| Most of us know nothing about the structure or | | | | can be our own perfumers. Perfume makers see their |
| workings of scent. It is our noses that keep telling us | | | | art as a symphony of aromatic elements no different |
| stories. Our world is made of atoms as indeed we are. | | | | from an artistic blending of musical notes. For a |
| Atoms connected together make molecules. Molecules | | | | perfume to work there must be harmony between all |
| are what we smell. If you smell something, it is | | | | the different blends of essential oils as perfume |
| because that smell, for example bacon frying, is | | | | changes with evaporation, people and time. |
| evaporating in the air ending up in our noses and | | | | Let us talk about the musical attractions of scents. A |
| connecting with other sensors in our brains. If we smell | | | | top note is the fragrance you first smell and is your |
| something like burning we are stimulated into one kind | | | | first attraction to that scent. This is the one that makes |
| of action. Remember that old car we loved and the | | | | you buy. Once applied to the skin it starts to |
| smell of those leather seats. Many of us remember | | | | evaporate and by the end of ten minutes it is gone. |
| the smell as clearly as the car. Remember those | | | | Feminine top notes are for example, chamomile, rose, |
| natural hand and body creams with those gorgeous | | | | jasmine, lavender, lemon, angelica and many more. |
| fragrances; the love affair with that gorgeous guy who | | | | Masculine top notes are for example Lemongrass, |
| wore patchouli and you just smelt it again on a | | | | juniper, sage, verbena, bergamot. |
| stranger on a train and the memories came flooding | | | | Then the middle note fragrance becomes dominant |
| back? | | | | and will last for 20 to 30 minutes. Examples of feminine |
| I read somewhere that a well known brand of | | | | middle notes are geranium, jasmine, rose (both of |
| champagne has traces of our favourite perfumes | | | | which linger on as both a top and middle note) and |
| added, so you will remember, come back and buy | | | | nutmeg. Masculine middle notes are essential oils such |
| over and over. This used to be legal but I am not sure | | | | as basil, cardamon, peppermint, pine and mandarin. |
| now. | | | | Then we come to the base note which lasts from two |
| Most of us think of perfume and smell as an | | | | to eight hours and we would be unlikely to buy these |
| evocative power and in some cases I am sure it is, but | | | | as a top note but are delightful after a time. Examples |
| I think it is just a trigger amongst many triggers that | | | | of base notes are vanilla, vetiver, sandalwood, |
| evoke memories such as noise, touch, sight, all play a | | | | patchouli and many more. Masculine base notes are |
| part in our memories. | | | | vanilla, sandal wood, oak moss bay, cedar wood and |
| There are six big perfume companies, billion pound | | | | cinnamon. |
| multinationals and then there are lots of small | | | | Although no perfumes give away the exact recipes of |
| companies. These big companies create new perfume | | | | their product in other words the exact proportions, the |
| molecules, whilst the smaller companies simply mix the | | | | above are the vital ingredients of some of our |
| fragrances available for sale on the open market. You | | | | favourite perfumes such as Channel No 5 for women |
| and I can do this using essential oils and we can do | | | | which includes bergamot, lemon, neroli, jasmine, rose, |
| some using not the harmful alcohol base that the big | | | | orris root, ylang ylang, vetiver, cedar wood and vanilla, |
| companies use but our own choice of beneficial | | | | lily of the valley (chemical compounds as no essential |
| organic oil or cream base. We are bombarded with | | | | oils are available). A popular male fragrance is |
| the launch of between six and ten new perfumes | | | | Tuscany by Aramis which is a citrus fresh note and |
| every week, but mostly small companies are just | | | | contains lavender, rosemary, bergamot and lemon. |
| copying successful scents, with endless versions of | | | | It is fun to mix our own fragrance using essential oils |
| the same basic fragrances coming in and out. | | | | with base organic oils or creams which is nicer than |
| Some essential oils are very expensive, for example | | | | mixing with alcohol especially if you have dry skin |
| rose or jasmine absolute. Buyers have to decide | | | | conditions. But be careful never to use essential oils |
| whether a new perfume is worth the high price of | | | | neat on your skin as they can be very strong. Our |
| these natural essential oils as quality can be variable | | | | choice of fragrance for our moisturising creams and |
| and even a copy is not cheap. The alternative is to go | | | | natural hand and body creams is very personal, but |
| with the cheaper synthetic fragrances that are so | | | | many small and specialist brands of hypoallergenic |
| popular but are actually so bad for us containing | | | | multipurpose creams now produce specialist |
| alcohol, chemicals and synthetic preservatives. | | | | fragrances in small batches. These natural skincare |
| So how should we as consumers chose our scents? | | | | products can both be wonderful to use and beneficial |
| With so many essential oils now available to the us we | | | | for our skins. |