In today's times there are lot more options when it comes to ingredients. A perfume is generally a blend of essential oils, fragrant compounds, and fixatives and solvents. The amount and type of solvent blended with the fragrance oil makes a perfume a pure perfume, Eau de parfum, Eau de toilette, or Eau de Cologne. Perfumes oils are often diluted with solvents. Pure perfume is often the most expensive to make with 22% of essential oils. Eau de Parfum comes second with around 15 to 22% essential oils. Eau de Toilette consists of 8 to 15% oils and is the favorite cheap perfume for both men and women. Eau de Cologne contains 4% essential oils. Lesser percentage of the perfumed ingredients means lesser intenseness and longevity of the scent.



One popular scent that's easy to make is jasmine. Linked to romance and seduction, the jasmine flower has a sweet and intoxicating aroma. The flower looks very delicate but the oil extracted from it is strong and potent. This is why jasmine has been used a lot in perfumery through the years. In addition to its powerful scent, jasmine can be used for both its relaxing and aphrodisiac properties.

Most essential oils are extracted through steam distillation but jasmine's delicate perfume is often extracted through effleurage. This is because distillation yields very little oil resulting to essential oil that is too costly for commercial use. Jasmine's delicate white flowers are harvested at night because it is when the scent is the strongest. After harvest, the flowers are spread out on square glass trays that contain lard or olive oil to absorb the perfume. Do you know that the essential oil of jasmine is so potent that a drop of it goes far? In fact, just a drop of that diluted oil behind the ears and on your wrists would be enough to use as a personal perfume.

One thing that may be important to remember when making is that the most powerful technique or process is the one that modern perfume houses use. This is to blend different bases instead of making scents completely from scratch. Examples of excellent bases to use include floral, greens (leaves and ferns), and amber. Of course, you can add your own bases and twists. It's all about creativity and a great sense of smell.

Don't forget that alcohol is not the only choice when it comes to bases. In fact, oil and solid perfumes also have their distinct advantages over alcohol-based perfume. Oil perfumes are generally easy to make. They can also smell richer and a lot truer than alcohol and are easier to apply.