Welcome to a new week! Let’s see where we will be at the end of the coming days. I got another bunch of hyacinths, all pink, and smelling rather differently compared to the blue ones I got two weeks ago. They are much less metallic but rather powdery sweet, with a spicy undertone and only little green tonalities. Actually, very little green here. And their scent changes. I got them on Saturday, all buds still closed. They did not smell at all. Almost. Now they are in full bloom and the scent has changed from yesterday’s gourmand like sweetness to a more stingy, a bit more belligerent variant.

No wonder, I fooled around a bit yesterday, circling the flowers so to say, squeezing in a moment with these flowers and a few fragrant raw materials, such as phenylpropanol, lilial, phenylpropanal and roses et al. Phenylpropanal is interesting as you find it naturally in hyacinth, lilac, and cinnamon bark. It smells fresh, green, metallic, aggressive and is super potent. I think I will use about 0.1% in the diluted fragrance. Much more you do not want to put in there, I think. Well, I guess it is a question of how much of metallic green you like.

And somewhere in between, I circled the flowers with my i-pad, sketching one little flower using the drawing app, observing its symmetry, and how it is broken, the colors, the shapes.

Thus, yesterday was very busy, in all possible ways, and it saw us getting more air du désert marocain ready for bottling today. But I managed to do the weekly jogging including some hard core brand and numbers thinking, in preparation for this week’s meetings. There, at the meetings, we will try to come up with a master plan for the next 1-2 years. I need to come up with some core decisions like how many scents more do I want. And when. And in what kind of bottles. And for what price. For whom. All very good questions. Right now, I worry about the number of scents that I have not published. I have a couple of colognes ready, two three other fragrances sit in Excel, and I simply have not decided what to do with them. If I was a painter it would be simple: Just hang the paintings up, in a gallery, or another public place and share them. Scents are different. A whole factory has to be turned on in order to share a new creation. And once it is out, there is an expectation that it will always smell the same, look the same, cost the same and be available all the time.

And while everyone seems to be interested in new fragrances, asking for more, and more new scents, everybody seems to complain about too many fragrances appearing and too little time to follow what’s new. Not easy, right?

These, and other questions such as profitability, and volumes and work load will be on the table tomorrow.

Ultimately, the goal is to continue building an environment that allows  being creative without having to compromise too much.

Today’s picture: Another shot taken yesterday, of the hyacinth flowers. Their waxy flowers are almost translucent in bright sunlight.

but when I got up in the morning, I felt like sketching a foggy early morning, brisk, and under a bright moon. I did so first thing in the morning, right after the first sips of coffee and forgot to finish the coffee while doing so. This is what you call “flow”, or you could call it deep immersion. I would like to do more sketches with my ipad, simple experimental drawings, exploring and training my hand. I like to immerse there.

The same in a sense is true when it comes to perfumes. I am doing more sketches these days, with my raw material vials, exploring and training my nose. Independently of whether I can sell them or not later. Right now, I have an ambra sketch under my nose: I mixed it a few days ago. It willl go into a first experimental dilution today, later in the evening. Ambra-cocoa-patchouli and hints of cinnamon and leather. Just finest hints. I do these mostly for myself and will not share them right now. I cannot even if I wished. But I am looking into.

The same is true for filling Cologne in sample vials and do extra “off-track” specials. I already do much too much specials. Thus, referring to a question in yesterday’s comments: No, I do not fill the Cologne into sample vials, even if paid for it, as this would only distract me from my mission.  But I am looking into the Cologne du Maghreb and other scents that are either finished or in the pipeline: How can I move on there, offering them without overloading my boat.

There is a limit of what you can do, if you do things yourself. A limit of sample vials that you fill, a limit of mails that you answer and a limit of special little extras that you can do on the side. In a sense it is a paradox: I have to distance myself in order to stay close to what I love doing-creating.

The first meetings to address this question is scheduled and happens in 10 days.

Yesterday, I talked to my preferred supplier of essential oils, synthetics and other delights. We discussed the oh my! so expensive Champaca absolute, and they will source me some, later this or early next year. It will neatly fit into my recently acquired Osmanthus (yummieh!) treasure. And my new quality Patchouli essential oil that I got from Spain the other day: Think Patchoulol!

Patchoulol is a molecule that is part of Patchouli essential oil and makes about 30% of it. By selective distillation you can get Patchouli oil that is enriched in Patchoulol, to about 65% for instance. How the molecule looks you see on the right side of this post.

This Patchouli, rich in Patchoulol, smells like Patchouli, but 5th avenue style. Think rich and expensive patchouli instead of amusement park patchouli. More on the woody side. Just wonderful.

Thus, like every year towards the end of the year I venture into new molecules and new natural delights that will keep me busy in the next year. Now, this does not really translate directly into new fragrances. I have launched enough recently, and even if I come up with new fragrances, it might well be that they will never go into production. I am learning these days that I can also create fragrances for myself and a few: Folks who care and do not need the full blown fragrance launch thing with flacons, labels etc.

But for sure these delights translate directly into fun for the perfumer, learning and exploring uncharted territory. Exploring new raw materials is one of the most exciting ventures you can get as a perfumer. Following the material during its development on paper strips, learn how it behaves in combination with others, see how it disappears and comes back is thrilling and inspiring.

These natural raw materials are like a primordial soup, a pool where new ideas are born and let out to pass the survival test.

I managed to hang myself through a series of busy days into Friday: fragrantly creative Friday and photo taking Friday and texting Friday. I will -finally!- touch the composition for INGRID again, one of the portraits of Woman’s Picture, and inspiration for a fragrance that we will launch 2013, and add a twist. A frangipani twist.

I have been thinking on the Ingrid composition for a long time now. I had it one for weeks now, in the night, during the day. The base of the fragrance is finished. It lasts and evolves wonderfully. The core axis are fine, too. It fits with what I want it to be, but there is something rotten and wrong there. I have a trial version that is call Version 2nd of August. Since then I tried about 6 or so different routes but none brought me there where I see the scent, in perfection, for Ingrid. It took me a while to find a good source for the frangipani absolute, but now I got it, a first 50 gr sample to work with and do a pre-batch if needed. I will use the frangipani absolute to sooth and correct one line in the scent that was odd. It was not sexy enough. And a bit odd. Hard to describe. The notes of the composition, that is quite complex, are: a citrus chord of Bergamot, sweet orange and lemon, with complementing notes of cinnamon, clove, lavender. The flower heart is now a super complex hyacinth, jasmine, rose.  This will change to hyacinth, frangipani, rose, the base is a rich oriental resinous base of tolu, vanilla, sandalwood, styrax and hints of cistus balms. Thus, today’s  photo shows you what I will smell and mix in an hour: frangipani. I actually took the picture a couple of years ago in Kenya.

Photos: I will try to make a nice photo of the Cologne du Maghreb flacon, using all I know and a bit more of Photoshop, too. The Cologne du Magreb is packed and shipped to indiescents.com.  I will talk about this venture a bit more in detail over the weekend, I guess. Bottom line: I need a photo and PR text for this all natural and all botanical baby of mine that I love so much.

And yes, I have never in my entire life shipped so many perfumes out like during the last 3 weeks. And I have never packed so many perfume bottles and I actually never filled so many perfume bottles. So this was good. But, there is a but. We face a stock issue (again) and I think 2012 will see some changes on how we do things here.  This is good, I think.

So I am back in Switzerland since last Friday, trying to convince my day-night brain cycle that I am here and not there in LA anymore. Quite a useless venture it seems. Thus, I have an e-mail inbox that is all empty with almost all mails answered because I am there 24 hours.

Thus, I have some time during the day to move on with fragrant stuff. Yesterday, after doing all the necessary calculations I mixed the Cologne du Maghreb, a little batch for 200 flacons of 50 ml. The picture to the left shows you what goes into it. I took it yesterday before pouring all raw materials one after the other into the 12 liter aluminum can. Last year’s advent calendar treat was based on this cologne. You find it reviewed for instance here on Sorcery of Scent by Dimitri.

It is 19 ingredients. All of them are all natural. All botanical. Just essential oils and resins and absolutes. Not less not more. Why all botanical? I answered this  a while ago in a comment on my blog: Because I feel there is no need to add anything else here. It is good enough as is.

In a sense it is an ultra complex mixture and yet ultra simple: Just mixing the right citrus oils together with a few raw materials that last a bit longer. In this sense, I could label the Cologne also Eau Fraiche. But then: I guess Cologne fits its quality better, with the lemon bergamot neroli rush.

I will give you more details on the construction in the coming days and why and what  and when. For the time being: I enjoy the citrus signature that yesterday’s venture added to the house.

Did you know that ivy actually blooms for a few days in the year and has a wonderful thick, green, honey like, sweet, dark perfume? It is an amazingly intense fragrance, in light of the little yellow flower and it attract bees in mass. Now, the ivy around the house lost its flowers and the picture today shows you an ivy twig with the little green berries that will turn into real fruits over the next weeks.

This year, the ivy around the house bloomed all at once and was intense like I do not remember it from the past. The weather these days sure helped. We have the most amazing sunny warm days.  But soon, I am afraid, this period will be over and at the latest by then I will take the Jasmine bush inside. A few weeks later it will explode in little flowers. Here again, amazing little fragrant flowers, with so much bigger scent then themselves.Yet, in all the intensity of their fragrance, there remains something delicate about it, a simplicity and clarity.

Talking delicate clarity, yesterday, when finishing the interview that I had to write, I crossed the roads with Edmond Roudnitska again.  I mentioned in the interview that I wrote years ago Edmond  Roudnitska’s criteria on piece of paper sitting always next to me on my desk. These criteria guide me and I check every fragrance with them and I am very often disappointed about my creations in this light.

These are his criteria for “les qualités fondamentales du grand parfum: caractère, vigueur, pouvoir diffusant, délicatesse, clarté, volume, persistance.”

I took a day off, or better: I switched Sunday for Friday and went for a two day hike. The first day was a bit strenuous, though. We did a calculation error of the kind: 6+3= 7.  This calculation error resulted in a 9 hours hike to the hotel on the Chasseron. We got there, to the hotel sitting on the top of the mountain, in time with a smile. A smile, because after 9 hours on your feet you sort of feel tired. The picture to the left, taken the next morning, after 5 minutes walking from the hotel, gives you an idea of the surroundings.

And the picture below gives you an idea of the sunset. Absolutely stunning.

  On the way up there we passed through a most wonderful valley, with bridges and a spectacular view.

I wanted to have a break because I felt like I need one. And there is nothing more relaxing for brain and body than moving your body and thinking while doing so. Strange, but true. Now we are in full speed mode again and shortly, I will move my body towards filtering some scents and packing scents later to prepare shipments that need to go out before I leave for the US.

While hiking I got the confirmation that all essential oils and absolutes that I wanted to get quotes for and delivery times are on stock with my supplier of raw materials. And for reasonable prices. I asked for Mysore Sandalwood, rose absolute, lavender, patchouli, petitgrain, lemon oil, lemongrass, clary sage and a few others.

Basically, I ordered some of the naturals for the Cologne du Maghreb (Maghreb= the area of Northwest of Africa, west of Egypt), the cologne that I made last year and gave it away in my blog and to friends and family and to clients ordering three scents at once as gift.

Anyhow, I decided to make a bit more of it for the upcoming X-mas season.

While hiking I was seriously thinking about it. About what to do next. The Cologne du Maghreb is an all natural and all botanical scent. It contains only essential oils, absolutes and resins. No isolated molecules of natural origin, thus it is a true botanical fragrance.  The same is true for a composition that I made a while ago, a construction between an eau frais and an eau de toilette, depending on your gusto. It is a rather masculine eau,with a distinct lavender-cologne opening,  featuring notes of marjoram, cinnamon leaves, a bit of a spicy rose, on a soft and gentle woody ambra background. Independent of how it smells: It is an all natural, all botanical scent and in order to answer the question  “WHY?”: Because the addition of synthetics here was not necessary.

I am thinking since months about what to do with them. I would love to present the colognes and the eaux fraîches , but I cannot in my pentagonal 50 ml flacon. The volume is too small and the flacon too expensive. To get another 100 ml pentagonal flacon is sort of super expensive. I am considering getting a standard 75- 100 ml flacon for these, branded by print but not by their form.  And putting these eau de colognes and eaux fraîches into a different line within tauerville. To make sure that they are special. Sort of.

Even after 9 hours hiking, I have still no solution yet. Time will tell, I guess. What would you do?

Anyhow: First things first: I will order some lemon oils etc. to make sure that I have my gifts for the advent season.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Fragrant greetings on this bright day. Two more days (or one, depending on counting) before we for the Pitti Fragranze niche perfume show in Florence. Thus, as you may imagine:  a lot of last minute preparations! But today, I will  talk about composing and not about presenting fragrances.

I cleaned up the other day, throwing away plastic pipettes that I used to mix a few trials (they are reusable in principle for a while, but I do not reuse them too often). Smelling them, after mixing was such a delight and reminded me to share with you the facts and figures of composing a fragrance.

The fact: So many times, the simple individual raw ingredients smell so much better and more intense then the mixture. Thus, what is left on the pipette tips is heaven on earth, but what you mixed with them is blunt, boring, dull, grey.

Figures: You may safely assume that a standard mixture for me consists of at least 30 ingredients., (exceptions apply) and you may safely assume that for a final fragrance I make between 2 and 100 trials. Yep: 2 is the easy way, the perfect way, the mother of all perfume creative experiments. 100 is the nightmare over 5 years. But the standard is somewhere in between.

Now, how is it possible that mixture can be dull if the individual ingredients are shining beauties?, you might ask. Actually, this is quite simple: it is an effect that you find everywhere. Annihilation. Some ingredients eat each other up and what is left is ****. Dull, flat mixtures. You can compare it to painting where mixing too many colors gives you a grayish brown.

What was I mixing a while ago: An all natural eau de toilette-eau de cologne like twitter. A fresh, all botanical, yummie further development of my cologne series, a gentleman’s water if you wish,  with green herbs, spices, neroli, and woods (incl. sandalwood from Australia) and ambra and a fine patchouli in the base.  And this time, the mixture turned out as nice as the stuff that went inside. The concentrated mixture has well matured and a  few milliliters go into dilution now.  Please do not ask me when and how I will launch this. The fragrant world in Tauerville is turning too fast right now.  But I like sharing my experiments. And I think it is important to play with scents without always having a sales and $ sign in front of the nose and inside the brain.

Actually, that’s a nice last sentence, to keep in mind when going to a sales show like Pitti: It is important to play with scents without always having a sales and $ sign in front of the nose and inside the brain.

It is almost September. The roses are still in bloom but you can feel how they bring out the last buds for this year. The sun is changing its course, the evening light breaks out in yellow colors and the shape of things says: Autumn. The temperatures, the light, the perspective: All is shifting. Usually, the autumn brings a lot of perfume ideas and looking into my excel, where I store all formulas and experiments, even the very ugly ones, then this excel tells me that late autumn is the most creative part of the year.

Do not ask me why.

The excel file mentioned above, is on some sheets uncharted territory and fun experiments, on some sheets a walk around always the same block without moving much, and on some sheets a chamber of horror. Experiments that fail and did not survive the first week in the experimental bottles. I mix all my experiments to a virtual equivalent of 1000 units. These 1000 units translate into 12.5 gr/ml mixtures. Diluted this gives about 50-100 diluted fragrance. Thus, in my mixture you find from 1 virtual unit (12. 5 mgr/microliter) to a few hundred of overdosed components everything. The base of 1000 units helps to compare formulas. It is easier because everything you add in a mixture is always a part of 1000. Most of the 30 ml flacons with these mixtures do not survive, though. Especially when iterating around the final hurdles, these mixtures will -once the perfume is considered finished- all be incinerated. They rest in peace and turned into what all matter is: Stardust.  But the formulas stay in Excel, as I do not through any of them. They just sit there and one day, when excel does not exist anymore, they will be gone, too.

Thus, the rose petals are falling in late summer. But they are still very fragrant. And I come back to last weeks musing on roses, and roses for Monsieur. There is one formula for this in the excel, yet. But it is not mixed, yet. This mixture is still breeding in my head. And -no offense- so far the recommendations “dark, vetiver, nasty, not ugly” , well, somehow it did not make “click” in my head. Thus, I continue adding notes in my brain and play with the formula in the excel. Patience, dear readers.  Well, maybe I do not see “Monsieur” yet.

I guess I need to look at the rose seriously as it starts to bother me; this translates into looking at Monsieur a little bit more in detail. Monsieur = ?

But first things first: Today sees us doing a lot of tables in another excel file. Pack lists.Price lists. One day, I will need the list listing the lists.

Until we are there: Enjoy the rose petals, scanned yesterday, picked fresh from a fainting rose.

I guess have a thing with roses. Thus, here comes the promised post on rosy matters.  I got a lovely mail today, where someone admires what I do with roses. These mails are of course lovely to read, but here is the truth: The trick is quite simple. Just use the real thing.

You remember my playing with bases for later use in soaps? One series of experiments was a base for a rose soap. The other day I picked the base again and found it rosy enough and good enough to be eventually used as sort of “universal rose base”. It is rather simple, consisting of 12 ingredients, among them rose absolute, rose CO2 (both r. damascena), geranium essential oil in an overdose, additional citronellol and phenylethanol; and of course some nerol and geraniol. Without the naturals the mixture would smell like a cheap rose, a “terpenoid alcohol based ” rose, but you would definitively say rose!. Actually, you would probably say “rose” when you smell citronellol by itself.

By the way: I do not use a citronellol or geraniol that is isolated from natural source, but I use a quality that is synthesized. Price wise it does not matter much. The standard quality at SIAL.com is 84 Francs per kilo, the quality isolated from natural sources is 118 Francs per kilo.

I have no comparative information on the sustainability of the two different production methods. It might well be that the natural quality is a bit less sustainable as the way to the product is a bit more complicated. But I guess it does not matter here. What matters is that the quality of the two are identical. They are 97% pure and smell the same. And they are quite cheap.

Additional molecules that you find in the base are: A touch Iso E super to fix it, a hint ionones to add floral powder, and a few drops of Methylpamplemousse, adding a bit of vibrant silvery citrus cest, again making the mix a bit lighter.

But, the most important ingredients, are the two natural rose isolates: The absolute and the CO2 extract from Ecomaat. Together with the top notch geranium oil, they add the twist to this basic rose base; they add the spices, the depth, the honeyed dirty undertone, the richness that you do not get even when putting more different molecules into your mix.

This is the trick. Not much more. Just use the real stuff. The total base comes to 450 Francs per kilo. That’s the price you have to pay for a real rose base. Actually, compared to the rose absolute  per se it is a bargain (rose absolute sells for about 4000 $ per kilo, if you buy large quantities), and after I have clicked the publish button of this post, I will start playing with the rose base, and see whether it can be used outside of soaps, too.

Actually, it might be time for a rose pour lui. Or something like it.

I wish you a lovely weekend.