Starting Equipment

I've written elsewhere on this blog about what materials I recommend to start with and I've also talked about the single largest investment for most starting perfumers, which is good scales.

What I have not covered is all the other things you are going to need in order to be able to experiment effectively with blending and mixing fragrances.

First of all, as I've already recommended in the post on blending, I think it's best when you’re starting out to keep most materials ready diluted in ethanol, and do your blending with those.  That automatically means that you are going to need at least one empty bottle for every different material you buy - probably more - I buy mine in bulk from a bottle manufacturer, but if you can’t meet the minimum order quantities they need we also sell them through the Pell Wall shop in the Accessories for Perfumery category.  I use glass bottles in either amber or cobalt blue or green, to protect the contents from the light. Another option we use a lot at Pell Wall is aluminium: it’s important to use lacquered bottles as some ingredients can react with the aluminium itself, but this is a good way to keep them totally protected from the light.  Again we sell these bottles individually and buy them in bulk.

I find there are some materials that I use so often, or that are such a fiddle to dilute, that it's worth having bigger bottles on hand to save doing a new dilution too often, so I'd suggest you buy a few 100g and 200g bottles as well.

At Pell Wall we offer a comprehensive Perfume-Lab-In-A-Box accessories kit that includes most of the things you’ll need to get started.

To keep all those bottles accessible you'll need something to help organise them.  The traditional perfumers' organ is quite an investment but I found these simple steps, designed to organise containers in kitchen cupboards a cheap and effective way to arrange a reasonable number of bottles.

I like to be able to see what I'm blending when I'm working on a new accord though, so I prefer to do that in a clear container.  To save on wastage of expensive materials I do first cut blends in small beakers or flasks and store them in clear bottles so I can see how the blend is maturing and whether it’s clouded, crystallised or changed colour.

For the actual moving of material from stock bottle to blend, what I prefer is glass pipettes. These are intended to be disposable, so you might prefer to use plastic disposables instead.  On the other hand I find the plastic kind are also a bit less easy to be accurate with and glass is easy to recycle everywhere (I put them directly into a clear glass bottle so that the whole thing can go in the recycling with no risk of anyone coming into contact with the sharp ends).  It is possible to re-use the glass ones if you take out the cotton-wool plug and wash them thoroughly, but it does not work to do that with the plastic ones as the scents tend to impregnate the polyethylene they are made from.

Whichever type you use, on no account use the same pipette in two or more different materials or you will cross contaminate and end up with mixtures in every bottle: quite useless.

Once I have a blend near-right I prefer to make it up in a larger amount for more testing and for that I find standard laboratory conical flasks ideal.  Flasks are also great for making up dilutions of sticky resins or solids that take a bit of swirling to get into solution.

Some things will need more than just a bit of a swirl to dissolve: for those some glass stirring rods are useful, or for the more difficult things an automatic stirrer is a great boon.  There are several types of these, but I recommend buying a small, fairly inexpensive one to start with, which works by using a magnetised stirrer, coated in glass or PTFE that you put in the liquid and a motor that you sit the container on that rotates another magnet, thus turning the one in the container.  Some materials take a long time to dissolve and you can leave these running for a couple of days if necessary.

That reminds me of another thing you'll need, which is some spatulas for measuring out solids ready to dissolve.  I find the spoon type handy for wider mouthed jars, but the narrow sort essential for getting into those little bottles that very expensive materials and samples come in.

Another vital thing to buy is blotters or smelling strips as you need these both for training yourself to recognise and deconstruct smells and for testing your blends.  There are lots of different ones on the market but the are so useful I think it's well worth buying plenty.

I also keep some measuring cylinders, and accurate measuring pipettes (plus filler devices) for those occasions when you need to measure something out by volume - if you are working routinely in weight these are not essential.  I also have Simax bottles in various sizes for keeping larger dilutions and stock in - I like these because they are strong and easy to pour from and will clean up without leaving traces of scent.

Finally you need a workspace with a surface that won't be damaged by spills of aggressive liquids (melamine, glass and granite are all good).

Images of Saturn

It's a bit naughty to do two off-topic posts in a row, but I couldn't resist this video made with compilations of shots from the Cassini probe.

And just to add some colour, here's a beautiful picture from the same source:

Saturn, its rings and largest moon Titan

I found these in this article on The Atlantic.

Do it anyway

I'm posting this just because I thought it was rather wise, it has nothing in particular to do with perfume:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

These verses are often attributed to Mother Teresa of Calcuta, sometimes called her 'Anyway Poem' and it has been reported that they were written on the walls of the children's home where she worked but according to the official website maintained in her memory they were never her words, although a version of some sort does seem to have been displayed in that home.

In fact they are an adaptation from a work called The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith

Musk

Musk is one of the most common elements in perfumes - some form of musk is included in virtually every fragrance on the market, but which form varies a great deal as there are a great many options.

At one time, musk came almost exclusively from various species of Musk Deer but this has almost entirely disappeared from use for ethical and cost reasons.

Moschus moschiferus - one of the species that were the original source of musk

Most fragrances now use some form of synthetic musk, but there are a few natural sources still sometimes used.  In particular ambrette seed oil (containing the chemical widely used in synthetic form as ambrettolide) and angelica root oil (now known to contain the chemical exaltolide, though this was not recognised until long after exaltolide had been made synthetically).

Some synthetic musks are crystalline solids and as a result are often sold either pre-diluted or ‘mobilised’ in something to make them liquid and easier to handle.

There are a huge number of musks on the market, these are some of those I use particularly like or find useful:


Ambrettolide this synthetic is the same as the musk in Ambrette Seeds - a very good quality diffusive musk, slightly fruity, very smooth and exalting.
Applelide an IFF product, this is relatively short-lived for a musk but has a strong, velvety top-note that give a great deal of richness and has a fruity aspect of apples as well.
Cashmeran also from IFF is interesting - liquid and easy to handle - has a spicy quality. When used successfully it is very warming and velvety.  Not everyone considers this molecule as a musk at all.
Celestolide crystals that are slow to dissolve in ethanol. Adds more brightness than the others, very good diffusion.
Civettone isn't widely used alone or available in small amounts. It is the musk component of natural civet paste and the synthesised version is used as part of civet recreations, arguably the most powerful fixative in perfumery. 
Ethylene brassylate (also called Musk T), widely available, liquid at room temp and cheap, good fixative properties and easy to use macrocyclic musk.
Exaltolide solid at room temp but melts easily, very widely available and used macrocyclic musk with a fairly strong, sweet-musk aroma. Not everyone can smell exaltolide but it's one of the finest musks you can use.
Exaltone is the key molecule in muskrat musk and although it can now be synthesised even the synthetic version is very expensive.  It is however incredibly persistent and, arguably, one of the best fixatives known to perfumery.  More animal smelling than most synthetic musk.
Galaxolide a polycyclic musk, very widely available and used, especially in functional products. Often sold as 50% in DEP or IPM as it’s so thick a liquid as to be virtually solid otherwise. A polycyclic musk which is not biodegradable and very persistent in the environment and people.
Habanolide a macrocyclic musk from Firmenich with a strong odour and slightly waxy and metallic freshness. 
Helvetolide another Firmenich product, this is unusual in having a strong top-note as well as the more usual persistence of musks.  It also has a fruity aspect  of pears.
Muscenone is one of the components of natural deer musk, very good fixative and diffusive qualities and has a stronger musky smell than the better-known muscone:
Muscone this is the main musk that is in musk deer pods but synthesised. Lovely fine musk that has the edge over the others for its erogenic quality l-Muscone is a more expensive and even finer quality - just the L isomer.  Both forms have a nice powdery quality.
Romandolide not so widely available, similar in scent to Galaxolide but alicyclic (or linear) and biodegradable: very useful and I'm in the process of phasing out galaxolide to be replaced by romandolide in all my retail range.
Tonalid polycyclic, crystalline solid again but a bit easier to dissolve than some. Often disparagingly referred to as ‘laundry musk’ it’s nevertheless a good fixative and very widely used.  Cheap enough for functional products and gives a very clean effect.
Velvione another macrocyclic, very fine musk of great diffusion, rather like ambrettolide but less fruity and even softer. A great exalting agent, it has little scent of it's own but has a big effect in a blend and gives a distinct powdery effect.


There are plenty of others. I nearly always use musks in combination rather than using just one in a composition. In particular you can get good effects by using very tiny amounts of ambrettolide or velvione alongside one of the cheaper musks. Both work well with Exaltolide and Romandolide.

Another option is Auratouch from Givaudan - a blend of several of their musk products which I believe also includes a captive.

Synthetic musks have also been the cause of some controversy and a number of them were found to be unstable, carcinogenic or environmentally damaging.

Musk Ambrette is prohibited by IFRA and Musk Ketone is banned in some countries even though it isn't restricted by IFRA.  Musk Xylene is banned throughout the EU and prohibited by IFRA.

Muscone, a macrocyclic musk

If you want to understand the different categories of musk (based on their chemical structure) and something of the history of their production the Wikipedia article on Synthetic Musks makes excellent reading.

The Shrewsbury Flower Show

On Friday and Saturday 10th and 11th August 2012 the oldest horticultural show in the world will be celebrating it's 125th anniversary and Pell Wall Perfumes will be there too.

Pell Wall Perfumes will be on Stand A26 in the Home and Craft Marquee

The Shrewsbury Flower Show, organised by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, is held each year in the Quarry Park in Shrewsbury - 29 acres including the Dingle - a sunken garden designed by Britain's first celebrity gardener Percy Thrower.

The Dingle in the centre of Quarry Park

It promises to be a wonderful day out and, fingers crossed, it even looks as though the weather will be good.

Pell Wall Perfumes will have some special offers and several new and exclusive products that you can't buy from the website, so if you're anywhere within reach do come along to see us in the main Home and Craft marquee stand A26.

{1953} a new luxury fragrance from Pell Wall

Here's some of the stock, in cold storage, ready to go to the show:

Perfume Stock

Another of the fun products being displayed for the first time:

Frogspawn & Pondweed Bubble Bath

Mill Hill Essays | MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London

Interesting article exploring how research into the way the sense of smell works has applications for wider human health.  Included is a well-written explanation of the prevailing theory of how smells are perceived.

Mill Hill Essays | MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London

What Space Smells Like

An interesting article featuring the work of Steve Pearce, a British perfumer, who also happened to give one of the best presentations at this year’s BSP symposium, to recreate the distinctive smell of space for NASA to use in astronaut training.

What Space Smells Like - The Atlantic

Here you can also read an interview with Steve Pearce on the subject published on Discovery.