How to create your online fragrance
John Berglund is the founder and master perfumer at Tijon. He has created over one hundred perfumes utilizing the finest ingredients found in the Caribbean and world-wide while launching 25 of those for sale to-date; and has assisted over 14,000 people in creating their own perfume.
Of all our five senses, our sense of smell is the strongest in triggering memories. Of Grandmother’s house, or a first date.
A five-star fragrance will transcend memories and create new emotions. It will make you think. It will be love at first smell.
But how to create a five-star perfume?
It begins with a simple understanding, (step #1) what is the purpose of the fragrance?
- Historically, perfumes have been used for a variety of purposes
- religiously as incense to honor the gods (in fact, perfume is Latin “for smoke,”),
- to cover body odors when water carried diseases,
- and often today, to feel good, to attract others.
- Is the new fragrance for men, women, unisex? Is it for the evening, day, warm weather, cold weather, casual wear or romance, and sophistication?
Once you have an intended purpose, you need a “vision,” (Step #2) an inspiration.
Is it an evening stroll along a tropical beach?
Is it a date night with your significant other?
Is it a refreshing clean scent after a good workout?
(Step #3) is the mental exploration of fragrances associated with the vision.
If a female sophistication, we may think of traditional florals such as rose, jasmine, gardenia.
If tropical we may think of lime, coconut, pineapple, mango.
If fresh we may think of aquatic or green notes.
Then (Step #4) the fragrant experimentation begins. We mix oils, starting with the finest natural ingredients found in the Caribbean and world-wide while adding other exotic flavors from complimentary families.
We mix top, middle and base oils; these being rated on how quickly they evaporate on the skin.
The top oils are the top notes in a fragrance. They begin the scent journey and evolve to the middle oils with depth provided by the base oils.
Perfumes can easily contain over 100 notes.
We examine whether a touch of vanilla would add contrast and warmth,
whether lavender would add a relaxing note,
whether vetiver will add a bitter dense undertone.
We create and recreate.
We test and tweak.
The final analysis, (Step #5) is testing on the skin.
Does it capture immediate attention?
The Drydown: Does the scent retain its purpose, its vital intentions?
Does it sufficiently transcend our nasal boundaries with a lasting cerebral impression?
Does the scent on the skin convey improved physical beauty to others?
If all 5 steps are successfully completed, voila, you have a 5 Star perfume.