount of the fragrant material and is correctly called a HYDROSOL. Examples of this are the obvious ones like Rose water, Lavender water and Orange Blossom water.

Only organic material high in oils is extracted by Expression. The citrus family are an example of this along with others. This was the process most commonly used before the spread of distillation.

Enfleurage is the last method used to extract the scent compounds from organic matter. It is a two stage process for compounds that would be destroyed by heat. The material is mixed with wax or fat or a combination of both. Next the mixture is 'washed' with alcohol to extract the volatile oils. This is hardly used in later times as it is a longer and costlier process.

NOTE:Confusingly some preparations use the term 'water' but actually contain alcohol- Toilet Water. To tell the difference look at the ingredients and see if it contains alcohol. If it doesn't then it is a true plant water, if it does, then it is an Eau de Toilette.

perfume scents

I've been working on and off on more perfume blends.
Using original recipes from victorian pharmacy books i have recreated some real historical perfumes.

I have learned so much from those old books including how to blend and preserve certain types of scent, it has been fascinating learning all about perfumes.

One suprising fact is that commercial blended perfumes contain upwards of 250 synthetic chemicals. How bad can that be for your health?

At least going back to the old formulas and using essential oils, the perfumes i make are safer all round as i'm also using safe dilutions for the skin. Commercial perfumes especially parfum strength are actually stronger then aromatherapy dosage.

Only where i can't get a specific smell will i use synthetic alternatives. Not only are many of the animal related products expensive they can be unethical or unsuitable for vegetarians. So to cater to many tastes i prefer to go synthetic for those chemicals like civet, ambergris and musk.

Blending is a more complicated affair, with personal taste and chemical balance coming into consideration.

I seem to have a very sensitive nose and i get headaches if i smell the concentrated oils too much and my nose gets drowned fast. By that i mean that past a certain point i literally know i'm smelling something but it all smells the same. It's different for every person but eventually would happen to most people.

Plastic is a no-no, it absorbs the molecules of scent not as much as skin would but to a similar effect, so keeping everything clean is a must and getting glass beakers and stirring rods is essential for mixing.

Hope those notes have been helpful for anyone interested
ciao for now