Title of Beauty article
The perfect perfume is like a musical harmony . As with music , a fragrance must be thoughtfully composed with base , middle and top notes . Whether a scent lingers or leaves — evaporating into the air — distinguishes the notes in each category .
Eva Marchant , a perfumer on the dōTERRA Product and Development team , explains this idea further : “ Top notes are the most volatile . They generally flash off quickly , sometimes only lasting five or six minutes . Top notes include citruses , certain herbs , many mints and eucalyptus . In the middle notes , you ’ ll find spices and florals . Then you head down to the base notes , which include essential oils like Guaiacwood , Cedarwood and Vetiver . The base notes are the heaviest , deepest and densest scents . Think of Vanilla , Frankincense , Balsam Fir and Sandalwood . They anchor and hold the scent on your skin .”
The Chemistry
Brittany Graf , managing scientist of essential oil development , explains that you can smell certain essential oils longer than others because of their chemistry . The chemical constituents in top notes are lighter , consisting of small molecules with a lower weight , which is why they flash or fade off . In contrast , the chemical constituents in base notes are heavier — larger molecules with a higher weight — so they stay longer on the skin .
For example , two primary chemical constituents in Vetiver essential oil are khusimol and trans-isovalencenol . These sesquiterpenes have a molecular weight of 220 g / mol . Compare those with limonene , the primary chemical constituent in citrus oils like Lemon or Wild Orange . Limoneneis a monoterpene with a molecular weight of 136 g / mol .
The Heart
But just like how a lone chord — with its base , middle and top notes — doesn ’ t create a melody , a truly compelling fragrance is more than just a base , middle and top . It ’ s a full mélange of scents that together make you feel something . That ’ s what Eva calls the heart . When she creates a new aroma , she looks for an idea the fragrance should evoke to guide how she chooses the notes or scents .
It does for Eva . While some perfumers start with the base notes , she prefers the heart — or middle — notes , choosing them based on a memory , experience or place .
“ As you smell each essential oil , ask yourself , ‘ What does this remind me of ?’ What memory does it evoke ? You ’ re trying to find the right middle note to build the entire fragrance around . Once you decide on a middle note , the rest is experimentation .”
“ From here , you ’ ll choose which top , base and other middle notes you want to include in your composition . Then you ’ ll combine them and refine the fragrance by focusing on the percentages of each essential oil . Are you missing some notes ? Are you getting closer to creating the aroma from your memory ? You keep working at it until it comes together and you achieve your desired outcome .”
The Benefits of Natural
Using CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade™ essential oils to create personal fragrances has several incredible benefits . Beyond having confidence in the purity of the product and its ethical sourcing , you ’ ll be working with raw materials that most in the fragrance industry never get to touch . Most companies consider the price point for natural materials to be too high , so most fragrances are artificial .
While a commercial perfumer might put sixteen synthetic isolates or materials together to create a rose , dōTERRA offers beautiful , pure Rose essential oil and absolute . The full , complete aroma profile will grow in your personal fragrance and blossom naturally .
How to deliver your personal perfume
A roller bottle provides easy , lasting topical application . Try adding your composition to lotion , bath bombs and potpourri .
There ’ s olfactory science behind scents . They ’ re more than just pretty smells . Aromas are connected to memory formation . You can recreate feelings associated with certain memories through scents , which can guide the development of your personal fragrances .
2023 EUROPE LIVING MAGAZINE
37