Blending

Composing a perfume is a personal and subjective process. There are basically no rules. You are always free to mix whatever you want - if it smells good to you it is a perfume. However, here I will quickly outline a few conventional guidelines that can help you get started and provide you with the necessary information to compose an exquisite signature perfume.

Mixing perfumes is like mixing colors when painting. We work in perfume based on the same principles as in the color circle - you can find natural harmony if you mix with scents next to or opposite the chosen flower in the scent circle. All our perfumes are color-coded according to the scent circle so that you can easily navigate. The scent circle can be seen here below.

A perfume usually consists of three notes that unfold over time (Top, Middle and Base).

Top notes: Also known as "Main notes", these are perceived immediately upon application of a perfume and evaporate within approx. 15-30 minutes. They form a person's first impression of a perfume.

Middle Notes: Also known as "Heart Notes", these appear just before the top note fades away. Middle notes make up the body of a perfume and help mask the often distinctive initial impression of base notes, which become more pleasant over time. These will naturally smell from 30-120 minutes.

Base notes: These appear close to the departure of the middle notes and are the main theme of a perfume. Base notes add depth to a perfume and are usually not perceived until 30 minutes after application. The base notes are often large molecules and wil therefore last for a long time - at least 6 hours.

When you compose a perfume, you often start with a thought, a feeling, a memory you want to communicate - just like planning a painting. Mixing a perfume as such does not take long - it is the planning that is the big task. You start by designing the 'heart' of the perfume, often base and middle notes, and then you ‘dress’…add futher ingredients on this. Top notes are the last thing you mix in the perfume.

When composing a personal perfume, it is ideal to mix scents from each of the three notes, this will give you the most balanced perfume and make it last longer. A good guideline is to have approximately 25% base notes, 45% middle notes and 30% top notes. You can also, as Americans often prefer, create what is called a linear perfume consisting of only one type of note which does not change overtime - ''what you ''see'' is what you get...this is though difficult with natural materials as they will always evolve with the molecule structure designed by mother nature - the facinating as well as complex charm about natural perfume :)